Juízes 6
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Juízes 6
Wiersbe observes that "more space is devoted to Gideon in the Book of Judges (100 verses) than to any other judge (96 verses are devoted to the last judge, Samson. The first four judges were godly people; but from the time of Gideon, the leaders began to decay until you get to Samson, the most unspiritual of them all. Because the nation wanted freedom from the enemy without being dedicated to God, they didn’t deserve godly leaders. Sometimes God gives His people exactly what they deserve.); 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." (See Be Available - Judges: Accepting the Challenge to Confront) Gary Inrig comments on Jdg 6:1-10 - These verses paint a vivid portrait of the condition of Israel in the time of Gideon. Here we have the fourth go-round of the period of the judges, and, once again, it is the distressing cycle of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation, followed by more sin and more servitude. God had given the people a wonderful deliverance through Deborah, and for forty years afterwards Israel had known freedom and peace. Then the people took their eyes off the Lord (Ed: SEE DISCUSSION OF "Vertical Vision") and focused their lustful gaze on the idols and evils of Baal worship (Ed: This equates with "horizontal vision!"), and once again God gave them over to the consequence of their sin—bondage and servitude under a foreign nation. Israel’s problems are, once again, the result of God’s judgment. The invaders come because God sends them. This time God used an alliance of desert peoples, led by the Midianites, a Bedouin people from deep in the Arabian Desert. Midian had discovered a devastating new military weapon—the camel! In the twenty-first century with our sophisticated instruments of death and destruction, it seems ludicrous to speak of camels as advanced military technology. They are unsightly, temperamental, slow animals. But in the late second millennium BC, camels gave the Midianites enormous military advantage. Ugly and large enough to strike anyone with fear, their supreme benefit was in giving the Midianites a mobile, long-range, swift attack capability against the Hebrews, who were entirely dependent on foot soldiers. A camel can travel for three or four days with a heavy load on its back and cover about three hundred miles without food or water. Even more recent times have seen the military value of the camel. The American army started an interesting experiment to use camels in the fight against the Native Americans, but the project was shelved when the Civil War broke out. In World War I, Lawrence of Arabia led his Arab warriors on camel back in a series of devastating attacks on more traditional German forces. With their powerful new weapons, the Midianites developed a unique strategy against Israel. Rather than invading and occupying the land, they simply waited until the Israelites had done all the hard work of preparing the soil, planting the crops, and readying the harvest. Then, as Jdg 6:3-5 reveal, they would move in from the desert, cross the Jordan in huge numbers, and overwhelm the land. Their military and numerical superiority left Israel defenseless; so they would seize every bit of food they could find. Like a plague of locusts (Judges 6:5), they would swoop through the land, stripping it bare of grain, vegetables, fruit, and livestock. Finally, their camels loaded with spoil, they would cross back into the desert and live there until the next harvest time. Perhaps they would leave a small force in the land, but the main host came only during the yearly invasion. This pattern of seasonal invasion was repeated for seven years (Judges 6:1), crushing Israelite morale and ravaging their economy. Israel was left in a desperate situation, reduced to hiding food supplies in mountain dens and caves. But nothing could stop Midian. Israel was defeated and helpless, or, as the writer says, they were brought very low (Jdg 6:6), literally “made small” agriculturally, economically, and socially. (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) Judges 6:2 And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. power - Leviticus 26:17; Deuteronomy 28:47-48 made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves 1Sa 13:6; 14:11; Heb 11:38; Revelation 6:15 Related Passages: Leviticus 26:17+ ‘I will set My face against you so that you will be struck down before your enemies; and those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one is pursuing you (GOOD DESCRIPTION OF THE FEAR THAT GRIPPED ISRAEL DURING THIS TIME). Deuteronomy 28:47-48+ “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. And the power of Midian prevailed ('azaz) against Israel - Power is literally "hand" (yad) which is a figure of speech that is frequently used to