Gideon: Background (Judges 6:1-10)
Regarding time, the story we are looking at took place during the period when Israel was ruled by judges. Before Gideon, the judge-ruler was Deborah, a woman chosen by God, under whose reign “the earth rested forty years” (Judges 5:31). However, this peace could not last forever. Judges 6:1-6 says:
Judges 6:1-6 “The children of Israel [again] began to do evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Midianites for seven years. The hand of the Midianites was heavy upon Israel, and the children of Israel made for themselves from the Midianites ravines in the mountains and caves and fortifications. When Israel sows, Midian and Amalek and the inhabitants of the east will come and walk among them; and they stand with them as tents, and destroy the produce of the land as far as Gaza, and leave not a sheep, nor an ox, nor a donkey for food for Israel. For they came with their cattle and with their tents; they came in such multitudes as locusts; they and their camels were without number, and they walked through the land of Israel to devastate it. And Israel became very poor because of the Midianites […].”
After forty years of peace and quiet, Israel found itself under the yoke of the Midianites. As we see from the text, the Midianites caused such damage to Israel that there was not “a sheep, an ox, or a donkey left for Israel to eat” (Judges 6:4). However, all these troubles did not befall Israel by accident. Judges 6:1 gives their reason:
Judges 6:1 “The children of Israel [again] began to do evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.”
“The children of Israel began to do evil [again] in the sight of the Lord.” This is why they were oppressed by their enemies, although this oppression also had a positive result. Indeed, Judges 6:6 says:
Judges 6:6 “And Israel became very poor because of the Midianites, and [as a consequence of this impoverishment - approx. author] THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CRIED TO THE LORD.”
It was precisely because of the unbearable oppression of their enemies that the Israelites cried out to the Lord. And, by the way, this has happened more than once. Very often they committed evil in the eyes of God by worshiping idols, but as soon as disaster befell them, they turned from evil and sought the true God. Judges 6:7-10 talks about how God answers their prayers:
Judges 6:6-10 “And Israel became very poor because of Midian, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. And when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord against Midian, the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, and said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I brought you out of Egypt, I brought you out of the house of slavery; delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, drove them out from before you, and gave you their land, and said to you: 'I am the Lord your God; do not honor the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live'; but you did not listen to My voice.”
In response to the prayers of the Israelites, God sent a prophet who brought to them His word, convicting them of what they had done. However, this was just the beginning. In the following sections of the article we will see what else God has done.
2.2. Functions of judges
The main function of judges is to lead the people to repentance and deliver them from oppression and oppression. Their secondary ministry is the ministry of governing the people, which not all judges carried out. Basically, the functions of management belonged to the elders, and the main and first importance of the judge was the restoration of worship and the deliverance of the Israelites from their oppressors.
If we look at the book of Judges to see which nations oppressed the Israelites, we will see that the entire surrounding “geography” is represented here. No matter how many nations were around, everyone in turn, apparently in the order in which the Israelites accepted different idols, came with weapons in their hands - Moabites, Ammonites, Midianites, Philistines and even from Mesopotamia - in order to conquer them.
To maintain formal order, I will list the judges of Israel: Othniel, who liberated the country from oppression by Mesopotamia, then Ehud, who delivered the Israelites from the Moabites. Then Deborah and Barak, who delivered the Canaanites, Gideon, who fought against the Midianites, then his son Abimelech, who lawlessly tried to reign; the judging of Thol and Jairus is briefly discussed, then Jephthah, who fought against the Ammonites; then it speaks of the judging of Heshbon, Elon and Abdon; the last judge is Samson, who fought the Philistines. We will talk about some in more detail.
Gideon: the beginning (Judges 6:11-35)
After God sent a prophet to rebuke Israel, His next action was to call a man named Gideon. Here's what Judges 6:11-12 says:
Judges 6:11-12 “And the angel of the Lord came and sat at Ophrah under an oak tree belonging to Joash, a descendant of Abiezer; His son Gideon was then beating wheat in a wine press to hide from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him: The Lord is with you, a mighty man!”
When reading about the appearance of an angel to Gideon, you should not imagine a fair-haired creature in white robes, noisily flapping its huge white wings. This idea of angels is nothing more than a myth and a figment of the imagination. In fact, nowhere in the Bible does it say that angels have wings, are fair-haired, or wear white robes. The Bible calls them only “ministering spirits, sent out to minister for those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).
