Oppression and Confrontation
6:1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord turned them over to Midian for seven years.
The cycle began again. Israel began to do evil by worshipping false gods. God raised up the Midianites to spank Israel.
The Midianites were descendants of Abraham and Keturah. They sold Joseph to Egypt as a slave. Moses defeated them on the way to the Promised Land. However, two centuries later, the Midianites renewed their strength and attacked Israel.
One branch of the Midianites was the Kenites. Moses lived with them for forty years after leaving Egypt. He married Zipporah. His father-in-law was Jethro. The Kenites journeyed with Israel into the Promised Land. However, the other clans of the Midianites were not pro-Israel. They oppressed Israel for seven years.
6:2 The Midianites overwhelmed Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds.
The Midianites were nomadic. They were not interested in conquering and dwelling in cities. They wanted Israel to do all of the hard work of growing the crops and raising the livestock. Then, the Midianites would come in with superior forces and plunder Israel. Therefore, to keep from becoming plundered, Israel moved to the hills and hid themselves, their possessions, their livestock, and their crops in caves.
6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them.
The Amalekites most likely descended from the Ammonites or Canaanites, but this is not certain. During the Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the stragglers of Israel. God called for their extermination. They would not be completely exterminated until the time of King Saul.
The people of the east were the nomadic Bedouin raiders. They used camels on their attacks. Camels were superior to donkeys, because they could make long waterless journeys across the deserts.
These three tribes joined together and attacked Israel.
6:4 They invaded the land and devoured its crops all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, and they took away the sheep, oxen, and donkeys.
These three tribes ravaged the land of Israel like locusts. Their strategy was to destroy the land, leaving Israel with no natural resources.
6:5 When they invaded with their cattle and tents, they were as thick as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. They came to devour the land.
Israel was in a very vulnerable position.
6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
The cycle continued. After seven years of prayers to false gods with no response, Israel finally cried out to Jehovah.
6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 6:8 he sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and took you out of that place of slavery.
God sent an unnamed prophet to Israel. This unnamed prophet reminded Israel that Jehovah was the one who brought their ancestors out of slavery.
6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you.
God drove out the Canaanites and gave their land to Israel.
6:10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’”
Since God had done so much for Israel, then Israel could at least worship the one who had blessed them.
Gideon Meets Some Visitors
6:11 The Lord’s angelic messenger came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites.
The Angel of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ. He came down to earth and sat down at an oak tree in Ophrah. There were two cities called Ophrah in Israel. There was an Ophrah city in Benjamin and an Ophrah city in Manasseh. The Abiezrite family tribe was from Manasseh. Since the oak tree was owned by Joash the Abiezrite, then this oak tree was in Manasseh.
Gideon was the son of Joash. He was threshing wheat in a winepress. Wheat was usually threshed on the top of a hill so that the wheat could be thrown into the air. The chaff would fly away, but the wheat would fall to the bottom of the hill.
A winepress was usually in a hole in the ground. Farmers would squash the grapes with their feet to make wine.
Gideon was using the winepress instead of the hill, because he did not want his wheat to be plundered by the Midianites. The winepress was a better hiding place.
6:12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!”
The Angel of Jehovah has a sense of humor. As Gideon was hiding from the Midianites, the Angel of the Lord called Gideon a “courageous warrior." This statement does not look true at the time, but prophetically, it was true. Gideon would became a courageous warrior.
6:13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
Gideon did not yet recognize his visitor. He asked “where are the miracles? Why had God cast us out and delivered us to the Midianites?” Gideon was blaming God for Israel’s predicament.
6:14 Then the Lord himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?”
The Angel of the Lord was now called “Jehovah,” meaning that He was a theophany. Jehovah told Gideon, “You are right, but have I not given you the power to deliver them? Am I not sending you to perform this task?”
6:15 Gideon said to him, “But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”
Gideon called the Angel of the Lord “Adonai," meaning that Gideon now recognized the Angel of the Lord as Jehovah Himself. Gideon complained to Jehovah that he was too weak to deliver Israel. This was a true statement. Gideon could not deliver Israel without the help of God.
6:16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”
Jehovah informed Gideon that God would be with him. Gideon would be able to strike down the entire army.
