The thing I love about the story of Gideon is the length to which God went to prove to Gideon that his army had nothing to do with the defeat of the Midianites.  To the contrary, God wanted to show Gideon that He was the victor in the battle and that, in Gideon’s weakness, God’s strength is made perfect.  The victory was proof that God’s hand was on the nation of Israel.  So often we think that the outcomes of the situations we face are dependent on us.  The lesson here is that God wants us to rely on Him.  He is our defender when we choose to walk in His ways.