Judges 6-7

The rise of Gideon

Gideon’s calling actually reminds me of Moses' beginning, perhaps because of the similar political situation at the time.

Background: The Israelites fall away from God and the Midianites and Amalekites come in great numbers and devastate the land. They steal all their produce and the Israelites hide out in caves to avoid them. In some ways, we are already seeing a fulfillment of the prophecy from the “Song of Moses” at the end of Deuteronomy, particularly wishing day were night and night were day because of the terrors in the land.

In this time, an unnamed prophet emerges and tells the Israelites this is because they fell away from God.

Gideon is threshing wheat in a winepress to hide the wheat when “the” angel of God appears and calls Gideon a “mighty man of valor”. What?! He’s hiding his wheat in a winepress, that’s not exactly a “mighty” thing to do. The angel tells Gideon that he is being sent to save Israel. Gideon keeps up with the “mighty man” talk and says that his clan is the weakest of Manasseh.

Gideon wants proof. His first test of proof is to see what happens when he brings his offering to the angel. The next day, he lays unleavened bread and goat meat on the ground. The angel strikes it and a fire consumes this offering. This satisfies Gideon and he then builds a proper altar where this happened.

The angel then instructs Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and statues and build an altar to God in its place. Then sacrifice a bull on it. Gideon does this, but in the middle of the night because he thought the local population would intervene.

Note, these events imply that it probably would have been permissible for the eastern tribes to actually build a substitute altar east of the Jordan as opposed to a memorial altar. Such an action almost prompted the first Israelite civil war.

Back to the story – the local people go crazy about the removal about the Baal altar and statues and want to kill him. Gideon’s father stands up for Gideon and basically says “let Baal defend himself”. This prompts a gathering of the Midianites and the Amelikites. Uh oh. The bullies are gathering together.

The spirit of God inspires leadership into Gideon who blows his trumpet and followers congregate to him. He sends out messengers to other tribes for more men.

But Gideon wants more proof. He asks God that a fleece be wet when it is found on dry ground and that the fleece be dry when the ground is wet. Both events happen.

Judges 7

OK, Gideon has his proof, but God has high expectations for him. God directs Gideon to send away most of the 32,000 people who came to assist him down to 300. Woah! Meanwhile, the enemy army is described as vast horde, “as the sand by the seashore in multitude” (v. 12, NKJV).

Gideon overhears a man retelling a dream he had in which a loaf of barley bread collapses a tent in the Midianite camp. His companion interprets it to mean that God has already defeated the Midianites. This prompts Gideon to worship and he inspires his men.

I’m impressed with Gideon’s faith. At this point, Gideon has only seen proof, but never actually won any battles. Further, the Midianites are still an occupying force, a vast multitude, and Gideon only has 300 men.

Gideon directs his men to hide torches in pitchers and to each take a trumpet. They surround the enemy camp on several sides. They each break the pitchers (releasing the fire) and blow on their trumpets and shout “the sword of the Lord and of Gideon”. When this happened, God set the enemy camp into disarray, they start killing each other and they flee. The men of Israel then gather together and pursue the Midianites. I don’t think this means the 300 of Gideon chase the Midiniates, but rather the initial 32,000 or so come back and do since they first “gather”.

Eventually, two Midianite princes are captured and killed. Their heads are brought back to Gideon. That's still gross, but not as gross as impaling (that's what Joshua did to the enemy leaders).