Judges 6
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they and their livestock would come up, and they would even bring their tents, as thick as locusts; neither they nor their camels could be counted; so they wasted the land as they came in. 6 Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
7 When the Israelites cried to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites; and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery; 9 and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land; 10 and I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not given heed to my voice.”
The Call of Gideon
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.” 13 Gideon answered him, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” 15 He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.” 17 Then he said to him, “If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Do not depart from here until I come to you, and bring out my present, and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the Lord; and Gideon said, “Help me, Lord God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it, The Lord is peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the sacred pole[a] that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, in proper order; then take the second bull, and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the sacred pole that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants, and did as the Lord had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it by night.
Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal
28 When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this?” After searching and inquiring, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 Then the townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the sacred pole beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who were arrayed against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you defend his cause? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been pulled down.” 32 Therefore on that day Gideon[e] was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he pulled down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came together, and crossing the Jordan they encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
The Sign of the Fleece
36 Then Gideon said to God, “In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
As we are approaching our Sight & Sound trip, to watch Musical Samson, I thought it might be a good idea to walk through the story of judges.
What does the passage say?
The era of the “judges” of Israel occurred after the death of Joshua when the Israelites had entered the promised land. The land had been divided among the 12 tribes. Yet there continued to be opposition from neighboring groups. And the people had begun to adopt foreign gods and idols (Baal and Asherah), despite having been given clear warnings by Moses and Joshua. As a result, God had empowered the Midianites to make frequent armed raids, destroying their crops and stealing their livestock. In an often repeated pattern, the people cried out to God for help, yet were unwilling to set aside the idols to the foreign gods.
Into this setting, an angel of the Lord comes and visits the home of Gideon, with a special message, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (verse 12)
Gideon receives this message, but only partially understands it. His response is, “Please, Sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And ‘where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about?” (verse 13) When Gideon protests that his family and tribe are small and he is the youngest, God’s simple response is “Go in the strength you have” and “I will be with you”.
God then commands Gideon to destroy the village altar to Baal and the Asherah pole and replace them with an altar to God. Gideon obeys, but only under cover of darkness, fearing retribution from his neighbors and family. Shortly after, upon receiving the full measure of God’s Spirit, Gideon rallies his tribe and neighboring tribes to drive out the Midianite armies.
What does this mean to me/ us?
This account of the call of Gideon is similar to many others in the Bible where God raises up a champion. Gideon’s initial response is to list the barriers. But in verse 16, God makes His call abundantly clear. He is not calling Gideon’s tribe or family. He is calling Gideon! Now to make sure he is clear on the call from God, Gideon asks for specific signs. God is respectful of Gideon’s request. Gideon responds to God’s affirmation by proceeding as directed.
There initially appears to be nothing special about Gideon. Yet God calls Gideon to be the leader needed by Israel to fend off the Midianites. It is a call specific to Gideon, not to his family or tribe. Indeed, the first action Gideon takes to destroy the idols will be a problem with his family and neighbors. Though they grumble and accuse, God protects Gideon from harm, readying him for the next step of leading the Israelites against the Midianites.
God’s call is personal. Like Gideon, I don’t need to be gifted or powerful or without any doubts, to be called by God. I only have to be a faithful listener and committed to act on what I hear. Though my family and friends disapprove, God will be with me. I don’t need to know all the strategy and plans, just the first step. Like Gideon, upon taking a first step, I can be emboldened to take the next step, not knowing the outcome.
God is calling each of us and promises to be with us through the grace of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. I have my listening ears on and am trying hard to let God to control the GPS. Where is God calling you?
Lord,
Let Gideon’s example guide me.Give me the patience to listen for your call and the courage to act, even if the action is unsettling to those around me. Pardon my questions as I seek clarity of purpose. Strengthen me as I take a first step, a new direction. Help me to be assured of Your presence and the confidence to then take the next step, all the while knowing that I am contributing to Your holy kingdom.In Jesus name, we pray. Amen
*Contributed by Larry Dickenson
What are your thoughts?
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