Returning to our main topic, let us pay attention to how God, in the person of this angel, welcomes Gideon. He calls him “a strong man.” But Gideon was just a poor man, secretly beating wheat to hide it from the Midianites. And yet, in the eyes of God, he was a strong man, a man who, as we will see later, trusted God and followed Him, obediently carrying out all His instructions. In the following verses we read Gideon's response to the angel's greeting:
Judges 6:13-14 “Gideon said to him, “My lord! if the Lord is with us, then why did all this befall us? and where are all His miracles that our fathers told us about, saying: “The Lord brought us out of Egypt”? Now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. The Lord, looking at him, said: Go with this thy strength and save Israel from the hand of the Midianites; I am sending you."
Gideon questioned whether God was with Israel given all the disasters that had befallen them. And yet, the problem was not that God was not with them, but that THEY were not with God. In response to Gideon's questions, God commanded him to act, promising that he would be the deliverer of Israel. “I am sending you,” God told him. Indeed, he was sent by God himself. Gideon could not decide on such a feat himself. He was busy beating wheat in a winepress and was only thinking about how the Midianites wouldn’t notice him! In Judges 6:15-16 we read Gideon's response:
Judges 6:15-16 “[Gideon] said to him, Lord! How can I save Israel? Behold, my tribe in Manasseh is the poorest, and I am the youngest in my father’s house. And the Lord said to him, “I will be with you, and you will smite the Midianites as one man.”
It is not difficult for people to follow a person who already holds a leadership position, such as a king or a military leader. But who would follow Gideon? He was unknown to anyone. And yet, God once again assures him that HE himself will be with him. “I will be with you, and you will smite the Midianites as one man,” He told Gideon. That is why Gideon had no reason to be afraid. And yet, he doubted:
Judges 6:17-24 “[Gideon] said to Him, If I have found grace in Your sight, then show me a sign that You have spoken to me: Do not depart from here until I come to You and bring My gift and offer You. He said: I will stay until your return. Gideon went and prepared a kid and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; He put the meat in a basket, and poured the stew into a pot and brought it to Him under the oak tree and offered it. And the Angel of God said to him: Take the meat and unleavened bread, and put it on this stone, and pour out the broth. He did just that. The angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread; and fire came out of the stone and ate the flesh and the unleavened bread; and the Angel of the Lord hid from his sight. And Gideon saw that it was the Angel of the Lord, and Gideon said: [alas] [to me], Sovereign Lord! because I saw the Angel of the Lord face to face. The Lord said to him: peace be with you, do not be afraid, you will not die. And Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it Jehovah Shalom. He is still in Ophrah of Abiezer to this day.” [“Jehovah Shalom” means “The Lord is peace” - approx. author].
Here we see the first mention of Gideon asking the Lord for a sign and receiving it. However, this time was not the only one. Next we will see that this happened several times and in one of these cases Gideon is described spreading wool. At this stage we will refrain from any possible commentary on the signs Gideon asked for, or on the practice of asking God for signs in general. For now, it is enough to note that Gideon knew God's will regarding the entire situation even before asking for a sign. He did not ask God for a sign to determine His will. He only asked for confirmation of what God had already told him clearly, and what, in fact, was His will. God answered this request of Gideon positively and gave him a sign.
God continued to speak to Gideon even at night. Judges 6:25-27 says:
“That night the Lord said to him, Take a bull from your father’s flock and another seven-year-old bull, and destroy the altar of Baal that is with your father, and cut down the sacred tree that is with it, and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this rock. okay, and take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering on the wood of the tree that you cut down. Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the Lord told him; but because he was afraid of his father’s household and the inhabitants of the city to do this during the day, he did it at night.”
God commanded Gideon to destroy the altar of Baal and cut down the sacred tree growing near it. The existence of this altar and sacred tree, as well as the anger of the people at their destruction, which we learn about in the following verses (see Judges 6:28-30), confirms the fact that the evil that Israel committed before the Lord was idolatry. From these events we can also conclude that not all Israel turned to the Lord, but only a part of the people sought Him. And yet, for the sake of those few who turned to Him, God was going to set the whole people free.
So we read about how God appeared to Gideon after the Israelites called to Him, and how He told Gideon that He would make him the deliverer of Israel. Let's see what happened next:
Judges 6:33-35 “Meanwhile all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the inhabitants of the east gathered together and crossed [the river] and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; he sounded the trumpet, and the tribe of Abiezer was called to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout all the tribe of Manasseh, and they volunteered to go after him; He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, and these came to meet them.”
