A Prayer for Help against the Enemies of the Church
Do unto them as unto the Midianites, who were practically annihilated at the time of Gideon, Judg. 7; 8, 11. 12; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison, at the time of Deborah and Barak, Judg. 4, v. 10. which perished at Endor, a town on the northern edge of the Plain of Jezreel, for it was there that the battle against the host of the Canaanites took place; they became as dung for the earth, their decaying carcasses forming manure, fertilizer, for the soil of Canaan.
V. 11. Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,the two princes of the Midianites slain at the time of Gideon, Judg. 7, 25; yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna, slain by Gideon after their armies had been defeated, Judg. 8, 10-21; v. 12 who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession, they had intended to overthrow the true religion.
V. 13. O my God, make them like a wheel, like a whirlwind and whatever is carried away by a tornado, as the stubble before the wind, disappearing without leaving a trace behind.
V. 14. As the fire burneth a wood, great forests being devoured in a short time, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire, the mountains themselves melting. away with their woody covering before the flame of God’s wrath, v. 15, so persecute them with Thy tempest and make them afraid, completely overthrowing them, with Thy storm.
V. 16. Fill their faces with shame, disgrace being heaped upon them by their overthrow, that they may seek Thy name, O Lord, acknowledging the exclusive divinity of Yahweh, whether willingly or under compulsion.
V. 17. Let them be confounded, heaped with shame, and troubled, overthrown, forever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish, fully convinced of their own vanity and that of their false gods, v. 18. that men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Yahweh, the God of revelation, art the most high over all the earth,admitted as such either in fear or in faith.
Compare Is. 31, 16-20; 2 Kings 19, 19. That is the comfort of the believers of all times, that the true God will, in the end, be revealed before all men, to their utter confusion and to His own glorification, as the most high God.