Gedeon the Faithful Servant

Sermon: Gedeon the Faithful Servant

START POINT: GOD COMMANDS YOU TO ____________.......SO WE ACT IN FAITH

6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”        

Obstacle of Faith: the Rebellious Israelites (6:1,10)

Obstacle of Faith: the Oppressive Midianites (6:2-6)

The Mercy of God (6:7-10)

God’s Surprising Choice (6:11-12)

The Lack of Faith (6:13)

The Call to Exercise Faith (6:14-16) God’s command accompanied by God’s Promise

The Lack of Faith (6:15)

The Promises of God (6:16)

The Lack of Faith (6:17-21)

The Lack of Faith (6:22-23)

The Call to Exercise Faith (6:24-26)

Baby steps of Faith: his family (6:27)

Unexpected Encouragement from God (6:28-32)

Spiritual Assistance from God (6:33-35)

The Lack of Faith (6:36-37)

The Lack of Faith (6:38-40)

Obstacle of Faith: Gideons’ army is too big (7:1-3)

Obstacle of Faith: Gideon’s army still too big (7:4-8)

The Promise of God (7:9)

The Lack of Faith (7:10)

The Encouragement from God (7:10-14)

            Via Purah his servant (7:10b)……Via Enemy’s dream (7:11-14)

Faith in Action (7:15-25)

            The Strategy:

Awaken the men (17:16)

Divide the men (17:16)

Equip the men (17:16)

Instruct the Men (17:17-18)

                        The Timing of the Attack (17:19)

                        The Attack (17:20-21)

Divine Assistance (17:22)

Human Assistance (17:23-25)

Obstacle of Faith: Ephraim (8:1-4)

Obstacle of Faith: Succoth (8:5-7)

Obstacle of Faith: Peniel (8:8-9)

Exercise of Faith (8:10-21)

Exercise of Faith (8:22-23)

Obstacle of Faith: Materialism (8:24-27)

Forgotten Faith (8:28-35)

Sermon: Gedeon the Faithful Servant (Judges 6-8)

START POINT: GOD COMMANDS YOU TO ____________.......SO WE ACT IN FAITH

6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

Matt.14:16 You give them something to eat.”  

Obstacle of Faith: the Rebellious Israelites (6:1,10)

6:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them [handed them over, delivered them] into the hands of the Midianites.

10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to [obeyed] me.”

Obstacle of Faith: the Oppressive Midianites (6:2-6)

2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive [cruel], the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it [stripped it bare, destroyed it] . 6 Midian so impoverished [reduced to starvation] the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

The Mercy of God (6:7-11)

7 When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I [it was I] who brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery [bondage]. 9 I snatched [rescued] you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to [obeyed] me.” 11 The “angel of the Lord” came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep [hide] it from the Midianites.

God Surprising Choice of Faith (6:12)

12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” [mighty hero, valient warrior]

Jn.1:42 Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).     God sees you as the finished product

Gideon’s lack of Faith (6:13)

13 “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders [miracles] that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned [forsaken] us & put us into the hand of Midian

God’s call to Exercise Faith   (6:14)                             

14  The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save [rescue] Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” [I myself am sending you?]

            Phil.4:13 I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me

            WHAT IS GOD CALLING YOU TO DO?

Gideon’s lack of Faith (6:15)

15  “But Lord [Adonay],” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in [the whole tribe of] Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

God’s Commands are always accompanied by His Promises (6:16)

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” [you shall defeat Midian as if you were fighting one man]

Gideon’s lack of Faith (6:17-23)

17  Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. [If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.]  18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.” 19 Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah [bushel] of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. 20 The angel of God [Angel of Elohim] said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth [over it].”  And Gideon did so. 21 With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord [Angel of Yhwh] touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed [cried out], “Ah, Sovereign Lord! [I’m doomed] I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

Faith leads to Worship……..Faith is an Act of Worship (6:24)

24  So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace [Yahweh-Shalom]. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

God’s call to Exercise Faith (6:25-26)

25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole [wooden image] beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using [as fuel] the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”

Gideons “Baby Steps” of Faith (6:27-30)………his fear didn’t prevent his obedience!

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was [too] afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. 28  In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and [in their place] the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!  29 They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down [destroyed] Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

God’s Unexpected Encouragement of Faith  (6:31-32)

31 But Joash replied [shouted] to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead [defend] Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him [argues his case] shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So that day they called Gideon “Jerub-Baal,” saying, “Let Baal contend with [against] him,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.

Supernatural Assistance to do God’s work (6:34)

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces [formed an alliance] and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.  34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon [took possession of] Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning [calling] the Abiezrites to follow him.  35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. [and all of them responded]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Z          Zech 6:4 ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord

Gedeon’s lack of Faith (6:36-38)

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand [if you are truly going to use me] as you have promised 37  look, [prove it to me this way] I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor [tonight]. If there is dew only on the fleece [in the morning] and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said. [promised]” 38 And that is [just] what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

Gedeon’s lack of Faith (6:39-40)

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me [don’t let your anger burn against me]. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so [as Gideon asked]. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Obstacle of Faith: Gideons’ army is too big (7:1-3) …….enemy had 135,000 (cf 8:10)

1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod [lit: trembling]. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, [saying, my own power had delivered me]  3  announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear [who is afraid and trembling] may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while [only] ten thousand remained [willing to fight].

Obstacle of Faith: Gideons’ army is too big (7:4-6)

4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift [test] them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5  So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” [with their mouths in the stream] 6 [only] Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

Our Faith is sustained by His Promises (7-8) His Promise & Commands go hand in hand

7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.” [send all the others home] 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. John Wesley may have been thinking of Gideon’s army when he said, “Give me a 100 men who fear nothing but sin & love nothing but God, and I will shake the gates of hell!”

God’s Unexpected Encouragement of Faith  (7:9-14)

9 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. [I have given you victory over them] 10 [But] If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be [greatly] encouraged [and eager, your hands will be strengthened] to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts [edge] of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the [grains of] sand on the seashore [too many to count]. 13 Gideon arrived [crept up] just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” [knocked it flat] 14  His friend responded, “[this dream can mean only one thing] This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given [victory over] the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

Faith leads to Worship (7:15)……Faith is an act of Worship

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he [bowed and] worshiped God.

Faith in Action (7:15-21)…….where did he get the strategy? …..from God!

Awaken the men (17:16)….with a confident message

Divide the men (17:16)…..into 3 groups

Equip the men (17:16)…with the trumpets & torches

Instruct the Men (17:17-18)….follow my example

                        The Timing of the Attack (17:19) …..changing of the guard

                        The Attack (17:20-21)…..for the Lord

15 He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets [ram’s horns] and empty [clay] jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. 17 “Watch me,” [keep your eyes on me] he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ 19  Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch [10 p.m], just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke [smashed] the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the [blazing] torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran [around in a panic], crying out as they fled [to escape].

The Lord gives the Victory in our Faith Battles (7:22-25)

22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused [made] the men [warriors] throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. 22 The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued [joined in chasing] the Midianites. 24  Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters [cut off the shallow crossings] of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

Obstacle of Faith: Ephraim (8:1-3)

8:1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they criticized him sharply [reprimended, argued with him]. 2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? [Aren’t even the leftover grapes of Ephraim’s harvest better than the entire crop of my little clan of Abiezer?]       3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

Prov.15:1 Gentle answer turns away wrath / la respuesta amable calma el enojo

Obstacle of Faith: Succoth (8:4-7)

4 Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 But the officials of Succoth said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?” [Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army] 7 Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has [given me victory] given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”

Obstacle of Faith: Peniel (8:8-9)

8 From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. 9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”

Follow through on Faith (8:10-21)…..finish the task!

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen [been killed]. 11 Gideon went up [circled around] by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army [by surprise]. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. 13 Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 14 He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials [leaders] of Succoth, the elders of the town. 15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’ ” 16  He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17  He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. 18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.” [resembling the son of a king] 19 Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’ [be a man and kill us yourself]” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the [crescent] ornaments off their camels’ necks

Words of Faith  (8:22-23)

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.” 23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”

Obstacle of Faith: Materialism (8:24-29)

24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) 25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels [43 pounds], not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains [neck bands] that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod [a linen pouch worn by the priests on their chests], which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare [trap] to Gideon and his family. 28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. [That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered] During Gideon’s lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years. 29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live.

Obstacle of Faith: Wrong Relationships (8:30-31)……to many Loves

30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech.

Forgotten Faith (8:32-35)

32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to [worshipped] the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and 34 did not remember [they forgot] the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for them.

SUMMARY:

Hebrews 11:32-34 [HERO OF FAITH] And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Marvel at God’s patience …….in growing us in our faith

Faith is obeying God in spite of what we see, how we feel, or what the consequences might be ….God grew Gedeon’s faith to this point

Marvel at God power……….,. how he accomplishes his work thru people like Gideon (us)

Marvel at God’s wisdom …….in His choice of servants & choice of Tasks

Sermon: Gedeon the Faithful Servant (Judges 6-8)

STARTING PT: GOD COMMANDS YOU TO ____________.......SO WE ACT IN FAITH

6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

Matt.16:14 …denles ustedes de comer

Obstáculos de Fe: La Rebelia de Israel (6:1,10)

6:1 Los hijos de Israel hicieron lo malo ante los ojos de Jehová; y Jehová los entregó en mano [al poder] de Madián por siete años…. 10 y les dije: Yo soy Jehová tu Dios; no teman a los dioses de los amorreos, en cuya tierra habitan; pero no han obedecido a mi voz [no me hiceron caso].

Obstáculos de Fe: La Maldad de Madían (6:2-6)

2 Y la mano [poder] de Madián prevaleció contra Israel. Y los hijos de Israel, por [temor] causa de los madianitas, se hicieron cuevas en los montes, y cavernas, y lugares fortificados [difíciles de alcanzar]. 3 Pues sucedía que cuando Israel había sembrado, subían los madianitas y amalecitas y los hijos del oriente contra ellos; subían y los atacaban. 4 Y acampando contra ellos destruían los frutos [las cosechas] de la tierra, hasta llegar a Gaza; y no dejaban [nada] qué comer en Israel, ni ovejas, ni bueyes, ni asnos. 5 Porque subían ellos y sus ganados, y venían con sus tiendas en grande multitud como langostas; ellos y sus camellos eran innumerables; así venían a la tierra para devastarla. 6 De este modo empobrecía Israel [paso por mucha miserias] en gran manera por causa de Madián; y los hijos de Israel clamaron a Jehová.

La Misericordia de Dios (6:7-11)

7 Y cuando los hijos de Israel clamaron a Jehová, a causa de los madianitas, 8 Jehová envió a los hijos de Israel un varón profeta, el cual les dijo: Así ha dicho Jehová Dios de Israel: Yo los hice salir de Egipto, y los saqué de la casa de servidumbre [esclavos]. 9 Los libré de mano de los egipcios, y de mano de todos los que os afligieron, a los cuales eché de delante de usteedes, y les di su tierra; 10 y les dije: Yo soy Jehová tu Dios; no teman a los dioses de los amorreos, en cuya tierra habitan; pero no han obedecido a mi voz [no me hiceron caso]. 11 Y vino el ángel de Jehová, y se sentó debajo de la encina que está en Ofra, la cual era de Joás abiezerita; y su hijo Gedeón estaba sacudiendo el trigo en el lagar, para esconderlo de los madianitas.

La Selección de Dios: una Sorpresa de Fe (6:12)

12 Y el ángel de Jehová se le apareció, y le dijo: Jehová está contigo, varón esforzado [fuerte] y valiente [guerrero].

Jn.10:42 Tú eres Simón, hijo de Juan, pero tu nombre será Cefas (que significa: Pedro)

La Falta de Fe de Gedeón (6:13)

13 Y Gedeón le respondió: Ah, señor mío, si Jehová está con nosotros, ¿por qué nos ha sobrevenido todo esto? ¿Y dónde están todas sus maravillas [milagros], que nuestros padres nos han contado, diciendo: ¿No nos sacó Jehová de Egipto? Y ahora Jehová nos ha desamparado [abandonado], y nos ha entregado en mano de los madianitas.

El mandato Dios para ejercer la Fe (6:14)

14 Y mirándole Jehová, le dijo: Ve con esta tu fuerza [usa la fuerza que tienes], y salvarás a Israel de la mano de los madianitas. ¿No te envío yo? [yo soy el que te envia]

Phil.3:10 todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece

¿Te esta mandando Dios hacer algo?

La Falta de Fe de Gedeón (6:15)

15 Entonces le respondió: Ah, señor mío, ¿con qué salvaré yo a Israel [como voy a salvar a Israel]? He aquí que mi familia es pobre en Manasés, y yo el menor [más pequeño] en la casa de mi padre.

Las Promesas de Dios sostiene la Fe (6:16) sus Mandmientos acompanan sus Promesas

16 Jehová le dijo: Ciertamente yo estaré contigo [pódras hacerlo porque yo estaré contigo], y derrotarás a los madianitas como a un solo hombre.

La Falta de Fe de Gedeón (6:17-23)

17 Y él respondió: Yo te ruego que si he hallado gracia delante de ti, me des señal de que tú has hablado conmigo [dame una prueba de que realmente eres tú quien habla conmigo] 18 Te ruego que no te vayas de aquí hasta que [yo vuelva con una ofrenda que te quiero presentar]  vuelva a ti, y saque mi ofrenda y la ponga delante de ti. Y él respondió: Yo esperaré hasta que vuelvas. 19 Y entrando Gedeón, preparó un cabrito, y panes sin levadura de un efa [viente litros] de harina; y puso la carne en un canastillo, y el caldo en una olla, y sacándolo se lo presentó debajo de aquella encina. 20  Entonces el ángel de Dios le dijo: Toma la carne y los panes sin levadura, y ponlos sobre esta peña, y vierte [derrama] el caldo. Y él lo hizo así. 21 Y extendiendo el ángel de Jehová el báculo [punto del bastón] que tenía en su mano, tocó con la punta la carne y los panes sin levadura; y subió fuego de la peña, el cual consumió la carne y los panes sin levadura. Y el ángel de Jehová desapareció de su vista. 22 Viendo entonces Gedeón que era el ángel de Jehová, dijo: Ah, Señor Jehová [Dios], que he visto al ángel de Jehová cara a cara. 23 Pero Jehová le dijo: Paz a ti; no tengas temor, no morirás. [¡Quédate tranquilo! No temas. No vas a morir.]

La Fe conduce a la Adoracion de Dios (6:24)……La Fe es acto de adoracion

24 Y edificó allí Gedeón altar a Jehová, y lo llamó Jehová-salom [el Señor es la paz]; el cual permanece hasta hoy en Ofra de los abiezeritas.

El mandato para ejercer la Fe (6:25-26)

25 Aconteció que la misma noche le dijo Jehová: Toma un toro del hato [ganado] de tu padre, el segundo toro de siete años, y derriba el altar de Baal que tu padre tiene, y corta también la imagen de Asera que está junto a él; 26 y edifica altar a Jehová tu Dios en la cumbre de este peñasco en lugar conveniente [apropiado]; y tomando el segundo toro, sacrifícalo en holocausto con la madera de la imagen de Asera que habrás cortado.

Los Primeros Pasos de Fe de Gedeon (6:27-30)…....his fears didn’t prevent obedience

27 Entonces Gedeón tomó diez hombres de sus siervos, e hizo como Jehová le dijo. Mas temiendo hacerlo de día, por la familia de su padre y por los hombres de la ciudad, lo hizo de noche. 28 Por la mañana, cuando los de la ciudad se levantaron, he aquí que el altar de Baal estaba derribado, y cortada la imagen de Asera que estaba junto a él, y el segundo toro había sido ofrecido en holocausto sobre el [nuevo] altar edificado. 29 Y se dijeron unos a otros: ¿Quién ha hecho esto? Y buscando e inquiriendo, les dijeron: Gedeón hijo de Joás lo ha hecho. Entonces los hombres de la ciudad dijeron a Joás: 30 Saca a tu hijo para que muera, porque ha derribado el altar de Baal y ha cortado la imagen de Asera que estaba junto a él.

Dios anima la fe de Gedeon (6:31-32)

31 Y Joás respondió a todos los que estaban junto a él: ¿Contenderéis vosotros por Baal? ¿Defenderéis su causa? [¿Van ustedes a defender a Baal, y a pelear en su favor? ] Cualquiera que contienda por él, que muera esta mañana. Si [Baal] es un dios, contienda por sí mismo con el que derribó su altar. 32 Aquel día Gedeón fue llamado Jerobaal, esto es: Contienda Baal contra él, [que Baal se defienda de él] por cuanto derribó su altar.

Ayuda Sobrenatural para hacer la obra de Dios (6:34)

33 Pero todos los madianitas y amalecitas y los del oriente se juntaron a una, y pasando [cruzaron el rio] acamparon en el valle de Jezreel. 34 Entonces el Espíritu de Jehová vino sobre Gedeón, y cuando éste tocó el cuerno [la trompeta], los abiezeritas se reunieron con él. 35 Y envió mensajeros por todo [el tribu de] Manasés, y ellos también se juntaron con él; asimismo envió mensajeros a [los tribos de] Aser, a Zabulón y a Neftalí, los cuales salieron a encontrarles [a unirse con él].

La Falta de Fe de Gedeon (6:36-38)

36 Y Gedeón dijo a Dios: Si has de salvar a Israel [de veras vas a salvar a Israel] por mi mano, como has dicho, 37 he aquí que yo pondré un vellón de lana en la era; y si el rocío estuviere en el vellón solamente, quedando seca toda la otra tierra, entonces entenderé que salvarás a Israel por mi mano, como lo has dicho [voy a poner el cuero lanudo de una oveja en el lugar donde se trilla el trigo. Si por la mañana la lana está mojada de rocío, pero la tierra está seca, sabré que de veras vas a usarme para salvar a Israel, como tú mismo has dicho.”] . 38 Y aconteció así, pues cuando se levantó de mañana, exprimió el vellón [cuero lanudo] y sacó de él el rocío, un tazón lleno de agua.

La Falta de Fe de Gedeon (6:39-40)

39 [Sin embargo, Gedeón dijo: “No te enojes conmigo si vuelvo a insistir. Pero quiero hacer una sola prueba más] Mas Gedeón dijo a Dios: No se encienda tu ira contra mí, si aún hablare esta vez; solamente probaré ahora otra vez con el vellón. Te ruego que solamente el vellón quede seco, y el rocío sobre la tierra. 40 Y aquella noche lo hizo Dios así; sólo el vellón quedó seco, y en toda la tierra hubo rocío.

Obstaculo de Fe: El ejercito de Gedeon es demasiado grande (7:1-3)

1 Levantándose, pues, de mañana Jerobaal, el cual es Gedeón, y todo el pueblo que estaba con él, acamparon junto a la fuente de Harod; y tenía el campamento de los madianitas al norte, más allá del collado de More, en el valle. 2 Y Jehová dijo a Gedeón: El pueblo que está contigo es [demasiada] mucho para que yo entregue a los madianitas en su mano, no sea que se alabe [jacte] Israel contra mí, diciendo: Mi mano me ha salvado. [ mi propia fuerza me ha librado] 3 Ahora, pues, haz pregonar en oídos del pueblo, diciendo: Quien tema y se estremezca, madrugue y devuélvase desde el monte de Galaad. [Por eso, dile a la gente que cualquiera que tenga miedo puede irse a su casa] Y se devolvieron de los del pueblo veintidós mil, y quedaron diez mil…………… cf 8:10 enemy had 135,000

Obstaculo de Fe: El ejercito de Gedeon todavía es demasiado grande (7:4-6)

4 Y Jehová dijo a Gedeón: Aún es mucho [demasiado numeroso] el pueblo; llévalos a las aguas, y allí te los probaré; y del que yo te diga: Vaya éste contigo, irá contigo; mas de cualquiera que yo te diga: Este no vaya contigo, el tal no irá. 5 Entonces llevó el pueblo a las aguas; y Jehová dijo a Gedeón: Cualquiera que lamiere las aguas con su lengua como lame el perro, a aquél pondrás aparte; asimismo a cualquiera que se doblare sobre sus rodillas para beber. 6 Y fue el número de los que lamieron llevando el agua con la mano a su boca, trescientos hombres; y todo el resto del pueblo se dobló sobre sus rodillas para beber las aguas.

Las Promesas de Dios sostienen nuestra Fe  (7:7-8)

7 Entonces Jehová dijo a Gedeón: Con estos trescientos hombres que lamieron el agua los salvaré, y entregaré [derrotare] a los madianitas en tus manos; y váyase toda la demás gente cada uno a su lugar [a su casa]. 8 Y habiendo tomado provisiones para el pueblo, y sus trompetas, envió a todos los israelitas cada uno a su tienda, y retuvo a aquellos trescientos hombres; [acampando mas arriba] y tenía el campamento de Madián abajo en el valle.

Dios anima la Fe de Gedeon  (7:9-14)

9 Aconteció que aquella noche Jehová le dijo [ordeno]: Levántate, y desciende al campamento [a atacar a los madianitas]; porque yo lo he entregado en tus manos. 10 Y si tienes temor de descender [para atacarlos], baja [primero] tú con Fura tu criado al campamento, 11  y oirás lo que hablan; y entonces tus manos se esforzarán [te sentiras con mas animo para atacarlos], y descenderás al campamento. Y él descendió con Fura su criado hasta los puestos avanzados de la gente armada que estaba en el campamento. 12 Y los madianitas, los amalecitas y los hijos del oriente estaban tendidos en el valle como langostas en multitud, y sus camellos eran innumerables como la arena que está a la ribera [orilla] del mar en multitud. 13 Cuando llegó Gedeón, he aquí que un hombre [soldado] estaba contando a su compañero un sueño, diciendo: He aquí yo soñé un sueño: Veía un pan de cebada que rodaba hasta el campamento de Madián, y llegó a [choco con] la tienda, y la golpeó de tal manera que cayó, y la trastornó de arriba abajo, y la tienda cayó. 14 Y su compañero respondió y dijo: Esto no es otra cosa sino la espada de Gedeón hijo de Joás, varón de Israel. Dios ha entregado en sus manos a los madianitas con todo el campamento.

La Fe conduce a la Adoración de Dios (7:15)

15 Cuando Gedeón oyó el relato del sueño y su interpretación, adoró [al Señor]…..

La Fe en Acción (7:15-21)…….where did he get this strange strategy?... God!

Awaken the men (17:16)….with a confident message

Divide the men (17:16)…..into 3 groups

Equip the men (17:16)…with the trumpets & torches

Instruct the Men (17:17-18)….follow my example

                        The Timing of the Attack (17:19) …..changing of the guard

                        The Attack (17:20-21)…..for the Lord

15………y vuelto al campamento de Israel, dijo: Levantaos [Arriba], porque Jehová ha entregado el campamento de Madián en sus manos. 16  Y repartiendo los trescientos hombres en tres escuadrones, dio a todos ellos trompetas en sus manos, y cántaros vacíos con teas [antorchas] ardiendo dentro de los cántaros. 17 Y les dijo: Miradme a mí [fíjense en mi], y hagan como hago yo; he aquí que cuando yo llegue al extremo del campamento, haran ustedes como hago yo. 18 Yo tocaré la trompeta, y todos los que estarán conmigo; y ustedes tocaran entonces las trompetas alrededor de todo el campamento, y diran [griten]: ¡Por Jehová y por Gedeón! 19 Llegaron, pues, Gedeón y los cien hombres que llevaba consigo, al extremo del campamento, al principio de la guardia de la medianoche, cuando acababan de renovar los centinelas [cambio de guardia]; y tocaron las trompetas, y quebraron los cántaros que llevaban en sus manos. 20 Y los tres escuadrones tocaron las trompetas, y quebrando los cántaros tomaron en la mano izquierda las teas [antorchas encendidas], y en la derecha las trompetas con que tocaban, y gritaron: [Guerra] ¡Por la espada de Jehová y de Gedeón! 21 Y se estuvieron firmes cada uno en su puesto en derredor del campamento; entonces todo el ejército echó a correr dando gritos y huyendo.

Dios da la Victoria en las Batallas de Fe (7:22-25)

22 Y los trescientos tocaban las trompetas; y Jehová puso [hizo] la espada de cada uno contra su compañero en todo el campamento. Y el ejército huyó hasta Bet-sita, en dirección de Zerera, y hasta la frontera de Abel-mehola en Tabat.  23 Y juntándose los de Israel, [Entonces se llamó a los israelitas ] de Neftalí, de Aser y de todo Manasés, siguieron a los madianitas. 24 Gedeón también envió mensajeros por todo el monte de Efraín, diciendo [ordenando]: Descended al encuentro de los madianitas, y tomad los vados de [los lugares por donde se podía cruzar el río en ] Bet-bara y del Jordán antes que ellos lleguen. Y juntos todos los hombres de Efraín, tomaron los vados de Bet-bara y del Jordán. 25 Y tomaron [capturaron] a dos príncipes de los madianitas, Oreb y Zeeb; y mataron a Oreb en la peña de Oreb, y a Zeeb lo mataron en el lagar de Zeeb; y después que siguieron a los madianitas, trajeron las cabezas de Oreb y de Zeeb a Gedeón al otro lado del Jordán.

Obstaculos de Fe: Efraín (8:1-3)

8:1 Pero los hombres de Efraín le dijeron: ¿Qué es esto que has hecho con nosotros, no llamándonos cuando ibas a la guerra contra Madián? Y le reconvinieron fuertemente. [se enojaron y discutieron con Gedeón, lo criticaron duramente, lo reprocharon severamente] 2 [¿No se dan cuenta de que ustedes hicieron más aún de lo que yo hice? Lo poco que ustedes hicieron vale más que lo mucho que hicimos nosotros.] A los cuales él respondió: ¿Qué he hecho yo ahora comparado con ustedes? ¿No es el rebusco de Efraín mejor que la vendimia de Abiezer? 3 Dios ha entregado en sus manos a Oreb y a Zeeb, príncipes de Madián; ¿y qué he podido yo hacer comparado con ustedes? Entonces el enojo de ellos contra él se aplacó [calmo, paso], luego que él habló esta palabra.   

Prov.15:1 La respuesta amable calma el enojo

Obstaculos de Fe: Sucot (8:4-7)

4 Y vino Gedeón al Jordán, y pasó él y los trescientos hombres que traía consigo, cansados [rendidos de cansancio],, mas todavía persiguiendo. 5 Y dijo a los de Sucot: Yo les ruego que den a la gente que me sigue algunos bocados de pan; porque están cansados [agotados], y yo persigo a Zeba y Zalmuna, reyes de Madián. 6 Y los principales de Sucot respondieron: ¿Están ya Zeba y Zalmuna en tu mano [ya los has capturado], para que demos pan a tu ejército? 7 Y Gedeón dijo: Cuando Jehová haya entregado en mi mano a Zeba y a Zalmuna, yo trillaré [desgarraré] tu carne con espinos y abrojos [zarzas] del desierto.

Obstaculos de Fe: Peniel (8:8-9)

8 De allí subió a Peniel, y les dijo las mismas palabras. Y los de Peniel le respondieron como habían respondido los de Sucot. 9 Y él habló también a los de Peniel, diciendo: Cuando yo vuelva en paz, derribaré [echare abajo] esta torre.

La Fe termina lo que Empieza (8:10-21)

10 Y Zeba y Zalmuna estaban en Carcor, y con ellos su ejército como de quince mil hombres, todos los que habían quedado de todo el ejército de los hijos del oriente; pues habían caído [muerto] ciento veinte mil hombres que sacaban espada. 11 Subiendo, pues, Gedeón por el camino de los que habitaban en tiendas al oriente de Noba y de Jogbeha, atacó el campamento, porque el ejército no estaba en guardia [cuando ellos menos lo esperaban]. 12 Y huyendo Zeba y Zalmuna, él los siguió; y prendió [capturo] a los dos reyes de Madián, Zeba y Zalmuna, y llenó de espanto a todo el ejército. 13 Entonces Gedeón hijo de Joás volvió de la batalla [por el paso de Heres] antes que el sol subiese, 14 y tomó [capturo] a un joven de los hombres de Sucot, y le preguntó [lo interrogo]; y él le dio por escrito los nombres de los principales y de los ancianos de Sucot, setenta y siete varones. 15 [Entonces Gedeón fue a Sucot y les dijo a los de este pueblo: —¿Recuerdan cómo se burlaron de mí por causa de Zébah y de Salmuná? ¿Recuerdan que les negaron pan a mis hombres, que estaban rendidos de cansancio, diciéndonos que todavía no los teníamos cautivos? ¡Pues aquí los tienen!] Y entrando a los hombres de Sucot, dijo: He aquí a Zeba y a Zalmuna, acerca de los cuales me zaheristeis, diciendo: ¿Están ya en tu mano Zeba y Zalmuna, para que demos nosotros pan a tus hombres cansados? 16 Y tomó a los ancianos de la ciudad, y espinos y abrojos del desierto, y castigó con ellos a los [ancianos] de Sucot. 17 Asimismo derribó la torre de Peniel, y mató a los de la ciudad. 18 Luego dijo a Zeba y a Zalmuna: ¿Qué aspecto tenían aquellos hombres que mataron en Tabor? Y ellos respondieron: Como tú, [se parecían a ti] así eran ellos; cada uno parecía hijo de rey. 19 Y él dijo: Mis hermanos eran, hijos de mi madre. ¡Vive Jehová, que si les hubieran conservado la vida, yo no los mataría [ahora]! 20 Y dijo a Jeter su primogénito [su hijo mayor]: Levántate, y mátalos. Pero el joven no desenvainó [saco] su espada, porque tenía temor, pues era aún muchacho [un joven]. 21 Entonces dijeron Zeba y Zalmuna: Levántate tú, y mátanos; porque como es el varón, tal es su valentía [Al hombre se le conoce por su valentía!] . Y Gedeón se levantó, y mató a Zeba y a Zalmuna; y tomó los adornos de lunetas que sus camellos traían al cuello.

Palabras de Fe  (8:22-23)

22 Y los israelitas dijeron a Gedeón: [Reina sobre nosotros] Sé nuestro señor, tú, y tu hijo, y tu nieto; pues que nos has librado de mano de Madián. 23 Mas Gedeón respondió: No seré señor sobre ustedes, ni mi hijo se señoreará: Jehová señoreará [reinara] sobre ustedes.

Obstaculos de Fe: Materialismo (8:24-29)

24 Y les dijo Gedeón: Quiero haceros una petición; que cada uno me dé los zarcillos [anillos] de su botín [de lo que capturaron] (pues [los soldados capturados] traían zarcillos de oro, porque eran ismaelitas [gente del desierto]. 25 Ellos respondieron: De buena gana [con mucho gusto] te los daremos. Y tendiendo un manto, echó allí cada uno los zarcillos de su botín. 26 Y fue el peso de los zarcillos de oro que él pidió, mil setecientos siclos [19 kilos] de oro, sin las planchas [adornos de media luna] y joyeles [joyas] y vestidos [tela] de púrpura que traían los reyes de Madián, y sin los collares que traían sus camellos al cuello. 27 Y Gedeón hizo de ellos un efod, el cual hizo guardar en su ciudad de Ofra; y todo Israel se prostituyó tras de ese efod [le fue infiel al Señor por causa del efod] en aquel lugar; y fue tropezadero [trampa, vino a ser ruina] a Gedeón y a su casa. 28 Así fue subyugado [sometido] Madián delante de los hijos de Israel, y nunca más volvió a levantar cabeza. Y reposó la tierra cuarenta años en los días de Gedeón. 29 Luego Jerobaal hijo de Joás fue y habitó en su casa.

Obstaculos de Fe: Muchos Amores (8:30-35)

30 Y tuvo Gedeón setenta hijos que constituyeron su descendencia, porque tuvo muchas mujeres. 31 También su concubina que estaba en Siquem le dio un hijo, y le puso por nombre Abimelec.

La Fe Olvidada (8:32-35)

32 Y murió Gedeón hijo de Joás en buena vejez [de edad avanzada], y fue sepultado en el sepulcro de su padre Joás, en Ofra de los abiezeritas. 33 Pero aconteció que cuando murió Gedeón, los hijos de Israel [abandonaron a Dios] volvieron a prostituirse yendo tras los baales, y escogieron por dios a Baal-berit. 34 Y no se acordaron [se olvidaron] los hijos de Israel de Jehová su Dios, que los había librado [salvado] de todos sus enemigos en derredor [que los rodeaban]; 35 ni se mostraron agradecidos con la casa de Jerobaal, el cual es Gedeón, conforme a todo el bien que él había hecho a Israel.

SUMMARY:

Hebrews 11:32-34  ¿Qué más voy a decir? Me faltaría tiempo para hablar de Gedeón, de Barac, de Sansón, de Jefté, de David, de Samuel y de los profetas. 33 Por la fe conquistaron países, impartieron justicia, recibieron lo que Dios había prometido, cerraron la boca de los leones, 34 apagaron fuegos violentos, escaparon de ser muertos a filo de espada, sacaron fuerzas de flaqueza y llegaron a ser poderosos en la guerra, venciendo a los ejércitos enemigos.