Israel's enemies, "the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the inhabitants of the east," were all gathered in one place. At this time, God prompts Gideon to send messengers to all the Israelites calling on them to follow him. Notice that it was God who put it in Gideon's heart to begin the battle at that moment, prompting him to call the people together. We are once again convinced that it was God who was the strategist and military leader of this battle, and Gideon only embodied His plans into reality. If God had not given Gideon instructions, there was no way he could have known what God expected him to do. And if Gideon, in turn, had not received these instructions in faith and acted on them, God's will would not have been brought into reality. Thus, the success of the entire operation depended on the cooperation of God as commander-in-chief and Gideon as the executor of His plans. Decision making and execution were not entirely in Gideon's hands—God made the decisions and Gideon carried them out. If we want to do God's will, we must adhere to the same principle: God, for our part, must reveal His will to us (which He does, through His Word or revelation), and we, for our part, must act according to His will .
Gideon Spreads Wool (Judges 6:36-40)
After Israel gathered to follow Gideon, he again asked God for a sign. Judges 6:36-40 says:
Judges 6:36-40 “And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, AS Thou hast spoken, then behold, I will spread shorn wool [here] on the threshing floor: if there be dew only on the wool, and the whole land is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel with my hand, as You said. And so it happened: the next day, getting up early, he began to squeeze the wool and squeezed a whole cup of water out of the wool. And Gideon said to God: Do not be angry with me if I say it again and only once again do the test on the wool: let it be dry on the wool alone, and let there be dew on the whole earth. God did just that that night: only the wool was dry, but there was dew on the whole earth.”
This passage, which describes a phenomenon called "the spreading of wool," is unfortunately very often misunderstood as an argument for the practice of determining God's will by signs. Thus, some determine the will of God by tossing a coin, others by the “Bible lottery” (opening the Bible to a random page), and others by some other similar method. However, citing the example of Gideon “spreading the wool” as a justification for such actions would in any case be incorrect. Why? Because in spreading the wool, Gideon was not seeking to determine the will of God, but was asking for confirmation of what he already knew by revelation to be the will of God. Indeed, Judges 6:36 says, “And Gideon said to God, If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken...” The phrase “as You have spoken” confirms the fact that Gideon already knew what God's will was. This means that he asked for a sign not in order to determine the will of God, but to confirm what he already knew was God’s will. Regarding signs, it is also worth noting that God's Word never says that God is obligated to give us a sign if He has already revealed His will to us in Scripture or by revelation. If God's will is not known to us, we can try to find out what it is. To do this, we study the Bible and, if we do not find a clear answer in the Bible, we pray to God, asking him to reveal it to us in revelation. But we should not set limits or tell God at what time and in what form He should answer us. The Word of God does not oblige God to give us an answer that we would like, nor to give us an answer when we want to hear it. Instead, God, being by nature a loving and caring God, cannot help but give us the best answer at exactly the moment that He Himself deems most appropriate. When it comes to asking for signs, the only thing we can be sure of based on God's Word is that God will definitely help us follow His will (if that is what we want). However, no one can tell Him exactly how He should help us in this. He will do as He sees fit. If it is God's will for something, God will build up our confidence to the end, even if it means making sure that the spread of wool remains dry while everything around is covered with dew, or sending us an encouraging passage from the Bible through... " The Bible lottery” - that is, everything that is required for us to believe Him and do His will. No one is saying that God doesn't use signs to help us follow His will. HOWEVER, if signs are sent, it is not as an alternative to God's Word, but as a reinforcement of our faith in what has already been revealed to us - through the Bible or revelation - regarding the will of God.
Continuing the theme of signs, I want to add that the biggest sign indicating that God is behind what is happening is the flow of events. Everything that comes from God is done in complete harmony with His Word. As it says in Proverbs 10:22:
Proverbs 10:22 “The blessing of the Lord makes you rich and brings no sorrow with it.”
And as it is written about God in Ephesians 3:20: “[…] Who by the power that works in us is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think […].”
Additionally, James 1:16-17 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning.”
Everything that comes from God is a PERFECT GIFT. He is greater than all we ask or think. HE DOES NOT BRING ANY SADNESS. Whether it is just for this moment, for a short period of time, or for our long-term plans for the future, His gift is perfect at any time and for any purpose. And, on the contrary, everything coming from the devil will sooner or later lead to the opposite result - tears, wounds and pain. All of the above in no way means that events accompanied by persecution cannot come from God. The Word clearly warns, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). However, even in the face of persecution and tribulation, we will not be deprived of God's support and comfort, which accompanies all who follow Him. No one can take this away from us.