6:17 Gideon said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me.
Gideon asked for a sign.
6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”
Gideon wished to give an offering to Jehovah.
6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him.
Gideon offered a large sacrifice, especially since resources were so scarce.
6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.
The Angel of Jehovah asked Gideon to place the offering on the rock.
6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared.
The Angel of Jehovah accepted the offering and disappeared.
6:22 When Gideon realized that it was the Lord’s messenger, he said, “Oh no! Master, Lord! I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!”
Gideon thought that he would die, because he saw God face-to-face. However, he actually saw the face of the theophany, not the actual face of God.
6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!”
Gideon was immortal until he fulfilled the commission that he was given.
6:24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
The altar was named Jehovah Shalom, meaning “Jehovah is peace."
Gideon Destroys the Altar
6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.
Gideon’s father was worshiping Baal. Before Gideon could be used of God, he must get rid of the idolatry in his own house. The bull was the sacred animal of Baalism.
6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.”
Asherah was the female consort of Baal. The Asherah pole was an idol of an erect male penis. It was very similar to the totem poles of Indians. Gideon was commanded to build an altar to Jehovah on the top of the altars that he was to tear down.
6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.
Gideon obeyed God, but he executed God’s command at night. He feared his family and community. Gideon did not yet possess the courage that the Angel of Jehovah predicted for him.
6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar.
The tearing down of the idols would be a great surprise to the community, but it would also cause anger.
6:29 They said to one another, “Who did this?” They investigated the matter thoroughly and concluded that Gideon son of Joash had done it.
A secret known to ten men does not stay a secret very long.
6:30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.”
The Jews had been completely Canaanized. The leaders wanted to execute Gideon for tearing down Canaanite idols. This reaction was the very opposite of the Mosaic Law, which stated that those who worshiped idols were to be executed.
6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, “Must you fight Baal’s battles? Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning! If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”
If Baal was really a god, then he needed no human to defend himself. Joash was won over by his son’s actions.
6:32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
Joash gave his son Gideon a new name. His new name was Jerub-Baal, meaning “Let Baal fight”. This new name challenged Baalism. If Baal was a real god, then let him prove it by fighting for himself. If the Jewish leaders attempted to execute Gideon, then they would be proving that Baal possessed no power to defend himself. Baal was being mocked. His followers were being mocked. Could Baal defend himself from this insult?
Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation
6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east assembled. They crossed the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley.
The Midianites, Amalekites, and the Bedouin tribes of the east joined together to raid and plunder Israel. They crossed the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley. This was the largest and most fertile valley of Israel. Gideon lived at the edge of this valley.
6:34 The Lord’s spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.
The Hebrew word for “took control” was לָבַשׁ (labash), meaning to clothe. The Holy Spirit “clothed” Gideon for the battle. Gideon’s armor was the Holy Spirit. He could not be killed in this battle.
Gideon blew the shofar to call the Abiezrites to battle. The shofar was the ram’s horn. The Abiezrites were Gideon’s own tribe.
6:35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.
Gideon sent messengers to the rest of his own tribe of Manasseh. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. They all answered the call of battle.
6:36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.
Gideon still did not possess the courage which was prophesied to him. He asked for another sign.
6:37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised.”
Normally, the moisture of the fleece would be absorbed into the ground.
6:38 The Lord did as he asked. When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.
The fleece should have been dry, but Gideon squeezed out a bowl full of water. God gave Gideon his sign.
6:39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”
Under natural circumstances, the ground would dry up more quickly than the wool.
6:40 That night God did as he asked. Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.
God is patient with His children. God gave Gideon the sign of his request.
Many Christians still misuse this “fleece test” today in an attempt to find out the will of God. However, this is not a biblical doctrine for finding out the will of God. Gideon already knew the will of God. God verbally told Gideon His will when He visited him through the Angel of the Lord. The purpose of the fleece test was to strengthen the faith of Gideon, not find out God’s will, If a modern Christian wants to find the will of God, then he is to study bible doctrine, confess his sins as found in 1 John 1:9, pray, and then apply what he learns from Scripture. Placing a fleece (or anything else) out to find the will of God is charismatic superstition.