보리떡의 꿈 사사기 7장

사사기 7장은 기드온이 미디안 군대를 물리치는 이야기로 하나님의 개입과 인간의 연약함 속에서도 이루어지는 구원의 서사가 중심입니다.

 

기드온의 군대

1. Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 

 2 The Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me go give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead, '" Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. 

 

 

하룻밤 사이에 영웅 아닌 영웅이 된 기드온은 드디어 군대를 이끌고 미디안을 공격하기에 이르릅니다. 기드오은 약 32,000명을 이끌고 갔는데 하나님이 너무 많다며, 사람의 힘으로 이겼다는 소리를 듣지 않으려고 했는지 줄이라고 합니다. 그러면서 두려운 자는 돌아가라고 합니다. 그래서 22,000명이 돌아가고 만 명만 남았습니다. 그리고 이 남은 자들을 두고 또 테스트를 하였는데 물 마시는 방식으로 테스트를 했다는 것이 흥미롭습니다. 

 

  4 And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and any one of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you', shall not go." 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, "Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself, Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink." 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, "With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home." 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

 

 

병사들에게 물을 마시라고 하였는데 비교적 점잖은 자세로 물을 마시는 것보다 개처럼 핥아 마시는 사람을 선별하여 그렇게 전투 태세가 갖춰진 300명만 남게 하였습니다. 

 

사사기 6장 읽기

기드온의 밤 사사기 6장

 

 병사의 꿈 이야기를 듣고

9 That ame night the Lord said to him, "Arise, go do down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterwards your hands shall be strengtherned to go down against the camp." Then he went down with purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 ANd the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And 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." 14 And his comrade answered, "This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp."

 

 

한편, 적진에서 한 병사의 꿈을 들었다고 하는데 그의 꿈에 보리떡 하나가 미디안 진을 무너뜨렸다고 하는데 이 꿈의 해석을 기드온의 칼이라고 본 것인지 헷갈리네요. 그런데 이 꿈을 적진의 병사가 엿들은 것도 이상한데, 이 보리떡 꿈으로 자기 승리를 암시하는 추측을 했다는 데, 그냥 이건 전쟁 심리전 혹은 선동적 장치로 읽힐 뿐입니다. 

 

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said "Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand." 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, "Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, 'For the Lord and for Gideon.'"

 

 미디언 군대 급습하여 승리

 

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 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, "Asword for the Lord and for Gideon!" 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah towards Zererah, as far as the border of Abelmeholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

 

 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. 25 And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan. 

 

가만 보면 이스라엘 부대는 정정당당하고는 거리가 먼 것 같습니다. 늘 연막 작전, 급습, 기습, 심리전, 기묘한 간섭으로 승리를 하는 방식을 보이기 때문입니다. 이것이 나름 약자의 생존 방식이어서 그런가 보다 싶기도 하고요. 일반적인 눈으로는 비열해도 이렇게 비열할 수가 없는데 성경에서는 예언자적 전략이라고 하는 게 좀 의아하긴 합니다.