Amazed at God’s patience …….in growing us in our faith

Amazed at God power……….,. how he accomplishes his work thru people like Gideon (us)

Amazed at God’s wisdom …….in His choice of servants & choice of Tasks

JM - 6:1 Midian. These wandering herdsmen from E of the Red Sea had been dealt a severe blow in Moses’ time (Num. 31:1–18) and still resented the Israelites. They became the worst scourge yet to afflict Israel.6:8 the Lord sent a prophet. He used prophets in isolated cases before Samuel, the band of prophets Samuel probably founded (1 Sam. 10:5), and later such prophets as Elijah, Elisha, and the writing prophets—major and minor. Here the prophet is sent to bring the divine curse because of their infidelity (v. 10).6:11 the Angel. This angel (lit. “messenger”) of the Lord is identified as “the Lord” Himself (vv. 14, 16, 23, 25, 27). Cf. Gen. 16:7–14; 18:1; 32:24–30 for other appearances. See note on Ex. 3:2. Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress … to hide it. This indicated a situation of serious distress; also it indicated a small amount of grain. This is clear because he is doing it rather than having cattle tread it. It is on bare ground or in the winepress rather than on a threshing floor made of wood, and is done remotely under a tree out of view. The fear of the Midianites caused this.6:13 Gideon’s language here indicates a weak theology. The very chastisements of God were proof of His care for and presence with Israel.6:17 Like Moses (Ex. 33), Gideon desired a sign; in both incidents revelation was so rare and wickedness so prevalent that they desired full assurance. God graciously gave it.6:18–23 In the realization of the presence of God, the sensitive sinner is conscious of great guilt. Fire from God further filled Gideon with awe and even the fear of death. When he saw the Lord, he knew the Lord had also seen him in his fallenness. Thus he feared the death that sinners should die before Holy God. But God graciously promised life (v. 23). For a similar reaction to the presence of God, see Manoah in 13:22, 23 (cf. Ezek. 1:26–28; Is. 6:1–9; Rev. 1:17).6:27 he feared. Very real human fear and wise precaution interplays with trust in an all-sufficient God.6:32 Jerubaal (lit. “let Baal contend”) became a fitting and honorable second name for Gideon (7:1; 8:29; 9:1, 2). This was a bold rebuke to the non-existent deity, who was utterly unable to respond.6:36–40 Gideon’s two requests for signs in the fleece should be viewed as weak faith; even Gideon recognized this when he said “do not be angry with me” (v. 9) since God had already specifically promised His presence and victory (vv. 12, 14, 16). But they were also legitimate requests for confirmation of victory against seemingly impossible odds (6:5; 7:2, 12). God nowhere reprimanded Gideon, but was very compassionate in giving what his inadequacy requested. In 7:10–15, God volunteered a sign to boost Gideon’s faith. He should have believed God’s promise in 7:9 but needed bolstering, so God graciously gave it without chastisement.7:2 The people … are too many. Those of faith, though inadequate by human weakness, gain victory only through God’s power (cf. 2 Cor. 3:5; 4:7; 12:7–9). Three hundred men win against an incredible Midianite host (Judg. 7:7, 16–25). God gains the glory by making the outcome conspicuously His act, and no sinful pride is cultivated.7:5 Everyone who laps. Soldiers who lapped as a dog, scooping water with their hands as a dog uses its tongue, were chosen; while those who sank to their knees to drink were rejected. No reason for such distinction is given, so that it showed nothing about their ability as soldiers. It was merely a way to divide the crowd. Their abilities as soldiers had no bearing on the victory anyway since the enemy soldiers killed themselves and fled without engaging Gideon’s men at all.7:10 if you are afraid. God sensitively recognized Gideon’s normal fear since he was the commander. God encouraged him to take his servant as protection. See note on 6:36–40.7:15 Arise. God said this in 7:9. Infused with courage, Gideon is in step with the Lord.7:16 Trumpets and torches at first concealed within clay pitchers were suddenly displayed at the most startling moment. The impression caused by blaring noise, the always terrible shouts of Israel (cf. Num. 28:21), and sudden lights surrounding the sleeping hosts and shattering the stillness conveyed one idea: Each light could mean a legion behind it, so that they believed an incredible host had moved in to catch the awaking army in a death trap.7:18 The sword of the Lord and of Gideon! Here was the power of God in harmony with the obedience of man. Such shouts reminded the enemies that the threat of the sword of Gideon and of God was for real. The impression was one of doom and terror.7:19 beginning … middle watch. About 10 p.m.7:22 every man’s sword against his companion. Panic followed shock. Every soldier was on his own, in desperate retreat. In the darkness and crash of sounds the soldiers were unable to distinguish friend from enemy, and with their swords they slashed a path of escape through their own men.8:2 gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim. Ephraim resented being slighted in the call to battle but was placated by Gideon’s compliment. His figures of speech implied that Ephraimite capital punishment of the two fleeing Midianite leaders (7:25) was “the vintage of Ephraim,” to use an image drawn from their grape horticulture. It played a more strategic role than taking part in “the vintage of Abiezer,” the suicide of the enemy under Gideon’s leadership (cf. v. 3).8:7 thorns. Gideon’s threatened discipline of Succoth’s leaders for refusing to help their brothers came due. He had them dragged under heavy weights over thorns and briers, which painfully tore their bodies. This was a cruel torture to which ancient captives were often subjected. He did it on his return, not wanting to delay the pursuit (v. 16).8:9 tower. They probably had defiantly boasted of their strength and defensibility because of the tower. He kept his promise and more (v. 17).8:20 Jether … kill them. Gideon desired to place a great honor on his son by killing the enemies of Israel and of God.8:21 killed Zebah and Zalmunna. The earlier Midianite scourge inflicted on Israel was the worst, so this victory lived long in their minds (cf. Ps. 83:11).8:22, 23 Rule over us. Israelites sinned by the misguided motive and request that Gideon reign as king. To his credit, the leader declined, insisting that God alone rule (cf. Ex. 19:5, 6).8:24 Ishmaelites. Synonymous with Midianites (cf. Gen. 37:25, 28).8:24–27 Gideon made … an ephod. This was certainly a sad end to Gideon’s influence as he, perhaps in an expression of pride, sought to lift himself up in the eyes of the people. Gideon intended nothing more than to make a breastplate as David did (1 Chr. 15:27) to indicate civil, not priestly rule. It was never intended to set up idolatrous worship, but to be a symbol of civil power. That no evil was intended can be noted from the subduing of Midian (v. 28), quietness from wars (v. 28), and the fact that idolatry came after Gideon’s death (v. 33) as well as the commendation of Gideon (v. 35).8:26 the weight of the gold. The total was about 42 lbs.8:30, 31 many wives. Gideon fell severely into the sin of polygamy, an iniquity tolerated by many but which never was God’s blueprint for marriage (Gen. 2:24). Abimelech, a son by yet another illicit relationship, grew up to be the wretched king in Judg. 9. Polygamy always resulted in trouble.

BKC - the deliverance by gideon from the oppression of the midianites (6:1-8:32) The defection of Israel (6:1a)6:1a. The downward cycles (see the sketch near 2:11-15) of apostasy (again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; cf. 3:7, 12; 4:1) and deliverance continued in the case of Gideon whose judgeship receives the most extensive narration in the Book of Judges (100 verses comprising three chapters). The story of Samson is comparable, consisting of 96 verses in four chapters. The distress under the Midianites (6:1b-6) 6:1b-6. The seven years of oppression under the hands of Midianites was divine chastening for Israel’s idolatry and evil practices. This relatively brief period of oppression was sandwiched in between two 40-year periods of peace (5:31; 8:28). The Midianites were descendants of Abraham and Keturah (Gen. 25:1-2) and were defeated by Israel during the wilderness wanderings (Num. 22:4; 25:16-18). They were a nomadic people who came from near the Gulf of Aqabah and ranged throughout the Arabah and Transjordania, apparently at this time subduing the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites as they crossed the Jordan into Canaan as far north as the Jezreel Valley (Jud. 6:33), and as far south and east as Gaza (v. 4), perhaps moving westward across the Jezreel Valley and southward along the coastal plain. The strength of Midianite oppression forced the Israelites to hide themselves and their produce in mountain clefts, caves, and strongholds. However, this was not a continual occupation (like the preceding one of the Canaanites) but a seasonal invasion at harvesttime, whenever the Israelites planted their crops. The Midianites’ major goal was the appropriation of the crops for themselves and their animals. But the cumulative effect of these invasions on Israelite agriculture and food cycles was devastating. Midianite allies included the Amalekites (from south of Judah; cf. 3:13) and other eastern peoples, a general term for the nomads of the Syrian desert, possibly including some Ammonites and Edomites. On these annual predatory invasions, in typical nomadic style, the oppressors camped on the land in such numbers and with such devastation that they were compared to swarms of locusts (cf. 7:12). The Midianites and their allies traveled on innumerable camels (cf. 7:12) whose range of distance and speed (as high as 100 miles per day) made them a formidable long-range military threat. This is the first reference to an organized raid using camels (cf. Gen. 24:10-11). The impoverishment that came to Israel drove her to cry out to the Lord for help. This cry does not seem to have been an indication of repentance for sin because they apparently were not aware of the moral cause behind the enemy’s oppression until the Lord sent a prophet to point this out (cf. Jud. 6:7-10).The deliverance by Gideon (6:7-8:27) (1) The censure of Israel by a prophet.6:7-10. The Lord . . . sent an unnamed prophet (the only prophet mentioned in the book besides the Prophetess Deborah) to remind Israel of her covenant obligations to the Lord, who had delivered them from Egypt (cf. Ex. 34:10-16; Deut. 7; Jud. 3:5-6), not to worship the gods of the Amorites. The prophet rebuked them for their continued disobedience (But you have not listened to Me [God]). This message is similar to that from the Angel of the Lord at Bokim (cf. 2:1-3).(2) The call of Gideon by the Angel of the Lord (6:11-24).6:11-12a. The story of Gideon is introduced not by an affirmation that “God raised up a deliverer named Gideon,” but rather by a narration of how God raised him up. Gideon’s call or commission resulted from a confrontation with the Angel of the Lord (who is “the Lord,” v. 14; cf. comments on 2:1), who appeared to him as a sojourning stranger and sat down under the oak in Ophrah. Since Gideon’s father Joash was an Abiezrite (a clan of Manasseh, Josh. 17:2), this Ophrah was not the place located in Benjamin but rather a northern site possibly near the border of Manasseh in the Jezreel Valley. Possible site identifications are el-Affula (six miles east of Megiddo) or et-Taiyiba (Hapharaim, eight miles northwest of Beth Shan). Gideon’s act of threshing wheat in a winepress reflected both his fear of discovery by the Midianites and the smallness of his harvest. Normally wheat was threshed (the grain separated from the wheat stalks) in an open area on a threshing floor (cf. 1 Chron. 21:20-23) by oxen pulling threshing sledges over the stalks.6:12b-13. The Angel’s introductory remark affirmed the Lord’s presence with Gideon (you is sing.) and described Gideon as a mighty warrior (“mighty man of valor”; kjv; the words gibbôr ḥāyil are also applied to Jephthah, 11:1; and to Boaz, Ruth 2:1). Though this description may have been spoken in satire (at this point Gideon was anything but a mighty warrior!), it probably reflected Gideon’s potentiality through divine enablement, as well as expressing his notable rank in the community.

Gideon’s initial response ignored the singular pronoun “you” (Jud. 6:12), for he replied, If the Lord is with us (pl. pronoun). Gideon questioned the divine promise in view of his people’s present circumstances. He correctly concluded, however, that the Lord had put them into the hand of Midian.6:14. “The Angel of the Lord” (vv. 11-12) now spoke as the Lord and commissioned Gideon to Go . . . and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. The words the strength you have perhaps assumed the divine presence previously mentioned (v. 12).6:15. But, Gideon objected, My clan is the weakest . . . and I am the least. This objection might have stemmed from typical Near-Eastern humility, but perhaps it also reflected a good amount of reality.6:16. God’s reassurance reaffirmed His presence with Gideon (I will be with you) and the ease with which he would accomplish victory over the Midianites (as if they were but one man).6:17-21. Gideon requested a sign to confirm the Lord’s promise. This request was granted (cf. v. 21). Meanwhile Gideon’s uncertainty regarding the exact identity of his supernatural Visitor prompted him to offer typical Near-Eastern hospitality. The word for offering or gift (minḥâh), which he proposed to set . . . before the Visitor, could refer to a freewill offering in Israel’s sacrificial system, or it could refer to tribute offered as a present to a king or other superior (cf. 3:15). The large amount of food prepared by Gideon—goat’s meat and broth, and bread made from an ephah (one-half bushel) of flour—reflected both his wealth in a destitute time and the typical excessiveness of Near-Eastern hospitality. He no doubt planned to take the leftovers home for his family! But the Angel of the Lord touched the food offering with the tip of His staff and consumed it by fire, thus providing the sign Gideon had requested (6:17; cf. Lev. 9:24; 1 Kings 18:38). Then the Angel . . . disappeared.6:22-24. Gideon’s consternation probably reflected his fear of impending death because of seeing the divine presence (cf. Ex. 33:20). When the Lord assured Gideon he was not going to die . . . Gideon built an altar and named it the Lord is Peace.(3) The destruction of Baal’s altar by Gideon (6:25-32).6:25-26. The Lord gave Gideon a test of obedience. If Gideon was to deliver Israel from the Midianites, he must not only achieve military victory over the enemy but also must remove the cause of idolatry which initially led the Lord to give His people over to the Midianites (cf. v. 1). Therefore God commanded Gideon to destroy his father’s altar to Baal with its accompanying Asherah pole (a cult object probably representing Asherah, Ugaritic goddess of the sea; cf. comments on 3:7). Gideon was then to construct a proper kind of altar to the Lord, kindle a fire with the wood of the Asherah pole, and offer one of his father’s bulls (probably intended originally as a sacrificial animal for Baal) as a burnt offering to the Lord.

6:27. Gideon’s obedience to God’s command should not be minimized by his use of 10 . . . servants (dismantling a Canaanite altar was a massive task), or by the fact that he did it at night (the Baal-worshipers would obviously have prevented it if he had tried to do this during the day).

6:28-32. The resultant hostility of the community against Gideon was defused by his father’s sage advice. Their investigation of the overnight vandalism quickly implicated Gideon, whose execution they demanded. But Joash, perhaps repentant and inspired by his son’s remarkable actions, wisely proclaimed, If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself. Perhaps this implied that the people should not overstep Baal’s prerogative of self-defense (cf. Elijah’s irony about Baal, 1 Kings 18:27). This wise advice appealed to the people who then called Gideon by the name of Jerub-Baal, meaning Let Baal contend. Though they apparently applied the name derogatively, it might have later assumed an honorable signification as a witness against Baal’s inability to defend himself (cf. Jud. 7:1; 8:29; and comments on Jerub-Baal in 9:1).(4) The preparation of Gideon for battle.6:33-35. Gideon’s commission by the Lord seems to have preceded the next (and final) annual invasion of the Midianites and their allies. They crossed . . . the Jordan River not far south of the Sea of Kinnereth and camped in typical Bedouin fashion in the rich agricultural area of the Jezreel Valley. The Lord’s deliverance of His people through Gideon began as the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon (cf. 3:10; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14), providing divine enablement through the Holy Spirit’s personal presence. Gideon immediately began to muster men, summoning his Abiezrite clan (cf. 6:11, 24) with a trumpet and the rest of the tribe of Manasseh along with the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali by means of messengers.(5) The signs concerning the fleece of Gideon.6:36-40. Gideon’s apparent lack of faith in seeking a miraculous sign from God (cf. Matt. 12:38; 1 Cor. 1:22-23) seems strange for a man who is listed among the heroes of faith (Heb. 11:32). In fact Gideon already had a sign from God at the time of his commission (Jud. 6:17, 21). It is noteworthy, however, that Gideon was not using the fleece to discover God’s will, for he already knew from divine revelation what God wanted him to do (v. 14). The sign related to a confirmation or assurance of God’s presence or empowerment for the task at hand. God condescended to Gideon’s weak faith and saturated the wool fleece with dew, so much so that Gideon wrung out . . . a bowlful of water. Perhaps Gideon had second thoughts about the uniqueness of this event since the surrounding threshing floor might naturally dry before the fleece. So he requested the opposite—This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew. God patiently did so, and Gideon was reassured to continue his assignment.(6) The reduction of the army of Gideon (7:1-8a).7:1-2. Gideon . . . camped at the spring of Harod (probably En Harod at the foot of Mount Gilboa, a spring that winds eastward to the Jordan River through the Harod Valley) with all his men, who numbered 32,000 (v. 3). The Midianite force of 135,000 (cf. 8:10) was camped three or four miles north of them at the foot of the hill of Moreh, the prominent hill rising like a sentinel to guard the eastern entrance to the Jezreel Valley. God, whose strength does not depend on numbers (cf. Ps. 33:16), purposed to deliver Midian to Israel through a few men so Israel would not boast that they had won the battle themselves. Gideon was no doubt perplexed by God’s words, You have too many men.7:3-6. The means by which the size of Gideon’s force was reduced was twofold: (a) 22,000 fearful recruits were summarily dismissed (in harmony with Deut. 20:8) and allowed to return to their homes; and (b) 9,700 apparently less-watchful men who failed a simple test were also discharged (Jud. 7:4-8; or at least were granted a leave of absence; cf. v. 23).The permission to leave Mount Gilead is puzzling since Gilead was across the Jordan River to the east. Some scholars view “Gilead” as an early copyist’s error for “Gilboa,” the mount near Gideon’s army. Or another Mount Gilead may have been nearby, since some of Gilead’s descendants lived on the western side of Jordan. Though the test given to the 9,700 seems simple enough, the words describing it are somewhat ambiguous. As the men drank from the spring, Gideon was to separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink. But how does one “lap . . . like a dog” without “kneel[ing] down” to place his face near the water? Some writers have suggested that a “non-kneeler” scooped the water up in one hand (holding his weapon in the other) from which he lapped the water with his tongue. Others have suggested that each used his hand to bring the water to his mouth much as a dog uses his tongue to bring water to his mouth. Whatever the explanation, the test probably identified those who were watchful, though some think it was strictly an arbitrary test for reducing the number of men. Historian Josephus even believed the 300 men who passed the test were less watchful, which resulted in a greater recognition of God’s power.7:7-8a. Now with just a few fighters, Gideon was again reassured by a divine promise: With the 300 men . . . I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands (cf. 6:14). Gideon’s 300 men acquired the provisions and trumpets of those who returned to their tents.

(7) The encouragement of Gideon concerning victory (7:8b-15).7:8b-11a. In spite of all the encouragement and assurance previously given Gideon, the Lord knew that he was afraid to attack, so God provided two further means of encouragement: (a) a direct divine word (go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands; cf. vv. 7, 14-15), and (b) a providentially planned dream narrated by a Midianite and overheard by Gideon (vv. 13-14).

7:11b-15. Gideon and Purah his servant stalked the outskirts of the Midianite camp with its innumerable tents spread out in the valley like locusts (cf. 6:5), tents which were outnumbered only by the myriads of camels (cf. 6:5). A beautiful demonstration of God’s providence was exhibited: Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream about a round loaf of barley bread which came tumbling into the Midianite camp and overturned a tent which it struck. The other Midianite responded, perhaps in jest, that this must refer to the sword of Gideon . . . the Israelite into whose hands God has given us Midianites. However, the divinely intended symbolism is clear (barley bread aptly described the poverty-stricken Israelites, and the tent referred to the nomadic Midianites). Gideon correctly understood it as an encouragement from the Lord that Israel would be victorious over Midian. Spontaneously worshiping God after this message, Gideon returned to the Israelite camp and proceeded immediately to marshal his forces, passing on to them the same assurance God had given him—The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands (cf. 7:7, 9, 14).(8) The victory over the Midianites by Gideon.

7:16-22. Gideon divided his small band into three companies of men, whose strategic but strange weapons were trumpets and empty jars . . . with torches inside. They arrived at the edge of the Midianite camp at the providential time of the beginning of the middle watch (10:00 p.m.), just after they had changed the guard (when the retiring guards would still be milling about their tents). In Gideon’s day the first watch was from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; the middle watch was from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; and the morning watch started at 2 a.m. and went to 6 a.m.

At this critical moment the Israelites blew their trumpets and broke the jars (both making a terrible noise and revealing the glowing torches), and shouted loudly, A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! This battle cry indicated their confidence in the Lord to give them victory and also identified them to the Midianites and aroused fear in them. The word for trumpets is šôp̱ārôṯ, “made from animal horns”; they gave a sharp, shrill sound. The jars were pitchers probably made of clay. The confusion in the Midianite camp was unbelievable as they imagined a much larger Israelite force attacking them and as they perhaps mistook their own retiring guards for Israelites. This divinely planned confusion caused the Midianites to turn on each other with their swords while the Israelites apparently watched in safety around the camp. The Midianite army fled to the southeast to Beth Shittah (an immediate field site) and Abel Meholah toward the Jordan River. Abel Meholah was perhaps Tell Abu Sus, about 24 miles south of the Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee). (Abel Meholah was where Elisha was living when Elijah called him to be his protégé, 1 Kings 19:16.) The army apparently fled in that direction in order to cross the Jordan to reach Zererah (possibly Zarethan or Tell es-Saidiya) and Tabbath (Ras Abu T>albat).(9) The summons of Gideon for reinforcements.7:23-24a. Gideon summoned reinforcements from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh to pursue the fleeing Midianites. Those who responded probably included the earlier contingents of Gideon’s men who had been dismissed. Gideon also requested aid of the Ephraimites, who were well situated, to cut off the Midianites at strategic locations, preventing them from fording the Jordan River.(10) The capture of Oreb and Zeeb by the Ephraimites.7:24b-25. The men of Ephraim quickly secured the fords of the Jordan (the site of Beth Barah is currently unknown) and also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb (meaning “raven”) and Zeeb (meaning “wolf”), whose heads they brought to Gideon according to typical Near-Eastern military practice.(11) The diplomacy of Gideon toward the Ephraimites.8:1-3. However, the Ephraimites . . . criticized Gideon sharply for not inviting them to participate in the initial conflict near the Hill of Moreh (7:1). The “gentle answer” of Gideon (cf. Prov. 15:1) demonstrated his tactful diplomacy in the face of Ephraimite jealousy and averted intertribal warfare (cf. Jud. 12:1-6 where Jephthah reacted adversely to Ephraimite jealousy). In Gideon’s parable the full grape harvest of Abiezer seems to refer to the initial victory in the camp of Midian (Gideon was an Abiezrite, 6:11) and the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes (affirmed as a greater victory) then refers to the “mopping up” operations which included slaying the two Midianite leaders.(12) The pursuit of the Midianites into Transjordan (8:4-21).8:4-9. Though the Israelite reinforcements destroyed many of the fleeing Midianites, a sizable group, including two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, escaped beyond the Jordan in a southeasterly direction. They were rapidly pursued by Gideon and his 300 men who sought food from the men of Succoth (v. 5) and the men of Peniel (vv. 8-9), two Israelite cities in the Transjordan territory of Gad (cf. Gen. 32:22, 30; Josh. 13:27). Both communities refused aid to Gideon, perhaps through fear of reprisal by the Midianites. However, this was tantamount to allying themselves with the Midianites against the Lord and His chosen deliverer. Therefore similar to the earlier curse on the city of Meroz in Deborah’s time (cf. Jud. 5:23), Gideon threatened to punish them in retribution for their virtual hostility. To the people of Succoth he said, I will tear (lit., “thresh”) your flesh with desert thorns and briers (cf. 8:16). This may mean he would drag them over thorns like a threshing sledge over grain, or “thresh” them by drawing threshing sledges over them. Whatever the exact meaning, death seemed the inevitable result. To the people of Peniel he gave the threat, I will tear down this tower (cf. v. 17). The tower was possibly a fortress where people went for safety, like the tower of Shechem (9:46-49) or the tower of Thebez (9:50-51).8:10-12. The two Midianite kings (Zebah and Zalmunna) arrived with a surviving force of only 15,000 men at Karkor, an unidentified site thought to be near the Wadi Sirhan well east of the Dead Sea. The 15,000 was a mere 11 percent of the total Midianite force of 135,000. Gideon followed a caravan route . . . east of Nobah (perhaps Quanawat in eastern Bashan) and Jogbehah (modern el-Jubeihat 15 miles southeast of Peniel) and launched a surprise attack on the Midianites, captured the two kings, and routed their army.8:13-17. Returning northwest to the Pass (“ascent”) of Heres (an unidentified site) Gideon forced a young man of Succoth to write down the names of the city’s 77 officials. Gideon then carried out his previous threat to punish the elders of the city (cf. v. 7). He also fulfilled his threat to punish the city of Peniel (cf. v. 9).8:18-21. With the two Midianite kings in hand, Gideon interrogated them regarding an otherwise unrecorded incident—the slaying of several brothers of his at Tabor, the conical small mountain just north of the Hill of Moreh. It is not stated whether this took place in the current invasion or on a previous Midianite invasion of the Jezreel Valley. Since Gideon felt obligated by the duty of blood revenge (cf. Deut. 19:6, 12), probably his brothers were murdered in their homes or fields, not in battle. Gideon asked Jether his oldest son to kill them. This was an honor that the boy was not prepared to undertake, though it would have been a fitting insult to the kings to be slain by an untried opponent. They bravely invited Gideon to fulfill the revenge himself, considering it an honor to be slain by the courageous Gideon. Gideon obliged them and took the ornaments (probably moon-shaped) off their camels’ necks (cf. Jud. 8:26) as the spoils of war.(13) The refusal of kingship by Gideon.8:22-23. Following this significant victory, the Israelites turned to Gideon with the request that he rule as king over them, that is, establish a ruling dynasty (you, your son, and your grandson). Gideon declined both the rule and the dynasty (but one of his sons, Abimelech, would later speak for himself; cf. 9:1-6). Probably Gideon spoke words more significant than he realized when he affirmed the theocratic kingship of Yahweh—The Lord will rule over you.(14) The snare of the ephod of Gideon (8:24-27).8:24-26. Though he rejected kingship, Gideon did take occasion to indulge in a form of virtual taxation by requesting a share of the plunder in the form of gold earrings, the total weight coming to about 43 pounds. The term Ishmaelites originally referred to another nomadic tribe descended from Hagar (Gen. 16:15) but the term apparently took on a broader usage so that it is here applied to the Midianites.8:27. Gideon took the gold he received and made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. Whatever Gideon’s intentions were in this act, the people worshiped this ephod, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. The nature of this ephod is not clear. It may have been patterned after the short outer garment worn by the high priest (Ex. 28:6-30; 39:1-21; Lev. 8:7-8). But rather than being worn as a garment, Gideon’s golden ephod was apparently erected and became an idol. In some sense he may have usurped the function of the priest and/or established a rival worship center to the tabernacle. In the end Gideon seems to have returned to the syncretistic society out of which God had called him to deliver Israel.

The duration of peace (8:28)8:28. As a result of Gideon’s rout of the Midianites the land enjoyed peace 40 years. This is the last period of peace recorded in the Book of Judges. The subsequent activities of Jephthah and Samson did not seem to produce an interim of peace or delay the nation’s decline. The death of Gideon (8:29-32)8:29-32. Though Jerub-Baal (i.e., Gideon; cf. 6:32; 7:1) declined the kingship, he generally lived like a king (he had many wives who bore him 70 sons). He also had a concubine . . . in Shechem (who characteristically lived with her parents’ family) who bore him a son . . . named Abimelech. This set the stage for the next downward spiral in Israel’s history of apostasy, a spiral which began in earnest after the death of Gideon.  It may be significant that none of the judgeships recorded in the rest of the Book of Judges resulted in a designated period of peace (contrast 3:11, 30; 5:31; 8:28). This seems to fit the general pattern of progressive political and social decline and moral degeneration in the book. The event that launched the declining phase of the period of the Judges was the abortive kingship of Abimelech. Abimelech, a son of Gideon by a concubine, was not called a judge. In fact his rule included some elements of oppression which were eliminated only by his death and by the subsequent positive judgeship of Tola (who lived in the same general area of the central highlands). The defection of Israel (8:33-35) 8:33-35. As though they had been waiting for it with expectancy, Gideon’s death triggered Israel’s immediate return to idolatry (cf. 2:19). Instead of worshiping Yahweh with thanksgiving for all His deliverances, they set up Baal-Berith as their god, who had a central shrine at Shechem (9:3-4) where he was also worshiped as El-Berith (9:46). Their accompanying failure to show gratitude to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon; cf. 6:32; 7:1; 8:29) may have accounted for the apparent ease with which his sons were soon slain by Abimelech (9:5).

*Wiersbe JUDGES 6 God’s Man in Manasseh You have a garden, and you work hard all spring and summer to make that garden produce abundantly. But every year, just about the time you’re ready to gather in the harvest, your neighbors swoop down and take your produce away from you by force. This goes on year after year, and there’s nothing you can do about it.If you can imagine that scenario, then you’ll have some idea of the suffering the Jews experienced every harvest when the Midianites made their annual raids. For seven years, God allowed the Midianites and their allies to ravage “the land of milk and honey,” leaving the people in the deepest poverty.

About the time of the eighth Midianite invasion, God called a farmer in Manasseh named Gideon to become the deliverer of His people. Gideon started his career as somewhat of a coward (Jdg. 6), then became a conqueror (7:1–8:21), and ended his career as a compromiser (8:22–35). But more space is devoted to Gideon in the Book of Judges (100 verses) than to any other judge; and Gideon is the only judge whose personal struggles with his faith are recorded. Gideon is a great encouragement to people who have a hard time accepting themselves and believing that God can make anything out of them or do anything with them.But before the Lord could use Gideon in His service, He had to deal with four doubts that plagued him and were obstacles to his faith. These doubts can be expressed in four questions.

1. “Does God really care about us?” (Jdg. 6:1–13)

“The Lord has forsaken us!” was Gideon’s response to the Lord’s message (v. 13); and yet the Lord had given Israel proof of His personal concern. He had chastened them (vv. 1–6). “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11–12; Heb. 12:5–11). Charles Spurgeon said, “The Lord does not permit His children to sin successfully.” God is not a “permissive parent” who allows His children to do as they please, for His ultimate purpose is that they might be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). The Father wants to be able to look at each member of His spiritual family and say, “This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased” (see Matt. 3:17; 12:18; 17:5). Chastening is evidence of God’s hatred for sin and His love for His people. We can’t conceive of a holy God wanting anything less than His very best for His children, and the best He can give us is a holy character like that of Jesus Christ. Obedience to the Lord builds character, but sin destroys character; and God cannot sit idly by and watch His children destroy themselves. Israel had already experienced forty-three years of suffering under the harsh rule of the neighboring nations, but they hadn’t yet learned their lesson and turned away from the heathen idols. Unless our suffering leads to repentance, it accomplishes no lasting good; and unless our repentance is evidence of a holy desire to turn from sin, not just escape from pain, repentance is only remorse. Chastening assures us that we are truly God’s children, that our Father loves us, and that we can’t get away with rebellion. The Midianites organized a coalition of nations to invade the land (Jdg. 6:3), and all that Israel could do was flee to the hills and hide from the enemy. When the Jews returned to their homes, they found only devastation; and they had to face another year without adequate food. He had rebuked them (vv. 7–10). Previous to this, an angel of the Lord, probably the Son of God, had come to Bochim to reprove Israel for her sins (2:1–5); and now an unnamed prophet came to repeat the message. Often in the Old Testament, when the Lord denounced His people for their disobedience, He reminded them of the wonderful way He had delivered them from Egypt. He also reminded them of His generosity in giving them the land and helping them overcome their enemies. If the Jews were suffering from Gentile bondage, it wasn’t God’s fault! He had given them everything they needed.When you read the New Testament epistles, you can’t help but notice that the apostles took the same approach when they admonished the believers to whom they wrote. The apostles repeatedly reminded the Christians that God had saved them so that they might live obediently and serve the Lord faithfully. As God’s children, they were to walk worthy of their high and heavenly calling (Eph. 4:1) and live like people who were seated with Christ in glory (Col. 3:1ff). The motive for Christian living is not that we might gain something we don’t have but that we might live up to what we already have in Christ.The purpose of chastening is to make God’s children willing to listen to God’s Word. Often after spanking a child, parents will reassure the child of their love and then gently admonish the child to listen to what they say and obey it. God speaks to His children, either through the loving voice of Scripture or the heavy hand of chastening; and if we ignore the first, we must endure the second. One way or another, the Lord is going to get our attention and deal with us. Now He came down to help them (vv. 11–13). The people were crying out to the Lord for help (6:7), as people usually do when they’re in trouble. The Israelites gave no evidence of real repentance, but their affliction moved God’s loving heart. “In all their affliction He was afflicted” (Isa. 63:9). “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve; and in His grace, He gives us what we don’t deserve.When you consider the kind of man Gideon was at this time, you wonder why God selected him; but God often chooses the “weak things of this world” to accomplish great things for His glory (1 Cor. 1:26–29). Gideon’s family worshiped Baal (Jdg. 6:25–32), although we have no reason to believe that Gideon joined them. When Gideon called himself “the least in my father’s house” (v. 15), he may have been suggesting that his family treated him like an outcast because he didn’t worship Baal. Gideon wasn’t a man of strong faith or courage, and God had to patiently work with him to prepare him for leadership. God is always ready to make us what we ought to be if we’re willing to submit to His will (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12–13).Gideon’s negative response to the Lord’s words indicates his lack of faith and spiritual perception. Here was Almighty God telling him that He was with him and would make him a conqueror, and Gideon replied by denying everything God said! God would have to spend time with Gideon turning his question marks into exclamation points. Gideon was living by sight, not by faith, and had he remained that way he would never have been named among the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

2. “Does God know what He’s doing?” (Jdg. 6:14–24) Gideon’s first response was to question God’s concern for His people, but then he questioned God’s wisdom in choosing him to be the nation’s deliverer. The Lord’s statements recorded in verses 12 and 14 should have given Gideon all the assurance he needed, but he wouldn’t believe God’s Word. In this, he was like Moses (Ex. 3:7–12), whose story Gideon surely knew since he was acquainted with Hebrew history (Jdg. 6:13). It has often been said that “God’s commandments are God’s enablements.” Once God has called and commissioned us, all we have to do is obey Him by faith, and He will do the rest. God cannot lie and God never fails. Faith means obeying God in spite of what we see, how we feel, or what the consequences might be. Our modern “practical” world laughs at faith without realizing that people live by faith all day long. “If there was no faith, there would be no living in this world,” wrote humorist John Billings nearly a century ago. “We couldn’t even eat hash with safety.”Gideon’s statement about the poverty of his family is a bit perplexing in the light of the fact that he had ten servants who assisted him (v. 27). It may be that the clan of Abiezer, to which Gideon’s family belonged, was not an important clan in Manasseh; or perhaps Gideon’s statement was simply the standard way to respond to a compliment, as when people used to sign their letters “Your Obedient Servant.” In any event, Gideon seemed to think that God could do nothing because he and his family were nothing. Once God has revealed His will to us, we must never question His wisdom or argue with His plans. “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” (Rom. 11:34; Isa. 40:13, 1 Cor. 2:16) “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7) A.W. Tozer wrote, “All God’s acts are done in perfect wisdom, first for His own glory, and then for the highest good of the greatest number for the longest time.” That being true, who are we to question Him?