signify strength. Prevailed ('azaz) means to be overpowered, oppressed, conquered. The irony is this same verb 'azaz was used to describe Othniel when the Spirit of the LORD came upon him and "he prevailed ('azaz) over Cushan-rishathaim." (Jdg 3:10+). THOUGHT - O, the dire consequences of willful disobedience! God may you so move in each of our hearts that we do not quench or grieve the Spirit by choosing to practice evil and the spiritual forces of darkness be allowed to prevail over us. Do it for Thy glory and in the Name of Jesus. Amen. Charles Spurgeon declared a principle we would all do well to hear and heed “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” (Ro 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” (Mt 3:17; 12:18; 17:5). Wiersbe - Chastening is evidence of God’s hatred for sin and His love for His people (Heb 12:5-11+). 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.(See The Wiersbe Bible Commentary) Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. Hiding in dens and caves...what a contrast for the chosen people who God said would "ride on the high places of the earth" (Deut 32:13+)! Note the repetition of places of refuge (dens...mountains...caves...strongholds) which emphasizes the depth of their fearful state. They ran to hide in the rocks instead of hiding in the the Everlasting Rock of ages, the Rock of their salvation. Moses foresaw this when he wrote of Israel "Jeshurun grew fat and kicked– You are grown fat, thick, and sleek– Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned (despised, rejected, fell away from) the Rock of his salvation...you neglected the Rock Who begot you and forgot the God Who gave you birth!" (Dt 32:15, 18+ cf Rock in Dt 32:4+, Dt 32:30, 31, 37+!) THOUGHT - Beloved, have you disobeyed God and as a result are hiding in a "den" or "cave" because you are experiencing the attacks of the "Midianites"? Then you need to study the life of Gideon, a most unlikely Biblical hero. God's Spirit transformed Gideon's fearful, faltering faith and He can do the same for you beloved. Run to the Rock of your salvation! Harper's Bible dictionary caves writes that "Natural caves are abundant in Syro-Palestine due to the presence of chalk, limestone, and sandstone formations in the hills and mountains. Because of the soft qualities of these materials, man-made tombs and caves are also abundant. Not only are the caves in this region abundant, but they are frequently massive in size (picture of cave in Israel). One cave complex near Damascus in modern Syria was capable of holding four thousand men, according to Strabo, a Greek geographer who wrote in the late first century B.C. That complex of caves is still visible today. Palestine also had large caves as indicated by the fact that David could conceal four hundred men in the cave of Adullam (1 Sa. 22:1, 2)." (ED: Here is a picture of a cave in the Judean Hills which is about the size of a football field - It could have concealed 400 men!) Power (03027) yad is feminine noun meaning hand and figuratively meaning strength. In several passages, yād is used in the sense of "power" or "rule": "And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates" (1 Chron. 18:3). "To be delivered into one's hands" means to be "given into one's power": "God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars" (1 Sa 23:7; cf. Pr 18:21). Prevailed (05810)('azaz) means to be strong, to strengthen, to prevail. It depicts being victorious, prevailing, being victorious in battle (Jdg. 3:10; 6:2; Da 11:12) or in various settings. It describes people triumphing instead of God (Ps. 9:19). Gilbrant - The verb ʿāzaz can be used of both God and man. When used of man, it usually has the idea of "prevailing" in a war or other struggle (Judg. 3:10; 6:2; Dan. 11:12). It is also used in a prayer that men who rely on their wealth rather than God might not prevail, but that God will rise in defense of his people (Ps. 9:19). The defiant man strengthens himself in his wickedness and his wealth rather than finding it in God (Ps. 52:7). Still, wisdom "strengthens" man more than great human "strength" (Ecc. 7:19). When used of God, ʿāzaz is usually found in a petition for Him to show his strength, which He inherently possesses (Ps. 89:13), and to show himself strong against the enemies of his people (Ps. 68:28). The strength of God was also demonstrated at the creation when He established the fountains of the deep by restraining them (Prov. 8:28). The two occurrences of ʿāzaz in the Hiphil stem both speak of having an "impudent" look or "insolent" expression. It is used of the impudent look of the immoral woman (Prov. 7:13) and the hardened face or impudent look of the wicked man (Prov. 21:29). (Complete Biblical Library) 'Azaz - 11x in 11v became fixed(1), brazen(1), displays a bold(1), mighty(1), prevail(2), prevailed(1), prevailed*(1), show