Gideon
July 1, 2011 5:30 AM -0500
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We all long to be heroes, but most of us don't have extraordinary powers or superhuman capabilities. The good news is that God uses ordinary people just like us! Find out how.
Thesis: God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things to bring glory to Him.
Objective: Call believers to recognize that, as ordinary and scared as they may be, God wants to use them to make an impact on the world which should start and end with godliness.
Objective: Call believers to recognize that, as ordinary and scared as they may be, God wants to use them to make an impact on the world which should start and end with godliness.
- We are our biggest problem (6:1-10, 13).
- We make our own mess (“The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So...” (1); The root cause of the Israelites’ oppression was that they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They were responsible, and quite often, we’re responsible for our own troubles, too. We drift away and open the door for God to hand us over.).
- We don’t worry til it’s bad (“the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years” (1); 6; Rather than staying away from sin in the first place, or even heading the trouble off at the pass by repenting early, we have a tendency to wait until trouble fully develops and we really feel the sting by being made poor, or at least “very low” (American Standard Version, World English Bible)).
- The last thing we want is repentance (“the Lord sent a prophet to them” (8-10); 13; Rather than sending a hero right away, God sent a prophet to rebuke Israel and remind them that their real, primary need was for repentance. Even so, we see no response from Israel as a whole, and when the angel appeared to Gideon, he was still complaining about how God had abandoned Israel, not about how Israel had abandoned God.).
- God chooses ordinary people to be extraordinary heroes (6:11-40).
- God speaks to ordinary people (“the Angel of the Lord appeared to him” (11-15); God appeared to a man who was so extraordinary that he was scared enough to thresh wheat in a winepress. In other words, he was terrified. Because he didn’t think he could stand up to the Midianites and/or make a difference. In fact, he tried to argue that he was the least likely candidate because he knew he was just an ordinary guy. Yet this is the man God chose to call “mighty warrior.”).
- He will be with us (“But I will be with you” (16-21); After calling Gideon, the Angel promised to accompany him in the days and events to come and offered a sign to verify his identity and promise. Because it wasn’t about Gideon’s abilities. It was about God’s.).
- The first order of business is repentance (25-32; Before God ever called Gideon to engage the Midianites, the first thing God commanded Gideon to do was to tear down the false altars at which the people were worshiping. If we ever expect to be God’s hero, we must eliminate all the competition in our lives.).
- We can ask for proof sincerely (33-40; When God calls us to do extraordinary things, it’s not uncommon to doubt, even after we’ve apparently committed. God understands that this is natural and is willing to provide satisfactory proof. But the trick is that we have to be sincere in our pursuit. We can’t expect Him to provide endless proofs without action on our part. We have to be committed to, at some reasonable point, get up and go.).
- God will use us (7:1-25).
- God will deliver (“I will deliver you with the 300 men” (7); Being a hero is not about being a great man. It’s about being a great instrument for God. He is the one doing the work. and He is the one deserving the credit.).
- He answers fear (“But if you are afraid... go with Purah” (10); “So he went with Purah” (11); 13-15; God doesn’t expect us to be fearless. In fact, He goes out of His way to settle our fears.).
- He does amazing things (16-25; Using trumpets, torches, and clay pitchers, God routed an army of 135K (8:10) with only Gideon and 300 men, making Gideon a hero.).
- We must finish well (8:22-35).
- It’s not about us (22-23; Gideon rightly recognized that God had not used him to establish a monarchy. Rather, He had used Gideon to redirect the Israelites’ attention back to Him. Gideon, therefore, did not claim a throne for himself or his progeny. We must recognize that, whatever God does in and through us is intended to put Him front and center and on the throne of people’s lives.).
- Heroes are not immune to temptation (24-27; Even after all God had done in and through him, Gideon collected a bunch of gold and made an unlawful ephod which became an idol to him and all the people. Especially when God uses us to do amazing things, we must be wary of temptation. Satan doesn’t tempt people who aren’t a threat to him. And if we allow ourselves to be used by God, we will be a threat to him.).
- We must leave a godly legacy (28-35; As much as God did through Gideon, and as blessed as he was with 70 sons and many wives (30), Scripture remembers Gideon as a failure because the Israelites were led astray by the ephod and still engaged in idolatry, “prostituting” (HCSB, NIV, NLT, etc.) or “whoring” (ESV, YLT, KJV) themselves to anyone and anything but God. We must do better.).
