“A sword for the Lord and for Gideon” drips with irony. All that Gideon’s army had were trumpets, jars, and torches; no swords. The only swords used in battle were the Midianites’, which the Lord made them use against each other. All Israel had to do was stand firm, blow trumpets, break jars, expose torches, and yell, which does not take military finesse. The victory was all the Lord’s.1
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”