yourself strong(1), strengthens(1), strong(1). - Jdg. 3:10; Jdg. 6:2; Ps. 9:19; Ps. 52:7; Ps. 68:28; Ps. 89:13; Prov. 7:13; Prov. 8:28; Prov. 21:29; Eccl. 7:19; Dan. 11:12 Judges 6:3 For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them. when Israel - Leviticus 26:16; Dt 28:30, 31, 32, 33,51; Job 31:8; Isaiah 65:21,22; Micah 6:15 Amalekites - Jdg 3:13 the sons of the east - Jdg 6:33 7:12 8:10 Ge 29:1 1Ki 4:30 Job 1:3 For - A sad term of explanation. Sow seeds of sin and reap rotten consequences of disobedience! It was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them - 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 (camels can run up to 40 mph in bursts so "swoop" is not an exaggeration) and take your produce away from you by force. This goes on year after year for 7 years, 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. WHO WERE THE MIDIANITES (see also Wikipedia)? - Midianites were descended from MIDIAN and were "half-brothers" with the Hebrews as MIDIAN was one of the several children born to Abraham and Keturah, who had been sent away to the east so that Isaac might be Abraham’s uncontested heir (Ge 25:1-6). Joseph was later sold into Egypt by Midianite merchants (Ge 37:23-28). Moses fled to the land of Midian where he lived for 40 yr and where he married Zipporah, a Kenite princess, daughter of Jethro, priest of Midian (Ex 2:15-22). The Midianites provided opposition (aided by Balaam who became a tool in their hands to curse Israel) to the Israelites as they journeyed toward the Promised Land, being found in league with the Moabites (Nu 22-25 - especially Nu 25:1-2+) and the Amorites (Josh 13:21+). Known primarily as prosperous traders, the various groups of Midianites tended to merge with the Ishmaelites (cf. Ge 37:25, 26, 27, 28; Jdg 8:24+). Later, Balaam became a tool in the hands of the Midianites to curse Israel (Nu 22-24). The AMALEKITES occupied the region just S of Judah. So this oppression was not continual occupation (like the preceding one of the Canaanites) but a seasonal invasion at harvest time. (See related discussion - Amalekites = exposition of Exodus 17:8-16) Sons of the east (9x - Ge 29:1; Jdg. 6:3, 33, 7:12, 8:10; 1Ki 4:30; Isa 11:14; Ezek 25:4,10) - This is a general term for the nomads of the Syrian desert, possibly including some Ammonites and Edomites. QUESTION - Who were the Midianites? ANSWER - Abraham had more sons than just Isaac (by Sarah) and Ishmael (by Hagar). He also had six sons by Keturah, his wife after the death of Sarah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Genesis 25:2). The Midianites were the descendants of Midian and therefore children of Abraham. They settled in “the land of the east” (Genesis 25:6). Most scholars believe the land of Midian was officially on both sides of the Gulf of Aqaba, although the Midianites showed nomadic tendencies later in their history (see Habakkuk 3:7ESV). When Moses fled the wrath of Pharaoh, he traveled to Midian (Exodus 2:15). There, Moses met and married his wife, Zipporah, and served his father-in-law, Jethro, as a shepherd for forty years. The fact that Jethro was “a priest of Midian” (Exodus 2:16) indicates that the Midianites, at least during Moses’ time, still retained the knowledge of the God of their father Abraham (cf. Jethro’s words and actions in Exodus 18). At the end of Moses’ time in Midian, God appeared to Moses—still in Midian—and commissioned him to lead the Israelites out of slavery (Exodus 3—4). As the children of Israel traveled through the wilderness, they employed the services of a guide familiar with the desert—Moses’ Midianite brother-in-law, Hobab (Numbers 10:29). However, the relations between the Israelites and the Midianites began to sour when the Midianites joined forces with the Moabites in order to hire Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22). Later, when Israel fell into idolatry and sexual sin with the Moabite women (Numbers 25), we find that a prominent Midianite woman was also involved (Numbers 25:6). The Lord then told Moses to wage war against the Midianites: “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them. They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader” (Numbers 25:17–19). The Israelites did eventually attack the Midianites, meting out divine retribution against their enemies (Numbers 31). Five kings of the Midianites were killed, as was Balaam (Numbers 31:8). This battle was one of the last things Moses accomplished as leader of the Israelites. During the time of the judges, “the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country” and plundered the land (Judges 6:3). For seven years, “Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help” (verse 6). God answered their cries and raised up Gideon as a deliverer. With just 300 men, Gideon