- (6:5) The use of camels in a desert climate was critical in that it allowed for long-distance raids.
- (11) “Gideon’s threshing wheat by the winepress (rahter than on an exposed threshing floor) was an act of desperation, lest the Midianites discover and seize even the small amount that could be threshed that way.”
- (24) “Peace” (NIV) = “Shalom”
- (31) “Joash’s logic is irrefutable: a god who can’t save himself is not worth worshiping.”
- (33) “Jezreel is the eastern part of the plain of Megiddo, an historic battleground in the heart of Palestine.”
- (39) “Gideon evidently realized that the previous sign may not have been a sign at all, since the ground would naturally have dried before the fleece.”
- (7:3) The Mount Gilead that we usually hear about is on the east side of the Jordan, nowhere near where Gideon was. Ryrie suggests that “this may be another one, otherwise unmentioned; or perhaps from should be translated toward.”
- (5) “Evidently the 300 used their hands to bring the water to their mouths while standing upright, just as a dog uses his tongue to bring the water to his mouth. This proved them to be watchful and alert in contrast to those who knelt.”
- (16) The trumpet here would have been a ram’s horn
- (19) The middle watch started about 10p.
- (19) “The smashing of the pitchers not only made noise but allowed the lights to be seen suddenly.”
- (8:1-3) “The Ephraimites complained that they had not been in on the initial rout of the Midianites. Gideon’s soft answer, reminding them that they had captured two Midianite chiefs, calmed them.”
- (5-6) “Succoth was E of the Jordan and N of the Jabbok River. The residents did not wish to take a chance helping Gideon until they were certain that he had captured the Midianite chiefs.”
- (8) “Penuel was 4 mi E of Succoth.
- (11) “the Midianite army thought they were safe from an attack from Gideon.”
- (16) To be clear, “Gideon had the leaders of Succoth dragged over thorns, which probably resulted in their deaths.” Thus, the one thing that they feared the Midianites would do if Gideon and co. failed, Gideon and co. did to them when they succeeded.
- (20) “For Jether to have performed the execution would have been an honor for the boy and greater humiliation for those to be slain.”
- (23) “Gideon declined rule and dynasty, affirming rather the kingship of Yahweh.”
- (26) 1700 shekels of gold >= 42.5 lbs of gold
- (30) Having many wives was “proof of Gideon’s prosperity”
Reflecting God
- (6:1-9:57) “The Gideon and Abimelech narratives are a literary unit and, by their portrayal of ambivalence, constitute a critical transition in the account of the judes. They are bracketed on one side by the triumphant stories of Ehud (from Benjamin) and Deborah (from Ephraim, a son of Joseph; west of the Jordan) and on the other by the tragic stories of Jephthah (from Manasseh, the other son of Joseph; east of the Jordan) and Samson (from Dan). In this transitional narrative, the crucial issues of the period of the judges are emphasized: the worship of Baal, and the Lord’s rule over his covenant people Israel.”
- (6:1) “Since they were apparently not numerous enough to wage war against the Israelites alone, [the Midianites] often formed coalitions with surrounding peoples - as with the Moabites (Nu 22:4-6; 25:6-18), the Amalekites and other tribes from the east (v 3). Their defeat was an event long remembered in Hebrew history.”
- (3) “Normally [the Amalekites] were a people of the Negev, but they are in coalition here with the Midianites and other eastern epoples, who were nomads from the desert east of Moab and Ammon.”
- (5) “swarms of locusts” provides “a vivid picture of the marauders who swarmed across the land, leaving it stripped bare.”
- (5) This is the first OT reference to camels used in warfare.
- (7) “The Israelites’ cries of distress occurred in each recurring cycle of the judges except the final one, the story of Samson.”
- (8) “Rather than immediately summoning a deliverer, God sent an unnamed prophet who rebuked Israel for forgetting that the Lord had saved them from Egyptian bondage and had given them the land.”
- (10) “Amorites” is probably used here as a blanket for “all the inhabitants of Canaan.”
- (11) “The Abiezrites were from the tribe of Manasseh.”
- (12) “Apparently Gideon belonged to the upper class, perhaps a ind of aristocracy, in spite of his disclaimer.”
- (14) “Apparently this appearance of the ‘angel of the Lord’ was a theophany (a manifestation of God).”
- (15) “The Lord usually calls the lowly rather than the mighty to act for him.”
- (25) “Gideon’s first task as the Lord’s warrior was to tear down an altar to Baal, as Israel had been commanded to do.”
