Judges 7:13
“When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow. He said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream; and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.””
What does Judges 7:13 mean?
A Midianite soldier is recounting a strange dream to his friend: he saw a loaf of barley bread rolling through their enemy camp and crashing into a tent so violently that it collapsed completely. This dream becomes the turning point in Gideon's battle against the much larger Midianite army, because the soldier's companion recognizes it as a sign that God is giving victory to the Israelites. The barley bread (simple food of the poor) defeating the grand tent (symbol of the enemy's strength and numbers) captures something profound about how God works: he often uses the weak and unexpected to accomplish his purposes. When Gideon overhears this dream, it strengthens his faith at exactly the moment he needs it most.