defeated the armies of the Midianites, although the foe was “thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore” (Judges 7:12). Of course, God was involved, and He was the One who granted the victory over the Midianites (verse 22). Later references to the Midianites include allusions to God’s victory over them (Psalm 83:9; Isaiah 10:26). And, in a prophecy of Israel’s future glory in the Messianic kingdom, Isaiah writes, “Herds of camels will cover your land, / young camels of Midian and Ephah. / And all from Sheba will come, / bearing gold and incense / and proclaiming the praise of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6).GotQuestions.org Judges 6:4 So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. destroy the produce of the earth Leviticus 26:16; Deuteronomy 28:30,33,51; Micah 6:15 as far as Gaza Genesis 10:19; 13:10 leave no sustenance in Israel Pr 28:3; Jer 49:9,10; Obadiah 1:5 ISRAEL RAVAGED EAST TO WEST So they would camp against them and destroy (shachath) the produce of the earth as far as Gaza (means "strong"), and leave (sha'ar/sa'ar) no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. Since Gaza is on the seacoast in SW Israel (see map) this fact shows that these Midianite raiders ravaged virtually the entire land of Israel from east to west. Related Resource: Judges 6:4-22: One War Over and Another Begun - C H Spurgeon Judges 6:5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it. tents - Song 1:5; Isaiah 13:20; locusts - Jdg 7:12; 8:10; Jer 46:23 camels - Jdg 8:21; 1Sa 30:17; Isaiah 60:6; Jer 49:29,32 to devastate it - Psalm 83:4-12 Related Passages: Judges 7:12+ Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Acridium peregrinum LIKE LOCUSTS RIDING CAMELS! For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number - As explained more below, this is a profound picture of the "pestilence" wrought by the invading Midianites, because locust invasions were greatly feared in the Middle East because of their devastating impact on the land. Like locusts = SIMILE = figure of speech comparing two unlike things & often introduced by like or as. Contrast with METAPHOR = figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object (eg, "food" in Jn 4:34) or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. Desert locusts are phenomenal travelers. They are able to fly for 17 hours at a time and have been known to travel 1500 miles. The sound of their wings is compared to the sound of chariots (Joel 2:5+; Rev 9:9+). A swarm has been known to cover a hundred square miles and to be so dense as to blot out the sun, A truly large swarm may contain ten billion locusts. Easton's Bible dictionary on Locusts - "The devastations they make in Eastern lands are often very appalling. The invasions of locusts are the heaviest calamites that can befall a country. “Their numbers exceed computation: the and the Arabs knew them as ‘the darkeners of the sun.’ Unable to guide their own flight, though capable of crossing large spaces, they are at the mercy of the wind, which bears them as blind instruments of Providence to Easton's Bible dictionary. the doomed region given over to them for the time. Innumerable as the drops of water or the sands of the seashore, their flight obscures the sun and casts a thick shadow on the earth (Ex. 10:15; Jdg. 6:5; Jdg 7:12-note; Jer. 46:23; Joel 2:10). It seems indeed as if a great aerial mountain, many miles in breadth, were advancing with a slow, unresting progress. Woe to the countries beneath them if the wind fall and let them alight! They descend unnumbered as flakes of snow and hide the ground. It may be ‘like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them is a desolate wilderness. At their approach the people are in anguish; all faces lose their colour’ (Joel 2:6). No walls can stop them; no ditches arrest them; fires kindled in their path are forthwith extinguished by the myriads of their dead, and the countless armies march on (Joel 2:8, 9). If a door or a window be open, they enter and destroy everything of wood in the house. Every terrace, court, and inner chamber is filled with them in a moment. Such an awful visitation swept over Egypt (Ex. 10:1-19), consuming before it every green thing, and stripping the trees, till the land was bared of all signs of vegetation. A strong north-west wind from the Mediterranean swept the locusts into the Red Sea.” Both they and their camels were innumerable and they came into the land to devastate (shachath) it - Camels were a major factor in their success, being able to travel for 3-4 days, at about 100 mi/day without food or water, carrying heavy loads which made them a formidable long-range military threat. In a sense camels were the Midianite version of Sisera's iron chariots, both providing a military advantage. This is the first reference to an