- (30) “The Israelites were so apostate that they were willing to kill one of their own people for the cause of Baal.” This stood in stark contrast to Dt 13:6-10, where God told Moses that idolaters were the ones to be stoned.
- (34) The prhase rendered by the NIV as “the Spriit of the Lord came upon” is literally “Spirit... clothed himself with” “This vivid figure, used only three times, emphasizes that the Spirit of the Lord empowered the human agent and acted through him.”
- (35) Manasseh here refers to the half of the tribe that settled west of the Jordan.
- (35) Asher had failed to respond to Deborah and Barak in 5:17
- (7:1-8) “As supreme commander of Israel, the Lord reduced the army so that Israel would know that the victory was by his power, not theirs.”
- (1) “Harod means ‘trembling’ and may refer to either the timidity of the Israelites or the great panic of the Midianites when Gideon attacked. The Hebrew verb form is translated ‘routing’ in 8:12.”
- (1) The hill of Moreh was “across the Valley of Jezreel, approx. four miles from the Israelite army.”
- (3) “Those were were afraid to fight the Lord’s battle were not to go out with his army so that they would not demoralize the others.”
- (6) “The 300 remained on their feet, prepared for any emergency.”
- (8-14) “The Lord provided Gideon with encouraging intelligence information for the battle.”
- (13) “Sicne barley was considered an inferior grain and only one-half the value of wheat, [the round loaf of barley bread] is a fitting symbol for Israel, which was inferior in numbers.”
- (16) Dividing into three companies was a common strategy for Israel.
- (19) “The ‘beginning fo the middle watch’ would be after the enemy had gone to sleep.”
- (22) “Normally only a comparatively small number of men in an army carried trumpets.”
- (23) “Encouraged by the turn of events, many of those who had departed now joined the battle.”
- (24) “Gideon needed the aid of the Ephraimites to cut off the retreat of the Midianites into the Jordan Valley” by capturing and controlling the crossings near Beth Shan so that they could cut off the Midianites’ escape.
- (8:1) Gideon placates Ephraim rather than humiliate them as Jephthah would in Judges 12:1-6
- (2) “Here Gideon implies that Ephraim has accomplished more than he and all the other forces involved in the initial attack.”
- (3) As Proverbs 15:1 says, Gideon’s gentle response turned away the Ephraimites’ wrath.
- (8:23) “Gideon, like Samuel, refused hereditary rule because he regarded it as a rejection fot he Lord’s rule. God’s rule over Israel (theocracy) is a central issue in Judges.”
- (8:28) 40 years = 1 generation
- (30) If 7 sons (e.g., Job) was a sign of great favor and prosperity, 70 sons was 10x!
Archaeological
- (6:1-8:35) “The third great judge was Gideon. He was from the village of Ophran, the location of which is uncertain. It was located somewhere west of the Jordean, probably in the region between Beth Shan and Tabor.”
- (6:1-8:35) “The oppressing Midianites, desert Bedouin from the Transjordan, had crossed the Jordan and were raiding in Palestine proper. Gideon’s ruse, carried out by a mere 300 companions, frightened the disorganized Bedouin from the Valley of Jezreel into full retreat across the Jordan. Gideon promptly called the Ephraimites to take the fords and thereby destroyed the Midianites.”
- (6:1-8:35) “Gideon appears to have established some form of regular rule over at least the region fo the Jezreel Valley during his lifetime. His importance can be gauged by his rather large domestic establishment (8:30). Adhering to the ancient ideal of charismatic leadership, he rejected the idea of setting up a dynasty.”
- (6:11) “Rather than threshing wheat in the usual, exposed area, Gideon felt more secure threshing in the better protected by very confining space of a winepress.”
- (6:25) “The chosen symbol of the fertility cult of Asherah was the trunk of a tree. This explains the prohibition against the planting of trees near the altar of the Lord.”
- (7:19) “Watches of the night were the divisions into which the 12 hours of darkness were divided. The Israelites had a threefold division, while the later Romans had four watches.”
- (8:21) “These ‘ornaments’ were crescent necklaces that were probably moon-shaped, implying veneration of the popular moon god.”
ESV Study Bible
- “The body of the book of Judges includes the stories of 12 judges raised up to deliver Israel from successive crises and to “judge” Israel. Their primary function was military in nature.”