When you review God’s gracious promises to Gideon, you wonder why this young man wavered in his faith. God promised to be with him. God called him a “mighty man of valor” and promised that he would save Israel from the Midianites and smite them “as one man.” God’s Word is “the word of faith” (Rom. 10:8), and “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). But Gideon didn’t receive that Word and needed assurance beyond the character of Almighty God. Gideon asked for a sign to assure him that it was really the Lord who was speaking to him (1 Cor. 1:22), and the Lord was gracious to accommodate Himself to Gideon’s unbelief. Gideon prepared a sacrifice, which was a costly thing to do at a time when food was scarce. An ephah of flour was about a half a bushel, enough to make bread for a family for several days. It probably took him an hour to dress the meat and prepare the unleavened cakes, but God waited for him to return and then consumed the offering by bringing fire from the rock.

The sudden appearance of the fire and disappearance of the visitor convinced Gideon that indeed he had seen God and spoken to Him, and this frightened him even more. Since the Jews believed it was fatal for sinful man to look upon God, Gideon was sure he would die. The human heart is indeed deceitful: Gideon asked to see a sign, and after seeing it, he was sure that the God who gave him the sign would now kill him! There is always “joy and peace in believing” (Rom. 15:13), but unbelief brings fear and worry. God had to give Gideon a message of peace to prepare him for fighting a war. Unless we’re at peace with God, we can’t face the enemy with confidence and fight the Lord’s battles. It was customary for the Jews to identify special events and places by putting up monuments, so Gideon built an altar and called it “The Lord is peace.” The Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom) means much more than a cessation of hostilities but carries with it the ideas of well-being, health, and prosperity. Gideon now believed the Lord was able to use him, not because of who he was but because of who God was. Whenever God calls us to a task that we think is beyond us, we must be careful to look to God and not to ourselves. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God asked Abraham (Gen. 18:14); and the answer comes, “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). Job discovered that God could do everything (Job 42:2), and Jeremiah admitted that there was nothing too hard for God (Jer. 32:17). Jesus told His disciples, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26); and Paul testified, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

3. “Will God take care of me?” (Jdg. 6:25–32)  What kind of a day did Gideon have after his dramatic meeting with the Lord? Remember, he belonged to a family that worshiped Baal; and if he challenged the Midianites in the name of the Lord, it meant defying his father, his family, his neighbors, and the multitudes of people in Israel who were worshiping Baal. My guess is that Gideon had his emotional ups and downs that day, rejoicing that God was planning to deliver Israel, but trembling at the thought of being named the leader of the army. Knowing that Gideon was still afraid, God assigned him a task right at home to show him that He would see him through. After all, if we don’t practice our faith at home, how can we practice it sincerely anyplace else? Gideon had to take his stand in his own village before he dared to face the enemy on the battlefield. Before God gives His servants great victories in public, He sometimes prepares them by giving them smaller victories at home. Before David killed the giant Goliath in the sight of two armies, he learned to trust God by killing a lion and a bear in the field where nobody saw it but God (1 Sam. 17:32–37). When we prove that we’re faithful with a few things, God will trust us with greater things (Matt. 25:21). The assignment wasn’t an easy one. God told him to destroy the altar dedicated to Baal, build an altar to the Lord, and sacrifice one of his father’s valuable bullocks, using the wood of the Asherah pole for fuel. Jewish altars were made of uncut stones and were simple, but Baal’s altars were elaborate and next to them was a wooden pillar (“grove,” Jdg. 6:26; “Asherah pole,”) dedicated to the goddess Asherah, whose worship involved unspeakably vile practices. Since altars to Baal were built on high places, it would have been difficult to obey God’s orders without attracting attention. Gideon had every right to destroy Baal worship because this is what God had commanded in His Law (Ex. 34:12–13; Deut. 7:5). For that matter, he had the right to stone everybody who was involved in Baal worship (Deut. 13), but God didn’t include that in His instructions. Gideon decided to obey the Lord at night when the village was asleep. This showed his fear (Jdg. 6:27); he wasn’t sure God could or would see him through. “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40) “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid” (Isa. 12:2). After all the encouragements God had given him, Gideon’s faith should have been strong; but before we judge him, we’d better look at ourselves and see how much we trust the Lord. It’s worth noting that true believers can’t build an altar to the Lord unless first they tear down the altars they’ve built to the false gods they worship. Our God is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5) and will not share His glory or our love with another. Gideon had privately built his own altar to the Lord (Jdg. 6:24), but now he had to take his public stand; and he had to do it without compromise. Before he could declare war on Midian, he had to declare war on Baal. When ten other men are involved, it’s not easy to keep your plans a secret; so it wasn’t long before the whole town knew that Gideon was the one who had destroyed his father’s idols. The men of the city considered this a capital offense and wanted to kill Gideon. (According to God’s law, it was the idol-worshipers who should have been slain! See Deut. 13:6–9.) Gideon was no doubt wondering what would happen to him, but God proved Himself well able to handle the situation. Joash, Gideon’s father, had every reason to be angry with his son. Gideon had smashed his father’s altar to Baal and replaced it with an altar to Jehovah. He had sacrificed his father’s prize bull to the Lord and had used the sacred Asherah pole for fuel. (See Isa. 44:13–20.) But God so worked in Joash’s heart that he defended Gideon before the town mob and even insulted Baal! “What kind of a god is Baal that he can’t even defend himself?” asked Joash. (Elijah would take a similar approach years later. See 1 Kings 18:27.) “What kind of a god is Baal that he can’t even plead his own cause?” Joash asked. Because of this, the men of the town gave Gideon the nickname “Jerubbaal,” which means “let Baal contend” or “Baal’s antagonist.”Often the unbelieving world gives demeaning nicknames to faithful servants of God. D.L. Moody was known as “Crazy Moody” when he was building his famous Sunday School in Chicago, but nobody would call him that today; and Charles Spurgeon was frequently lampooned and caricatured in the British press. If we are given nicknames because we honor the name of Jesus, then let’s wear them like medals and keep on glorifying Him! Gideon learned a valuable lesson that day: If he obeyed the Lord, even with fear in his heart, the Lord would protect him and receive the glory. Gideon needed to remember this as he mustered his army and prepared to attack the enemy.

4. “Does God keep His promises?” (Jdg. 6:33–40) The Midianites and their allies made their annual invasion about that time as more than 135,000 men (8:10; 7:12) moved into the Valley of Jezreel. It was time for Gideon to act, and the Spirit of God gave him the wisdom and power that he needed. (See Jdg. 3:10; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14.) As we seek to do God’s will, His Word to us is always, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit” (Zech. 4:6). When a group of British pastors was discussing the advisability of inviting evangelist D.L. Moody to their city for a crusade, one man asked, “Why must it be Moody? Does D.L. Moody have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” Quietly one of the other pastors replied, “No, but it’s evident that the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D.L. Moody.” Gideon blew the trumpet first in his own hometown, and the men of Abiezer rallied behind him. Gideon’s reformation in the town had actually accomplished something! Then he sent messengers throughout his own tribe of Manasseh as well as the neighboring tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. These four tribes were near the Valley of Jezreel, and therefore the invading army affected them most. Thus at Gideon’s call, 32,000 men responded. But what chance did 32,000 men have against an army of 135,000 men plus numberless camels? (Jdg. 7:12) This is the first mention in the Bible of camels being used in warfare, and certainly they would have given their riders speed and mobility on the battlefield. The Jews were outnumbered and would certainly be outmaneuvered, except for one thing: Jehovah God was on their side, and He had promised them victory.Nevertheless, Gideon doubted God’s promise. Did God really want him to lead the Jewish army? What did he know about warfare? After all, he was only an ordinary farmer; and there were others in the tribes who could do a much better job. So, before he led the attack, he asked God to give him two more signs.The phrase “putting out the fleece” is a familiar one in religious circles. It means asking God to guide us in a decision by fulfilling some condition that we lay down. In my pastoral ministry, I’ve met all kinds of people who have gotten themselves into trouble by “putting out the fleece.” If they received a phone call at a certain hour from a certain person, God was telling them to do this; or if the weather changed at a certain time, God was telling them to do something else.“Putting out the fleece” is not a biblical method for determining the will of God. Rather, it’s an approach used by people like Gideon who lack the faith to trust God to do what He said He would do. Twice Gideon reminded God of what He had said (6:36–37), and twice Gideon asked God to reaffirm His promises with a miracle. The fact that God stooped to Gideon’s weakness only proves that He’s a gracious God who understands how we’re made (Ps. 103:14). Who are we to tell God what conditions He must meet, especially when He has already spoken to us in His Word? “Putting out the fleece” is not only an evidence of our unbelief, but it’s also an evidence of our pride. God has to do what I tell Him to do before I’ll do what He tells me to do!Gideon spent two days playing the fleece game with God at the threshing floor. The first night, he asked God to make the fleece wet but keep the ground dry (in this incident the Bible uses “floor” and “ground” interchangeably) and God did it. The second night, the test was much harder; for he wanted the threshing floor to be wet but the fleece dry. The ground of a threshing floor is ordinarily very hard and normally would not be greatly affected by the dew. But the next morning, Gideon found dry fleece but wet ground.There was nothing for Gideon to do but to confront the enemy and trust God for the victory. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

JUDGES 7 Faith Is the Victory I don’t recall too many chapel messages from my years as a seminary student, but Vance Havner gave a message that has stayed with me and often encouraged me. Speaking from Hebrews 11, he told us that because Moses was a man of faith, he was able to “see the invisible, choose the imperishable, and do the impossible.” I needed that message then and I still need it today.What was true for Moses centuries ago can be true for God’s people today, but men and women of faith seem to be in short supply. Whatever our churches may be known for today, they’re not especially known for glorifying God by great exploits of faith. “The church used to be known for its good deeds,” said one wit, “but today it’s better known for its bad mortgages.”“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). Christians are either overcome because of their unbelief or overcomers because of their faith. And remember, faith doesn’t depend on how we feel, what we see, or what may happen. The familiar and exciting account of Gideon’s wonderful victory over the Midianites is really a story of faith in action, and it reveals to us three important principles about faith. If we’re to be overcomers, and not be overcome, we need to understand and apply these principles.

1. God tests our faith (Jdg. 7:1–8) A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. Too often, what people think is faith is really only a “warm fuzzy feeling” about faith or perhaps just “faith in faith.” I recall being in a board meeting of an international ministry when one of the board members said enthusiastically, “We’re simply going to have to step out by faith!” Quietly another board member asked, “Whose faith?” That question made all of us search our hearts.

J.G. Stipe said that faith is like a toothbrush: Everybody should have one and use it regularly, but it isn’t safe to use somebody else’s. We can sing loudly about the “Faith of Our Fathers,” but we can’t exercise the faith of our fathers. We can follow men and women of faith and share in their exploits, but we can’t succeed in our own personal lives by depending on somebody else’s faith.

God tests our faith for at least two reasons: first, to show us whether our faith is real or counterfeit, and second, to strengthen our faith for the tasks He’s set before us. I’ve noticed in my own life and ministry that God has often put us through the valley of testing before allowing us to reach the mountain peak of victory. Spurgeon was right when he said that the promises of God shine brightest in the furnace of affliction, and it is in claiming those promises that we gain the victory. The first sifting (vv. 1–3). God tested Gideon’s faith by sifting his army of 32,000 volunteers until only 300 men were left. If Gideon’s faith had been in the size of his army, then his faith would have been very weak by the time God was through with them! Less than 1 percent of the original 32,000 ended up following Gideon to the battlefield. The words of Winston Churchill concerning the RAF in World War II certainly applies to Gideon’s 300: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed to so many by so few.”God told Gideon why He was decreasing the size of the army: He didn’t want the soldiers to boast that they had won the victory over the Midianites. Victories won because of faith bring glory to God because nobody can explain how they happened. “If you can explain what’s going on in your ministry,” Dr. Bob Cook used to remind us, “then God didn’t do it.” When I was serving in Youth for Christ, I often heard our leaders pray, “Lord, keep Youth for Christ on a miracle basis.” That meant living by faith. Too often, we’re like King Uzziah who was “marvelously helped, till he was strong. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction” (2 Chron. 26:15–16). People who live by faith know their own weakness more and more as they depend on God’s strength. “For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). In telling the fearful soldiers to return home, Gideon was simply obeying the law Moses originally gave: “What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart” (Deut. 20:8). “The fearful and trembling man God cannot use,” said G. Campbell Morgan. “The trouble today is that the fearful and trembling man insists upon remaining in the army. A decrease that sifts the ranks of the Church of men who fear and tremble is a great, a gracious and a glorious gain.”Pride after the battle robs God of glory, and fear during the battle robs God’s soldiers of courage and power. Fear has a way of spreading, and one timid soldier can do more damage than a whole company of enemy soldiers. Fear and faith can’t live together very long in the same heart. Either fear will conquer faith and we’ll quit, or faith will conquer fear and we’ll triumph. John Wesley may have been thinking of Gideon’s army when he said, “Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin and love nothing but God, and I will shake the gates of hell!” The second sifting (vv. 4–8). God put Gideon’s surviving 10,000 men through a second test by asking them all to take a drink down at the river. We never know when God is testing us in some ordinary experience of life. I heard about one leading minister who always took a drive with a prospective pastoral staff member in the other man’s car, just to see if the car was neat and if the man drove carefully. Whether or not neatness and careful driving habits are always a guarantee of ministerial success is debatable, but the lesson is worth considering. More than one prospective employee has ruined his or her chances for a job while having lunch with the boss, not realizing they were being evaluated. “Make every occasion a great occasion, for you can never tell when somebody may be taking your measure for a larger place.” That was said by a man named Marsden; and I’ve had the quotation, now yellow with age, under the glass on my desk for many years. Pondering it from time to time has done me good.What significance was there in the two different ways the men drank from the river? Since the Scriptures don’t tell us, we’d be wise not to read into the text some weighty spiritual lesson that God never put there. Most expositors say the men who bowed down to drink were making themselves vulnerable to the enemy, while the 300 who lapped water from their hands stayed alert. But the enemy was four miles away (v. 1), waiting to see what the Jews would do; and Gideon wouldn’t have led his men into a dangerous situation like that. One well-known preacher claims that the 300 men drank as they did so they could keep their eyes on Gideon, but the text doesn’t say that either. My assumption is that God chose this method of sifting the army because it was simple, unassuming (no soldier knew he was being tested), and easy to apply. We shouldn’t think that all 10,000 drank at one time, because that would have stretched the army out along the water for a couple of miles. Since the men undoubtedly came to the water by groups, Gideon was able to watch them and identify the 300. It wasn’t until after the event that the men discovered they had been tested. “There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few”

(1 Sam. 14:6). Some churches today are mesmerized by statistics and think they’re strong because they’re big and wealthy, but numbers are no guarantee of God’s blessing. Moses assured the Jews that if they would obey the Lord, one soldier could chase a thousand and two would “put ten thousand to flight” (Deut. 32:30). All Gideon needed was 27 soldiers to defeat the whole Midianite army of 135,000 men (Jdg. 8:10), but God gave him 300. It is clear from 7:14 that the Midianites knew who Gideon was, and no doubt they were watching what he was doing. I’ve often wondered what the enemy spies thought when they saw the Jewish army seemingly fall apart. Did it make the Midianites overconfident and therefore less careful? Or did their leaders become even more alert, wondering whether Gideon was setting them up for a tricky piece of strategy? God graciously gave Gideon one more promise of victory: “By the 300 men that lapped will I save you” (v. 7). By claiming this promise and obeying the Lord’s directions, Gideon defeated the enemy and brought peace to the land for forty years (8:28). The soldiers who departed left some of their equipment with the 300 men thus each man could have a torch, a trumpet, and a jar—strange weapons indeed for fighting a war.

2. God encourages our faith (Jdg. 7:9–15a) The Lord wanted Gideon and his 300 men to attack the camp of Midian that night, but first He had to deal with the fear that still persisted in Gideon’s heart. God had already told Gideon three times that He would give Israel victory (6:14, 16; 7:7), and He had reassured him by giving him three special signs: fire from the rock (6:19–21), the wet fleece (6:36–38), and the dry fleece (6:39–40). After all this divine help, Gideon should have been strong in his faith, but such was not the case. How grateful we should be that God understands us and doesn’t condemn us because we have doubts and fears! He keeps giving us wisdom and doesn’t scold us when we keep asking (James 1:5). Our great High Priest in heaven sympathizes with our weaknesses (Heb. 4:14–16) and keeps giving us more grace (James 4:6). God remembers that we’re only dust (Ps. 103:14) and flesh (78:39). God encouraged Gideon’s faith in two ways. God gave Gideon another promise (v. 9). The Lord told Gideon for the fourth time that He had delivered the Midianite host into his hand. (Note the tense of the verb, and see Josh. 6:2.) Although the battle must be fought, Israel had already won! The 300 men could attack the enemy host confident that Israel was the victor.Some people have the idea that confident, courageous faith is a kind of religious arrogance, but just the opposite is true. Christians who believe God’s promises and see Him do great things are humbled to know that the God of the universe cares about them and is on their side. They claim no merit in their faith or honor from their victories. All the glory goes to the Lord because He did it all! It’s the unbelieving child of God who grieves the Lord and makes Him a liar (1 John 5:10).Hope and love are important Christian virtues, but the Holy Spirit devoted an entire chapter in the New Testament—Hebrews 11—to the victories of faith won by ordinary people who dared to believe God and act upon His promises. It may be a cliche to some people, but the old formula is still true: “God says it—I believeit—that settles it!” God gave Gideon another sign (vv. 10–14). It took courage for Gideon and his servant to move into enemy territory and get close enough to the Midianite camp to overhear the conversation of two soldiers. God had given one of the soldiers a dream, and that dream told Gideon that God would deliver the Midianites into his hand. The Lord had already told Gideon this fact, but now Gideon heard it from the lips of the enemy! In the biblical record, you often find God communicating His truth through dreams. Among the believers He spoke to through dreams are Jacob (Gen. 28, 31), Joseph (Gen. 37), Solomon (1 Kings 3), Daniel (Dan. 7), and Joseph, the husband of Mary (Matt. 1:20–21; 2:13–22). But He also spoke to unbelievers this way, including Abimelech (Gen. 20), Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2, 4), Joseph’s fellow prisoners (Gen. 40), Pharaoh (Gen. 41), and Pilate’s wife (Matt. 27:19). However, we must not conclude from these examples that this is the Lord’s normal method of communicating with people or that we should seek His guidance in our dreams today. Dreams can be deceptive (Jer. 23:32; Zech. 10:2), and apart from divine instruction we can’t know the correct interpretation. The best way to get God’s guidance is through the Word of God, prayer, and sensitivity to the Spirit as we watch circumstances. Since barley was a grain used primarily by poor people, the barley-cake image of Gideon and his army spoke of their weakness and humiliation. The picture is that of a stale hard cake that could roll like a wheel, not a complimentary comparison at all! The man who interpreted the dream had no idea that he was speaking God’s truth and encouraging God’s servant. Gideon didn’t mind being compared to a loaf of stale bread, for now he knew for sure that Israel would defeat the Midianites and deliver the land from bondage. It’s significant that Gideon paused to worship the Lord before he did anything else. He was so overwhelmed by the Lord’s goodness and mercy that he fell on his face in submission and gratitude. Joshua did the same thing before taking the city of Jericho (Josh. 5:13–15), and it’s a good practice for us to follow today. Before we can be successful warriors, we must first become sincere worshipers.

3. God honors our faith (Jdg. 7:15b–25) “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). Faith means more than simply trusting God; it also means seeking God and wanting to please Him. We don’t trust God just to get Him to do things for us. We trust Him because it brings joy to His heart when His children rely on Him, seek Him, and please Him. How did God reward Gideon’s faith? God gave him wisdom to prepare the army (7:15b–18). Gideon was a new man when he and his servant returned to the Israelite camp. His fears and doubts were gone as he mobilized his small army and infused courage into their hearts by what he said and did. “The Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand,” he announced to the men (v. 15,). As Vance Havner said, faith sees the invisible (victory in a battle not yet fought) and does the impossible (wins the battle with few men and peculiar weapons). Gideon’s plan was simple but effective. He gave each of his men a trumpet to blow, a jar to break, and a torch to burn. They would encircle the enemy camp, the torches inside the jars and their trumpets in their hands. The trumpets were rams’ horns (the shofar) such as Joshua used at Jericho, and perhaps this connection with that great victory helped encourage Gideon and his men as they faced the battle. At Gideon’s signal, the men would blow the trumpets, break the pitchers, reveal the lights, and then shout, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” God would do the rest. Gideon was the example for them to follow. “Watch me....Follow my lead....Do exactly as I do” (v. 17). Gideon had come a long way since the day God had found him hiding in the winepress! No longer do we hear him asking “If—why—where?” (6:13) No longer does he seek for a sign. Instead, he confidently gave orders to his men, knowing that the Lord would give them the victory. It has been well said that the Good News of the Gospel is we don’t have to stay the way we are. Through faith in Jesus Christ, anybody can be changed. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus said to Andrew’s brother, “You are Simon [“a hearer”]....You shall be called Cephas [“a stone”]” (John 1:42,). “You are—you shall be!” That’s good news for anybody who wants a new start in life. God can take a weak piece of clay like Simon and make a rock out of him! God can take a doubter like Gideon and make a general out of him! God gave him courage to lead the army (vv. 19–22). Gideon led his small army from the Spring of Harod (“trembling”) to the Valley of Jezreel, where they all took their places around the camp. At Gideon’s signal, they all blew their rams’ horns, broke the jars, and shouted, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” Finding themselves surrounded by sudden light and loud noises, the Midianites assumed that they were being attacked by a large army, and the result was panic. The Lord intervened and put a spirit of confusion in the camp, and the Midianites began to kill each other. Then they realized that the safest thing to do was flee. Thus they took off on the caravan route to the southeast with the Israelite army pursuing. God gave him opportunity to enlarge the army (vv. 23–25). It was obvious that 300 men couldn’t pursue thousands of enemy soldiers, so Gideon sent out a call for more volunteers. I’m sure that many of the men from the original army of 32,000 responded to Gideon’s call, and even the proud tribe of Ephraim came to his aid. To them was given the honor of capturing and slaying Oreb (“raven”) and Zeeb (“wolf”), the two princes of Midian. The story of Gideon began with a man hiding in a winepress (6:11), but it ended with the enemy prince being slain at a winepress. Gideon’s great victory over the Midianites became a landmark event in the history of Israel, not unlike the Battle of Waterloo for Great Britain, for it reminded the Jews of God’s power to deliver them from their enemies. The day of Midian was a great day that Israel would never forget (Ps. 83:11; Isa. 9:4; 10:26). The church today can also learn from this event and be encouraged by it. God doesn’t need large numbers to accomplish His purposes, nor does He need especially gifted leaders. Gideon and his 300 men were available for God to use, and He enabled them to conquer the enemy and bring peace to the land. When the church starts to depend on “bigness”—big buildings, big crowds, big budgets—then faith becomes misplaced, and God can’t give His blessing. When leaders depend on their education, skill, and experience rather than in God, then God abandons them and looks for a Gideon.The important thing is for us to be available for God to use just as He sees fit. We may not fully understand His plans, but we can fully trust His promises; and it’s faith in Him that gives the victory.

JUDGES 8 Win the War, Lose the Victory Be careful where you travel for business or vacation. You might pick a place that’s dangerous. According to an article in the June 25, 1993 issue of Pulse, there are fifty-six nations that have serious problems with land mines. Angola has 20 million mines waiting to maim or kill, Afghanistan 10 million, and Cambodia 4 1/2 million; and the expense of removing them is more than these nations can handle. The wars may be over, but the dangers haven’t vanished. The saintly Scottish Presbyterian pastor Andrew Bonar wasn’t thinking particularly about land mines when he said it, but what he said is good counsel for all of us: “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.” That was the counsel Gideon needed after he’d routed the Midianites, because his problems still weren’t over. He discovered some “mines” that were ready to explode. Thus far in our study of Gideon’s life, we’ve seen his responses to the Lord’s call to defeat the enemy. At first Gideon was full of questions and doubts; but then he grew in his faith, believed God’s promises, and led his army to victory. In Judges 8, the account focuses on Gideon’s responses to various people after he had won the battle; and it tells us how he handled some difficult situations.The chronology in chapter 8 seems to be as follows: Gideon’s pursuit of the two kings (vv. 4–12); his disciplining of the defiant Jews on his journey home (vv. 13–17); the protest of the Ephraimites after he arrived home (vv. 1–3); the slaying of the kings (vv. 18–21); and Gideon’s “retirement” (vv. 22–35). Each of these events presented a new challenge to Gideon, and he responded differently to each one

1. A soft answer for his critics (Jdg. 8:1–3) Why this paragraph is placed here is somewhat of a puzzle. It’s not likely that the men of Ephraim would complain to Gideon while they were capturing Oreb and Zeeb (7:24–25) and while he was pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna (8:12). Fighting the enemy would have consumed all their energy and attention, and Gideon’s reply in verse 3 indicates that the men of Ephraim had already captured and killed Oreb and Zeeb. Perhaps a delegation from the tribe waited on Gideon when the spoils of war were being distributed after he returned home, and that’s when they complained. Knowing that they were a large and important tribe, second only to Judah, the Ephraimites were a proud people. Gideon was from Manasseh, the “brother” tribe to Ephraim, and Ephraim was insulted because he didn’t call them to the battle. But why would such an important tribe want to follow a farmer into battle? They had assisted Ehud (3:26–29) and Deborah and Barak (5:13–14), but that was no guarantee they would help Gideon. When you reflect on the way the attack on Midian was handled, it was wisdom on Gideon’s part that he hadn’t called for volunteers from Ephraim. This proud tribe would have been incensed if Gideon had told the frightened men to go home, and their volunteers would not have tolerated his thinning out the ranks to only 300 soldiers! If Gideon had called them and then sent most of them back, they would have created a far worse problem before the battle than they did afterward. Ephraim was on hand to help in the “mopping up” operations, and that’s what really counted. Ephraim, however, missed out on acquiring some valuable spoils of war from over 100,000 soldiers, and this may have been what irritated them. (Usually when people criticize something you’ve done, there’s a personal reason behind their criticism; and you may never find out what the real reason was.) Since David’s unselfish law governing the dividing of the spoils of war hadn’t been established yet (1 Sam. 30:21–25), those who didn’t participate in the battle didn’t share in the loot. When the men of Ephraim should have been thanking Gideon for delivering the nation, they were criticizing him and adding to his burdens.As a victorious general, a national hero, and the people’s first choice for king, Gideon might have used his authority and popularity to put the tribe of Ephraim in its place, but he chose to use a better approach. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Prov. 15:1). Perhaps Gideon’s immediate feelings weren’t that cordial, but he controlled himself and treated his brothers with kindness. “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (16:32). Gideon proved that he could control not only an army, but also control his temper and tongue. It’s sad when brothers declare war on each other after they’ve stood together to defeat the enemy. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps. 133:1) It didn’t cost Gideon much to swallow his pride and compliment the men of Ephraim. He told them that their capturing Oreb and Zeeb was a greater feat than anything the men had done from his hometown of Abiezer. Peace was restored and Gideon returned to the more important tasks at hand.And King Solomon wrote, “The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts” (Prov. 17:14).

2. A stern warning for the skeptics (Jdg. 8:4–17) Gideon and his men were pursuing two of the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, knowing that if they captured and killed them, the enemy’s power would be crippled and eventually broken. The army crossed over the Jordan to Succoth in Gad, hoping to find some nourishment; but the men of Succoth wouldn’t help their own brothers. The two and a half tribes that occupied the land east of the Jordan didn’t feel as close to the other tribes as they should have, and Gad had sent no soldiers to help either Deborah and Barak (5:17) or Gideon. While others were risking their lives, the people of Gad were doing nothing. The Ammonites and Moabites, relatives of the Jews through Lot, failed to help Israel with food; and God declared war on them (Deut. 23:3–6). Hospitality is one of the basic laws of the East, and custom demands that the people meet the needs of strangers as well as relatives. Hospitality was also an important ministry in the early church, for there were no hotels where guests might stay; and in times of persecution, many visitors were fleeing. (See Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 5:10; Heb. 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9.) Indeed, helping a hungry brother is an opportunity to help the Lord Jesus (Matt. 25:34–40). The men of Succoth were skeptical of Gideon’s ability to defeat the fleeing Midianite army and capture the two kings. If Succoth helped Gideon and Gideon failed, then the Midianites would visit Succoth and retaliate. The men of Succoth didn’t think feeding a hungry brother was an opportunity to show love but was a risk they didn’t want to take, and they were rather impudent in the way they spoke to Gideon. Since Gideon received the same response from the men at Peniel (Penuel), he warned both cities that he would return and discipline them.

God gave Gideon and his men victory over the fleeing Midianite hosts and enabled him to capture the two enemy kings. Triumphantly he retraced his steps and kept his promise to the men of Succoth and Peniel. Providentially, he found a young man who was able to give him the names of the seventy-seven leaders in Succoth who had refused to help him and his army. He showed them the two kings whom the elders had said Gideon would never capture, and then he chastised them, apparently by beating them with thorny branches. He then went to Peniel and wrecked their tower, killing the men who had opposed him. Why didn’t Gideon show to the people of Succoth and Peniel the same kindness that he showed to the Ephraimites and simply forgive them their offenses? For one thing, their offenses were not alike. The pride of Ephraim was nothing compared to the rebellion of Succoth and Peniel. Ephraim was protecting their tribal pride, a sin but not a costly one; but Succoth and Peniel were rebelling against God’s chosen leader and assisting the enemy at the same time. Theirs was the sin of hardness of heart toward their brethren and treason against the God of heaven. Of what good was it for Gideon and his men to risk their lives to deliver Israel if they had traitors right in their own nation? Leaders must have discernment or they will make wrong decisions as they deal with different situations. Personal insults are 1 thing, but rebellion against the Lord and His people is quite something else

3. A solemn question for his enemies (Jdg. 8:18–21) When Gideon arrived back home at Ophrah, leading Zebah and Zalmunna captive, the procession must have been as exciting as a ticker-tape parade. Gideon was a true hero. With only 300 men, he had routed the enemy camp and then pursued the fleeing soldiers across the Jordan and as far south as Karkor. He had brought his royal prisoners back, plus whatever spoils the men had gathered along the way.

Gideon had a personal matter to settle with these two kings because they had been guilty of killing his brothers at Tabor. The text doesn’t tell us when this wicked act took place, but it must have occurred during one of the previous annual Midianite raids. How Gideon’s brothers became involved and why they were killed isn’t explained to us, but the suggestion is that the act was a unconscionable one. According to Mosaic Law, the family was to avenge crimes like this by killing those responsible for the murder. There was no police system in the land, and each family was expected to track down and punish those who had murdered their relatives, provided the culprit was guilty (see Num. 35:9–34). In the case of Zebah and Zalmunna, the culprits were not only murderers but also enemies of Israel. The two kings were shrewd in the way they answered Gideon, flattering him by comparing him and his brothers to princes. Someone has said that flattery is a good thing to taste but a bad thing to swallow, and Gideon didn’t swallow it! How could he spare these two evil men who had taken food from the mouths of Jewish women and children and had brutally killed Jewish men? In those days, how a soldier died was important to his reputation. Abimelech didn’t want to die at the hand of a woman (9:53–54), and King Saul didn’t want to fall into the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam. 31:1–6). For a child to kill a king would be the ultimate in humiliation thus Gideon told his young son Jether to execute the two criminals. By doing so, Jether would not only uphold the law of the land and humiliate the two kings, but he would also bring honor to himself. For the rest of his life, he would be known as the boy who executed Zebah and Zalmunna. But the lad wasn’t ready for either the responsibility or the honor. Even when people are guilty, enforcing justice in the land is a serious thing and must not be put into the hands of children. Because of his fear, Jether hesitated in avenging the murders of his uncles; so the two kings told Gideon to do it. There seems to be a bit of sarcasm in their words, which may be paraphrased, “You kill us, Gideon. Let’s see what kind of a man you are—or are you also just a child?” Zebah and Zalmunna didn’t want the inexperienced Jether to execute them because he would have muddled the whole thing and made their deaths much more painful. The kings deliberately aroused Gideon’s anger, knowing that he was a good swordsman and would dispatch them quickly, and that’s exactly what he did.