organized raid using camels (cf. Ge 24:10,11). Devastate it or like "locusts" to devour it! HISTORICAL NOTE - The American army started an interesting experiment to use camels in its fight against the Indians but shelved the project when the Civil War broke out. So here were the Israeli forces, dependent totally on foot soldiers, and in come marauding bands of Midianites on creatures who by their ugly appearance alone would strike terror in the hearts of those who saw them coming. Joseph Parker applies this text commenting on God's use of natural means to discipline us "God gets at men through various means. The Midianites came out and spoiled the fields of the Israelites. The camels of the Midianites were without number; they entered the land to destroy it. Wheresoever they laid their hand they crushed the hope of Israel. Has God a way into our life, then, through corn and grass? Has He a way to chastise us through the medium of our business? Can He turn a client away and send a customer in another direction, and blind a man whilst he is counting his money? and can He so arrange things that prosperity shall crumble into adversity and a dense darkness shall settle upon the brightness of prosperity? This is God’s way of doing. He gets at men through their skin; He smites them with leprosy that they may learn to pray; He curses their bread that they may cry out about the better life; He drops poison into their water that they may learn that they have committed two evils — they have forsaken Him, the fountain of living water, and have hewn out unto themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. These things should bring us to study, to reflection, to inquiry. “Why has this adversity come upon me? why do men actually pine and die? Is there not a cause?” (Divine Punishment Through Natural Means) Judges 6:6 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD. brought very low - Ps 106:43; Jeremiah 5:17; Malachi 1:4; cried to the LORD Jdg 3:9,15 Ps 50:15 78:34 106:44 Isa 26:16 Ho 5:15 So Israel was brought very low - They were brought very low, literally means “made small” agriculturally, economically, and socially. See same word "hang down" in Pr 26:7 for picture of this low state. In the Septuagint the verb ptocheuo means literally to lead the life of a beggar, be destitute, poor and helpless, the picture of of one crouching like a beggar because of their poverty. Interesting that ptocheuo (related word ptochos) is used only once in the NT of Jesus' poverty for us (figuratively, of Christ's earthly humility and lowly life)! (2 Cor 8:9+). How sad that Israel was brought so LOW, when God had delivered them from bondage in Egypt and brought them UP (Jdg 6:8). THOUGHT - What a commentary...our efforts and self will usually end up taking us "DOWN" whereas God's will and work takes us "UP". Lord, open our eyes to see this simple truth. Amen. because of Midian - literally "the face of" Midian. One gets a picture of the sinful Israel having to stare face to face with the consequences of their sin! Woe! Israel’s backsliding resulted in poverty and fear or lack of peace exactly what God had predicted in (Lev 26:1-6). God's promises are true, both of blessing & cursing (Heb 4:12+). Those whom Israel had once conquered (Midian defeated in Nu 31 just before Moses died & Joshua led them into the promised land of milk & honey -- instead of enjoying the riches of the physical & spiritual life that God had intended for His children, Israel was reduced as the Septuagint pictures it to lead the life of a beggar - are you living like a beggar even though you are a child of the King, a son of the living God? (Ro 8:16+) were now her masters. When believers turn from the Lord to the flesh, old habits enslave and impoverish us as well and we will be fearful. And the sons of Israel cried (za'aq; lxx - krazo) to the LORD - This cry does not seem to have been an indication of repentance (but more of remorse) 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 (Jdg 6:7-10). Gary Inrig notes that "the burden became too great and they “cried out to the Lord,” but once again it was a cry that lacked repentance. As we shall see, Baal worship abounded in the land (THOUGHT - In other words they are crying out for relief, and yet unwilling to repent of their idolatry! How do you think God responds to such hypocrisy? Do we ever do this? We cry "Relieve me God" but refuse to release the idols from our grip?). Until now, every time God’s people had called to Him, He had sent a judge, a deliverer, to change their condition. Not this time. God sent a prophet because His people needed repentance more than they needed relief. His message is one of condemnation, not comfort; of judgment, not encouragement. This unnamed prophet is the only prophet to be directly mentioned in the book of Judges, with the exception