- “The recurring pattern unfolds in a downward spiral: the first judge, Othniel, was raised up by God and empowered by God's Spirit (3:9–10), whereas the next-to-last major judge, Jephthah, made a foolish vow and offered his own daughter as a “sacrifice” (whether literally or figuratively; see 11:30–40, and note on 11:39), and the last judge, Samson, was anything but a paragon of virtue (chs. 14–16).”
- (6:1-10) “The familiar pattern of apostasy is resumed here (vv. 1–6). When Israel cried out for deliverance (v. 6), God sent a prophet, not a judge, who condemned Israel (vv. 7–10). God would not be confined to a mechanical “box,” responding to any and all Israelite appeals regardless of circumstances.”
- (6:5) “Locusts devastated land, ate crops, and darkened the skies as they were blown in by the wind”
- (6:8) “The message of the unnamed prophet represents the first time God rebuked the people when they called upon him. The prophet reminded the Israelites of God's faithfulness and their own apostasy.”
- (11) “Grapes were normally trodden in a winepress, a square or circular pit carved into rock (cf. Isa. 16:10; Jer. 48:33), whereas wheat was usually threshed on open threshing floors, where the wind could carry away the chaff in the winnowing process (2 Sam. 24:18). Gideon's secret threshing inside a winepress—when he already had access to a true threshing floor (cf. Judg. 6:37)—shows the desperate straits because of Midianite oppression.”
- (25) “There is some debate as to whether Judg. 6:25 refers to one bull or two. The word translated “and” may also be translated “namely,” such that the Lord is not indicating a second animal but specifying more clearly to Gideon which bull should be used to tear down the altar and then be sacrificed. Either way, Gideon is instructed to use a bull to topple the altar of Baal, whose symbol was the bull. The need to make such an instruction explicit again shows Gideon's reluctance and slow response (cf. v. 17).”
- (36-40) “Before the actual military engagement, Gideon again displays his reluctance to be a leader, for he asks for confirmatory signs from God (cf. v. 17). On the one hand, Gideon's fears are understandable: the task he is preparing to do is difficult and dangerous. On the other hand, the angel's appearance and promise (vv. 11–24) already included a confirmatory miracle (v. 21), and Gideon had already begun to obey (vv. 25–27) and to see God's protection (v. 31). In any event, God stoops to Gideon's level and grants the signs requested.”
- (39) “ Gideon's desire to test God was in direct violation of the Mosaic law, which prohibited humans from testing God (Deut. 6:16). Gideon himself was aware that he was doing something unwise, if not sinful, since he asked God not to be angry with him (Judg. 6:39). Gideon already knew God's will (cf. vv. 14–16, 36)—calling him to service on behalf of God's people—so Gideon's requests reveal his weak faith. Despite this lack of faith, God accommodated both of Gideon's requests (vv. 38, 40).”
- (7:1-8:3) “God clearly delivered Israel in Gideon's first military encounter (see map). The account of Gideon's force reduction from 32,000 to 300 men (7:1–8) emphasizes that God wanted the glory for himself (esp. 7:2, 7).”
- (7:2) “God made it clear from the very beginning that the glory for this victory was to be all his. This makes all the more absurd the Israelites' request after the battle that Gideon rule over them because he had supposedly delivered them from the Midianites (cf. 8:22).”
- (3) “The Mosaic laws allowed military exemptions for several classes of people, including those who were fearful (Deut. 20:5–8) since they might cause others also to fear.”
- (4-5) “The second test for reducing Gideon's forces involved a strange ritual: taking into account how men drank water from a brook. Neither way of drinking is singled out as the “right” way, so this may be simply a means of trimming down the number of men rather than a critique of either form of drinking.”
- (15) The word “worshiped” implies prostrating before the Lord. Gideon prostrated himself, putting Himself completely on the mercy and power of God for protection in the midst of the Midianite camp and finally trusting Him completely for the battle to come.
- (20) Considering the Israelites’ battle cry, it’s ironic that their weapons actually excluded swords. Torches, trumpets, and jars are hardly conventional weapons!
- (7:10) Notice that God says “IF YOU ARE AFRAID, go down...” And Gideon went. Heroes are not immune to fear, and courage does not exclude it.
- Apparently, the “impossible to count” of 6:5 = 135K in 8:10. This stood in stark contrast to the TOTAL 32K that Gideon rallied in 7:1-3, and even more so to the 300 that he actually used to launch the attack.
- Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
- Barker, Kenneth, ed. Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.
- The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008.
- Archaeological Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 2005.