4. A puzzling reply for his friends (Jdg. 8:22–32) The narrative focuses on two requests, one from the people to Gideon and the other from Gideon to the people. The people request a king (vv. 22–23, 29–32). So popular was Gideon that the people asked him to set up a dynasty, something altogether new for the nation of Israel. This was one way they could reward Gideon for what he had done for them. But it was also somewhat of a guarantee that there would be a measure of unity among the tribes as well as the kind of leadership that would mobilize them against possible future invaders. Their request was a confession of unbelief; for as Gideon reminded them, God was their king. Gideon rejected their generous offer purely on theological grounds: He would not take the place of Jehovah God. Every Jew should have known that the mercy seat in the tabernacle was the throne of God from which He ruled in the midst of His people. “You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth” (Ps. 80:1). “The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake” (99:1). To set up a rival throne would be to dethrone the Lord. Moses warned that Israel would one day want a king like the other nations and forget that they were a unique nation, unlike the Gentiles (Deut. 4:5–8; 14:2; 17:14–20; Ex. 19:4–5). What other nation had the Creator, the Lord of heaven and earth, as their King? What Gideon said was commendable, but what he did later on was very puzzling. After rejecting the throne, he lived like a king! Judges 8:29–32 describes the lifestyle of a monarch, not that of a judge or a retired army officer. Gideon was quite wealthy, partly from the spoils of battle and partly from the gifts of the people; and he had many wives and at least one concubine. His wives bore him seventy sons, his concubine bore him one. In fact, he named the son of the concubine Abimelech, which means “my father is a king”; and this son later tried to live up to his name and become ruler over all the land. Gideon also seems to have assumed priestly duties, for he made his own ephod and probably consulted it on behalf of the people.Nobody would deny that this courageous soldier-judge deserved honor and rewards, but his “retirement plan” seemed a bit extravagant. Gideon requests gold (vv. 24–28). The people were only too eager to share their spoils with Gideon. After all, he had brought peace to the land (v. 28) and had refused to become their king. Therefore, it was only right that he receive something for his labors. The Midianites wore gold crescents, either on the ear or the nose (Gen. 24:47), and the Israelite soldiers would have quickly taken these valuable items as they gathered the spoils. Gideon ended up with over forty pounds of gold, plus the wealth he took from Zebah and Zalmunna. No wonder he was able to live like a king! But at this point the man of faith led the people into idolatry; for Gideon made an ephod, and the people “played the harlot” with it (v. 27). This meant that they stopped giving their true devotion to the Lord and used the ephod for an idol. In Scripture, idolatry is looked upon as prostitution (Isa. 50:1–3; 54:6–8; Jer. 2:1–3; 3:1ff; Hosea 2; James 4:4; Rev. 2:4). Gideon may have made the ephod as a representation of Jehovah, to “help the people” in their worship, but a good motive can never compensate for a bad action. He knew it was wrong to make an idol (Ex. 20:4–6). Whether this ephod was an embellished version of the garment used by the high priest (28:6), or some kind of standing idol (see Jdg. 17:5; 18:14, 17), we can’t tell; but it was used in worship and became a snare to Gideon and the people (Ps. 106:36). Perhaps Gideon used it to determine the will of God and help the people with their problems. If the ephod was indeed a copy of the high priest’s garment, then Gideon was definitely out of God’s will in duplicating it and using it, because Gideon wasn’t a priest. If it was a standing idol, Gideon was disobeying God’s Law (Ex. 20:4–6) and corrupting the people as well, It was just a short step from worshiping the ephod to worshiping Baal (Jdg. 8:33).Gideon missed a great opportunity to bring reformation and perhaps revival to the land. He had torn down his father’s idols, but there were many households in Israel that were still devoted to Baal, and those idols needed to be destroyed as well. The great victory over Midian gave Gideon good reason to call the nation back to the Lord and obedience to His Law. But instead of using the occasion for God’s glory, he used it for his own profit; and the nation eventually lapsed into sin once again.With his vast wealth and his great national reputation, Gideon probably thought that his children were well provided for, but just the opposite proved true. Sixty-nine of his seventy sons were killed by their half-brother who himself was slain by a woman dropping a stone on his head. There is no security apart from the will of God. Had Gideon practiced Matthew 6:33, subsequent events might have been radically different. What caused Gideon’s spiritual decline? I think it was pride. Before the battle against Midian, Gideon humbly depended on the Lord. During the “mopping up” operations, however, he became authoritative and even vindictive. When he refused the kingship, he sounded pious (“the Lord shall rule over you”), but I have a suspicion that he had a hidden agenda in his heart. You don’t find Gideon honoring the Lord or calling the people together to make a new covenant to obey the Lord. Gideon started out as a servant, but now he was an important celebrity. The result was decline for him, his family, and his nation.It’s interesting and instructive to contrast Abraham and Gideon in the decisions they made after their respective victories (Gen. 14). Abraham took nothing for himself but made sure that others received their share of the spoils (Gen. 14:22–24). He especially refused to take anything from the heathen king of Sodom (Gen. 14:17, 21). Instead, Abraham fellowshipped with Melchizedek, King of Salem, a type of our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 7–8); and in all that he said and did, Abraham gave glory to the Lord of heaven and earth. Andrew Bonar was right: “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.” After all, there may still be some land mines scattered around!

Nelson - 6:1–8, 32 The fifth judge was Gideon, who twice fought the Midianites, first under God’s instructions and later on his own initiative. Gideon’s story is the second major account in the Book of Judges. In this narrative—along with the subsequent tragedy of Abimelech that follows in ch. 9—we can see, in ways not evident previously, the continuing deterioration of Israel’s spiritual state. First, God now rebuked Israel when it called upon Him (6:7–10). Second, the judge himself contributed to the spiritual decline (8:24–27). Third, Israel’s tribes fought among themselves for the first time (8:16, 17; 9:23–54), prior to an even worse dissension later (12:1–6; 20:1–48). Despite God’s continued intervention and Gideon’s flashes of righteousness, Israel eroded spiritually and politically. 6:1 Midian was located in the Arabian peninsula, southeast of Israel and east of the Sinai peninsula. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah (Gen. 25:1, 2), so they were distantly related to the Israelites. Midianites bought Joseph from his brothers (Gen. 37:25–36), welcomed Moses in the wilderness (Ex. 2:15–21), and hired Balaam to curse Israel (Num. 22:7). Generally speaking, Israel counted Midian among its foes. In this account, the Midianites were menacing Israel, burning, looting, and leaving many near starvation (6:4, 5). 6:2 the dens, the caves: Caves were not used for permanent dwellings in Old Testament times. That the Israelites were forced to abandon their homes and live in caves indicates the desperate straits they were in. 6:3 The Amalekites were a nomadic people who lived in the Sinai desert and the Negev, the desert south of Israel. They were descendants of Esau (Gen. 36:12) and here joined the Midianites against Israel. People of the East were unspecified nomads who also plundered Israel. These easterners are also mentioned in several prophetic contexts (Is. 11:14; Jer. 49:28; Ezek. 25:4). 6:5 as numerous as locusts: Locust plagues were—and still are—a fairly common occurrence in the Middle East. In the prophet Joel’s day, such an attack would be prophesied as a punishment upon the land (Joel 1:4, 15–17; 2:1–11). 6:8 the Lord sent a prophet: Rather than sending a deliverer, God sent a prophet to condemn His people. This prophet reminded the Israelites of God’s faithfulness, and how the people had nevertheless rejected Him (vv. 8–10). 6:11–40 Gideon’s call is the centerpiece of ch. 6. It begins with the appearance of the Angel of the Lord to Gideon (vv. 11–24), followed by an account of Gideon’s destruction of an altar of Baal (vv. 25–35), after which we see Gideon’s wavering faith (vv. 36–40). Through it all, Gideon was ambivalent about being called to deliver Israel, much as Moses had been years earlier. 6:11 The Palestinian terebinth tree is a large tree with a thick trunk and heavy branches, sometimes confused with the oak. It can grow as high as 25 feet. The terebinth figures in the stories of Abraham, who pitched his tent near the terebinth trees of Mamre (Gen. 13:18; 18:1), and of Jacob, who hid a treasure beneath a terebinth tree (Gen. 35:4). The exact location of Ophrah is unknown, but it was a city somewhere in the territory of Manasseh. It is not the same as the Benjamite city of the same name (Josh. 18:23; 1 Sam. 13:17). Abiezrite: See v. 24. A winepress was a square or circular pit carved into rock in which grapes were crushed (Is. 16:10; Jer. 48:33). Wheat was usually separated on open threshing floors so the wind could carry away the chaff in the winnowing process (2 Sam. 24:18). The fact that Gideon was forced to thresh wheat hidden inside a winepress—despite the fact that he had access to a threshing floor (v. 37)—shows again the desperate state the Israelites were in. 6:13 My lord was a polite form of address, but the Lord is the personal name of God (Yahweh), the full meaning of which was revealed to Moses at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 3:13–16). The Hebrew word for miracles means “wonderful things,” and it is translated elsewhere as wonders (Ex. 3:20; Josh. 3:5). 6:15 I am the least in my father’s house: Gideon’s objection is reminiscent of the words spoken by Moses (Ex. 3:11) and Jeremiah (Jer. 1:6). Clan (Heb. ˒eleph) (6:15, 1 Sam. 10:19) Strong’s #504: The word ˒elep has several distinct meanings in Hebrew. It may represent the number one thousand (Num. 35:4, 1 Chr. 18:4), or it may be rendered tribe or clan (6:15, 1 Sam. 10:19). Occasionally it designates a “region” or “district” (1 Sam. 23:23). This ambiguity has led to differing opinions over the number of people involved in certain Old Testament events, whether they involved literally “thousands” or simply “units” composed of an unspecified number of people (see Num. 1; Josh. 7:3–5). 6:16 I will be with you was God’s great promise of His presence that He had given to Moses and Joshua previously (Ex. 3:12; Josh. 1:5, 9). This should have greatly encouraged Gideon, but he still expressed doubts (vv. 17, 36–40). Often we are quick to judge those who doubt God even when they have firsthand evidence of His mighty works. But we all fail to trust God fully at times. God accomplished His will despite Gideon’s weakness, and He can do the same through us. 6:17 Gideon’s faith needed such bolstering that he asked God for a sign. Here as elsewhere, Gideon was slow to respond to God (vv. 39, 40). 6:19 An ephah of flour was two-thirds of a bushel, or about 20 pounds of flour.  6:22 Gideon perceived: When the Angel of the Lord vanished, then Gideon realized who it was and feared for his life. This reaction of fear appears to have been rooted in the knowledge that anyone who gazed upon God would die. In Ex. 33:20, God, speaking to Moses, says, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” The context of Ex. 33:18–23 suggests that it was the fullness of God’s glory that Moses could not see, since Moses did speak with God and know Him “face to face” (Ex. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Deut. 34:10), and he even beheld the form of God Himself (Num. 12:8). Yet Gideon’s fear was a proper response for those who found themselves in the presence of God’s Angel. This was also Manoah’s reaction when the Angel visited him (13:21, 22). 6:24 To this day: This expression, especially common in the books of Joshua and Judges (1:21, 26; 15:19; Josh. 4:9; 5:9; 6:25; 7:26), lends authenticity to the account. It is the author’s way of declaring to later generations that they could verify the story by going and seeing this altar themselves. Abiezrites were descendants of Joseph through his son Manasseh. They were part of the tribe of Manasseh that settled west of the Jordan River (Num. 26:30 (Jeezer); Josh. 17:1, 2). 6:25–35 Gideon’s first test was to topple the local shrines to Baal and Asherah, replacing them with an altar to the Lord. Gideon obeyed, but his fearfulness caused him to do this by night (v. 27). His forthcoming military tests are foreshadowed in the text (vv. 33–35). The battle he would lead would take place in the central highlands of northern Israel (Ophrah, Gideon’s hometown, was in the Jezreel Valley, southwest of the Sea of Galilee). 6:25 The Hebrew word for wooden image here is Asherah, the name of the Canaanite goddess. Sacred wooden poles were erected at places where she was worshiped. The widespread worship of this goddess is attested to in 3:7 and elsewhere (1 Kin. 15:13; 18:19). The second bull is not a second animal, but a phrase by which the Lord was specifying more clearly to Gideon which bull should be sacrificed. The need to specify the bull underscores Gideon’s continued reluctance (v. 17). 6:26 The wood of the image means literally “the wood of the Asherah” (vv. 28, 30). The proper sacrifice that Gideon was to offer would be burnt with the wood of the destroyed idol. 6:28 The phrase early in the morning occurs in Judges at 6:28, 38; 7:1; 9:33; 19:5, 8, 9; 21:4. 6:31 Would you plead for Baal: Joash’s questions are rhetorical. He refused to put his son to death, arguing that Baal should be able to take care of himself if he were indeed a god. Other examples of rhetorical questions in the Book of Judges are found at 9:2, 28; 11:25; 18:3; 20:28. 6:32 Gideon’s father called him Jerubbaal to deride those who would put their trust in Baal. The name means “Let Baal Plead,” and it echoes the question of v. 31. Thus Gideon became a living reminder of Baal’s impotence.  6:35 Gideon sent messengers through the territories of four northern tribes adjacent to each other: Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali.6:36–40 Before the fight itself, Gideon asked for signs to “test” God’s guidance once more. 6:39 Let me test: The word translated test is the same one used when God tested Israel (2:22; 3:1). Gideon’s desire to test God’s sign could have been a violation of the law which prohibited people from testing God (Deut. 6:16; the Hebrew word translated tempt is the same word translated test here). Gideon himself was aware that he was doing something unwise, if not sinful, since he asked God not to be angry with him. 6:40 Despite Gideon’s lack of faith, God did so that night. That is, He accommodated both of his requests. Many people have relied on Gideon’s example as a way seeking guidance from the Lord, “putting out a fleece” in some way. Occasionally God has chosen to answer such requests, even as He did for Gideon. Nevertheless, Gideon already knew God’s will for his life (vv. 14–16, 36). His requests only made evident his weak faith. Isaiah modeled a proper response to God’s clearly revealed will: he said “Here am I! Send me” (Is. 6:8). So too did the disciples, who dropped their nets immediately and followed Jesus (Mark 1:18–20). 7:1–8:3 God figures prominently in Gideon’s victory over the Midianites, especially in the amazing story of the 300 men who would subdue their numerically superior foes. The reassurances from God that Gideon had received before the encounter were now reinforced by a dream (7:9–15). The battle itself did not involve any significant combat, for God Himself provided the victory (7:16–25). The Israelites blew horns, broke jars, and shouted, causing the enemy to kill each other in their confusion. The survivors fled across the Jordan with the Israelites in pursuit. 7:2 lest Israel claim glory for itself: Right from the beginning, God made it clear that the glory for this victory was to be His. This makes even more incredible the Israelites’ request that Gideon rule over them because he had “delivered us from the hand of Midian” (8:22, 23). 7:3 When Gideon allowed those who were fearful to leave, more than two-thirds departed, leaving only ten thousand. Mosaic law allowed military exemptions for several classes of people, including those who had just built a home, those who had just planted a vineyard, those engaged to be married, and those who were fearful (Deut. 20:5–8). 7:4, 5 Gideon thinned his army even more by employing a strange distinction, namely, how his men drank water from a brook. Some commentators have suggested that the men who did not get down on their knees were maintaining a higher degree of military readiness by drinking out of their hands. However, they may be reading too much into the account, for the text does not indicate any reason for Gideon’s preference. The reference to the way a dog laps might even be derogatory since dogs were despised creatures in the ancient world (1 Sam. 17:43; 2 Kin. 8:13; Matt. 7:6). If so, God’s role in the victory becomes even more apparent, since the three hundred who were left were the ones who did not even have the common sense to drink in a normal fashion. God’s comment in v. 7 seems to reinforce this suggestion. Gideon’s Campaign With a force of three hundred Israelites Gideon attacked the Midianites and Amalekites near Mount Moreh. While in pursuit, he requested aid for his forces from Succoth and Penuel, but was denied. Nevertheless, Gideon’s army was able to capture the remaining Midianite kings in Karkor. 7:10 Ironically, Gideon himself was afraid, but he had not been dismissed to go home as had the other men (v. 3). 7:12 This verse notes again the strength of Israel’s enemies, including their intimidating numbers and their innumerable camels (6:3–5). 7:13 Tumbled in this context literally means “overturned.” The word is also used in Genesis to describe the sword “which turned every way” at the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24) and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:25, 29). Here, the loaf “overturned” the Midianite camp.7:14, 15 The sword of Gideon is the key to the interpretation of the dream. Coming from the mouth of one of Israel’s enemies, it provided the confirmation that Gideon needed, in light of his earlier fear (v. 10). As a result, he worshiped God for being so patient with his wavering faith (v. 15).7:16 The ram’s-horn trumpet was used as a signal call. See 3:27 and Josh. 6:5.7:19 middle watch: According to Jewish tradition the nighttime hours were divided into three watches, which would put the time of this attack at roughly 10:00 p.m.  7:20 The sword of the Lord and of Gideon: Here the full version of the war cry is given. A more literal rendering of the Hebrew is “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:23 The same tribes mentioned in 6:35 now pursued the Midianites, with the exception of Zebulun, which is not mentioned. Ephraim also joined in the pursuit (v. 24).7:24, 25 The watering places probably refer to small tributaries that flowed into the Jordan River. Seizing them would seal off the enemy’s escape routes. The other side of the Jordan is the east side of the Jordan, where the Israelites caught the enemy (Josh. 13:32; 18:7).8:1–3 The men of Ephraim complained to Gideon that they had been called out late (v. 1). Gideon’s flattering response had a calming effect on these men.8:4–28 Gideon followed up the victory with a second military campaign, one which contrasts dramatically with the first. He pursued the two Midianite kings until he caught and killed them, and he punished the towns of Succoth and Penuel. In this account, there is no indication of God’s involvement as there had been previously; rather, Gideon is merely settling a private score (vv. 18, 19). 8:5 Succoth was east of the Jordan, near the Jabbok River. Zebah and Zalmunna are unflattering names meaning “Victim” and “Protection Refused.” They may be wordplays on the real names of these kings, much like the name CushanRishathaim (3:8). Yet the author of Judges may have had more sympathy for these two kings than for Cushan-Rishathaim, since Gideon is cast in a poor light in this chapter.

8:11, 12 Gideon’s aggression contrasts sharply with the caution and fear so evident in ch. 6.

8:14 he wrote down for him the leaders: Literacy in early civilizations was at first limited to an educated elite, as in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Their writing systems were complex and only a tiny portion of the population could read and write. However, the spread of alphabetic systems vastly simplified the task of reading and writing. Hundreds of potsherds from throughout Palestine have simple inscriptions on them, indicating that some degree of literacy had become widely accessible by Gideon’s day. Even a youth whom Gideon happened upon wrote down for Gideon the names of 77 men.8:18 The killings to which Gideon refers do not appear anywhere else in the text. The answer from the two kings was flattering: As you are, so were they; they compared Gideon to the son of a king. Gideon, despite his refusal of a kingship, was not immune to the vanity that royalty encouraged. By naming one of his sons Abimelech, which means “My Father Is King” (v. 31), he may have succumbed to the temptation of exalting himself as a king over Israel.8:21 As a man is, so is his strength was a challenge to Gideon’s manhood, and Gideon responded by killing the two kings himself. Crescent ornaments have been found at many sites in Palestine, but they are mentioned again only one other time in the Bible (Is. 3:18).

8:22 Immediately following his execution of the two kings, Gideon’s men asked him to rule over them. This request, while understandable from a human perspective (v. 18), failed to acknowledge that it was God, not Gideon, who had delivered His people. 8:23 Gideon’s answer was theologically correct: the Lord shall rule over you. The word order of the Hebrew makes it clear that God’s claim was exclusive; it might be paraphrased, “It is the Lord, and no one else, who shall rule over you.” This statement is widely assumed to indicate that God intended that Israel should never have a king, but that He would be their only King. However, God had promised Abraham and his descendants that they would count kings among their descendants (Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11; 49:10). When the people of Israel asked Gideon to rule because of his military success, Gideon could only refuse, since their motivation was flawed and shortsighted. A king’s true role was to lead people to God; he would leave the issues of warfare to God. This was the critical mistake of the people when they asked for a king in Samuel’s day: they asked for a king to “judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam. 8:20). They wanted a king to do what the judges had done: lead them in battles. Yet the period of the judges was one of failure. 8:24–27 Despite Gideon’s theologically correct answer in v. 23, these verses show that he was not careful to lead Israel in true worship of the Lord. By making the ephod, he encouraged idolatry. The total weight of the offerings brought for making the ephod—one thousand seven hundred shekels—was impressive. Assuming the unit of weight here to be the shekel (it is not specified in the Hebrew text), the total weight was more than 42 pounds of gold (a shekel was about two-fifths of an ounce). The original ephod was an ornate ceremonial garment worn by the high priest (Ex. 28; 39). Some scholars believe that the ephod made by Gideon resembled an idol, but there is no clear indication here that this was the case. By placing the ephod in his own city, Gideon might have been “playing” at being judge. Perhaps tellingly, nowhere are we told that he “judged” Israel, whereas we read this of several of the other judges. After Gideon another man also made an ephod, with equally dismal results (17:5). It became a snare recalls the narrator’s introductory comment in 2:3. 8:29–32 This transitional section tells of Gideon’s death, but also introduces Gideon’s fateful legacy: his son Abimelech, whose violent story is told in ch. 9. 8:31 Although Gideon had seventy sons (v. 30), only Abimelech is mentioned by name. The name means “My Father Is King.” Some scholars argue that Gideon did, in fact, become king, at least in practice if not in name, for he gave his son a royal name and acted as the people’s leader (vv. 24–27).8:33 Baal-Berith means “Baal of the Covenant,” an ironic contrast to the covenant God of Israel whom the Israelites should have been worshiping. This god is also called “El-Berith” (9:46).

Open Bib – 6:1–8:35 See map “Israel’s Judges.”6:1–3 Midian: Located southeast on the Arabian peninsula. Their use of camels (7:12; 8:21) suggests they were a nomadic people. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern tribes allied themselves against Israel (see v. 33). 6:4 The attacks extended across all of southern Palestine as far as Gaza on the coast.6:11 winepress: A large vat for crushing grapes, located not on a hilltop like a threshing floor, but in a valley. Gideon was threshing in small quantities in an inconspicuous place, hoping to finish quickly and avoid detection by marauding bands.6:12–14 The Angel of the Lord: See note on Ex. 23:20, 21. mighty man of valor: In view of Gideon’s situation and his slowness to act, this is more a word of anticipation than a statement of fact. See chart “The Angel of the Lord.”6:15 The choice of one who appears to be the least is a pattern throughout the OT (see 1 Sam. 16:10, 11).  6:25 The shrine of Baal in this Israelite town belonged to Gideon’s own family. The Baal and Asherah were the male and female images of the fertility cult. The bull was a common fertility symbol.6:26 proper arrangement: A mound of earth or unhewn stones (see Ex. 20:24–26).6:30 The people’s reaction is an indication of how completely Baalism had saturated this Israelite society. 6:31 An adroit response. Let Baal take care of himself, if he is real, by striking dead the one who profaned his shrine. A son’s faith can encourage his father to be faithful.6:35 These were the northern territories.6:39 test: God does not object to being tested by one who intends to obey. But those who test Him to reinforce their doubt earn His anger (Ps. 95:8–11).7:1 Harod: Toward the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley.7:4–7 Apparently the ones who remained in an upright position and lapped water from the palm of their hand showed correct military alertness. The others put down their weapons and bent carelessly on hands and knees.7:9–15 If we are obeying even though afraid (v. 10), God gives further assurance. hands shall be strengthened: You will be encouraged (v. 11).7:19–22 The beginning of the middle watch would be 10:00 p.m. The first watch began at 6:00 p.m. The time of changing the watch in the Midianite camp would be a vulnerable moment. The trumpets’ blast, the loud clatter of breaking jars, and the blinding light caused such panic that the Midianites began swinging swords at each other.7:22–24 The remnants of the Midianite army evidently fled down the Jezreel Valley toward the Jordan where they hoped to cross to the east at the watering places (the fords).7:25 other side: The east side. Evidently the events described in this verse and 8:1–3 took place after Gideon’s pursuit across the Jordan mentioned in 8:4.8:1–3 Probably the men of Ephraim were really angry because they were sent to guard the fords and missed the looting of the Midianite camp. Gideon handled the situation adroitly by praising Ephraim and playing down Abiezer (a clan representing Manasseh; see Josh. 17:2).8:5–9 The Gileadites of Succoth and Penuel were reluctant to help their fellow Israelites from the west bank. They may have feared later Midianite retaliation because the kings were still at large with sizable forces (v. 10).8:18, 19 Tabor: A mountain in the Jezreel Valley. Gideon seems to be referring to atrocities committed against Israelites while the Midianites occupied the valley.8:20, 21 It would have been degrading for these kings to have been killed by a youth. ornaments: Generally made of gold, they were part of the booty taken.8:22, 23 Rule over us: Gideon rightly turned down Israel’s offer to make him king; the Lord was to be Israel’s Ruler (see 1 Sam. 8:6, 7 and note).8:27 ephod: Apparently a replica in gold of the high priest’s ephod (see Ex. 28:31). Since an ephod appears again in 18:14–20 in a context of idolatry, it may have been used as an instrument of divination because of its connection with the Urim and Thummim (see note on Ex. 28:30). a snare: Even a Gideon may be misled unless he is careful (see 2:3). 8:29 Jerubbaal: An alternate name for Gideon (see 6:32; 7:1).8:33 Baal-Berith: Lit. “Lord of the Covenant.” The name is used here in irony. 8:35 Kindness implies covenant loyalty (see Josh. 2:12).

Reformation Bib - 6:1–8:32 Gideon was the greatest of the judges. The following facts bear out this judgment. (a) His story is the longest in the book. (b) The Lord is more visibly active in his story than in any of the others. (c) The Angel of the Lord appeared to him, but to no other judge (vv. 11–24). (d) Centuries later Isaiah remembers Gideon’s defeat of Midian as a significant victory (Is. 9:4; 10:26). (e) He is listed first in Samuel’s list of deliverers (“Jerubbaal,” 1 Sam. 12:11). (f) He is paralleled with Moses (6:11–24 note). (g) The people sought to make him king (8:22–23). (h) He lived like a king (8:26–27, 30, 32). Yet for all this, Gideon failed badly at one point. Gideon made a gold ephod that drew him and others into sin (8:27). In his greatness and in his deficiency, Gideon pointed to the need for a better deliverer, a king who would truly keep the covenant. In this way he points to Christ. 6:2 Midian prevailed. None of the other stories in Judges devotes such attention to the details of the oppression as this one. Homes, crops, and livestock were subject to the covenant curse (Deut. 28:30–33, 38–42). The Midianite oppression was so great that Isaiah mentioned it centuries later (Is. 9:4; 10:26). 6:6 was greatly impoverished. Lit. “made small.” The covenant curse was a reversal of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen. 15:5; 22:17; Deut. 28:62; Ps. 107:38–39). cried out. See 2:19; 3:9. 6:8 a prophet. The prophets constantly reminded the people of their covenant obligations. The words of this unnamed prophet (vv. 8–10) are virtually identical to the words of the Angel of the Lord in 2:1–3. 6:8, 9 I brought … delivered … drove them … gave you. Remembering these saving actions of God is the first part of covenant keeping. In Israel religious apostasy was linked to forgetting God’s saving acts, and His law.6:11–24 This is the heart of the Gideon narrative. His call is similar to Moses’ call (Ex. 3); he asks the question that is central to the book’s message (v. 13); and his search for faith begins with signs (6:1–8:32 note). The search for and need for a covenant-keeping deliverer like the prophet Moses is the focus of Judges.6:11 Angel of the Lord came. See 2:1; 13:3.6:13 why. This question is central to the Book of Judges. The Angel did not answer the question, since the prophet had already answered it (vv. 8–10; Deut. 28:47–52; 29:24–27; 31:17–18). Some of the psalms ask a similar question (Ps. 44:20; 74:9–11).

Gideon’s Campaign. With a force of 300 Israelites Gideon attacked the Midianites, and Amalekites near Mt. Moreh. While in pursuit, he requested aid for his forces from Succoth and Penuel, but was denied. Nevertheless, Gideon’s army was able to capture the remaining Midianite kings in Karkor.6:14 Go in this might of yours. See v. 34; 7:2, 7. God would be his strength, though Gideon did not yet know it.6:15 weakest. When asked about kingship, Saul used similar words (1 Sam. 9:21).6:22 I have seen … face. See 13:22; Deut. 5:24; Is. 6:5; 1 Tim. 6:16.  6:25–32 This episode in Gideon’s life reveals how he came to be known as Jerubbaal. His immediate father’s idolatry is tragic in light of what Gideon says about “our fathers” in v. 13. 6:25, 26 tear down the altar. See Deut. 12:3.6:26 proper arrangement. That is, according to the prescriptions of the Law of Moses. 6:31 If he is a god. See 10:14.6:33–40 Gideon sought confidence through signs (v. 17), which the Lord did not refuse to give him (cf. Luke 1:18–20).6:34 Spirit of the Lord. See 3:10 and note; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14.6:36 If you will save. Even though the Spirit had come upon him, Gideon still struggled with faith (6:27).7:1–8 The drastic reduction of troops demonstrated God’s power to save Israel and brought Him glory. It also challenged Gideon and encouraged Israel to trust him.7:17 Look at me. These words are similar to those of Gideon’s son Abimelech (9:48–49).7:23–8:21 Israel’s lack of unity is apparent in the difficulties between Gideon, Ephraim, Succoth, and Penuel.7:25 at the rock of Oreb. See Is. 10:26.8:1–3 The conflict here between Ephraim and Gideon is similar to the conflict between Ephraim and Jephthah; see 12:1–6.8:4–21 Gideon has problems with the men of Succoth and Penuel and ultimately punished both for failing to help him in his pursuit of the Midianite leaders.8:22 Rule over us. Gideon was such an outstanding judge that the people wished to make him king.8:23 the Lord shall rule. This verse, like 1 Sam. 8:7–9, says that kingship in Israel was a mistake. Yet Judges demonstrates that it had become necessary. With no king, society disintegrated (21:25).8:24 give me the earrings. Though Gideon rejected kingship, he acted like a king (v. 30).8:27 ephod. The genuine ephod of the high priest was employed for seeking the Lord’s will (1 Sam. 23:9–11; 30:7, 8).played the harlot. Gideon, the greatest of the judges until Samuel, gave the people occasion to sin (2:17 and notes).a snare to Gideon and to his house. Gideon’s father had been an idolater (6:25), and now Gideon fell into the same sin.8:31 Abimelech. Gideon names the son of his concubine “Abimelech” (“my father is king”) notwithstanding all Gideon’s claims to the contrary. See vv. 23, 24.8:33–9:57 The Abimelech story demonstrates the disaster the wrong kind of king could be. Abimelech was an anti-deliverer, an oppressor of the people, and a breaker of the covenant. His story raises the question of who should be king (9:2, 8–20, 28, 29). In light of this question, it is significant that Abimelech and Saul resemble each other in important ways (9:23 note; 9:54 note). This would imply that Saul was the same sort of king that Abimelech was. The message to the readers of Judges was that they should no more want Ishbosheth the son of Saul to be their king, than Israel had wanted Abimelech, the son of Gideon. 8:33 Baal-Berith. Lit. “Baal (lord) of the covenant.” This god was a counterfeit of the God who truly was the Lord of the covenant. See 9:4 note.8:34 did not remember. Remembering God and His works of salvation is a first step in covenant obedience (2:10 note).8:35 nor did they show kindness. See 9:5, 16–19.

Word in Life St Bib -

Payback 7:19–22 The rout of the Midianites (Judg. 7:19–22) was a payback for Midian’s offense against the Hebrews in seducing them to follow Baal Peor. Find out more about that incident at Num. 25:5, and about the Midianites at Num. 25:17.

Penuel 8:8

An undetermined site of a city to the east of Succoth (see Gen. 33:17) on the Jabbok River, a tributary east of the Jordan River.

Named by Jacob, who wrestled with a “Man” (probably the Angel of the Lord, Gen. 32:22–32; Hos. 12:4) and called the place Peniel (“face of God,” Gen. 32:30; compare 33:10).

Insulted Gideon and his 300 men by refusing help in his pursuit of the Midianites (Judg. 8:8–9)

Later captured by Gideon who took revenge by killing its men, breaking down its tower, and executing its king (8:17, 21).

Rebuilt by Jeroboam (1 Kin. 12:25).

Baal-Berith 8:33 The decision of the Israelites to worship Baal-Berith (Judg. 8:33) was an interesting choice. The name meant “lord of the covenant,” so serving Baal-Berith was an unbridled insult to the true Lord of the covenant, who had kept faith by delivering His people from the their enemies (8:34). Baal-Berith was one of numerous gods in Canaan that the Israelites were regularly tempted to follow. Find out about some of the others in “The Gods of the Canaanites” at Deut. 32:39.

Believer st Bib - 6:1 Concerning the Midianites, cf. Gen. 37:28; Ex. 2:15; Num. 10:29; 24:21; 25:1–3; 25:17, notes; 31:2.6:4 This oppression by the Midianites probably occurred c. 1200 b.c. or the early twelfth century. 6:12 Note that the One who speaks with Gideon is called “the Angel of the Lord” in vv. 11, 12, but “the Lord” in vv. 14, 16 (cf. Gen. 16:7; 18:2; 32:24, notes). Note v. 22. 6:16 The promise is that the Midianites will be defeated as if they were only one man. 6:34 The verb translated “came upon” is lavash (Heb.), which literally means “put on.” The Spirit clothed Himself in Gideon as in a garment.6:36–40 Gideon’s fleece was not a means whereby he discerned God’s will; it was already known (vv. 11–16, 36) and confirmed to him (vv. 17–24). Instead, as he thought about the vast number of the enemy (v. 5), he was attempting to strengthen his own declining faith following his first exploit (vv. 25–32). God’s response to Gideon is an example of the patience He has with us in our weakness.

7:2 Cf. 1 Sam. 14:6.7:5, 6 Some of the men put their faces in the water. Others brought the water to their mouths and lapped it as a dog laps. There is no indication in the text that God commended those who “lapped”; He only used this device to reduce Gideon’s army (cf. v. 2).