of Deborah. (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) Brought low (01809) (dalal) root connotes lowness as a state or a goal. Used as a metaphor to describe the (Low) state of deprivation which in its extremity issues in a cry to God and thus indicates one in physical and/or mental distress and languishing as in Jdg 6:6. Literally lame legs hanging down (Pr 26:7) or a streams of Egypt will dry up, dwindle or diminish (Isa 19:6). Gilbrant - The verb dālal, meaning "to be" or "become small, low," occurs eight times in the OT. TDOT identifies at least two dll Semitic roots, distinguishing between, "to be low," "to allow to hang, dangle." Old Testament usage, however, draws no sharp distinctions between these two senses. The term can also mean "to hang" (Job 28:14). The verb also comes to denote "humility" or "lowness," in terms of both individual (Ps. 142:6; 116:6) and national (Judg. 6:6; Ps. 79:8) oppression and its consequences. Job 28:14 depicts miners who sink a shaft: "they hang and swing to and fro far from men." Apparently the description refers to men suspended on ropes within an open vertical shaft. In Psalm 142:6, the psalmist acknowledged that because of those pursuing him, he was "brought very low." Similarly, in Ps. 116:6, the writer "was brought low" only to be saved by a gracious, compassionate God. Individual distress is also evident in the case of Hezekiah who, in his illness, acknowledged that his eyes "were cast down" even though, paradoxically, he looks "to the heights" (Isa. 38:14). Nations likewise experience this oppression, as is the case with Israel in the Judges period. According to Judges 6:6, the nation was "brought very low" at the hands of the Midianites. The Northern Kingdom, referred to as Jacob, would experience the same "lowness" as Aram (Damascus) in suffering a shameful defeat, Yahweh warned in Isa. 17:4. The canals of Egypt will "be brought low" (Isa. 19:6), as even the Nile dries up in the nation's judgment, Isaiah prophesied in the context of Jerusalem's destruction, the people plead for God's forgiveness and compassion, for "we are brought very low" (Ps. 79:8). (Complete Biblical Library) Uses of dalal - Jdg. 6:6; Job 28:4; Ps. 79:8; Ps. 116:6; Ps. 142:6; Pr 26:7 (KJV), Isa. 17:4; Isa. 19:6; Isa. 38:14 Judges 6:7 Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian SONS OF ISRAEL CRY OUT TO JEHOVAH Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried (za'aq) to the LORD on account of Midian - Notice that they are not crying out to God "on account of" their sin and nor are they crying out for God to grant them repentance. And yet does God refuse their request? What does this say about God that applies to all of us? (That's a rhetorical question of course but if you do not see it, read Lam 3:22-23). Sons of Israel speaks of the nation. Did they meet together to cry out or did they more likely do so from their individual homes? We cannot know with certainty. Notice the word "when"! One gets the picture that Yahweh was patiently waiting to hear their cry for deliverance! The LXX translates za'aq with krazo which can be used of urgent prayer or supplication. Krazo also means to make a vehement outcry, like when one screams, shriek, or utters loud cries, even without words capable of being understood. Did Israel ask "Lord please deliver us?" We cannot state with certain. They may have been like the people on an airliner that suddenly loses power and begins to plunge to the earth, the passengers screaming and crying out, usually voicing the phrase "O God," "Help God," etc, even when they don't necessary believe in Him or have a personal relationship with Him. Israel's "airline" was "crashing" so they began crying out! When the context does not specifically indicate that the cry was accompanied by a confession of sin, it is best not to assume that repentance took place. All we can safely say is that oppressed Israel cried out to the Lord to intervene. THOUGHT - Affliction makes those cry to God who before would scarcely speak to Him. When you are at the end of yourself cry out for the Deliverer: Even better is to pray incessantly. He will hear you. Say ''I can't Lord but You can!'' Isaiah 57:15 expresses His heart toward the humble and contrite heart. Listen to the chorus "Cry Out." J