Gideon: Victory over the Midianites (Judges 7)
Let's return to the story of Gideon. Seeing the miracle of the spread wool, he strengthened his confidence. However, the time for battle has not yet come. Moreover, when the Israelites gathered together, preparing to repel a powerful army, in the face of such danger, God invites Gideon to reduce the number of soldiers! Judges 7:1-2 says:
“Jerubbaal, who was also Gideon, arose in the morning and all the people who were with him, and they encamped at the fountain of Harod; The Midian camp was north of it near the hill of More in the valley. And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many; I cannot deliver the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel become proud before Me and say, ‘My hand has saved me.’”
God wanted the Israelites to see that HE was GOD, a God who could give victory no matter how numerous the enemy. So He told Gideon to reduce the army. Judges 7:3-8 says:
“Therefore proclaim in the hearing of the people and say, 'Let him who is fearful and timid return and go back from Mount Gilead.' And the people returned twenty-two thousand, but ten thousand remained. And the Lord said to Gideon, There are still many people; lead them to the water, there I will choose them for you; of whom I say, “Let him go with you,” let him go with you; but about whom I tell you: “He must not go with you,” let him not go. He led the people to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon: Whoever laps up water with his tongue, as a dog laps up, set him apart, and also all those who bend down on their knees and drink. And the number of those who lapped with their mouths from the hand was three hundred people; all the rest of the people bent down on their knees to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon: With three hundred of those who lapped I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands, and let all the people go, each to his own place. And they took the people's provisions and their trumpets, and Gideon sent all the Israelites away to their tents and kept three hundred men with him; and his camp of Midian was below in the valley.”
At the end of God's selection, only three hundred people remained. With their help, God was going to defeat the large army of Midian and their allies. There was absolutely no doubt that, despite such a significant difference in numbers, Israel would emerge victorious in this battle, because God Himself said to Gideon: “... by three hundred […] I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands.” (Judges 7:7). That is, there was complete confidence that if Gideon believed God and followed His instructions, Israel would defeat the enemy, because God promised so. However, God not only promised Gideon a successful outcome of the battle, but also helped him to believe in this promise and take action. Judges 7:9-14 says:
Judges 7:9-14 “That night the Lord said to him, Arise, go down to the camp, I have delivered him into your hands; if you are afraid to go [alone], then go to the camp, you and Thura your servant; and you will hear what they say, and then your hands will be strengthened, and you will go into the camp. And he and Thura his servant went down to the very [regiment] of the armed men who were in the camp. The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the inhabitants of the east settled down in the valley in such a multitude as locusts; There were no number of camels; they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Gideon has arrived. And so, one tells the other a dream and says: I dreamed that round barley bread was rolling through the camp of Midian and, rolling towards the tent, hit it so that it fell, knocked it over, and the tent fell apart. Another answered him, “This is none other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, an Israelite; God delivered the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
God not only revealed His will to Gideon, but also constantly helped him to believe in this revelation. Notice how He miraculously strengthens Gideon's faith this time: He sends him into the enemy's camp so that he can hear with his own ears how one person tells another about Gideon's coming victory over the Midianites!!! In verse 15 we see the result of this strengthening of faith:
Judges 7:15 “When Gideon heard the story of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped [the Lord] and returned to the camp of Israel and said: Arise! The Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hands.”
As soon as Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he became confident that the Lord was delivering the enemy’s camp into his hands.
Judges 7:16-22 “And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets and empty jars and lamps in the jars into the hands of all of them. And he said to them: Look at me and do the same; Behold, I will come to the camp, and whatever I do, do you also; When I and those with me blow the trumpet, you also blow your trumpets around the whole camp and shout: [the sword of] the Lord and Gideon! And Gideon and a hundred men with him came to the camp, at the beginning of the middle watch, and they awakened the guards, and blew the trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. And [all] three companies blew trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held lamps in their left hands, and trumpets in their right hands, and blew and shouted: “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” And everyone stood in his place around the camp; and they began to run throughout the whole camp, and shouted, and took to flight. While three hundred men were blowing trumpets, the Lord turned the sword of one against another throughout the whole camp, and the army fled […].”