8:1–3 Although Ephraim was looking for trouble (cf. 12:1), Gideon kept the peace. This incident reveals early tensions between the tribes which culminated in the division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah following the death of Solomon (cf. 9:1–57; 12:1–4; 1 Kin. 1–14). Other early examples of this tendency are related in chs. 17; 18 and 19–21.8:9 This tower (migdal, Heb.) may have been a pagan fortress-temple known archaeologically from this period (cf. 9:46, 51; Ex. 14:2; Josh. 15:37).8:14 This statement indicates that literacy was not uncommon in Palestine at that time (cf. Ex. 17:14; Josh. 18:9).8:22, 23 The wording of the men’s request in v. 22 indicates their primary interest was in a military leader. Gideon’s response seems to show his awareness that such an action would amount to refusing to trust the Lord (cf. Num. 14:9–12; 1 Sam. 8:4–9; 12:12). Although the Book of Judges demonstrates Israel’s need for a king to lead them in covenant faithfulness, they did not need the kind of military king familiar to them from the surrounding nations. As long as they were faithful to the Lord, they could rely on Him for security. How much of this Gideon understood, however, is difficult to tell. Many have suggested from Gideon’s subsequent actions that his response may have been more of a conditional acceptance than an outright refusal of kingship. He had what looks like a royal harem (v. 30; cf. Deut. 17:17), and named his son “Abimelech” (v. 31), which means “my father is king.”8:27 The ephod was a garment worn by the high priest and was woven of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread (Ex. 28:6–14). Attached to it was “the breastplate of judgment,” so named because it contained the Urim and the Thummim, used to discern the will of God (Ex. 28:15–30). That Gideon made one for himself apparently indicates that he proudly expected to continue to be the Lord’s mouthpiece. His lack of wisdom is shown by the response of Israel and his own family to this monument to human pride and ingenuity (cf. Judg. 17:5; 18:14–20; 1 Sam. 23:9–12; 30:7, 8; Hos. 3:4).8:28 This is the last reference to peace in the book (3:11, 30; 5:31), and, presumably, the last peace Israel had during the period of the judges. It has been dated by some at 1180–1140 b.c.8:33 Baal-Berith was probably the god of Shechem (9:46), considered a local manifestation of Baal. Since Shechem was an important religious site in Israel (Gen. 12:6, 7; 33:18–20; Josh. 24:32), the worship there may have been a syncretism of Baalism and Yahwism.

At Risk…Comm - GIDEON, THE FLAWED JUDGE Judges 6:1–9:57

A New Cycle The Gideon-Abimelech story takes up one quarter of the book of Judges and is thus the most important single episode in the entire book. Jewish tradition groups Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson together as “the three least worthy of the judges” (Nahum M. Sarna, “Gideon,” 558). Each of them is seriously flawed when compared with Othniel, Ehud, and Deborah. Thus begins the second sequence of deterioration according to the Scribe’s view of the time of the judges (see above, pp. 59–60).

Beginning with Gideon we find for the first time the ambiguity of life in the Promised Land: intertribal tension (Judg. 8:1–3), savage and destructive local conflict (9:26–55), a fateful struggle for power involving a canaanized kingship (9:1–6), and a more defined focus on the political side of Baalism (8:33; 9:4, 46). Gideon is the last judge to give the land “rest” (8:28). His son Abimelech engulfed the land in violence and chaos, and no more “rest” is recorded in the book of Judges.

One Story: Gideon and Abimelech

In these four chapters the Scribe has combined a number of ancient narratives into a unity of his own design. This unity appears in patterns of words and ironic symmetries between the parts. Here are some examples:

Three Trees. The first tree marks Yahweh’s purposive self-revelation (6:11, 19). The second is the site of Abimelech’s unblessed coronation (9:6), while the third is the scene of Abimelech’s ambush against his own people (v. 37).

Three Towers. When Gideon tore down the tower of Penuel and slew the men of the city (8:17), he little dreamed that his son would imitate him at the tower of Shechem. There Abimelech burned one thousand men and women to death (9:46–49), and he died trying to burn the tower of Thebez (vv. 51–54).

Six Flames of Fire. There is a stunning contrast between the flame of grace at the call of Gideon (6:21) and the flame of liberation from oppression in Gideon’s three hundred torches (7:20), on the one hand, and the flame of anger and curse in the prophecy of Jotham (9:15, 20), the flame which made a holocaust of the citizens of Shechem (v. 49), and the flame intended for the people of Thebez (v. 52), on the other.

Ironic Symmetries. Included are the following: (1) The story begins with the wasting of the fertile land of Jezreel by the Midianites (6:5). At the end, Gideon’s son Abimelech makes the land of Shechem a salty waste (9:45). (2) God comes to meet Gideon at his winepress (6:11), but the drunken revelers at the grape harvest festival plan revolt against Gideon’s son (9:26–28). (3) The thorns and briers used by Gideon to punish the men of Succoth (8:7, 16) anticipate the harshness of Jotham’s speech (9:14–15).

The Oppression: Imposed Famine

No Sustenance in Israel

Midianite oppression created a seven-year famine (6:1) among the tribes living around the valley of Jezreel (v. 33). This drove them into caves in the hills in order to escape the oppressors (v. 2) and brought them near to total disintegration, or, as the Scribe says, “very low” (v. 6). The camel-riding invaders were as numerous and destructive as locusts (v. 5; 7:12; cf. Joel 1:4; 2:3). They destroyed grain in the fields, plundered livestock (Judg. 6:4), and made the fertile fields into a wasteland (v. 5; see below, p. 103, “Perspectives,” no. 1). Their power penetrated as far as Dor on the coastal road that led south to Gaza (v. 4). Scorched earth was their deliberate policy to break the power and will of the Israelites. They almost succeeded (see below, p. 103, “Perspectives,” no. 2).

A Midianite Trading Empire

Norman K. Gottwald (The Tribes of Yahweh, 431–32, 463) has suggested a reason for Midianite policy. While continuing their pastoral-nomadic society, the Midianites were attempting to develop a trading empire along the “king’s highway” which ran between Damascus and the Gulf of Aqabah through Ammon, Moab, and Edom. They needed to control those states and to have access to the east-west roads leading from the Mediterranean coast. One of the most important of these ran from Dor on the coast to Beth-shean at the eastern end of the valley of Jezreel. Control of this road would give them access and potential domination of the north-south trade route from Egypt to Mesopotamia. A subdued northern Israel would suit this purpose well.

God’s Reluctant Deliverer

Preparing the Way: Covenant Teaching

Gideon, like Jesus, had a forerunner, a nameless “voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Mark 1:3). Like John the Baptist (John 1:6), this prophet, appearing at the beginning of the Gideon story, was on a special divine mission (Judg. 6:8) at that particular time. He was to tell the oppressed people in their caves and dens that the covenant Lord who brought them out of slavery was ready to save them again and make the wasteland fruitful, if they would only listen and obey. Covenant words of the past (Exod. 20:2) were spoken again: “I am the Lord your God”!

He told them the reason for their suffering: they had been drawn into the magnetic force-field of the “gods of the Amorites” and their way of death (see above, pp. 15–16). The first step in throwing off the yoke of “the people of the East” (oppressors; Judg. 6:3) was to break the hold of the gods of the Westerners (the literal meaning of “Amorites”; Robert G. Boling, Judges, 125, sees an intentional pairing of the words). Only when they chose Yahweh (Josh. 24:15) could they find freedom from oppression.

Beginning the Action: God’s Faint-Hearted Man

Gideon was not handicapped like Ehud, or a foreigner like Shamgar, or a person who was not expected to show leadership like Deborah. His father owned the property on which the city shrine was built (Judg. 6:25). He had servants at his disposal (v. 27). He and his brothers had a kingly bearing (8:18). Gideon’s trouble was more psychological. He was overwhelmed by the disaster which had come on his people and doubtful of God’s power to deliver (6:13). He suffered an inferiority complex because of the small size of his clan and his own minor position in his family (v. 15). He kept asking God for signs (vv. 17–18, 36–40) and was overcome by fear that he had been too close to God, even though the initiative lay with God (v. 22). Yet he was God’s choice.

The Call

The narrative is a window into the ways of God with his chosen one:

Surprise. “The Lord is with you” (6:12)! This greeting, with its intensity of meaning for the individual at that particular moment in time, is like Gabriel’s greeting to Mary (Luke 1:28) rather than a declaration of God’s constant presence (as in Ps. 23:4).

Confidence-building. The words “mighty man of valor” (Judg. 6:12) show God’s faith in what Gideon could become. Compare them with Jesus’ words to Peter in John 1:42.

Commission. “Go… deliver Israel” (Judg. 6:14)! Note how the angel “turned to him,” looking him straight in the eye.

Empowerment. “I will be with you” (v. 16)! Readers would know that Gideon must have recognized the words spoken to Moses (Exod. 3:12) and taken heart. Again we may compare them with Jesus’ farewell words (Matt. 28:20).

Confidence-building Again. “You shall smite the Midianites as one man” (Judg. 6:16)! Gideon would be able to unite his own scattered people to throw off the oppressor’s yoke.

Divine Patience. “I will stay till you return” (v. 18).

Liturgical Instruction. “Take… put… pour” (v. 20).

Grace. “Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die” (v. 23).

Gideon’s Response. God’s blessing of shalom (peace) and Gideon’s spontaneous construction of an altar to the God of shalom (Judg. 6:23–24; cf. Eph. 2:14) indicate that the new creation implied in the prophet’s message was already beginning. Shalom carries the sense of power to live, protection against the forces of death and destruction, and divine favor in all undertakings (cf. Num. 6:24–26). Shalom is living space for a community of freedom, justice, and “disciplined holiness” (see above, pp. 60–61). Shalom is God’s plan for the whole earth and all nations (Isa. 2:4; 9:7; 11:6–9; Luke 2:14). Gideon’s altar in Ophrah, at what was formerly a Baal shrine beneath the oak tree, symbolizes Israel’s vocation to bear witness to this new order of shalom in the world, “to the far and to the near” (Isa. 57:19; cf. Eph. 2:17; cf. Paul D. Hanson, “War and Peace in the Hebrew Bible,” 347–48).

Confrontation

The fire which sprang up from the rock, perhaps at nightfall as with Abraham (Gen. 15:17), ignited a spark in Gideon’s heart. The spark might have sputtered out after he had built the altar, if Yahweh had left him alone. The narrative makes it clear that Yahweh would not relax his pressure on his reluctant deliverer. The beginning of shalom meant an inevitable confrontation with the anti-shalom forces.

Breaking down the Baal altar and cutting down the wooden Asherah were commanded in Israelite law (Exod. 34:13; Deut. 7:5) and repeated in Covenant Teaching (Judg. 2:2). Yahweh’s repetition of this command that same night in the case of Joash’s altar and Gideon’s fear of his own relatives and the men of Ophrah (6:27) suggest the degree of Baalism’s fatal attraction for the people of Israel (see below, pp. 103–4, “Perspectives,” no. 3).

When Gideon built the second altar at night he was secretly constructing a new world not of chaos but “to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18), as we see in the expression “in due order” (Judg. 6:26; cf. 1 Kgs. 18:31). The altar was for the worship of the God of the covenant, “the Lord your God” (Judg. 6:26), echoing the prophet’s words (v. 10). The wood for the sacrifice was the Asherah pole that had been cut down. A later prophet’s satirical reflection strikes the same note: “Half of it he burns in the fire; over the half he eats flesh… warms himself… And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol” (Isa. 44:16–17; see below, p. 104, “Perspectives,” no. 4).

Joash’s defence of his son against the fearful and angry men of Ophrah suggests uncertainty about whether Yahweh and Baal were different names for the same God, or whether Yahweh was a male deity who might need a female consort. Was there a God of the covenant alongside the gods of nature and nation? In present-day terms it might be this: is there the God of the Church whom we worship on Sundays, alongside other gods of the marketplace, the nation, and the battlefield?

Joash took the pragmatic point of view: if Baal is God, he needs no one to save his reputation (RSV “defend his cause”) against this subversive act (Judg. 6:31). In fact, Baal should prove his divine nature by saving the Israelites from the Midianites. As on Mt. Carmel, Baal was silent (1 Kgs. 18:26, 29).

The Spirit of Yahweh

The Midianites, correctly seeing Gideon’s breaking down the altar of Baal and building an altar to the Lord as subversive, marshalled their forces to crush the rebellion (Judg. 6:33). Gideon seems to have hesitated again. This time God’s intervention was not by an angel messenger, nor by a voice at night, but by a presence moving into Gideon’s personal life in a special kind of incarnation (v. 34). The RSV translation “took possession” sounds like a violent invasion, as in the case of Samson (14:6) or Saul (1 Sam. 11:6). The Hebrew says something different: that God’s Spirit put on Gideon’s personality like a garment. [Note: This Hebrew idiom is used of only two other people in the OT: Amasai (1 Chron. 12:18; RSV “came upon”) and the prophet Zechariah (2 Chron. 24:20; RSV “took possession of”). In neither case does it imply a sudden surge of strength.] Gideon is here like Joshua, “in whom is the spirit” (Num. 27:18) and who was “full of the spirit of wisdom” (Deut. 34:9). The indwelling Spirit of Yahweh brought not extraordinary physical power to Gideon, but wisdom to deliver his people by clever strategy (cf. Eccl. 9:15). When Gideon sounded the trumpet summoning his clan (Judg. 6:34), his tribe, and three other tribes (v. 35), it was Yahweh’s Spirit directing him from within.

The Sign of the Fleece (6:34–40)

In spite of the personal presence of Yahweh’s Spirit, Gideon still had his doubts. Like the people of Israel in the wilderness (Exod. 17:7; Ps. 95:9), he put the Lord to the test. Could Yahweh control the fall of dew?

Dew is a symbol of plenty given (Gen. 27:28) or withheld (v. 39), of security, prosperity, salvation, and victory—in short, of shalom (Deut. 33:28–29). God’s blessing on Israel is like the gentle descent of dew (Hos. 14:5–6). The test was this: Could Yahweh give or withhold this blessing? Or was it Baal who gave these things? Gideon received his answer and was ready to lead his people (see below, pp. 104–5, “Perspectives,” no. 6).

Liberation Accomplished

The Problem of Military Victory

Behind the story of the reduction of Gideon’s fighting force (Judg. 7:2–7) was the risk God took in giving victory to his people. They would claim the credit for their own weapons and strategy: “My own hand has delivered me” (v. 2). This would be a self-glorification against God. This verse sends us back to 6:36, where Gideon seeks assurance that God will “deliver Israel by my hand.” It also sends us forward to the request of “the men of Israel” that Gideon rule over them, “for you have delivered us out of the hand of Midian” (8:22), with no reference to the real Deliverer.

Gideon’s Strange “Weapons”

The empty jars, the torches, and the trumpets which brought the astonishing victory may be seen as an “elaborate prank” which worked on the superstitions of the Midianites (Boling, Judges, 147). At another level, we may look at their symbolic meaning, without discussing the question of the original intention of the narrator.

First, the jars. A jar is an earthenware vessel made by a potter, who may do as he likes with the vessel (Isa. 29:16; 45:9). God, the divine potter (Isa. 64:8), may declare “concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it” (Jer. 18:7). When Jeremiah broke the earthen flask, his act was a symbolic reference to Yahweh’s decision to “break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel” (Jer. 19:11).

The jars in the hands of Gideon’s three hundred were “empty” (Judg. 7:16; Heb. reqim). Surely the Scribe intends a pun here, using the same Hebrew word which describes Abimelech’s “worthless” hirelings (9:4; cf. 11:3). The pun suggests that the jars were not only empty but worthless. Like the “kings of the earth” who set themselves “against the Lord” only to be broken in pieces “like a potter’s vessel” (Ps. 2:2, 9), the Midianite oppressors had exceeded the boundaries set for them by God (Deut. 32:8) and would suffer the same fate. Gideon’s men were performing a symbolic act similar to that of Jeremiah (Jer. 19:10–11).

The torches are best understood as symbols of “salvation as a burning torch” in the sight of the nations (Isa. 62:1–2; cf. 60:1–3). When the potter’s worthless vessel (the nation which has turned from its appointed task to oppression) has been broken, then the light of God’s salvation will shine forth for all to see.

The trumpets on the hill of Moreh are like the warning on the mountains to the “inhabitants of the world” (Isa. 18:3) that God is about to act in judgment against the oppressor. They also herald a new age like the Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:9) in which the rights of the poor, the slave, and the landless will be restored (see E. John Hamlin, Inheriting the Land, 50).

The Self-Inflicted Defeat

From the point of view of military narrative, this “battle” has what Robert G. Boling calls an air of “contrived unreality” (Judges, 147). It sounds a bit like the victory won by a choir of priests over the enemy (2 Chron. 20:21–22). The message must lie beneath the surface. Perhaps it is this: in the long run, oppression is self-defeating because it violates God’s purpose of “righteousness, justice, and equity” (Prov. 1:3). The broken jars of the oppressive system, the torches of the new age, and the trumpets of warning and promise brought division, doubt, anger, and confusion among the invaders because self-interest and power were their only motivation. When these could not hold them together, they became their own worst enemies.

Liberation in Doubt

Who Is in Charge? (8:1–3)

Ephraim’s violent complaint against Gideon is the first note of discord in the book of Judges. Their anger seems to be rooted in their dominant position in the tribal alliance. Even though they were not directly affected by the Midianite oppression, a sudden victory by a member of a small clan in Manasseh would seem to threaten Ephraim’s hegemony.

Gideon’s Headstrong Violence

Across the Jordan River, Gideon had such great confidence in God that he began to take things into his own hands. When the cities of Succoth and Penuel refused to give him provisions for the militia in hot pursuit of the Midianites, Gideon threatened them with vengeful words (Judg. 8:7, 9) and punished them with exaggerated cruelty. One who has read of the “Spirit of the Lord” in Isa. 11:2 is left to conclude that Yahweh’s Spirit (Judg. 6:34) had left Gideon at this point.

Whether the inhabitants of these cities in Gilead were Israelites of the tribe of Gad or Canaanites in alliance with Israel, the punishment of torture and death (8:16–17) far exceeds the offense (on threshing them with thorns and briers, see Jacob M. Myers, “The Book of Judges,” 747). In a wider perspective, it may be compared with Syria’s crime: “They have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron” (Amos 1:3; cf. 2 Kgs. 13:7). The fire which followed Gideon’s “threshing” (Judg. 9:15, 20, 49, 52) anticipates God’s judgment of Syria (Amos 1:4).

Gideon’s Personal Revenge

Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian whom Gideon pursued with single-minded zeal (Judg. 8:5, 12), have symbolic names with special meaning related to their fate. “Zebah” means “sacrifice,” referring to Gideon’s revenge murder of the two for the death of his brothers (vv. 19, 21). “Zalmunna” means “protection withheld,” describing Gideon’s use of the Lord’s name to kill rather than to protect (cf. Prov. 24:11). They are remembered in Ps. 83:11–12 as coveting Israel’s land. This narrative places the emphasis elsewhere. With the Midianite power completely broken (Judg. 8:10), there was no political or military reason for the capture and execution of these two kings. The once faint-hearted Gideon appears here as a man driven by an inordinate passion for revenge. In the wider perspective of other parts of the Hebrew Scriptures, this was usurping the authority of the one who said “vengeance is mine” (Deut. 32:35; cf. Rom. 12:19).

Kingship: The Great Refusal

Despite his flaws and his kingly bearing even in the eyes of his enemies (Judg. 8:18), Gideon showed his greatness when he refused the invitation of “the men of Israel” to accept the hereditary office of ruler or king. His refusal is in dramatic contrast to his son’s cynical plot to seize royal power in Shechem.

Gideon’s statement that “the Lord will rule over you” (8:23) brings many questions to the mind of the reader. Does it recall God’s commission to deliver rather than to rule (6:14)? Is it related to Gideon’s first altar (v. 24) and the belief that true shalom is not a matter of imposed authority but of participation by the people at all levels? Does it recall the assurance of the dew-soaked fleece that Yahweh was the true Deliverer who worked through Gideon (vv. 37–38)? Was Gideon returning to his former modesty (v. 15) and saying “I am not the one for this position,” as in the reply of the trees in Jotham’s fable (9:9)? In a wider context, is the question related to the one to come from the tribe of Judah (see above, p. 35) who would say, “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God… [he is] like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth” (2 Sam. 23:3–4)?

Or is it possible that Gideon sensed guile among the delegation? Were there Ephraimites, perhaps from Shechem, who would like to use Gideon to enhance their own power? Was this a scheming invitation stemming from the political Baalism that flared up after Gideon’s death (Judg. 8:33; cf. 2 Kgs. 17:7–8)?

Back to Baalism

Another ironic note in this story so full of ironies is that the hero who began the process of liberation by breaking down the altar and idols of Baal worship (Judg. 6:27) ended by creating a “snare” which, after his death, would lead the people back to the seductions of Baal and Asherah and away from Yahweh! Significantly, we find in 8:27 and 33 the only specific illustrations in the book of Judges of the sad comment in the theological essay that Israel “played the harlot after other gods and bowed down to them” in the Promised Land (2:17).

It was a very natural process. Gideon had displaced the Baal priests in Ophrah at Yahweh’s command (6:27). He had performed the duty of a priest himself by offering a sacrifice at the oak shrine with divine blessing (vv. 19–21). He had offered the sacrificial bull on the Yahweh altar (6:26). He had successfully inquired of the Lord before going into battle as a priest should do (vv. 36–37; cf. 1 Sam. 23:9–12). It was quite natural for him to recall those moments and wish to make them permanent by seeking a priestly role for himself after he had refused the offer of royal power.

The Ephod

For his “self-consecration as a priest” (Baruch Halpern, The Emergence of Israel in Canaan, 227), Gideon used captured gold ornaments and royal garments requisitioned from his men (Judg. 8:24–27). With these he made an ephod, which was probably an “elaborate priestly vestment” (Boling, Judges, 160; cf. 1 Sam. 14:3; Exod. 28:6–8), to make inquiry of the Lord, possibly by the use of Urim (cf. 1 Sam. 28:6; Exod. 28:30). Apparently he kept it on display in the shrine at Ophrah. It was very popular among the people from far and near because of Gideon’s reputation as a hero and a man close to God.

The problem is that the ephod seduced Gideon, his family, and all the people, leading them away from the covenant and from Yahweh (Judg. 8:27). The deterioration continued, especially after Gideon’s death, until the object of their infatuation was not the ephod but the Baals (v. 33). Instead of being led by the Spirit of Yahweh which had guided and empowered Gideon (6:34), they now were controlled by something like the “spirit of harlotry” which led the people astray without their even knowing it (cf. Hos. 4:12).

Liberation Betrayed (9:1–57)

Abimelech’s disastrous three-year reign as a petty Canaan-style king in Shechem brings the story of Gideon to its tragic end. The good done by Gideon (Judg. 8:35) in rescuing his people from Midianite oppression (9:17) was forgotten by the people and betrayed by his son. The Scribe has shown how the corrupt monarchic social structure of Canaanite society with its injustice, immorality, and tyranny was cleansed from the south (see above, pp. 28, 30, 33) and destroyed in the north by Deborah and Barak. Now he shows the reader the appearance of the same kind of corrupt government at Shechem. On a broader canvas, this chapter tells about the political dimensions of the choice between good and evil in the Promised Land (Deut. 30:19).

An attentive reader can detect echoes of the early chapters of Genesis. Something like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17) grows in the Promised Land, and death related to eating its fruit is a grim reality. Abimelech’s covetous desire for royal power resembles the thoughts of Eve in the garden (Gen. 3:6). Abimelech speaks to his kinsmen with the deceptive and beguiling accents of the serpent (Gen. 3:4–5). His brothers’ blood cries out from the ground like Abel’s to curse the murderer (Gen. 4:10; cf. Judg. 9:24, 56). The spirit of division which hastened the destruction of Abimelech’s kingdom (9:23) recalls the divine action to confuse and scatter the builders of the tower of Babel (Gen. 11:7–8).

In the Promised Land the equivalent of the bitter fruit is political Baalism. The cult of Baal-berith supplies the motive and immoral undergirding for Abimelech’s rise (Judg. 8:33; Heb. berit means “covenant”; we might call this god “Baal of the countercovenant”). The temple treasury provided financial backing for his violent seizure of power (9:4). The temple stronghold was the death trap of the hunted Shechemites seeking refuge from Abimelech’s madness (v. 46). The temple area with its sacred oak where the conspirators held their tragic/comic coronation ceremony of the murderer (v. 6) was ironically the location of Joshua’s covenant ceremony (Josh. 24:25–27). At the shrine of Baal of the countercovenant, past warnings about rebelliousness (Deut. 31:27), the difficulty of following the Lord (Josh. 24:19), and the problem of resisting the gods of the Amorites (Judg. 6:10) in the Promised Land took on a political significance.

The theological key to this chapter is the speech by Gideon’s youngest son Jotham, a refugee from Abimelech’s terror (9:7–20). His platform was Gerizim, the mountain of Covenant Teaching (v. 7; cf. Josh. 8:33), overlooking the site of the ceremony of the countercovenant. Three points stand out:

1. Abimelech (the bramble in the parable) was the wrong person for doing what a king should do. He could give neither security (shade) to the ordinary citizen, nor protection (refuge) to the victim of injustice. He was not chosen by Yahweh (cf. 1 Sam. 9:17; 13:14; 16:12–13). He knew nothing of the royal task to “defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor” (Ps. 72:4). Political Baalism knew only raw power and self-interest as the standards for a king (cf. 1 Kgs. 21:8–14). Such corruption eventually destroyed the productive work of the olive and fig trees and the vine which chose the bramble to be king.

2. The men of Shechem did not act “in good faith and honor” (Judg. 9:15, 16, 19). These are covenant words spoken by Joshua (Josh. 24:14) and later by Samuel in relationship to the people’s demand for a king (1 Sam. 12:24). The men of Shechem acted out of clan pride (Judg. 9:3) and a complete disregard for what God had done through Gideon to free them from oppression (vv. 16–18).

3. The result of the Shechemites’ desertion of the covenant for the countercovenant was the fire of mutual destruction (9:20): treachery between allies (v. 24), ambush and counterambush (vv. 25, 34–35, 43), plots of revolt (vv. 26–29), slaughter (vv. 43–45, 49), and ruin (v. 45). We see here a mirror image of the self-inflicted defeat of the Midianites with “every man’s sword against his fellow” (7:22). The Hebrew word for “fight” (laham), previously used to describe only wars of defense against the foreign aggressor, is used here for the first time in Judges for internal warfare in Israel (9:38, 39, 45, 52; see below, p. 104, “Perspectives,” no. 5, and p. 108, for a further mention of laham).

God is silent in the story of Abimelech, in contrast to his active intervention when he called Gideon. His only activity is to send a spirit of division or suspicion (v. 23) to make sure that the tyrant and his supporters do not establish themselves and the cries of the blood of the slain do not go unheeded (vv. 24, 56–57).

Perspectives

1. A Wasteland (see above, p. 91)

A consultation in Manila on the hazardous consequences and by-products of science and technology called attention to “the rapid destruction and depletion of natural resources to such an extent that there will be little lowland forest left in South East Asia in ten years.” The report also called attention to “the poisoning of oceans, seas, rivers, the atmosphere, soil, and food resources by chemicals, heavy metals, and radiation” (D. Gosling, Church and Society Newsletter 4 [June 1986]). This might be a modern equivalent of the Midianites laying the land waste (Judg. 6:5).

2. Oppressed Cave Dwellers (see above, p. 91)

The Israelites who were forced to live in caves (Judg. 6:2) were the first of a succession who sought refuge in caves to escape oppression by the Philistines (1 Sam. 13:6), Queen Jezebel (1 Kgs. 18:4), and the Babylonians (Isa. 42:22). Living in caves would be the experience of people in the time of troubles known as the Day of the Lord (Isa. 2:19). The author of Hebrews called these people heroes of faith (Heb. 11:38). Comparable living conditions today could be the shanty towns on the edge of the great cities of Asia, the mountain refuges of peasant rebels against state police, or even forced labor camps.

3. Structural Idolatry (see above, p. 94)

Kosuke Koyama as a young Japanese, standing dazed among the ruins of a fire-bombed Tokyo, pondered “the mysterious destructive power of idolatry in history,” especially the cult of emperor worship. Four decades later he reflected on “the demonic power of idolatry” in relation to technology, nuclear weapons, political systems, and power structures. “Baal persists in human history,” and history is “the story of confrontation between Yahweh and Baal,” he writes (Mount Fuji and Mount Sinai, 3, 38–39, 215). Structural idolatries may be resisted by people of faith like Gideon who recognize them for what they are. What Gideon did, however, was more like a revolution which overturned the structure completely.

4. A Modern Example of Idol Destruction (see above, pp. 94–95)

In 1847 Hung Hsiu-chuan, a Chinese recently converted to Christianity by the work of Protestant missionaries and aflame with zeal against idols, entered a temple with his fellow crusaders. They beat the idol, dug out its eyes, pulled off its beard, broke off its arms, and tore its dragon robe to shreds, as the villagers looked on with consternation and horror. Hung seems like a latter-day Gideon! But a contemporary Chinese Christian comments that Hung, following his missionary mentor, had attacked not only the idol but Chinese culture as well. He was later blinded by ambition for power and brought destruction and death to his people (Choan-Seng Song, The Compassionate God, 203–4, 207–9). How was Hung different from Gideon?

5. A Good Beginning Followed by a Bad Ending (see above, pp. 102–3)

Abimelech is similar to later kings who came to power in Israel with great violence (1 Kgs. 15:29; 2 Kgs. 9–10) and built a society “on a foundation of murder and injustice” (Mic. 3:10 TEV). His story is a warning that movements which begin with divine approval and bring true liberation (like Gideon’s) may end up in cynicism, cruelty, and terrible destruction.

6. Symbolism of the Fleece (see above, p. 96)

Gideon’s fleece has fascinated readers of many generations. Jews (see Sarna, 559) have seen it as a symbol of their people, chosen (wet) or rejected (dry). Christian tradition has seen it as a symbol of the Church or the Virgin Mary (Hans-Ruedi Weber, Immanuel [Geneva: World Council of Churches and Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1984], 30). Cyril of Jerusalem (315–385 C.E.) used it in his instruction to new Christians: “There is a birth from God before all ages, and a birth from a virgin at the fullness of time. There is a hidden coming like that of rain on fleece, and a coming before all eyes, still in the future” (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture XV:1).

NAC comm. - 5. The Midianite and Gideon Cycle (6:1–9:57)

Of all the accounts of deliverance in the Book of Judges, none is more complete nor complex than the story of Gideon. It is evident even from a casual reading that the account divides into two major parts, the actual account of Israel’s deliverance from the Midianite oppression under the leadership of Gideon (6:1–8:35) and the story of his son Abimelech (9:1–57). Not only do these parts differ markedly in style and tone, but the latter falls outside the controlling structural paradigm of the deliverance accounts. In fact, it bears the marks of a separate short story, which the narrator has integrated thematically with the preceding account of Gideon/Jerubbaal. However, before we examine more closely the textual, redactional, and literary issues raised by this account, it may be helpful to summarize the events in 6:1–8:35:

1. The Israelites are harassed and oppressed by marauding bands of Midianites and Amalekites.

2. A reluctant leader, Gideon, emerges to lead the Israelites against these bands.

3. His first significant act, however, is to destroy a Baal cult installation in his father’s backyard, which raises the ire of the people of Ophrah.

4. With a small band of three hundred men Gideon routs the enemy forces.

5. Two leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, are killed in the course of the pursuit, but Zebah and Zalmunnah along with their armies escape across the Jordan.

6. When Gideon asks the residents of Succoth and Penuel the whereabouts of these kings, they refuse to cooperate.

7. Gideon captures the two Midianite kings.

8. On his return from battle Gideon passes through Succoth and Penuel and razes these towns for their previous intransigence.

9. The two kings are slain and their royal accoutrements retained as booty.

10. The kingship is offered to Gideon, but he formally declines the offer, arguing that God alone is King in Israel.

11. Gideon adopts the manner of a king.

12. The land of Israel enjoys relative peace for a protracted period of time.

13. After Gideon’s death one of his sons, Abimelech, seizes the throne in Shechem and consolidates his control by having all potential sibling rivals (save Jotham) killed.

14. Shortly after Abimelech’s seizure of the throne, the land is wracked by civil war, which climaxes in the death of Abimelech at the hands of a woman.

Although the plot follows a definite trajectory, the narrative is complex, consisting of a series of episodes that differ in foci and style. For more than a century scholars have exploited the apparent contradictions, discrepancies, and tensions in the text to reconstruct the evolution of the literary account. In the past classical source analyses have tended to find in the Gideon narratives extensions of the hypothetical Pentateuchal sources referred to by scholars as J, E, D, and P. This approach is now largely discounted, being replaced by tradition analysis, which seeks to identify the preliterary traditions that underlie the original narration and to show how subsequent editorial additions have altered the meaning of composition. See especially the recent analysis of Becker, who proposes the following evolution of the text:

1. Underlying chaps. 6–9 are two sets of relatively disparate [preliterary] traditions: (a) local traditions of Gideon and his role in the battle against Midian (6:11–24; 7:11–15, 16–22; 8:5–21 [with minor deletions]); (b) the rise and fall of Abimelech ben Jerubbaal (9:1–6, 21, 24–41, 46–54).

2. A Deuteronomistic historian (DtrH) created a coherent Gideon- Abimelech story by linking these traditions with a cleverly devised renaming of Gideon into Jerubbaal (6:25–32). However, his rhetorical agenda is clear. In the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. and the failed monarchy, DtrH sought to demonstrate that in Israel’s premonarchic period two fundamentally opposed principles were operative: (a) the rule and reign of Yahweh, as represented by Gideon through whom Yahweh works, and (b) the rule of a king, as represented by the brutal Abimelech. Gideon represents an office that offers an alternative to kingship, a perspective that is highlighted by DtrH’s narrative framework (6:1–6; 8:28 [29–32]), the completeness of the call narrative (6:11–24), the emphasis on divine deliverance (7:11–22), Gideon’s speech (8:22–23), and especially the application of the preexistent fable (9:8–15) to Abimelech (9:16a, 19b, 20–21).