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Wiersbe - Gideon started his career as somewhat of a coward (Jdg. 6), then became a conqueror (Jdg 7:1-8:21), and ended his career as a compromiser (Jdg 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. (See Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament) And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him (singular) "The LORD is with you" - Yahweh informs Gideon that he was on his side. While it states He appeared to Gideon, the LORD's true identity is hidden from Gideon in this first interchange. Davis comments on God's promise "Jehovah is with you" writing that "Basically, God has nothing else or more to offer you. You can go through a lot with that promise. It does not answer your questions about details. It only provides the essential. Nothing about when or how or where or why. Only the what, or, better, the Who. “But I will be with you.” And that is enough." (Such a Great Salvation - Focus on the Bible) O valiant warrior (gibbor) - This has to make us chuckle, because here is Gideon laying low in a wine press to avoid detection. However the omniscient LORD saw Gideon for what he would become, not for what he was at present. This recalls God coming to a old childless man named Abram and said I will make you a father of many nations. God came to Cephas and said you will be Peter (Rock). THOUGHT - Our God is an awesome God...while others look at us and see our flaws and failings, God looks at us and sees our possibilities (in Christ). Don't sell yourself short for what God can or will do in and through your life if you are willing to submit to the Refiner's purifying fire and the Master's touch! Remember that God does not save us and use us for what we are but for what by His great mercy and grace we may become. Valiant warrior frequently had a military connotation. In the present context it appears that these name by the Angel of Jehovah anticipated Gideon 's role as a warrior and was intended to inspire confidence. It is possible that the phrase simply identifies Gideon as a prominent citizen in his town which is how it is used of Boaz. In short, God recognizes in Gideon something that Gideon does not see himself. God sees our potential. God sees us for what we can become, as He works in our lives. He is in the business of taking "nobodies" and transforming them by His presence in their lives. He begins with us where we are be it in the winepress or on some mundane job, etc. He knows our weaknesses, our faults, our shortcomings but He does not say "If you get those things out of your life, then I'll be able to use you." He takes our inadequacy and transforms it into His adequacy. God has a way of seeing beyond our fears and frailty. God does not save us and use us for what we are but for what by His grace we may become. Amen. Gideon's story is truly a wonderful example of the truth of [Romans 15:4] = My paraphrase: "Judges, et. al. was written for our instruction that thru the perseverance & the encouragement of the God of Judges & the lives of the characters of Judges we too might have HOPE in the midst of our trying circumstances." (Real Life Version) THOUGHT - God sees the potential in you and says to you as He did to Simon, “You are . . . You shall be” (John 1:42). He knows your weaknesses and will accommodate Himself to your needs so that He might develop your faith. Brensinger applies the truths in this section noting that "Within this wide spectrum of spiritual participants, the opening events of the Gideon narrative speak at least two special words to the weary and fainthearted: God’s Presence During Difficult Moments - “Help! I’m going round the bend!” a tattered minister cried out to God. “Don’t worry,” came the reply, “I’m coming round there with you!” (Horsman: 91). In much the same way, God responds to both Israel and Gideon during the Midianite crisis. On the national level, the hideous oppression meted out by the Midianites might cause the Israelites to hide in caves, but it fails to scare the Lord away. In answer to Israel’s plea for mercy, God draws near. On a more personal level, the Lord similarly demonstrates his continuing presence to Gideon, his chosen but intimidated vessel of deliverance. Rather than leaving him alone, God steps right up beside Gideon during the most difficult and challenging moments of his life. The Lord, in other words, does not abandon his people when circumstances turn sour, even if the turmoil results from their own doing (Ps 46:1). God’s Patience During Weaker Moments - In addition to meeting Gideon’s repeated requests, the Lord later offers unsolicited reassurance. In the same way that Job presents sacrifices “just in case” his children have sinned, so too does God provide an encouraging dream “just in case” Gideon’s doubts and fears linger (Job 1:5; Jdg. 7:10, 11, 13, 14). Rather than insisting that Gideon immediately rise to the desired level of commitment, the Lord nurtures him through his moments of weakness. While not condoning evasiveness or prolonged excuse-making, God deals graciously and patiently with all of the Gideons of the world who genuinely need help and reassurance. “God does not require us to have arrived,” writes Sarah Horsman, “only to be moving in the right direction” (41). Apparently, people in need of assistance are more usable in the long run than those who charge out