Following a risky plan and attacking a large enemy with three hundred soldiers armed with... trumpets, lamps and jugs, Gideon still defeated this great army. And if anyone asks why he decided to fight the Midianites with such weapons, the answer is obvious: because God commanded him to do so. After all, as we already know, it was God who told him that he would liberate Israel, it was God who commanded him to call the Israelis to battle, and none other than God chose only three hundred warriors from the many gathered Israelites for battle. Moreover, God Himself told Gideon how he should fight, and Gideon followed His instructions that night. As a result, the Israelis won a great victory. As it is written: “...the Lord turned the sword of one against another in the whole camp, and the army fled to Bethshitta to Tzarera, to the border of Abelmeholah, near Tabatha.” Verses 23-25 describe the finale of this great victory for Israel:
Judges 7:23-25 “And the men of Israel were called together from the tribe of Naphtali, and Asher, and all the tribe of Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. Gideon sent messengers to all Mount Ephraim, saying: Go out to meet the Midianites and take over from them the water to Bethbarah and the Jordan. And all the Ephraimites were called together and intercepted [the crossings] [across] the water as far as Bethbarah and Jordan; and they caught the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zibah, and killed Oreb in Zur-Orib, and Zibah in Jekeb-zibah, and pursued the Midianites; and the heads of Oreb and Zib were brought to Gideon across the Jordan.”
As we see, other Israelis also took part in this final stage of the battle. Chapter 8, verse 28 describes the great triumph and deliverance God gave Israel through Gideon:
Judges 8:28 “So the Midianites humbled themselves before the children of Israel and lifted up their heads no more, and the land rested forty years in the days of Gideon.”
Because the Israelites committed evil in the eyes of the Lord, rejecting Him and worshiping idols, they were overtaken by disasters and great poverty. However, as soon as they turned and sought His deliverance, He sent a prophet to convict them with His Word. Moreover, He called Gideon to be their leader. Although Gideon was an unknown poor man, he was ready to do whatever God told him, and God, in turn, supported him to the very end and helped him accomplish the feat of liberating Israel. As a result, Israel was freed from the yoke and lived in peace throughout the years of Gideon's life. And Gideon himself, of course, received the blessing. As it is written in Judges 8:29-32:
Judges 8:29-32 “And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his house. Gideon had seventy sons who came from his own body […]. And Gideon the son of Joash died at a very old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of Abiezer.”
Gideon lived a calm and long life. He no longer needed to hide from his enemies, fearing that they would take away his food, he could enjoy peace with his family.
2.4. Sons of Gideon. Abimelech
Then there is some more narration of Gideon’s victories, and he is offered to become king: “The Israelites said to Gideon: “Rule over us, you and your son and your son’s son, for you saved us from the hand of the Midianites.” Gideon said to them, “Neither will I rule over you, nor will my son rule over you; let the Lord rule over you” (Judges 8:22-23). We do see that at this time the people are not governed by permanent leaders, but this is the era of theocracy, when God Himself is declared king over this people and rules the people through His Law.
Gideon resolutely refuses to become king, but one of his many sons, Abimelech, decides to reign after all. He treacherously killed all his brothers (note that the king had not yet appeared, when what accompanies the monarchy so often throughout history had already begun), except for one, Jotham, who managed to escape and reigned in Shechem. And then Jotham uttered the following parable: “... Listen to me, people of Shechem, and God will listen to you. The tree once went to anoint a king over itself and said to the olive tree: “Reign over us. The olive tree said, “Shall I leave my oil, with which gods and men are honored, and go wander among the trees?” And the trees said to the fig tree: “Come and reign over us.” The fig tree said, “Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go wander among the trees?” And the trees said to the vine: “Come and reign over us.” And the vine said to them: “Shall I leave my juice, which makes glad gods and men, and go to wander among the trees?” And finally, all the trees said to the thorn tree: “Go and reign over us.” The thorn tree said to the trees: “If you truly make me king over you, then go and rest under my shadow, but if not, then fire will come out of the thorn bush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”
"(Judges 9:7-15). In this parable, Jotham depicts his attitude towards kingship. He wants to say that royal power is a useless thing, only something so worthless, like a thorn tree, from which it is impossible to get any fruit, tree, or oil, he is only good for reigning, because no one else this is not necessary and no benefit will come from it. Here we see a rather skeptical attitude towards the need for royal power for the Israelis.
In the end, Abimelech quarreled with the Shechemites, over whom he reigned, and died.
The following phrase appears three times in the book of Judges: “ In those days Israel had no king, and everyone did what seemed right to him.”
" Maxima, at first glance, is quite good. But it is not bad only if something seems fair to everyone, which in fact is so. As soon as some kind of moral degradation occurs, life in a society that is governed in this way becomes, apparently, impossible, because everyone considers what is most convenient for him to be fair. In the last two chapters of this book we will see clear examples of who thought what was fair. The picture is quite unsightly.