3. The present text incorporates numerous expansions on the basic composition of DtrH. The most significant additions represent the work of DtrN, whose moralistic and anti-idolatrous stance is evident in 8:24–27, 33–35; 9:16b–19a, 56–57). This editor does not recognize DtrH’s sharp contrast between Gideon and Abimelech. (4) The prophetic speech (6:7–10), also from the Deuteronomistic school, the account of the conflict between Ephraim and Abieser (7:24–8:3), which derives from an ancient tradition, and miscellaneous additions (6:33–34; 6:35 + 7:1–7; 6:36–40) represent further expansions.

However, because of the speculative nature of all these reconstructions of the evolution of the text, recent literary analysts have adopted a more holistic stance. Recognizing that ancient Near Eastern authors were not governed by the same literary canons that drive modern writers and assuming an intentional literary product, they attempt to make sense of the irregularities and tensions in the text as they appear. Polzin, for example, argues that elements like the variation in divine and human names is intentional, reflecting the vacillation of Gideon and Israel during this period. Accordingly, the story of Abimelech functions as a fitting climax to the Gideon narrative.

More recently O’Connell has identified three subplots in 6:1–9:57, “each with its own exposition, development and resolution.” (1) Plot A involves Yahweh’s rescue of Israel from the Midianites through Gideon. (2) Plot B involves Yahweh’s judgment upon Gideon and his tribe for holding on to foreign cult practices. (3) Plot C involves Yahweh’s judgment of Gideon, his sons, and his tribe for covenant (social) injustices. The extreme complexity of O’Connell’s analysis raises questions about the details (would ancient writers really have been this sophisticated?); still, he has performed an invaluable service by demonstrating that the entire unit, 6:1–9:57, functions as a single intentional literary unit. Some scholars argue that because the Abimelech story fails to develop the theme announced in 2:11–23 it represents a later independent addition, but chap. 9 is clearly designed to bring resolution to the complications in the plot occurring in chaps. 6–8. Indeed, on closer examination chap. 9 does develop the theme announced in 2:11–23, inasmuch as it demonstrates the symptoms and effects of the escalation of religious compromise announced in 2:19. Further, it illustrates the effects of the covenantal and marital compromises summarized in 3:1–6. The manner in which the crisis is resolved in the end also echoes several important motifs in the Deborah/Barak/Jael narrative.

The Gideon narrative may be divided into three parts: A = 6:1–8:3; B = 8:4–28; C = 8:29–9:57. In A the narrator has generally followed the paradigmatic scheme of the “deliverer accounts.” One might have expected the concluding comment found in v. 28 to appear immediately after the resolution of the Midianite crisis (8:3). However, although differing generically from the Song of Deborah, like the Canaanite-Barak account, part B interrupts A with the recounting of a new series of events that echo 7:23–25. Whereas in A the deliverance of Israel from the Midianites is carefully credited to Yahweh, in B God is absent altogether. His name appears only in flippant and falsely pious comments from the lips of Gideon. Part C looks like a leaf from a Canaanite history notebook. Israel poses as her own worst enemy, and Yahweh intervenes (indirectly through his Spirit) against her self-interest. Instead of acting out of mercy and compassion toward his undeserving people, for the first time in the book he acts retributively, and well he must, for here an aspect of Israelite life has been totally Canaanized.

Indeed the Canaanization of Israel represents the key idea in the narrative. After the account of Deborah and Barak in chaps. 4–5, the reader is primed for high expectations. Instead the heroic women of the song give way to an unheroic “man of Israel” (7:14) who not only does all he can to evade the call of Yahweh but in the end abandons God. At the same time, the spiritual state of the nation as a whole is exposed through the skillful framing of the Gideon experience (A + B) by references to Ophrah. In the beginning Ophrah is the scene of clan idolatry (6:25–32); in the end Ophrah is the focus of national idolatry (8:27). In the person of Gideon the narrator recognizes the schizophrenic nature of Israel’s spiritual personality. On the one hand she treasures her call to be God’s covenant people; on the other she cannot resist the allurements of the prevailing Canaanite culture.

(1) God’s Punishment and Deliverance of Israel (6:1–8:3)

1Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,

and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.

The Marks of Israel’s Canaanization (6:1a)

6:1a As in 3:12a and 4:1, the Gideon cycle opens with the negative evaluation formula. But the formula is unadorned with extra detail. The author seems eager to get on with the story.

God’s Agent of Punishment (6:1b–5)

6:1b–5 The expansive style of the Gideon narrative is evident from the outset, for the author spends five verses to describe Yahweh’s response to the new cycle of apostasy. Because God’s name is missing in vv. 2–6b, the reader is tempted to interpret the events described as merely human affairs; in a moment of political and military weakness Israel is overrun by opportunistic Midianites. But v. 1b holds the key to this paragraph. Employing the milder form of the divine committal formula, the historian attributes the disasters that befall Israel directly to the hand of God, who is punishing his people for their sin. Undoubtedly he saw in these events the fulfillment of the covenant curses outlined in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

The primary agent of judgment is identified as “the Midianites,” but they were accompanied by Amalekites and “Easterners.” The Midianites were a seminomadic people of the Sinai peninsula and western Arabia. According to Gen 25:2–4, they were distant relatives of the Israelites, being descended from Abraham by his second wife, Keturah. The Israelites’ relations with the Midianites is generally portrayed in the Old Testament as problematic. According to Gen 37:25–36, Midianites were involved in the sale of Joseph to Egypt, but the narrative casts no judgment upon them for this act. On the contrary, in long-range terms Joseph himself viewed them as agents of divine providence.

In the Exodus narratives the Midianites are painted in an extremely positive light. They provided Moses with a haven when he fled from Pharaoh; indeed his wife was a daughter of the Midianite priest (Exod 2:15–22). While in their land, Moses received his call from God (Exod 3:1–4:23). Then, having led them out of Egypt, he brought his entire nation here. On Midianite soil the Israelites entered into covenant relationship with Yahweh and received the revelation of his will, the Torah (Exodus 19-Numbers 7). Moses’ Midianite father-in-law, Jethro, even had a hand in the civil reorganization of the nation (Exodus 18).

Once the Israelites left Sinai, however, relations with the Midianites deteriorated. According to Num 25:6–18, because of Midianite initiative in leading Israel away from Yahweh, an anti-Midianite stance became official, divinely sanctioned policy, later expressed in a full-scale war against them (Numbers 31). In more recent times some of their Kenite kinsfolk had allied with the Canaanites against the Israel. The revival and expansion of Midian and their present encroachment on Israelite territory may have been occasioned by instability in the region. In any case the present account portrays them not as caravaneers but as camel-riding warriors, who may have been driven by the need to supplement the [inadequate] foodstuffs being produced in their own territory.

But this is not the first time their allies the Amalekites have appeared as enemies of Israel in the Book of Judges. In 3:13 these descendants of Esau (Gen 36:12, 16) had allied with Eglon of Moab. Bĕnê Qedem, literally “sons of the east,” could serve as an explanatory designation for Midian and Amalek since these must have entered across the Jordan, or it could refer to another desert group. Bĕnê Qedem, is not a proper name, nor a self-designation, but a vague gentilic label used by Westerners to denote the nomadic groups that migrated about the Arabian desert, often raiding the settled communities of the Transjordan and, as opportunity provided, of Cisjordan. In this instance the Amalekites and other Bedouin tribes opportunistically joined the Midianites in a confederation of desert peoples and crossed the Jordan with them to pillage and generally wreak havoc on Israelite settlements.

Although the invaders probably were only loosely organized, the narrator recognizes a clear pattern to their tactics. Just when the freshly seeded crops had begun to sprout, Midianite, Amalekite, and “Qedemite” hordes would irrupt from across the Jordan. Bringing with them their own livestock and camels (v. 5), and even their tents, the raiders would set up camp at strategic locations. From here they would send their herds out in search of pasturage and launch their raiding parties, which extended as far west as Gaza, the southwestern border the Israelites shared with the Philistines.

Seven years of Midianite terror had a devastating effect on the Israelite economy and emotion. Like locusts, their innumerable hosts devoured every green plant in sight, leaving the land devastated, with nothing left over for the Israelite flocks and herds. Fearing the brutality of the invaders, as soon as they appeared on the horizon, the Israelites fled for the hills, transforming natural geological features into defensive strongholds. The narrator highlights the intensity of their fright by citing a triad of refuges: minhārôt, “mountain clefts”; mĕʿarôt, “caves”; and mĕṣādôt, “strongholds.”

Israel’s Response to the Oppression (6:6)

6Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

6:6 This verse captures the Israelite disposition toward their calamities in a single word translated “impoverished,” or literally, Israel “became small” (wayyiddal), which says as much about her emotional state as about her economic condition. Israel is completely paralyzed before the Midianite menace. Like the opening announcement of Israel’s Canaanization (v. 1a), the declaration of the nation’s response to the oppression at the hands of Yahweh’s agents is cast in the briefest of terms: they cried out to God. As we have come to expect, there is no hint of repentance, only a cry of pain.

God’s Agent of Deliverance (6:7–32)

Like the account of Deborah and Barak, the present narrative places great emphasis on the manner in which a deliverer is raised up for Israel. In fact, the call of Gideon to be the deliverer of Israel represents the longest and most formally constructed call narrative in the book. Although the summary statement, “the Lord raised up a deliverer for the descendants of Israel” (wayyāqem yhwh môšîaʿ libnê yiśrāʾēl) is missing, what transpires in vv. 7–32 represents an exposition of this formula. The core of this passage (vv. 11–24) follows the classic paradigm of a call narrative; the introductory prophetic speech (vv. 7–10) and the concluding episodes (vv. 25–40) depart from the standard paradigm. With this plot strategy the reader learns more about the author’s perception of Israel and the one called to deliver the nation respectively.

The Prophetic Scolding (6:7–10)

7When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, 8he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. 10I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

6:7–10 Several features of this segment convince most scholars to delete it as a late insertion by a prophetic redactor. The first clue to its secondary nature is found in the reference to Israel’s cry to Yahweh in v. 7, which repeats a similar notice in v. 6 almost verbatim. This conclusion is supported by the unique stylistic features found in vv. 7–10, as well as the fact that these verses may be deleted without any serious loss of meaning. In fact, vv. 11ff. provide a much more logical sequel to vv. 1–6 than the present paragraph.

However, although this segment may derive from a different (prophetic) source than the surrounding narrative, to delete it robs the author of both stylistic flexibility and an important emphasis in the book as a whole. Indeed this segment plays an extremely important rhetorical function. Not only does it remind the reader of the theological implications of Israel’s actions and/or experiences but it also highlights the undeserved nature of Yahweh’s intervention on her behalf. Furthermore, these verses are not as intrusive as they seem. The unnamed prophet appears in this narrative at precisely the same point as Deborah had been introduced in 4:4, namely, immediately after the notice that Israel had cried out to Yahweh. Indeed, the odd expression ʾîš nābîʾ, lit., “a prophet man” (NIV, “a prophet”) represents a perfect counterpart to ʾiššâ nĕbîʾâ, “a prophet woman” (NIV, “a prophetess”) in 4:4. To be sure, rather than calling a deliverer for the people, this prophet’s function is more like that of the malʾak yhwh, “messenger/angel of the Lord,” in 2:1–5; but like Deborah, his appearance represents the divine response to the cry of Israel. Before Yahweh calls his deliverer, he offers him a scolding similar to that expressed through the earlier envoy.

This segment is cast in the classic form of a judgment speech. Following a notice of the occasion of the speech (Israel’s cry in response to the Midianite oppression, v. 7), the narrator notes the divine commission of an official spokesman to confront the nation on his behalf. There is no hint yet that God has singled out a man to deliver his people. The divine envoy commences his speech appropriately with the citation formula, “this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says” (kōh ʾāmar yhwh ʾĕlōhê yiśrāʾēl). This statement is critical not only because it authenticates the prophet as an authorized spokesman for Yahweh but also because it reminds the audience of the source of his message. It comes from Yahweh, the divine patron and covenant Lord of Israel, who has heard the cry of his people. In typical prophetic fashion, following the formula, the prophet’s speech is cast in the first person, as if God himself were addressing Israel.

The divine message consists of two parts: a survey of Yahweh’s past actions on Israel’s behalf (vv. 8b–9) and an indictment of Israel for her treacherous response (v. 10). With regard to the former, the NIV’s rendering of v. 8b obscures the emphatic construction: “I am the one who brought you up…” The verbs employed in vv. 8b–9 offer Israel (and the reader) an expanded version of the earlier messenger’s review (2:1) of Yahweh’s gracious past actions for Israel’s benefit: he had (1) brought them up from Egypt; (2) brought them out of the slave barracks (bêt ʿăbādîm); (3) rescued them from all their oppressors; (4) dispossessed the inhabitants of their land; (5) delivered it into Israel’s hands; and (6) committed himself to being Israel’s God. To prick the memory of the Israelites the last demonstration of grace is expressed by explicitly quoting Yahweh’s stereotypical self-introductory formula: “I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ ” This statement highlights God’s actions as expressive of a special relationship that he had by his sovereign grace established with Israel. Since he had demonstrated such grace in delivering them from all their enemies and providing them with their own land, and since he had committed himself to be their covenant Lord, surely his demand for exclusive and undivided allegiance to him was not too much to ask. As Israel’s divine covenant partner, he would not tolerate rivals; he would brook no interference from other gods, particularly the gods of the Amorites, who had occupied this land.

Yahweh’s disappointment with the response of his people is summarized in a few words: “You have not listened to me [lit., “my voice”].” The issue of 2:1–5 has resurfaced. God had spoken, but they had not listened. The reference to Yahweh’s voice refers ultimately to his detailed revelation of his will at Sinai, but it refers also to the exhortations of human spokesmen like Moses (Deuteronomy) and Joshua (Joshua 23–24), as well as specially commissioned envoys (Judg 2:1–5) and prophets.

This brief episode leaves the reader wondering how God will respond to the people’s persistent perfidy. We know that the Midianite oppression represents just judgment, but the form of the speech leads us to expect further punitive actions. What happens in vv. 11–24 catches us by surprise. The narrator’s purpose in inserting this prophetic scolding at this point is to set the stage for the call of Gideon. If God raises a deliverer for Israel, it is an entirely gracious act. There has been no hint of repentance nor any announcement of divine forgiveness. Yahweh’s subsequent intervention on Israel’s behalf must be interpreted in light of the people’s persistent apostasy.

The Call and Commissioning of Gideon (6:11–24)

11The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

13“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”

14The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

16The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

17Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

19Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

20The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

23But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

24So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Form critical scholars have long recognized in the account of Gideon’s rise to the office of deliverer for Israel the form of call narratives as a genre. Such narratives typically consist of (1) a confrontation with God and/or his messenger; (2) an introductory address of the person being called; (3) the divine commission; (4) the raising of objections by the person called; (5) divine words of reassurance; and (6) a sign authenticating the call experience. From the allusion to the exodus narratives in 7:13, and the numerous links this account bears with the call of Moses in Exodus 3–4, the narrator intentionally presents Gideon as sort of a second Moses. In addition to the basic elements of the call narrative, the narrator adds other details which all contribute to the portrait of this man he is trying to paint. The dialogue in particular is revealing.

The Commissioning (6:11–14)

6:11 Verse 11 provides the reader with vital background information for understanding the personality and mission of Gideon. First, it identifies him by name, Gideon, which means “hacker,” or “hewer,” a function he will soon be called upon to fulfill as he destroys the altar of Baal on his father’s property (vv. 25–27). In fact, there is considerable support for the view that Gideon was this man’s nickname and that his real name was Jerubbaal.

Second, Gideon is identified by patronymic, “son of Joash the Abiezrite.” Although Joash, a shortened version of Jehoash, “Yahweh is strong,” was a common Israelite name, all that is known of this man is derived from this account. From Josh 17:2 and 1 Chr 7:18 we learn that the Abiezrites constituted a clan of Manasseh, a tribe which was granted land on both sides of the Jordan. But v. 35 makes clear that the Abiezrite allotment was located west of the Jordan. Joash’s estate was located at Ophrah, which many identify tentatively with modern ʿAfulleh in the Jezreel Valley. Despite Gideon’s protest that his family was the least significant in the entire tribe of Manasseh, the course of subsequent events suggests Joash must have been a man of considerable wealth and standing in the community. Not only does his son Gideon have at least ten servants (v. 27), but he is the sponsor of a significant Baal cult site that includes altar, Asherah image, and temple fortress (cf. vv. 25–26), the desecration of which raises the ire of the entire community. Only by serious argumentation is he able to convince the elders to abandon their demand for punishment of the perpetrator of the crime.

At the time of his encounter with the divine envoy Gideon was beating out grain in a winepress. This was a sign of the uncertainty of the times. In the absence of modern technology, grain was threshed by first beating the heads of the cut stalks with a flail, discarding the straw, and then tossing the mixture of chaff and grain in the air, allowing the wind to blow away the chaff while the heavier kernels of grain fell to the floor. In the present critical circumstances this obviously would have been unwise. Threshing activity on the hilltops would only have aroused the attention of the marauding Midianites. Therefore Gideon resorts to beating the grain in a sheltered vat used for pressing grapes. Generally winepresses involved two excavated depressions in the rock, one above the other. The grapes would be gathered and trampled in the upper, while a conduit would drain the juices to the lower. The present location would have been satisfactory for beating out the grain, but separating the grain from the chaff in these circumstances would have been more difficult. Either he would have had to wait for a very windy day or the grain and chaff mixture would have to be carried quickly to an exposed area, tossed in the air, and the grain quickly whisked away to protect it from the Midianites.

Suddenly, while he is preoccupied with his threshing activity, a messenger of Yahweh appears, seated under the oak tree that apparently provided shade and shelter for the winepress. Contrary to popular opinion, as in 2:1–4, this malʾak yhwh is not to be confused with winged angelology. The term malʾāk simply means an officially authorized spokesperson for a superior. The narrator highlights the total identification of the envoy with his commissioning authority by having him speak in the first person, thereby representing the voice of Yahweh and identifying the speaker in this exchange alternatingly as Yahweh’s “messenger/angel” and as Yahweh himself. Indeed, as in Exodus 23 and 34 this malʾāk functions as Yahweh’s alter ego. The following sequence of events will demonstrate that this is not a human prophet (ʾîš nābîʾ, v. 8) but a heavenly visitor. This person represents/delivers God’s answer to the cry of the Israelites (vv. 6–7).

6:12 The narrator offers no clue in v. 11 how long the messenger had been sitting under the oak watching the thresher at work before he allowed himself to be seen by Gideon in v. 12. Suddenly he becomes visible and audible, initiating conversation by announcing the presence of Yahweh with Gideon. “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” is a strange way to begin a conversation, but it focuses Gideon’s (and the reader’s) attention on the central issue in the narrative: Where is Yahweh when you need him?

The opening statement is also strange because of its double incongruity. First, how can Gideon be addressed as a “mighty warrior/hero” (gibbôr heḥāyil) when he is threshing his grain in the winepress and hiding under the oak? He looks anything but valiant. Some interpret the messenger’s characterization of Gideon as a prophetic/proleptic statement. But it is preferable to understand this simply as a flattering address, designed to win the sympathy of the man to what he is about to tell him. Alternatively, one may interpret the phrase less as an expression of commendation than as a recognition of his standing in the village; he is an “aristocrat.” Second, how can the messenger declare that God is with Gideon or any of the Israelites for that matter?

6:13 On the surface Gideon’s initial response, “Excuse me, my lord!” sounds polite, but the expression may also be interpreted less positively. In the following comment he disregards the divine envoy’s personal flattery and answers with a cheeky and sarcastic focus on the theological incongruity: “If the Lord is with us, then why our present crisis! And where are all his miracles which the ancestors talked about? They told stories about Yahweh bringing them up from Egypt, but where is he now? Why have the miracles stopped?” The change from singlular “you” to plural “us” suggests that Gideon did not even hear the messenger’s personal word of assurance. Instead he draws two conclusions that undoubtedly expressed the verdict of many of his countrymen: (1) Yahweh has abandoned Israel. (2) Yahweh has delivered the nation into the Midianites’ hands.

Gideon’s response to the divine messenger is theologically correct and in agreement with the unnamed prophet’s word in vv. 9–10, but his tone of voice is wrong. Instead of acknowledging Israelite responsibility for the present crisis (v. 1), he blames God. Gideon is an example of those who know what God has done in the past, who have memorized the creed, but find it belied by present reality. Stories of past deliverance are irrelevant in light of the Midianite crisis.

6:14 But the divine messenger seems not even to have been listening to Gideon. Verse 14 could have followed logically immediately after v. 12. “Go in this your strength,” Yahweh says. The expression bĕkōḥăkā zeh, “in this your strength,” is quite ambiguous. On the one hand, if the divine messenger is looking at Gideon from the perspective of the end of the story, that is, Gideon’s conduct in chap. 8, he may be referring to the man’s natural power and courage. On the other hand, he probably is thinking of the power with which God will invest him as he commissions him. Later the enduement with divine power will be expressed more graphically as “being clothed with the Spirit of the Lord” (v. 34). Like the other deliverers in the book, Gideon’s authority and power are charismatically bestowed by God. Gideon’s specific charge is to deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. The commissioning (and investiture) formula, “Surely I have sent you,” presents Gideon with all the authority he will need for the task. This fearful and cynical farmer is hereby informed that God has indeed heard the people’s cry of pain, and he has personally chosen him to solve the problem.

The Objection (6:15)

6:15 As in v. 13, Gideon’s opening response to the envoy’s second speech, “Excuse me, my lord!” sounds polite, but his tone continues to be cynical. He obviously does not yet recognize the person who has addressed him. Like Moses in an earlier era, Gideon expresses his sense of incompetence and inadequacy, particularly his lack of social standing in Israel. Disregarding the envoy’s opening address, “mighty warrior/hero,” or “aristocrat,” he complains of two strikes that are already against him: his clan (ʾeleph) is the least important in Manasseh, and he is the youngest in his father’s household. Gideon does not realize that in Yahweh’s work it does not matter what one’s social position is; the authorization of Yahweh is all he needs. Having no experience with the divine presence, he cannot imagine beyond his own human resources (or lack thereof).

The Reassurance (6:16)

6:16 In response to Gideon’s objection, Yahweh offers two words of encouragement. First, playing on Exod 3:12–14, he promises his presence in the undertaking. As in the case of Moses, the fearful Gideon is to be transformed into the deliverer of his people by the powerful presence of God. This utterance provides the clue to Gideon’s actions later when he finally goes on the offensive against the Midianites. Second, Yahweh predicts an easy victory: Gideon will smite Midian as if he were engaging a single person. Glancing backward one notices that each of Yahweh’s/the messenger’s speeches has referred to God’s presence with him (though the pattern changes) and the strength present/available to Gideon.

The Authenticating Sign (6:17–24)

6:17 Having received the promise of divine presence and perhaps recognizing the connection between Yahweh’s speeches here and his words of reassurance to Moses, Gideon goes on the offensive. In Moses’ case God’s authenticating signs were performed in response to the man’s expressed worry that his countrymen would not believe that God had appeared to him or listen to what he said (Exod 4:1). Reflecting Gideon’s growing self-confidence, on his own initiative he dares to put the messenger/God to the test by demanding a sign. His demand is driven by two concerns: (a) to confirm Yahweh’s favor upon him, expressed in the opening conditional clause; (b) to confirm Yahweh’s presence with him in this venture. The first aim reflects Gideon’s nagging uncertainty regarding his own relationship to the person speaking, the commissioner. The second relates to his commission: he seeks confirmation that God will in fact be with him and that he will receive the needed strength to defeat Midian as if they were a single man. Gideon’s lack of confidence in Yahweh persists until vv. 36–40, where he self-consciously tests God that he may know that God will deliver Israel through him as he has promised.

6:18–19 Gideon does not only demand a sign of Yahweh/the messenger but also dictates the nature of the sign. First, he requests the divine visitor not to move until he comes back with an offering, which he proposes to lay before him. To this request the messenger agrees: “I will sit [here] until you return” (v. 18). Then Gideon goes home and prepares an offering, apparently based entirely on his own evaluation of what is appropriate. That he is preparing a meal for the gods/a god is evident from the nature and size of the offering: (1) “a young goat,” which refers to an animal specially selected, rather than randomly picked; (2) a huge amount of unleavened bread made from an ephah (twenty-two liters) of flour; (3) a pot of broth. Carrying the meat in a tray, he brings the offering to Yahweh/messenger under the oak.

6:20–21 Verses 20–21 describe the commissioner’s response to the offering. As Gideon presents the food, the messenger/Yahweh seizes the initiative, commanding Gideon to lay the meat and the bread on the rock next to him and to pour the broth over them. Gideon complies dutifully. When the envoy touches the meat and bread, fire bursts forth from the rock and burns up the entire offering. And the messenger vanishes from Gideon’s sight. While the narrative offers no interpretation of the act, its significance is clear: when a deity consumes the meal a worshiper has brought, this is a sign the latter has found favor in the deity’s sight. Gideon’s first concern (v. 17a) should have been addressed.

6:22 But from Gideon’s response in v. 22 he seems to have interpreted the messenger’s response precisely the opposite. Recognizing appropriately that “no man can see the Lord’s face and live,” when the messenger disappears he bursts out “Alas, my Lord Yahweh (NIV, “Sovereign Lord)!” It makes no difference to Gideon whether this is Yahweh himself or the messenger of Yahweh. To encounter the messenger face-to-face is as lethal potentially as encountering God himself. In Gideon’s confession one may hear echoes of Moses’ encounters with God, but Gideon does not interpret this as a sign of intimacy. He fears for his life.

6:23 Recognizing Gideon’s fright, Yahweh reassures him with three weighty declarations: “Peace [to you]! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” In the absence of any reference to the messenger, one may ask whether Gideon hears Yahweh’s voice from the sky, without any visible sign of his presence. In any case, Gideon is encouraged to interpret this encounter with God in the most positive sense possible. His encounter with Yahweh is a mark of his acceptance with God. He may therefore get on with the mission to which he has been called.

6:24 Gideon demonstrates his acceptance of the intended meaning of the sign by constructing an altar and commemorating this event by naming it yhwh Ŝālôm, “Yahweh Is Peace.” For the sake of his immediate readership, the narrator adds that the altar is still to be found in Ophrah, in the territory allotted to the Abiezrite clan. Although critical scholars generally interpret this last comment as a literary mark of an aetiological legend, it is more natural to accept the comment at face value. Like a footnote in a research paper, the author hereby invites his readers to check out the veracity of his story by going and visiting the site.

The Charge to Clean House (6:25–32)

25That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”

27So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

28In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

29They asked each other, “Who did this?”

When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”

30The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

31But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32So that day they called Gideon “Jerub-Baal,” saying, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.

Under normal circumstances the narrative should have proceeded directly from v. 24 to vv. 33–35, and then on to 7:1. But the normal sequence is interrupted twice to deal with a pair of abnormalities. The first is an objective issue, the presence of a pagan cult installation in Gideon’s father’s own backyard. The second is a subjective problem, Gideon’s persistent resistance to the call of God. Gideon’s construction of the altar to Yahweh at Ophrah (v. 24) represents a direct challenge to prevailing religious practices and perceptions in the area, symbolized by the altar of Baal at Ophrah. The narrator’s reference to this altar catches the reader quite by surprise. On the other hand, it may help to account for Gideon’s ignorance of Yahweh and his doubts concerning Yahweh’s interest in his people. Like many others in Israel, this village has been paganized, and, while Gideon is aware of the traditions of Yahweh (v. 13), for all practical purposes he and his family are Baalists. Accordingly, just as Moses’ son had to be circumcised before Moses could deliver Israel, before he can embark on God’s mission of deliverance Gideon must cut out the mark of apostasy at home. Pagan gods may tolerate the simultaneous worship of more than one deity, but Yahweh will brook no rivals. A fundamental tenet of covenant relationship in orthodox Yahwism is “You shall have no other gods besides me.” Therefore, for Gideon to serve as an agent of Yahweh in battle while his family was worshiping Baal at home posed a fundamental incongruity. This is one dimension of bearing the name of Yahweh in vain. At the same time, in charging Gideon to demolish the altar of Baal, God is pointing to the real problem in Israel. More serious than the oppression of the Midianites is their bondage to the spiritual forces of the land.

The Divine Command (6:25–26)

6:25–26 The narrator is careful to emphasize that God wastes no time in engaging Gideon to challenge the prevailing religious establishment. That same night he returns to Gideon with two demands, one negative, the second positive. First, he commands Gideon to destroy the cult installation on his father’s property which includes an altar of Baal and an Asherah pole. The text could be taken to suggest that Gideon is to “tear down” (hāras) the altar with two bulls. It could be more literally translated “Take the bull of the bullock [or “cattle” if understood collectively as in the NIV] which is your father’s and [or “even”] the second [as traditionally understood] bull seven years old.” However, not only does the first bull play no role in the narrative after v. 25, but also the narrator’s method of identifying them is odd. The problem is best resolved if one recognizes only one bull in this verse. Because the animal is sacrificed to Yahweh after it has been used to tear down the pagan altar, the narrator deemed it necessary to stress its appropriateness for this purpose. He does so by employing a triad of phrases to describe it.

First, the bull is identified as par haššôr, literally “the bull of the bullock,” a strange expression that occurs only here. One might have expected an appositional form, happar haššôr, “the bull, that is the bullock,” or par ben bāqār, literally “a bull the son of the herd,” an expression that is common in sacrificial contexts. It is possible that since this bull belongs to Gideon’s father, who is the sponsor of a pagan cult installation, and since it will be used to destroy a pagan altar, the traditional designation is to be avoided. The phrase appears to combine in a construct relation two words that appear elsewhere as a standardized pair, perhaps to express superlative or at least superior quality, “the prime bullock.”

Second, here, and twice more in vv. 26, 28, the bull is also described as par haššēnî, traditionally rendered “the second bull.” Scholars have long recognized, however, the reference to a second bull in this context to be pointless. Although many resolve the issue by deleting the reference to a second bull as a later scribal insertion, it is preferable to work with the received text and try to make sense of it. The most likely reading is provided by J. A. Emerton, who derives haššēnî from a different root (rather than “second”), meaning “to be exalted, of high rank.”

Third, the bull is seven years old, that is, a mature animal. By this interpretation only one animal is involved. To tear down the altar it had to be a strong animal, but as a sacrifice to Yahweh it had to be of the highest quality possible, “the prize bull, seven years old.”

Yahweh instructs Gideon further to “cut down” the Asherah. As noted earlier, Asherah functioned as the female counterpart to Baal in the fertility religion. This deity was normally represented as a carved wooden image with exaggerated sexual features. After Gideon had destroyed the altar and the Asherah image, he was to construct an altar to Yahweh on top of the stronghold (māʿôz). Canaanite temple sanctuaries were often fortified with walls and towers. By commanding Gideon to build the altar on this pagan site, Yahweh is ordering him to reclaim this paganized land for himself. Then he was to commit the ultimate indignity against the pagan cult by offering to God the bull that he had used to destroy the altar to Baal, and he was to use the wood of the Asherah image as fuel.

Gideon’s Obedient Response (6:27)

6:27 The ambiguities in Gideon’s character are evident in the narrator’s description of his response to the divine charge. On the one hand, his obedience is immediate. Before the night on which Yahweh had visited Gideon is over, he rushes to the place where the household servants sleep, awakens ten of them, and destroys the pagan installation “as the Lord told him.” Generally Hebrew narrative invites readers to draw their conclusions regarding a person’s character and motivation from his or her speech, gestures, and actions. Accordingly, if the verse had ended at the midpoint, we the readers would be favorably impressed with Gideon. However, the second half of the verse represents a rare literary moment when the narrator offers us access to the internal motivation of a character by explicit reference to an emotion. The reader cannot help but be disappointed that the real motivation for his hasty obedience was not an eagerness to obey God but fear of the consequences from the citizens of Ophrah if he should tear down the altar of Baal in broad daylight.

But the necessity to act at night also leaves us disappointed with Israel because Gideon’s fear arises out of an awareness of the true spiritual condition of the nation in premonarchic times. Gideon knows that his own family and his townsfolk will come to the defense of these pagan idols before they defend him, their kinsman, and fellow citizen.

The Public Reaction (6:28–30)

6:28–29a Verses 28–31 confirm the correctness of Gideon’s assessment of his people. When the men of the city arise early the next day, they observe a shocking sight: the altar of Baal is smashed, the Asherah image is cut down, and the ashes of Joash’s bull are on the altar that had been built. Inadvertently they become witnesses to Gideon’s compliance with every element in God’s command. Through the use of direct speech the narrator highlights their consternation. First, the agenda for their deliberation is set: “Who did this [thing]?” (i.e., “Who committed this crime?”). Significantly, there is no reflection on why their pagan cult installation lies in ruins. They have only one concern: to bring the “criminal” to justice (when they are the real criminals).

6:29b–30 Accordingly, they set up a commission to investigate the outrage. When they have completed their work, they present their report (again in direct speech): “Gideon the son of Joash did this [thing]” (i.e., “committed this crime”). Because Gideon was still living at home and because in this patricentric society the head of a household was held accountable for the conduct of all its members, the men of the city approach Joash and demand that he deliver his son over to them. In typical Hebrew narrative style (cf. v. 27), their demand and motivation are transparent from their speech: they intend to execute Gideon for his crime. Again Gideon’s earlier fears prove correct. The sentence that should have been imposed on idolators is pronounced upon the one who destroys the idol! The Canaanization of Israelite society appears complete, leaving the reader amazed that Yahweh was still interested in delivering them!

