THEOSISGregory the Great
It is fitting to delve deeper into the conflict with the Midianites, which the prophet intentionally parallels with the advent of the Lord. The Book of Judges recounts Gideon's battle against the Midianites. Why does the prophet highlight this particular conflict, and why is Gideon's triumph likened to the arrival of the Redeemer? Might the prophet be indicating that Gideon's victorious encounter foreshadows our Savior's confrontation with the adversary? The occurrences in this battle, which strayed from conventional warfare, also aligned closely with the enigmatic nature of prophecy. Who advances into combat wielding pitchers and torches? Who sets aside traditional weaponry in the face of opposition? Such actions might seem absurd to us, yet they instill dread in our foes.
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We have come to understand through the very testimony of victory not to overly fixate on the trivial, for Gideon's entry into the fray symbolizes the coming of our Redeemer, as it is proclaimed: Lift up, O ye gates, your tops, and come up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall enter in! Who is this King of glory? - The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle (Psalm 23:7-8). Gideon not only foreshadowed our Redeemer through his actions but also through his name, as Gideon can be understood to mean 'he who walks in the womb.' Our Lord, by the might of His majesty, encompasses all creation, yet by His providence, He entered through the womb of the Virgin. Who is this one who walks in the womb but God Almighty, who redeems us by His providence? He contains all things within His Divinity while taking on human nature in the womb. In that womb, He became incarnate yet remained unconfined, existing in a state of vulnerability while simultaneously holding the power of His majesty beyond the world.