In their citation of the incriminating evidence against Gideon, the men of Ophrah inadvertently give verbal testimony to the faithfulness of their townsman. In fact, their justification for the death penalty represents an almost verbatim repetition of Yahweh’s original command and their earlier observation. Significantly their report to Joash omits any reference to Yahweh’s altar that Gideon had built or his own (best) bull, which had gone up in smoke on top of it.

Joash’s Defense of His Son (6:31)

6:31 Remarkably Joash shows no interest whatsoever in the prime bull or even the cult installation he has lost. All that matters to him is his son. Recognizing the illogic of the position adopted by his accusers, he begins by posing two rhetorical questions. The NIV rightly captures the legal force of the first, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause?” While the verb rîb may carry the simple sense of “strive, contend,” in this legal context it denotes “stand up in defense of someone,” as if Baal needs a defense attorney. The second question is even more pointed (lit.): “Will you save him?” (that is, Baal). The verb hôšîaʿ is the same word the narrator has used to define the role of the governors who deliver Israel. The irony is obvious. Instead of people needing deliverance from a hostile god, the god requires deliverance from the people! The words of Joash also express the author’s disposition.

As the owner of the site on which these legal proceedings are being conducted and the installation that had been desecrated, Joash answers the sentence of the men of Ophrah upon his son with a sentence of his own. Anyone who stands up to defend Baal will be put to death before the night is over. There is no hint here of any awareness of Moses’ pronouncement in Deuteronomy 13. He seems to assume simply that the one who defends Baal will come forward and execute his son on behalf of Baal, in which case, as father, he is authorized to mandate the death penalty for murder. The logic of his final argument is impeccable: “If Baal really is a god, let him defend himself because someone has torn down his altar.” In other words, to desecrate a sacred object is to desecrate the one in whose name that object exists.

Joash’s response leaves the reader wondering whether he himself has become convinced of the folly of his pagan ways. It sounds as though he has drawn the correct theological conclusions from his son’s actions. As in the case of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), Gideon appears to have won this contest on behalf of Yahweh. But the questions are rhetorical, and the issues are left hanging. Only time will tell.

The Aetiological Epilogue (6:32)

6:32 The call of Gideon had concluded with a confirming sign, an event that is memorialized in the construction and naming of an altar (v. 24). This event also concludes with a [re]naming ceremony: Gideon’s father renames him “Jerub-baal” that very day. The form of the name is difficult. Joash’s explanation puts a positive spin on it, as if by hacking down Baal’s altar and the Asherah Gideon has contended against Baal, and Baal is now challenged to defend himself against Gideon. Traditionally the name yĕrub-baʿal has been interpreted as a jussive, “Let Baal contend [against him].” But this understanding is problematic for several reasons. First, yārûb never occurs as the jussive of rîb, “to strive, contend.” Second, by adding bô, “against him,” the interpretation offered by Joash is in fact the opposite of what this form of theophoric name would have meant to a person not familiar with this story. Jerubbaal is a verbal sentence name following the prevalent predicate-subject order with “Baal” functioning as the subject of the verb, “will contend.” Normally names of this sort lauded the deity for action on behalf of the one who gave or bore the name. Accordingly, Joash may hereby be reflecting his fundamentally pro-Baalistic stance. This occurs ironically despite Gideon’s apparent discrediting of Baal. Significantly, when later writers refer to Gideon by name, they use this name rather than “Gideon.” Because some writers find its Baalistic form offensive, however, they change Jerubbaal to Jerubbesheth.

The ambiguity of the name is heightened by a comparison of the immediate event with the long-range character of Gideon’s rule. Gideon’s action here appears to have exposed the impotence of Baal irrefutably. But this account should be read in light of 8:27, according to which Gideon himself revives and expands the influence of the Baal cult at Ophrah, and 8:33, which seems to have the Israelites entering into some sort of covenant with Baal. Did Baal contend for himself? Apparently yes. In the end he is vindicated. He has risen again in Israel, which makes the coming deliverance that Yahweh provides all the more remarkable. Despite the nation’s fundamental Canaanization, God still acts on their behalf.

God’s Gift of Deliverance (6:33–8:3)

The primary plot resumes in 6:33, which would have followed immediately after v. 24 if the narrator had not chosen to dwell on the circumstances in Israel attendant to Gideon’s call.

Gideon’s Preparation for Battle (6:33–35)

33Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.

6:33–35 Verse 33 brings the reader back to the broader reality, reminding the reader of the crisis that had precipitated the call of Gideon. The Midianites and their allies have crossed the Jordan again and have set up camp in the fertile valley of Jezreel. This incursion into northern tribal territory suggests they were free to roam about the land at will. Remarkably, according to vv. 34–35, when Gideon summons his clansmen, the Abiezrites, to battle against the enemy, the very people who had just called for his death (v. 30) respond to the sound of his ram’s horn (šôpār) and prepare for battle (cf. on 3:27). Gideon then extends the call to arms, first to the rest of his own tribe, Manasseh, and then to Manasseh’s northern tribal neighbors, those who were also feeling the pressure of the enemy camped in the Jezreel Valley: Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali. Remarkably, when his messengers (malʾākîm) deliver his summons, they all the people respond.

This raises an extremely important question: Why are Gideon’s clansmen, tribesmen, and countrymen so ready to respond to him? Are they impressed with his leadership ability or his courage? Do they recognize him as the “valiant warrior,” whom the messenger of Yahweh had addressed in v. 12? Not if one may judge from his expressed perception of his standing within his own family and his tribe (v. 15) when God calls him to military leadership or from the trepidation with which he destroyed the Baal cult site in the preceding account (v. 31). From the succeeding narrative of the dew and the fleece (vv. 36–40) it seems that nothing has changed internally or personally. Gideon remains hesitant. Juxtaposed with a text that portrays Gideon doing all he can to avoid a leadership role, the answer must lie in the opening clause of v. 34: the Spirit of Yahweh “clothed” Gideon. This idiom expresses in more dramatic form the notion expressed earlier in 3:10: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon X,” that is, the Spirit took possession of the man. As we have noted earlier and will witness repeatedly hereafter, if anything positive happens to Israel in the Book of Judges, the credit must go to God. As in the cases of Jephthah in 11:29, and especially Saul in 1 Sam 11:6–8, the same Spirit which possesses the divinely called deliverer compels the recipients of the summons to respond to his call.

Gideon’s Second Thoughts (6:36–40)

36Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” 40That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

6:36–40 These verses catch the reader totally by surprise. Even though Gideon has been empowered by Yahweh and is surrounded by a vast army of troops, he hesitates. He continues to test God with demands for signs, this time specifically for assurance that God will indeed use him to provide deliverance for the nation, “as [he] has promised.” The latter expression, which occurs twice (vv. 36, 37), is the key to this text. Contrary to popular interpretation, this text has nothing to do with discovering or determining the will of God. The divine will is perfectly clear in his mind (v. 16). Gideon’s problem is that with his limited experience with God he cannot believe that God always fulfills his word. The request for signs is not a sign of faith but of unbelief. Despite being clear about the will of God, being empowered by the Spirit of God, and being confirmed as a divinely chosen leader by the overwhelming response of his countrymen to his own summons to battle, he uses every means available to try to get out of the mission to which he has been called. The narrator apparently recognizes the incongruity of the situation by deliberately referring to God by the generic designation Elohim rather than his personal covenant name Yahweh. Apparently Gideon has difficulty distinguishing between Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, and God in a general sense. The remarkable fact is that God responds to his tests. He is more anxious to deliver Israel than to quibble with this man’s semipagan notions of deity.

Gideon does not confess his motives at the beginning, but in the end he admits that he has been testing (nissēh, v. 39) Yahweh, which places this event in the same category as Israel’s testing of Yahweh at Rephidim (Exod 17:2, 7). The present sequence of events, in which the test of Yahweh follows a divine word and particularly miraculous signs (ʾôt) of his presence, links Gideon’s response even more closely with the Israelites’ testing of Yahweh during the desert wanderings.

Gideon’s test of Yahweh occurs in two stages. First, he proposes to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor overnight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground around it is dry, then he will know [and presumably accept] that Yahweh will fulfill his promise to deliver Israel through him. That is precisely what happened. In fact, like Gideon in v. 19 God’s demonstration of the veracity of his word exceeds normal expectations. In the morning the fleece is so wet Gideon is able to wring a bowl of water from it. Unlike Yahweh, Gideon is not true to his word. Gideon’s refusal to believe and/or accept the divine word and the divine sign leaves the reader suspicious that Gideon is trying to get out of his assignment. In any case, although he initiates his new demand apologetically, this should not blind the reader to the manner in which Gideon is trying to manipulate God. As we have witnessed so often before, the remarkable fact is that Yahweh lets himself be manipulated. Despite the nation’s spiritual disaffection, he is obviously more interested in preserving his people than they are in preserving themselves.

The Reduction of Gideon’s Troops (7:1–8)

1Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

4But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

5So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” 6Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

7The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.” 8So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.

The transition between chaps. 6 and 7 is awkward, for chap. 6 closes with the reader wondering how Gideon might have responded to Yahweh’s compliance with his second request concerning the fleece. It is evident from 7:1, however, that Gideon finally accepted God’s call to divine service. Within the Gideon story proper (6:1–8:35) the plot reaches its climax in chap. 7 as Yahweh provides a spectacular victory over the dreaded enemy. But the victory is not immediate. One might have expected the narrative to move quickly from v. 1 to v. 19, but it takes several detours, the first instigated by God (vv. 2–8) and the second originating with Gideon (vv. 9–18). The author’s inclusion of both episodes is intentional, highlighting in different ways the fact that if the Midianite menace is ever removed it is entirely to Yahweh’s credit.

7:1 Chapter 7 opens with Gideon and the troops he has assembled from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali (6:35) rising early and setting up camp at the spring of Harod. The narrator surprises the reader once more, however, by identifying the general as Jerubbaal instead of Gideon. In fact, the narrator seems to have caught himself by surprise, for he adds that Gideon is his familiar name. It seems that even though the author is on to the next phase of the account, the previous episode lingers in his mind. Gideon is inconsistent—in the end he steps out for Yahweh and wins a great victory, but as the reluctant warrior who manipulates God his name is Jerubbaal.

The site where Gideon deploys his forces is significant for several reasons. Most obviously, as v. 1b indicates, the Israelite base is located opposite the Midianite forces camped on the north side of the Harod Valley, against the hill of Moreh. Strategically, by camping at a spring Gideon ensures that a refreshed force may be sent against the enemy. But from a literary point of view, since the name “Harod” derives from a verb, ḥārad, “to tremble,” this is also “the spring of trembling.” Whether or not Gideon still trembles at the sight of the Midianites despite Yahweh’s repeated assurances, v. 3 indicates the majority of his troops did.

7:2 In v. 2 Yahweh raises a problem before Gideon, but it is quite the opposite of what we would have expected. From a human perspective we might have anticipated, “The people who are with Midian are too many for me to give them into your hands,” but the problem here is the opposite (lit.): “The people who are with you are too many.” Obviously the issue is not that God cannot win the victory but Israel’s potential response. Given their spiritual independence and waywardness, if the massive forces under Gideon defeat the Midianites, they will claim the credit for themselves rather than crediting Yahweh with delivering the enemy into their hands. So as Commander in Chief, Yahweh prescribes a two-stage process of refinement by which Gideon must reduce his troops (v. 3).

7:3 First, God instructs Gideon to announce to all the troops that any who are frightened at the prospect of battle with the Midianites may turn around and “fly” from the “mount of trembling.” For one as fearful as Gideon himself, the sight of more than two-thirds of his troops (twenty-two thousand of thirty-two thousand) abandoning him must have been both shocking and dismaying.

7:4 Second, Yahweh no doubt increases Gideon’s anxiety by telling him the troops are still too many. He commands Gideon to take his people down to the spring where God will refine them.

At the spring Yahweh prescribes the refining process. The NIV follows the traditional understanding of vv. 5b–6 in assuming the two conditions specified represent two different groups of men: those who lap water like a dog (clause A) and those who kneel to drink (clause B). This creates serious textual and logistical problems, however, since the responses described in v. 6 do not match the conditions. On the other hand, if the conjunction at the beginning of the second condition is treated as an epexegetical waw, that is, if clause B is intended to clarify clause A, then the picture becomes perfectly clear. When these men go down to the spring and try to lap water like a dog, they must get down on their knees. It is impossible to drink otherwise. Whereas the first phase of the troop reduction had eliminated those who were afraid (v. 3); in the second phase those who tried to drink this way were to be considered slag or dross and sent back to their tents. Some have speculated that if the first phase (v. 3) represented a test of courage, the second was a test of alertness. It is difficult to watch out for the enemy if one kneels down and laps water directly from the spring. But the means by which Yahweh identifies the men through whom he will achieve the victory over Midian may have been purely arbitrary.

7:5–7 The reader can only imagine Gideon’s increased dismay when he saw the response of the troops to the refining conditions prescribed by Yahweh. While ninety-seven hundred knelt to drink water [like dogs], only three hundred brought the water up to their mouths with their cupped hands and lapped from them. But this handful of men represents the pure gold which Yahweh desires in his service. His intentions are clarified in v. 7. Promising Gideon that he will indeed rescue Israel with the three hundred who lapped [from their hands] by handing the Midianites into their hands, he orders him to dismiss the rest.

7:8 The NIV rearranges the clauses of v. 8 to smooth the awkward transition from v. 7. However apprehensive Gideon may have been, he dutifully sent those who had lapped like dogs back to their tents. They would not be needed in this battle. However, the provisions and trumpets they had brought with them down to the spring they left in the hands of the three hundred. Then Gideon took charge of this pathetically small band and prepared to face the vast army of Midianites camped below them in the valley.

Gideon’s Third Thoughts (7:9–15)

9During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

13Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

14His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

7:9 With the excess dross eliminated from Gideon’s forces, Yahweh seems eager to get on with the battle. That same night, that is, as soon as the divinely elected warriors had been identified, God commanded Gideon to attack the Midianite camp, reassuring him that he had already won the victory for him. After the pattern of 4:14, following Yahweh’s announcement, the reader expects Gideon to rally the troops and charge the Midianite camp. In fact, this would be the case if v. 9 were immediately followed by v. 15b. Verses 10–15a seem quite superfluous. But unexpectedly the narrative takes a second detour. Whereas the earlier digression had been precipitated by the potential of smugness on Israel’s part should they defeat the enemy in their own strength (v. 2), this one arises from the opposite problem: Gideon’s personal lack of faith.

7:10–11 But this time God did not wait for Gideon to protest the reduction of his forces. He raised the issue himself when he addressed Gideon with a conditional clause, “If you are afraid …” The clause is cast as hypothetical, but obviously the problem is real. Yahweh had already designed a cure, however, and Gideon readily took him up on his offer. The fact that Gideon has had no experience with God working for Israel (cf. 6:13) no doubt contributed to his persistent faithlessness. To him the reduction of the forces to three hundred men must have seemed insane.

But Yahweh continued to be patient with Gideon. His prescription for the man’s unbelief this time was a nocturnal visit to the enemy camp with Purah, his right hand man. He predicted that Gideon would overhear a conversation among the Midianites that would give him new courage to launch the attack. The open-endedness of the prediction no doubt created anticipation in Gideon’s mind, even as it does for the modern reader. Not knowing what to expect, Gideon and his attendant crept down to the edge of the Midianite camp where the sentries were posted. What the two men witnessed there catches the reader by surprise.

7:12 Before describing the scene, the narrator inserts a parenthetical reminder of the gravity of Israel’s situation (v. 12). Gideon’s three hundred men are faced with an alliance of Midianite and Amalekite forces who blanket the valley like a locust plague and whose camels are as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. Obviously, if Gideon was to find new courage, it would not come through any external alteration in Israel’s desperate circumstances (cf. 6:5).

7:13 Yahweh’s promise to Gideon that he would overhear a conversation that would give him new courage is fulfilled in v. 13. When Gideon and his attendant approached the Midianite camp, they overheard one of the enemy relating a portentous dream to his friend. The opening comment, “Behold, I had a dream,” recalls reports of Joseph’s dreams in Genesis. From the advance notice of this conversation (v. 11) it is obvious to the author that Yahweh is exercising his own sovereign control over these historical events and that he has planted this dream in the Midianite’s mind, specifically for the purpose of bolstering Gideon’s spirit. At the same time, it is appropriate that, if he is to communicate with Gideon through this pagan, the message should come in the form of a dream. Only in exceptional cases (such as Balaam, Numbers 22–24) did he communicate to non-Israelites through visions or oracles. But with outsiders the preferred medium of revelation was the dream. In keeping with common human experience, the content of this dream was quite absurd: a cake of barley bread tumbled into the Midianites’ camp, smashing into the tent with such force that it overturned and collapsed it.

7:14 Like the dreams with which God providentially visited Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, here he also provided an interpreter, in the form of a second Midianite. According to the construction of his response, the interpreter had no doubts about its significance, but it leaves the reader wondering how this message can be derived from this dream. How can he link the cake of bread with Gideon? How does he know Gideon’s name? Why does the tent represent Midian? Why does he interpret the dream negatively from the Midianite point of view? Why could the cake not represent the Midianite forces; and the smashed tent, the Israelite camp? For the narrator and for Gideon the answer is clear: this can be nothing other than the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise in v. 11.

7:15 Immediately upon hearing the dream and its interpretation Gideon prostrated himself in worship before Yahweh. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and summoned his troops to battle. Gideon’s newly found confidence (also in fulfillment of God’s promise, v. 11) is expressed in his call to action (qûmû, “Arise!) and his declaration to his troops that Yahweh has already delivered the Midianite camp into their hands. The problem of Gideon’s fearfulness had been resolved. Now he is ready to proceed with Yahweh’s agenda.

Victory at Last (7:16–25)

16Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

17“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ ”

19Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

22When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”

So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

7:16–18 Having been assured of victory, Gideon immediately began to prepare for the battle. His actions and instructions in vv. 16–18 demonstrate great concern for detail; but like Yahweh’s instructions to Joshua before the storming of Jericho (Josh 6:1–5), the strategy appears totally absurd. Gideon’s division of his forces into three companies of one hundred men each follows traditional military custom, to be sure, but to face the vast host of Midianites armed only with trumpets (i.e., rams horns, šôpārôt) and empty jars (kaddîm) with torches (lappidîm) hidden inside is ridiculous. Obviously the outcome of this battle will not be determined by conventional standards of warfare.

The narrator’s report of Gideon’s instructions to his troops makes no reference to specific directives from God, but the confidence exuded in Gideon’s words reflects an amazing personal transformation. He instructed his forces to keep their eyes on him and to do as he would do. When he would arrive at the edge of the Midianite camp, he and his group would blow their horns and cry out, “Belonging to the Lord and to Gideon!” This declaration recognized that the battle belonged to Yahweh, the Commander-in-Chief, and that Gideon was his deputy. Gideon’s addition of his own name seems innocent enough, but in light of what follows in chap. 8 one wonders if the narrator does not intend some ambiguity here.

7:19–21a The account of the actual battle (vv. 19–22a) divides into two uneven parts: a detailed description of the human actions (vv. 19–21) and a summary theological interpretation (v. 22a). The elements of the former may be summarized briefly: (1) at the darkest hour of night Gideon and the hundred men with him approached the enemy camp; (2) they blew their horns; (3) they smashed their jars; (4) they held high the torches that had been concealed in the jars; (5) they shouted at the tops of their voices, “A sword belonging to the Lord and to Gideon!” Although ḥereb, “sword,” stands figuratively for “the battle,” at its literal level the declaration expresses a magnificent irony: no one on the offense carried a sword! As it turns out, the only swords were in the enemies’ hands, and they were used against each other (v. 22a). No less amazing than Gideon’s personal transformation was the response of his troops. Not only did they immediately follow this timid fellow from Ophrah but they obeyed his absurd instructions to the letter. Each one stood in his place around the enemy camp while the enemy troops frantically tried to escape.

7:21b The bedlam in the enemy camp is described in three verbs: wayyārûṣ, “and they [all the camp] ran”; wayyārîaʿ, “and they cried out [wildly]”; and wayyānûsû, “and they fled.” This is the natural response of those who have been awakened from the deepest of sleep (at midnight) to the sound of horns blowing, jars smashing, people shouting, and the sight of three hundred blazing torches around the camp. This is psychological warfare at its best.

7:22a As if to remind the reader that this battle does indeed belong to Yahweh, the narrator adds an interpretive note of divine causation in v. 22a. The confusion in the entire Midianite camp was God’s doing. Only a remnant survives, fleeing toward the desert from which they came.

7:22b–23 The sight of the enemy in flight amplifies the picture of Barak’s pursuit of Sisera in 4:17. In place of one individual pursuing another, however, we now witness the remnant of an entire camp fleeing from a force of three hundred Israelites. The pursuit is recounted in two phases. First, the author summarizes the flight of the major enemy force to Beth Shittah toward Zerarah, to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. The location of all these places is uncertain, but the path of flight must have been toward the Jordan, which the Midianites and Amalekites hoped to cross to escape into the desert.

But having achieved the divinely intended goal with the three hundred core troops, Gideon appeared to forget the point of Yahweh’s reduction of the troops. Instead of operating by faith and seeking guidance from God, he relied on human strength and mobilized the troops of Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh. These, along with the men from Asher who are not listed here, probably consisted of the twenty-two thousand who had been eliminated in v. 3 and those ninety-seven hundred who had been sent back to their tents for lapping water like dogs in v. 8. In the words of L. R. Klein:

The coward has become confident; he directs far-flung mopping up operations which are effectively carried out. But the voice of the Lord is stilled, not to be heard for the balance of Gideon’s narrative. And the spirit of the Lord, which brought the courage to fight a far greater military force, seems to slip from Gideon’s shoulders in the process.

7:24–25 In the second phase of the account (vv. 24–25) Gideon is described as sending messengers (malʾākîm) throughout the Ephraimite highlands, calling on the men of this tribe to join the rout of the Midianites and seize control of the Jordan River as far as Beth Barah. The Ephraimites responded to the challenge, seized the Jordan crossings, and captured two of the Midianite commanders (śārîm), Oreb (“Raven”) and Zeeb (“Wolf”). The Ephraimites’ contribution to the victory over Midian was memorialized in new names given to the sites where they killed the commanders: “the rock of Oreb” and “the winepress of Zeeb,” respectively. With the heads of the two Midianite commanders in their possession, the Ephraimites crossed the Jordan to join Gideon in the pursuit of the rest of Midian. When they caught up with him, they presented their trophies to him.

Postscript (8:1–3)

1Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they criticized him sharply.

2But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

8:1 The reader of the Gideon story might have expected the narrative to move quickly to the summary statement in 8:28, but the plot is complicated by two persistent problems: the fractious nature of the Ephraimites (8:1–3) and character flaws in Gideon (8:4–27). After the energetic participation of the latter in 7:24–25, once again the narrator catches the reader by surprise in 8:1–3. Why should the Ephraimites complain when they have played such a significant role in the victory over the Midianites to this point? The strength of the Ephraimite disaffection is reflected in the pointed nature of their accusation (lit.): “What is this thing you have done to us in not calling us when you went to fight Midian?” And in case the reader fails to catch their tone of voice, the narrator adds his own interpretive comment: “They contended forcefully with him.” From the Ephraimites’ charge it is difficult to tell whether they are angry with Gideon for failing to invite them along with the Manassite, Asherite, Zebulunite, and Naphtalite tribes or instead of them. In any case, the facts are clear: (1) the Ephraimites had not been summoned initially (6:35); (2) they were not involved in the primary rout of Midian (7:24); (3) they were called upon only at the last minute when it appeared the enemy might escape through their territory. All these are interpreted as more than a snub; it is action directed against the Ephraimites.

8:2–3 The care with which Gideon chooses all his words in vv. 2–3 shows him at his diplomatic best. Taking to heart the adage that “A gentle answer turns away wrath/But a harsh word stirs up anger,” he offers a four-dimensional response. First, with a rhetorical question he minimizes his own role in comparison with theirs. Second, he flatters the tribe of Ephraim with a proverb, also cast as a rhetorical question but expecting a positive answer. The vintage of Abiezer (the clan to which Gideon belongs, 6:11) is insignificant compared to the gleaning of Ephraim. To change the metaphor, the best the Abiezrites can produce is less than the scraps off the Ephraimite’s table. The proverb has the ring of a clever political slogan. Third, he acknowledges that God has rewarded their contribution by giving them the real trophies—the Midianite commanders Oreb and Zeeb. Fourth, he minimizes his personal role a second time, though with greater intensity.

This short episode is significant in the Gideon narrative and the Book of Judges as a whole for several reasons. First, it reveals to the reader something of Gideon’s personality. As the narrator’s final comment in v. 3 expresses, at his best Gideon is an extremely sensitive and effective diplomat: when he had finished his speech, the passions (rûaḥ, lit. “spirit”) of the Ephraimites relaxed (rāpâ). At the same time, Gideon’s answer raises several questions. Why does he refer to God as “Elohim” rather than Yahweh (v. 3)? Does this reflect his own fundamental disaffection from Yahweh, or is he accommodating his response to the spiritual disaffection of the Ephraimites? It is hardly accidental that his use of “Elohim” echoes the comment of the Midianite in 7:14.

Second, in his defense, why does Gideon say nothing about his own call to divine service or his divine empowerment/inspiration by the Spirit of Yahweh? According to 6:34–35 his summoning of the northern tribes and their response to his call were both expressive of his being “clothed” by Yahweh’s Spirit. Nor does he say anything about God’s desire to defeat the Midianites with a minimal human force (7:1–8). Instead, his arguments are all psychologically rather than theologically based.

Second, this series of episodes reveals some fundamental flaws in Israel as a nation. On the one hand, many are fearful of the enemy (7:3) and apparently would rather not fight. On the other hand, some are offended when they are not called. The tribal cohesion is crumbling. Unlike the period of conquests under Joshua, it is impossible for the nation to operate in concert. More specifically this episode exposes a fundamental problem with the Ephraimites that will resurface in 12:1–6. They are a self-centered and fractious lot, easily offended, and with an inflated estimation of their significance within the nation. Even in victory Israel remains her own worst enemy.

(2) Gideon’s Punishment and Subjugation of Israel (8:4–28)

On the surface 8:4 seems to follow naturally after 7:23. Judges 7:1–8 and 7:19–22 had created the impression that God had placed the outcome of the battle with the Midianites entirely in the hands of Gideon and his band of three hundred men. So the summoning of the rest of the troops who had come down to the spring of Harod with Gideon (7:23) and the two episodes involving the Ephraimites (7:24–25; 8:1–3) are unforeseen. But far from dismissing unexpected segments like this as inauthentic or secondary, in Hebrew narrative they are often the key to discovering the author’s rhetorical goals. The main plot of the Gideon story resumes in 8:4.

Although the plot takes an unexpected turn, vv. 4–27 parallel the preceding account in several significant respects. Again Gideon and his band of three hundred men play key roles. Again they take the enemy camp by surprise. Again two Midianite leaders are captured and executed. But the differences between this chapter and the preceding are even more striking than the links. The following is a list of some of the similarities:

1. Yahweh is not involved in this phase of the plot at all (except in Gideon’s own glib comments).

2. The two captured Midianite leaders have strange names and are called “kings” (mĕlākîm) rather than “commanders” (śārîm).

3. The campaign takes Gideon and his men far afield to Karkor east of the Dead Sea.

4. Gideon runs into serious conflict with his Transjordanian countrymen.

5. Gideon is personally involved in the capture and execution of the enemy kings.

6. Personal blood vengeance replaces national deliverance as a motive for Gideon’s action.

7. Gideon, the fearful young man, has become a brutal aggressor.

Indeed the last feature represents the most striking element in the narrative. When the plot resumes, something seems to have happened to the character of the hero. In chaps. 6–7 we have witnessed his transformation from a fearful private citizen to a fearless agent of God, willing to take on the enemy against all odds, not to mention a sensitive diplomat. But the portrait of the man the author paints in this chapter creates a radically different impression in the reader’s mind. If 8:1–32 had been handed down without the literary context in which it is embedded, modern readers would reject Gideon as a tyrant, arbitrary in his treatment of the enemy and ruthless in his handling of his own countrymen. Instead of “hacking” and “contending” with the enemy, Gideon/Jerubbaal “contends” and “hacks” his own people. All of this raises the question of why the narrator spoils the reader’s assessment of this one who accomplished so much for God? Does he see in Gideon’s addition of his own name to the battle cry “[The sword] belonging to the Lord and to Gideon” (7:18, 20) a premonition of a future problem? Is he deliberately painting a picture of a human deliverer who is the antithesis of the divine Savior? In contrast to Yahweh’s remarkable patience and grace with his people, Gideon turns out to be an impatient and ruthless ruler.

Like the previous chapter, this account is complex, consisting of several easily identified segments, each of which will be examined in turn.

Gideon’s Capture and Execution of the Kings of midian (8:4–21)

The chronological connection between vv. 4–21 and the preceding narrative is uncertain. The previous text had left no hint that any of the Midianite host had escaped. But it is evident from 8:10 that two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, and fifteen thousand men had made it across the Jordan and were fleeing into the desert. Having recognized that v. 4 follows logically from 7:22, the reader expects a quick and final solution to the Midianite menace. We are surprised to learn, however, that not only are Gideon’s mopping-up operations more complicated than anticipated, but this theme also is interwoven with another: Gideon’s disposition toward his fellow Israelites. In fact, these two themes alternate in the narrative in an A B A´ B´ pattern, with A (8:4–9) and A´ (8:13–17) involving the latter issue and B (8:10–12) and B´ (8:18–21) concerning the former.

Gideon’s Demand for Support from His Countrymen (8:4–9)

4Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 5He said to the men of Succoth, “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

6But the officials of Succoth said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?”

7Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”

8From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. 9So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”

8:4–5 The new movement in the narrative is signalled by the arrival of Gideon and his band of three hundred at the Jordan and their crossing over the river (v. 4). The men’s physical condition and determination are expressed in two expressions, ʿăyēpîm, “exhausted,” and rōdĕpîm, “pursuing” (NIV, “keeping up the pursuit”), which together may be understood as a hendiadys: “wearily giving chase.” The phrase sets the stage for the next scene.

Apparently having crossed the Jordan just north of where the Wadi Jabbok enters the main river, Gideon’s band followed the wadi as far as Succoth (meaning “Booths”), generally identified with Tell Deir ʿAllah in the Trans-jordan. At this time Succoth was under Israelite control, having been taken from Sihon, king of Heshbon, and allotted by Moses to the tribe of Gad (Josh 13:27). But the ensuing dialogue indicates that the residents of this town were obviously suspicious of Gideon.

When he arrived in Succoth, Gideon requested of its citizens food to nourish his men in their pursuit of the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. The meaning of the first name (“Sacrifice”) is clear, but the second may be interpreted either as “Shade withheld/shelter refused” or “May [the god] Salm protect.” The pair of names obviously answers to Oreb and Zeeb in 7:24–25. Whereas the former had been identified as śārîm, “commanders,” however, these are mĕlākîm, “kings,” the senior rulers of these marauding bands. Gideon’s request seems reasonable enough. On the one hand, he naturally assumes that even if they were Transjordanians, these fellow Israelites would be eager to assist in the capture of a common enemy. On the other hand, by common custom, as the commander of a group of soldiers passing through the land, he could simply have confiscated the needed provisions. But the narrator has Gideon continuing with the sensitive diplomatic style evident in vv. 1–3. He is respectful in framing the solicitation and careful to explain the reason: his men are exhausted from pursuing the Midianite kings.

8:6 But the officials of Succoth answer his tactful request with brusque rejection (lit.): “Is the palm [kap] of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand [yād] now?” The rhetorical question is ambiguous. Do they mean this literally? If so, they expect Gideon to mutilate the kings (like Judah had done to Adoni-Bezek in 2:6–7) and bring their hands in as evidence of their heroism/achievements (like the heads of Oreb and Zeeb in 7:24–25). Or do they mean it figuratively? Do they simply expect to have the kings in tow as proof of his authority? The reaction of the Succothites contrasts sharply with their Cisjordanian countrymen’s immediate response to Gideon’s summons to battle in 7:23. This raises an intriguing question: Has the Spirit of Yahweh, so evident in the earlier context, left him?

8:7–9 Judging by the narrator’s silence on the role of Yahweh in the following sequence of events and Gideon’s reaction to the Succothites’ impertinence, the question may be answered in the affirmative. Instead of answering impudence with a gentle word (cf. v. 2), he throws diplomacy to the wind and responds in kind. Glibly invoking the name of Yahweh, he threatens to take the law into his own hands and beat (rather than NIV, “tear”) their bodies with a switch of desert thorns (qôṣîm) and briars (barqānîm), like a man beats grain on the threshing floor. Fuming at his rejection by the people of Succoth, Gideon moves on up the Wadi Jabbok to Penuel, modern Tell edh-Dhahab. The narrator summarizes this visit by noting simply in the third person that Gideon approached the residents of Penuel just as he had the people of Succoth and that the people here responded the same. But his reaction to their rejection is couched in different terms: when he returns victorious, he will tear down their defensive tower.

The inclusion of these two episodes in Gideon’s Transjordanian adventures raises questions concerning their rhetorical function in the broader narrative. On the one hand, it exposes the fractures in Israel’s tribal constitution. There is reluctance to treat the enemies of another tribe as a threat to oneself. But there probably is more to it than this. By citing these two examples the narrator demonstrates that the reaction of Succoth was not an isolated event but reflective of the general Transjordanian disposition toward Gideon. At the same time the reader cannot help but notice the contrast between the willingness of the northern Cisjordanian tribes to answer Gideon’s call to rid them of the Midianite yoke and the cynical response to Gideon’s campaign in the east. This is the narrator’s way of distinguishing between Gideon’s wars of liberation and his personal crusades (cf. vv. 18–21). So long as the former was clear, they were ready to help, but now the agenda has changed. Gideon and his band of three hundred men were off on a private campaign. The divinely chosen force has become his private army.

Gideon’s Capture of Zebah and Zalmunna (8:10–12)

10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. 11Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army. 12Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

8:10 The circumstantial clause at the beginning of v. 10 functions as an episode marker. Zebah and Zalmunna had managed to escape to Karkor. Although the site cannot be located with certainty, the most likely identification places Karkor (qarqōr) on the Wadi Sirḥān, one hundred miles east of the Dead Sea, approaching the Midianite homeland. The narrator notes that fifteen thousand men had escaped with these two kings. This number seems to accord with other large figures in the book until we learn that these represented the remnant of a force that had consisted of 135,000 swordsmen, “all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples [“the sons of the east”].” Unless ʾelep is to be interpreted as “contingents, units,” the number of 120,000 may be intended as a symbolic figure, quantifying not only the forces that were earlier described as numerous as locusts (6:5; 7:12) but also the extent of the slaughter when Yahweh had caused the Midianites to take out their swords against each other. The vagueness of the statement in 7:22 had led the reader to imagine the consequences of God’s actions (the verse does not indicate that there were any Israelite casualties at all), but now, with delightful irony the narrator describes the victims as 120,000 “swordsmen” (lit., “men who draw the sword [from the sheath]),” in this case against each other rather than the enemy.

8:11–12 Verse 11 is somewhat uncertain textually, but one can extract from it Gideon’s strategy. Following the caravan route (lit., “the way of those who live in tents”), Gideon seems to have caught up with the Midianite kings east of Nobah and Jogbehah. The exact location of Nobah is unknown, but Jogbehah is commonly identified with Ruǧm ʾal-Gubēḥah, on an ancient caravan route northwest of Amman. Gideon came upon them suddenly, when the camp was relaxing. He routed the entire army and eventually captured the prize he was after—Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.

Gideon’s Vengeance on Succoth and Penuel (8:13–17)

13Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 14He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town. 15Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’ ” 16He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.

8:13–14 Gideon’s high-handed behavior continues in vv. 13–17. Identified by patronymic for the first time since 7:13, Gideon the son of Joash, the conqueror, returns to Succoth via the Heres Pass. Seizing a young official of the town council and questioning him, he forced him to write down for him the names of the seventy-seven elders of the town. This is the first time elders are mentioned in the book. In the absence of a king, towns were governed by a body of senior members of the community, usually heads of the clans, who conducted the community’s business in the city gate. The narrator does not inform us on what he recorded the names, but one may assume he used either ostraca (pieces of broken pottery) or tanned skins. He probably wrote in the “Canaanite” alphabetic linear script, which had been developed and diffused in the Levant during the previous four or five centuries.

8:15–17 Presumably when the elders had gathered before him, Gideon presented Zebah and Zalmunna to them, and he reminded them of their earlier taunting challenge to produce the palms of these kings before they would offer any food to his exhausted band of men (cf. v. 6). Then he took the elders and “threshed” (rather than NIV, “taught … a lesson) them with switches made of desert thorns and briars. Then he moved on to Penuel/Peniel, whose fate at his hands turns out to be much more tragic than that of Succoth. Making good on his threat in v. 9, he destroyed their defensive tower. But in his rage he went beyond the threat and slaughtered all the men of the city. Gideon’s behavior could be justified if Penuel were a Canaanite city, but these were fellow Israelites! His character has been transformed again—he acted like a general out of control, no longer bound by rules of civility, let alone national loyalty.

Gideon’s Vendetta against the Kings of Midian (8:18–21)

18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?”

“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”

19Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

21Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’ ” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.

In vv. 18–21 the story of Gideon’s victory over the Midianites finally comes to a conclusion. But the ending is unexpected. Having taken care of his Israelite cynics, Gideon turned his attention to his captives, Zebah and Zalmunna. Ironically, although the kings’ fate seems sealed from the beginning and although Gideon’s disposition toward them was devoid of any sentimentality, his treatment of these enemies was tempered by a modicum of decency. The dialogue in vv. 18–19 follows the conventions of epic chivalry—question, answer, action. Although each component contains its own element of surprise, the greatest surprise of all is that in the end the reader’s sympathies may have shifted completely from Gideon to the other participants in the scene, first the two kings, then his hapless son.

8:18 The question with which Gideon interrogates his captives (“Where are the men you killed at Tabor?”) is strange for several reasons: First, Gideon seems to be mocking his captives by asking for the whereabouts of men who are dead, as if these kings could spare their own lives by delivering them to him alive. Second, we now learn that in addition to harassing the Israelites and ravaging the countryside (6:4–5), the Midianites had committed murderous acts against the population. It is no wonder that Gideon was afraid of these folk (6:11). Third, some of these atrocities had been committed at Tabor, a major mountain north of the Valley of Jezreel. Because Tabor has been totally out of the picture in the preceding narrative and because of its distance from Ophrah, the seat of the Abiezrite clan, some doubt the authenticity of this statement. However, since Tabor was not far removed from the Midianites’ camp on the northern side of the Valley of Harod (7:1), forays by their leaders to Tabor are not out of the question. Indeed, given its location, where the borders of Naphtali, Zebulun, and Issachar meet, atrocities like this may have galvanized these tribes behind Gideon (cf. 6:35).

The response of the kings is equally surprising and highly significant because it introduces the motif of Israelite kingship for the first time in the book. Instead of answering Gideon’s question, they flatter him by describing their impression of Gideon and the men they had killed: just like Gideon, they had the appearance and bearing of “the sons of the king” (NIV “a prince”). This response is both evasive and ambiguous. The use of the definite article with “the king,” suggests Zebah and Zalmunna had a specific person in mind, perhaps Joash of Ophrah, whom they knew to be the father of Gideon and their victims. Their evaluation of Joash may have been based on the knowledge that he was the host and sponsor of the local cult site (6:25–32) and may be reflected in the dream interpreter’s honorific reference to Gideon by patronymic, “son of Joash, a man of Israel” in 7:14. At the same time, by referring to Gideon and their victims as “sons of the king” rather than “kings,” they were putting Gideon in his place. Interpreted sociopolitically, “sons of kings” were inferior to “kings.” Gideon could draw his own conclusions.

8:19 In Gideon’s reaction to their answer the reader is offered another surprise: the victims of the Midianite kings’ brutality were his own full brothers, the sons of his mother. Thereupon he informed Zebah and Zalmunna that he would have let them live had they spared his brothers’ lives, but we cannot be sure that he meant what he said. The fact that Gideon strengthens this declaration with an oath, ḥay yhwh, “as the Lord lives,” or preferably, “by the life of the Lord,” sounds pious but does little to allay suspicions. The oath was undoubtedly intended to impress his captives, but it is an empty exploitation of the divine name in violation of the Third Commandment (Exod 20:7; Deut 5:11). It was a glib reference to Yahweh to sanctify his personal vendetta.

Gideon’s reference to his brothers introduces a new theme to the narrative. It is possible that the misfortunes of his family had played into Yahweh’s choice of Gideon as a deliverer, but his earlier hesitation leaves no trace of this motivation. Inserted here, this new element transforms our understanding of the man, particularly his motivation in his pursuit of the Midianite kings. If in the past he was ever driven by theological and/or nationalistic concerns, in the present adventure he is simply executing blood vengeance. In fact, so glaring is the switch from national to personal concerns that the reader is driven to go back and reread the preceding episodes.

8:20 The narrator’s negative impression of Gideon’s character becomes even more transparent in v. 20 when he tells his son Jether to do his dirty work and kill the Midianite kings. In so doing Gideon places his son in an awkward position. He may demonstrate his own maturity and nobility [by Canaanite standards] in defense of the [royal?] house and become an accomplice in his father’s personal vendetta, or he may disobey his father and prove himself unmanly. In a second rare moment in the Gideon story (cf. 6:27), the narrator offers us access to the motivation of his character, and in so doing he drives us to sympathize with Jether rather then the so-called “hero” of the story. The boy chooses to defy his father, not because his own sympathies were with the Midianite kings, but because he was afraid (yārēʾ), “for he was still a young boy.” Portraying Jether as an alter ego of Gideon’s former (preferred) self, the lad had not yet grown up and developed a stomach for violence.

Unlike Bezek in 1:5–7, Zebah and Zalmunna were defiant to the end. They rebuked Gideon and told him to kill them himself and prove himself a man. But the narrator is not amused. He tersely recounts Gideon’s execution of the Midianite kings and then closes the scene with an image of a conqueror claiming the customary trophies of victory—the crescent ornaments worn on the necks of “royal” camels. The Midianite crisis is over, but the picture of Gideon, “Hacker,” who is finally living up to his name, is far from attractive.

Gideon’s Sham Rejection of Kingship (8:22–27)

22The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”

23But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

25They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

8:22 Although the narrator is not attracted to the character of Gideon, the latter’s countrymen were extremely impressed with his achievement. They responded to his resolution of the Midianite crisis by offering him and his descendants dynastic rule over the nation. The offer, as presented in v. 22, deserves several comments.

First, while we can only speculate about how many men were in the delegation that approached Gideon, the narrator sees them as representing the entire nation. The close links between this event and the preceding narrative suggest the people who come before the hero consisted minimally of the three hundred men who had accompanied Gideon in the pursuit of the Midianites (v. 4) and had witnessed his killing of Zebah and Zalmunna (v. 21) and maximally of the tribes who had been involved in the battles with the Midianites and their allies (Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, Ephraim). The former particularly would certainly have had a lot to gain by their proposal. Perhaps they envisaged themselves as the king’s select military core, like David’s six hundred men some time later. Regardless of the consistency of the delegation, the author deliberately characterizes them as (lit.) “the men of Israel” (ʾîš yiśrāʾēl), making this look like a pan-Israelite assembly offering rule over the entire nation. Their offer is symptomatic of a nationwide problem. On the surface it appears laudable that the tribes have finally united, but as the sequel demonstrates, it was for the wrong agenda.

Second, although it is clear that the issue is kingship, the word “king” (melek) and the related verb “to reign as king” (mālak) are studiously avoided in the offer, presumably because this represents an illegitimate attempt to establish the monarchy (cf. 9:22). On the one hand, coming immediately after v. 21b, it appears that the idea to offer Gideon the rule over all Israel was triggered by his claiming the [royal] crescent ornaments of the Midianite kings’ camels. On the other hand, while the verb māšal means “to rule” in a general sense, it is often used of royal and divine dominion. Furthermore, both the fact that Gideon is offered a hereditary office and the nature of his refusal point to the offer of a royal office. This interpretation finds support in the reminiscences of this text in 1 Samuel 8, where the account of the Israelite’s request to Samuel for a king is recounted. The narrator may have avoided the term melek because the issue in Gideon’s statement is not a title or an office but performance, which from beginning to end belongs to God.

Third, this offer flies in the face of the Mosaic charter for kingship in Deut 17:14–20 in several important respects. On the one hand, there is no hint here that Gideon had been divinely chosen to be king or that the Israelites were concerned about this issue in the least. On the other hand, at this, the first experiment in kingship in Israel, there is immediate talk of hereditary civil rule. One may assume therefore that, as in 1 Samuel 8 (vv. 5, 19–20), Israel’s paradigm for kingship was derived from the surrounding nations.

Fourth, the people of Israel present this offer to Gideon as a reward for his heroism in ridding the land of the Midianite menace. The causal clause with which v. 22 ends leaves no doubt about the people’s interpretation of the preceding series of events. But in this comment the reader also recognizes a fundamental problem: they have misinterpreted the nature and the agent of their own deliverance. The key word, hôšaʿtānû, “you have saved/delivered us,” must be interpreted in light of the previous six occurrences of the root yāšaʿ, “to save,” in the Gideon narrative. While each of these is significant for setting the stage for the present comment, the most telling statement is found in 7:2, where Yahweh declares his rationale for reducing Gideon’s men to three hundred: if the full force defeats the Midianites, Israel will claim the credit for the victory herself. Inasmuch as there is no hint of self-laudation on Gideon’s part in 8:22, Yahweh appears to have achieved his goal. But their attribution of the victory is certainly misplaced. Although the narrator has emphasized repeatedly that God, not Gideon, nor Israel, is the one who saves, the people have either failed to recognize the hand of God at all or the image of the latter heroism of Gideon has eclipsed the memory of Yahweh’s involvement. Gideon himself had prepared the way for this conclusion when he had shouted, “A sword [belonging] to the Lord and to Gideon” (7:18, 20). In the end, despite the miraculous nature of the victory over the Midianite camp (7:22), they forgot the first part of the challenge and attributed the outcome of the conflict entirely to the human agent.

8:23 Gideon’s response in vv. 23–27 divides into two parts: a verbal answer to the offer (v. 23) and a nonverbal response (vv. 24–27). The former looks like a straightforward rejection of the Israelites’ proposal. Choosing his words carefully and casting his answer as a solemn triple assertion, he categorically rejected the opportunity to be the founder of the first dynasty in Israel. His rationale is theologically correct and appears to be perfectly noble. Far be it from him or his sons to usurp the role of Yahweh, the only true ruler over Israel. But scholars are sharply divided in their understanding of the significance of this statement. Some interpret it as a late antimonarchic insertion, reflecting the view of certain groups opposed to the royal ideology centered in Jerusalem, especially the temple and the palace. Others interpret it more positively, not as a rejection of the monarchy as an institution per se but as Gideon’s responsible rejection of an ill-motivated offer. This is a desirable conclusion and maybe even natural, especially if vv. 22–23 are interpreted in isolation from the description of both his previous and subsequent behavior.

However, the issue is not that simple. To be sure, Gideon appears to have deferred to Yahweh, but it is curious that he did not correct the people’s mistaken interpretation of the victory over the Midianites. Why did he not say, “I will not be king over you because I am not the one who rescued you from the Midianites. It was the Lord!”? As recorded, his answer contrasts sharply with his earlier self-deprecation in the face of the Ephraimite challenge (vv. 2–3). Instead of giving the credit for the victory to God, he merely alluded to a vague and platitudinal ideal of divine rule over Israel. While verbally appearing to acknowledge the sovereignty of God, the answer belies his previous actions. Since Gideon launched his pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna in 8:4, his behavior has followed the typical pattern of oriental kings: (1) he treated his subjects/countrymen ruthlessly (vv. 5–9, 13–17); (2) his actions were driven by a personal agenda rather than theological or national ideals; (3) he reacted to the death of his brothers as if they were royal assassinations requiring blood vengeance; (4) he made ridiculous demands on his people (v. 20); (5) he claimed for himself the symbols of royalty taken from the enemy. As already suggested, coming after this series of events, it appears the Israelite offer of kingship to Gideon simply seeks to formalize de jure what is already de facto.

8:24–26 This interpretation is confirmed by Gideon’s subsequent conduct. First, he requested that each of his men give him a gold earring from their share of the spoils of war. This action is doubly significant. On the one hand, by requesting gifts from each of his men, Gideon demanded a symbolic gesture of submission. Gladly surrendering a share of their loot, they confirmed their status as his vassals. On the other hand, the amount of gold Gideon received takes on the character of a royal treasure. Seventeen hundred shekels of gold amounts to 43 pounds. This is indeed a treasure fit for a king!

Second, Gideon retained the king’s symbols of royalty: the crescent amulets worn by the camels (cf. v. 21), the pendants, the purple robes formerly worn by the Midianite kings, and the neck bands worn by the camels.

8:27 Third, Gideon assumed a king’s role as sponsor of the cult by crafting an ephod and erecting it in his city, Ophrah. The nature of this object is not clear. Elsewhere in the Old Testament “ephod” (ʾēpôd) denotes the priest’s special breast piece. Because this object was “placed” (yāṣag) in Gideon’s city and became an object of pagan worship, this meaning seems unlikely here. The solution to the present problem may be suggested by the Akkadian cognate epattu, which, in several old Assyrian texts apparently refers to the costly garments worn by high officials and/or draped over images of the gods. The present usage suggests a figure of speech in which the part stands for the whole. Accordingly, the word “ephod” here represents not only the garment that clothed a sacred image but also the image over which the garment was draped and which became the object of worship for the Israelites. The narrator does not reveal the nature of the image, but it seems most likely that he has reconstructed the shrine to Baal he earlier had torn down at Yahweh’s command (6:25–32). This fits the response of the Israelites, who “played the harlot” (zānâ, NIV “prostituted themselves”) with it and for whom it became a “snare.” But the irony and twistedness of his actions should not be missed. Instead of himself, an image of God, clothed with the Spirit of Yahweh (6:34), Gideon created his own image and clothed it with pagan materials.

Fourth, in attracting Israelites from all over to the cult of the “ephod” in Ophrah, Gideon established this town as his capital. This conclusion seems to be supported by v. 29, which declares that Gideon ben Joash (note the dynastic form of the name) went and lived in his own house. The statement is superfluously tautological unless the verb yāšab, “to live,” means more than “to reside.” Naturally people reside in their own houses. But if the verb is understood mansively, “to sit [on a throne],” that is, “to be king, to reign,” then the comment is sensible.

Fifth, the ephod is said to have become a snare to Gideon “and his household.” The expression “his household” (bêtô) is ambiguous, but in the context it also carries dynastic overtones.

Taking all these features of the narrative into account, the conclusion seems inescapable that despite his protestation, Gideon actually assumed the role of king “over Israel.” But his is an aberrant and illicit kingship from the beginning. In the first instance the procedure by which they select their king is wrong. As noted above, he was not chosen by Yahweh to be king, as the Mosaic charter for kingship” (Deut 17:14–20) had explicitly demanded. Yahweh had indeed called Gideon to be his agent of deliverance from the Midianites, but there is no evidence that he envisaged him as king. In the second instance Gideon’s conduct as king is aberrant from the beginning. The Mosaic charter had explicitly forbidden Israelite kings from using their position of power to multiply gold for themselves (v. 17). In his first act as king, this was precisely what he demanded. But it was not his last nor his worst. None of the governors received as much from Yahweh as Gideon (except perhaps Samson); only he was “clothed” with the Spirit. But none of the governors does more harm to Israel. For the first time idolatry is officially sponsored by a leader of the nation. Israel need not wait for an officially anointed king to steepen the slope of their spiritual declension. Gideon, as representative and leader of the people, will do what is right in his own eyes and invite the people to follow him. Isaiah may remember the defeat of the Midianites as “the day of [the Lord’s victory over] Midian” (Isa 9:4–7), but to the narrator, this is the day of Gideon.

God’s Gift of Security (8:28)

28Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years.

8:28 As in 3:11, 30, and 4:23–24 together with 5:31b, the Gideon narrative concludes with a formal editorial reflection on the significance of Gideon’s work for Israel in the dark days of the governors. Verse 28 announces that the Midianite problem was fully resolved and the land enjoyed forty years of quiet during Gideon’s life. Two observations may be made on the verse. First, the passive form of the verb, “and [Midian] was subdued,” is ambiguous, leaving unspecified the agent of the subjugation. Although Gideon’s countrymen credited the man with this benefit, the narrator intends this as a divine passive. Second, unlike his successor, Jephthah (12:7), and the “minor” governors (10:1–5; 12:8–15), Gideon is nowhere said “to have governed Israel.” To the narrator he reigns (mālak); he does not govern (šāpaṭ). Unlike the victory over the Canaanites under the leadership of Deborah and Barak, there is no celebration of divine salvation. Only the narrator’s note of quiet. The silence of Yahweh in this chapter and the silence of human lips that should have praised him are profound.

(3) The Legacy of Gideon (8:29–9:57)

If the foregoing narrative has left any doubts in the reader’s mind about the author’s disposition toward Gideon, these are put to rest in vv. 29–35. Whereas the paradigm followed in the other accounts would have this Midianite-Gideon cycle end with v. 28, here the narrator adds a seven-verse epilogue. The ambivalent character of the man is reflected in the alternation of names for the man in the remainder of this chapter. The name Gideon occurs in vv. 30, 32, and 33, but these verses are framed by references to Jerubbaal (vv. 29, 35). In chap. 9 only Jerubbaal is used (9:1, 16, 24, 57). Gideon’s legacy is presented in the form of two short epilogic notes (vv. 29–32 and 33–35 respectively) and a lengthy account of the adventures of his son (9:1–57).

Gideon’s Postdeliverance Reign (8:29–32)

29Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 30He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 32Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

8:29–32 Whereas vv. 22–27 had described Gideon’s actions in the immediate aftermath of the victory over the Midianites, vv. 29–32 summarize his conduct during the forty years of peace that followed this victory. The description demonstrates that the behavior displayed in the final phases of the Midianite campaign set the pattern for the rest of his life. Despite Gideon’s apparent rejection of dynastic rule over Israel (v. 23), the features noted bear all the marks of a monarchic administration.

First, as noted above, Gideon ruled as Jerubbaal ben Joash from his own house. Not only has he obviously separated from his father (cf. 6:25–32) and established his own household, but he “sits [as king?]” in his house. The narrator’s preference for the name Jerubbaal at this point suggests this action reflected the Canaanite in him.

Second, Gideon established a large harem and fathered numerous progeny (v. 30). The number of his wives is not indicated, but this must be interpreted as one more violation of the Mosaic paradigm for kingship outlined in Deut 17:14–20. The number of his sons, seventy, sounds like an idealized number, perhaps the number of a complete royal household. In any case, such families were rare among private citizens. But the author may also have seen Gideon’s family as a reflection of the Canaanite pantheon. According to the mythological texts discovered at Ras Shamra/Ugarit, the high god El and his wife Asherah had seventy sons.

Third, Gideon regarded himself above the Deuteronomic proscriptions and married a concubine from Canaanite Shechem. The etymology of pîlegeš (NIV, “concubine”) is obscure, but the word always identifies female persons, whose primary function appears to have been to gratify the sexual desires of the man/husband. In most contexts in the Old Testament the concubine was considered a legal if second-ranked wife. The problem with this woman is not only that she is an addition to an already large harem; she is a Shechemite, that is, a Canaanite woman. Gideon’s marriage to her represents a specific violation of Moses’ absolute ban on all such marriages for all Israelites and a general elevation of himself above the Torah, in violation of the Mosaic Charter for Kingship (Deut 17:18–19).

Fourth, Gideon names his son Abimelech. Like many Hebrew names, Abimelech is a sentence name, but Gideon’s intention in naming his son is not clear. Several interpretations of the name are possible.

1. “Melek is my father.” By this interpretation mlk is a proper divine name, related to Malik, a deity worshiped at Ebla (third millennium b.c.), Ugarit (second millennium b.c.), Phoenicia (first millennium b.c.), and among the Ammonites (first millennium b.c.). Three other characters in the Old Testament bear the name Abimelech. The fact that all of these were non-Israelites heightens the suspicion that Gideon has given his son a syncretistic foreign name.

2. “The [divine] king is my father.” By this interpretation the divine king could be Yahweh, which accords well with Gideon’s statement in v. 23, but it flies in the face of Gideon’s conduct. By this interpretation it is ironic that the son whose parentage represents a rejection of Yahweh’s kingship is given this pious name.

3. “The king [Gideon] is my father.” Under normal circumstances a name like Abimelech would have reflected the faith of the person giving the name, in this case Gideon. Regardless how sanctimonious the name sounds, however, the self-service we have witnessed in Gideon’s behavior makes it difficult to resist the conclusion that the name Abimelech reflects the human father’s perception of his own status in Israel. Many an Israelite who heard the name and who knew Gideon would have seen in “Abimelech” further evidence of his egotism. Whether or not this last interpretation reflects Gideon’s own intention, the next chapter describes the conduct of a person who is driven by a ruthless passion to prove himself the heir of the human monarch Gideon.

Fifth, Gideon was buried in the dynastic tomb. The notice of Gideon’s death in v. 32 is brief and to the point. Like Samson (16:31), Gideon was buried in the family tomb in his hometown. Unlike Samson, however, the narrator again refers to Gideon by patronymic, “son of Joash,” the founder of the line from which this man came.

Israel’s Post-Gideon Conduct (8:33–35)

33No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and 34did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for them.

8:33–35 Despite Gideon’s establishment of the aberrant “ephod” cult in his hometown, the final verses of the chapter seem to suggest that Gideon actually inhibited Israel’s spiritual and moral declension. As soon as he died, all restraint was cast to the wind, and the nation rushed headlong into apostasy. The narrator notes three dimensions to their evil.

First, the Israelites played the harlot with the Baals, committing themselves specifically to Baal-Berith. The name, which occurs only here and in 9:4, translates literally as “Lord/Baal of the Covenant.” But who is this divinity? To answer the question we must resolve two issues: the identity of Baal and the nature of the covenant.

In view of the prominence of Baal in the book and especially in the Judges narratives, one’s immediate response is to equate this Baal with the Canaanite storm and warrior deity. The issue is complicated, however, by the reference to the Shechemite temple of El-Berith in 9:46. It is possible that Baal-Berith and El-Berith represent two separate deities, both of whom were worshiped in Shechem, but it is more likely that Baal and El were interchangeable designations for the same god. As I noted earlier, in Canaanite mythology El was the name of the supreme god, the husband of Asherah and father of seventy offspring, including Baal. The word baʿal is not primarily a proper name, however, but a title meaning “lord, master,” and the phrase baʿal bĕrît, “lord of the covenant.”

Many understand El to have been the patron deity of Canaanite Shechem. This theory may be supported by the second part of the phrase, bĕrît, “covenant, treaty.” It is the view of some that behind the word lies a political treaty between Shechem and some other Canaanite state, perhaps even Israel, in which El\Baal-Berith was invoked as the divine guardian and guarantor. It is preferable to see in El/Baal-Berith an allusion to a treaty between Shechem and El which knit the deity and the population of the city in a special relationship, analogous to, but certainly different in many ways from, Yahweh’s covenant with Israel. This probably explains why the residents of Shechem retreated to the temple of El-Berith for protection when they were in mortal danger (9:46).

Accordingly the Israelites added the sin of worshiping the patron deity of Shechem to the veneration of Baal in Ophrah, once again confirming the thesis announced in 2:18–19. In making El/Baal-Berith their god Israel went beyond mere harlotry with the local Baals. They have displaced Yahweh, their own covenant God, with this “Baal of the Covenant,” and reversed the order of divine human relations. The exodus and Sinai narratives highlight Yahweh’s initiative in calling Israel out of the nations to be his people (Exod 19:4), but now Israel has installed as her god a pagan divinity of her own choosing.

Second, Israel forgot Yahweh their God, the one who had rescued them from all their enemies on every side. Like šākaḥ, “to forget,” in 3:7, the expression lōʾ zākĕrû, “they did not remember,” does not signify merely “to suffer amnesia.” Surely the memory of the Midianite victory survived in their minds. Their problem was that they failed to take into account Yahweh’s past saving acts on their behalf and to respond in accordance with his gracious salvation. How true this was will be demonstrated in the following chapter, which exhibits no knowledge of or allegiance to Yahweh whatsoever.

Third, they acted treacherously toward Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his household. In this concluding comment the narrator tries to salvage something of Gideon. After all, he was called by God, and he was indeed the deliverer of Israel. Israel should have shown respect to the man and his household out of profound gratitude for what he had done. But the verse also contains several troubling elements concerning Gideon and his position in Israel, which support our interpretation of him as king over the nation. Significantly to the narrator the human hero of this cycle is primarily Jerubbaal and only secondarily Gideon. Furthermore, the narrator notes that the Israelites failed to demonstrate covenant commitment toward his house. The phrase ʿāśâ ḥesed, “to show kindness,” refers to conduct in support of or in accordance with relational norms, whether they be between relatives, friends, host and guest, or master and servant. Indeed the fact that ḥesed, “kindness,” is often associated with bĕrît, “covenant,” raises questions concerning the nature of Gideon’s relationship with Israel. It seems that despite his formal rejection of the kingship, they had formalized some kind of official relationship with him. Finally, that relationship appears to have extended to Gideon’s house, suggesting again that Gideon had indeed been offered and had accepted the dynastic rule over Israel.

Theological and Practical Implications

Four major truths flow from this account. First, like the rest of the stories of the deliverer governors, this account declares that if anything positive happens in the lives of the people of God it is by his grace, and not on account of merit. Evidence of any positive disposition toward Yahweh on the part of the Israelites as a whole or even Gideon in particular is scant. Nonetheless, moved to pity by the cries of his people over the distress caused by the enemy, God intervenes, calling forth his agent of deliverance and effecting the victory over the enemy. Yahweh is the only hero in the account.

Second, with God on one’s side no enemy is invincible, and the victory is sure. The fact that three hundred men were able to defeat 135,000 Midianites without conventional weapons or conventional military strategy attests to the power of God. Indeed, God often deliberately selects ridiculous means to achieve his ends that we might learn that his kingdom is built “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zech 4:6).

Third, the greatest obstacle to the work of God among his people and in the world at large is the faithlessness of his people. Gideon was one of these faithless persons. He refused at first to follow the call of God. Only after he had [presumptuously] subjected Yahweh to a series of tests and after he had witnessed Yahweh’s gracious answer did he finally accept the call to deliver his people. But Gideon’s fleece was not about discovering the will of God, and his actions are not to be taken as a normative paradigm for discovering the will of God. It was about stubborn resistance to what one knows clearly to be God’s will. In such cases God is not obligated to respond, and if he does, it is only by grace.

Fourth, those who are called to leadership in the kingdom of God face constant temptation to exchange the divine agenda for personal ambition. Ironically, the more impressive one’s achievements for God, the greater the temptation. Having won deliverance for his people with a spectacular victory over the Midianites, Gideon began to act like it had been achieved with the “sword of Gideon” rather than the “sword of the Lord.” Before long “Thy kingdom come” was replaced with “My kingdom come.” Heedless of Deut 17:14–20, the servant of the people had become their despot. Unfortunately, the old adage “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely” often holds true even in the church.

The Canaanite Kingship of Gideon’s Son Abimelech (9:1–57)

Given the change in tone and style and the relatively self-contained plot of chap. 9, it is not surprising that popular and scholarly treatment have tended to deal with the story of Abimelech as a separate literary unit. Following the pattern of previous cycles, the story should have ended at 8:28, to be followed by the next cycle beginning with the narrator’s formulaic introduction to a new cycle: “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” But the story is far from finished. The ethical and spiritual seed sown by Gideon/Jerubbaal came to full bloom and fruition in the life of his son Abimelech. Chapter 9 may derive from a separate source, perhaps a Shechem tradition. But the narrator invites the reader to recognize its organic coherence with the foregoing with a series of deliberate links: (1) references to the good that Jerubbaal had done for Israel (9:16–21, 57; cf. 8:35); (2) Jerubbaal’s connection with Shechem through his concubine (9:1; cf. 8:31); (3) references to El/Baal-Berith (9:4, 46; cf. 8:33); (4) the identification of Abimelech’s father as Jerubbaal (9:1–2, 5, 16, 24, 57; cf. 6:25–32; 7:1; 8:29, 35); (5) references to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal (9:2, 24; cf. 8:30); (6) references to Ophrah as the home of Jerubbaal (9:5; cf. 8:27); (7) the role of blood vengeance (9:24; cf. 8:19). Clearly the narrator views chap. 9 as a necessary sequel to and indeed the climax of the Gideon story. Despite these obvious connections, however, the story of Abimelech goes its own way in several extremely significant features.

First, from a stylistic perspective, in this the longest single pericope in the “Book of Deliverers” (2:6–16:31) the pace of the narrative is deliberately retarded with extraordinary emphasis on detail.

Second, in the use of names, Jerubbaal is used throughout for Gideon, and Yahweh is referred to only by the generic Elohim. These features reflect the author’s unambiguous stance toward the nation and the characters: Israel has been totally Canaanized; Baal has contended for himself and prevailed.

Third, with its preoccupation with the machinations and violence of Abimelech and the Shechemites, this chapter reads like a page out of a Canaanite history notebook.

Fourth, unlike the surrounding narratives of the deliverer governors, this account is not concerned with an external threat but a problem of internal politics.

Fifth, this story concentrates on one small part of the country, Shechem. Apart from the editorial observation in v. 22, the only place Israel is named (v. 55), the reference is awkward. On the other hand, in apparent contradiction to 18:1; 19:1; and 21:25, which observe there was no king in Israel in those days, the narrator leaves the impression that Abimelech’s rule extended beyond the Canaanite city of Shechem to the surrounding Israelite countryside (vv. 22, 55).

Sixth, in contrast to chaps. 6–7, but continuing the trend set in chap. 8, the reader observes the complete silence of Yahweh. God is mentioned only three times (as Elohim) in vv. 22, 56–57, where the author breaks his pattern to provide a theological interpretation of events. Although ultimately Yahweh was behind the demise of Abimelech and Shechem, to a large extent he lets Israel destroy herself. There is no place here for divine soteriological intervention.

Structurally chap. 9 is complex, but it may be divided into four principal segments, which together deliberately carry the plot to its [divinely] determined conclusion: Abimelech’s seizure of the throne of Shechem (vv. 1–6); Jotham’s response to Abimelech’s usurpation of rule (vv. 7–21); the demise of Abimelech (vv. 22–55); epilogic conclusion (vv. 56–57). The striking feature of this structure is the extraordinary amount of space devoted to Abimelech’s demise, which contrasts with the extremely small amount of interpretive narratorial comment (vv. 22–23, 56–57). We will deal with each segment in turn.

Sermon: Gedeon the Faithful Servant (Judges 6-8)

GOD IS TELLING (COMMANDING) ME TO ___________________________________

6:14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”        

My Obstacles of Faith                                    My Steps of Faith                               My lack of Faith        

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Sermón: Gedeón el Siervo Fiel

(Jueces 6-8)

DIOS ME ESTA MANDANDO A: ___________________________________

6:14 Y mirándole Jehová, le dijo: Ve con esta tu fuerza [usa la fuerza que tienes], y salvarás a Israel de la mano de los madianitas. ¿No te envío yo? [yo soy el que te envia]

Mis Obstáculos de Fe                         Mis Pasos de Fe                                  Mi Falta de Fe

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