and insistently go to work on their own. (Judges Believers Church Bible Commentary. Page 87) Gary Inrig "Gideon, at this stage of his life, reminds me of that old story of the man who came to his psychiatrist with a problem. “Doctor, you must help me. Everything’s going wrong. I feel worthless. My friends tell me I have a terrible inferiority complex. Can you help me?” So the psychiatrist told him that he would give him some tests and evaluate them. A week later, the man came back, and the psychiatrist said, “Friend, I have some good news for you and some bad news. The good news is that we have proved you do not have a complex. There is no doubt about that. But the bad news is that you are inferior!” If you had been in Ophrah and met Gideon just before the angel did, you would have found a thoroughly discouraged man. He might have said to you, “You know, I feel completely helpless and hopeless. These Midianites are turning us all into slaves, and there is not a thing we can do about it. The same thing keeps happening over and over again. We’re just stuck.” The only honest response you could have made would have been, “I understand that, Gideon. The reason you feel that way is because you are defeated, discouraged, and helpless.” To realize why Gideon felt that way, we need to understand the bondage of his people." (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) Warrior (mighty)(01368) (gibbor) cp related verb gabar = be strong, accomplish, excel, prevail) is from a root which is commonly associated with warfare and has to do with the strength and vitality of the successful warrior. And thus this adjective means powerful, strong, brave, mighty. Warrior. Hero. Mighty man (cp "mighty [gibbor] men of David" - 2Sa 23:8). Vine writes that "In the context of battle, the word is better understood to refer to the category of warriors. The gibbor is the proven warrior (eg "valiant warriors [gibbor]" Josh 1:14)… The Septuagint gives the following translations: dunatos (“powerful; strong; mighty; able ruler”) and ischuros (see studies of related words - ischus and ischuo) (“strong; mighty; powerful”). See discussion of this word group from TWOT - Gibbor Word Group Gibbor - 4x in Judges - Jdg 5:13, Jdg 5:23, Jdg 6:12, Jdg 11:1 Other uses of "Valiant warrior" Josh 1:14, Josh 8:3, Josh 10:7 Boaz (man of "great wealth) in Ru 2:1+ David in 1 Sa 16:18 ("a mighty man of valor, a warrior") Judges 6.12 G Campbell Morgan The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. Judges 6.12 The story of Gideon is one of the most fascinating in this Book. Forty years' rest followed the work of Deborah. Then the people fell again into evil ways, and for seven years suffered the most cruel oppression at the hands of Midian. They were driven to hide in dens and caves and strongholds. From that terrible situation Gideon was raised up to deliver them. These words were addressed to him by the Angel of Jehovah. They reveal the secrets of the strength which gave him the victory presently over Midian; and those secrets were two. First, there was the one supreme fact that Jehovah was with him; but there was also what he was in himself—"a mighty man of valour." Wherein did that valour consist? Apparently he was a simple man living a very ordinary life. The Angel found him about his daily duty, "beating out wheat in the wine-press." He had given no sign of military disposition or ability. We shall discover the answer to the inquiry as we listen to what he said to the Angel. To the heavenly visitor he confessed his double consciousness. This may be stated in two sentences which he uttered: "Did not Jehovah bring us up?" "Jehovah hath cast us off." He was thus revealed as a man conscious of the true relation of the people to Jehovah ; and of the fact that their sufferings were the result of the Divine judgment. It is ever the man who has this double vision of Divine intention and human failure, who is the man of might and valour. With that man the Lord can work. (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible) Judges 6:13 Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." O my lord, if the LORD is with us Ge 25:22 Ex 33:14-16 Nu 14:14,15 Ro 8:31 why then has all this happened to us: De 29:24 30:17,18 Ps 77:7-9 89:49 Isa 59:1,2 63:15 where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about: Ps 44:1 78:3,4 But now the LORD has abandoned us: De 31:17 2Ch 15:2 Ps 27:9 Isa 41:17 Jer 23:33 GIDEON'S FAITHLESS RESPONSE Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord ('adon), if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? How like all of us to question the presence of God because of our present circumstances. But to do so is to doubt the Word of God and that is sin for it is not faith (Ro 14:23). Now it is obvious though that at this point Gideon did not recognize the Holy One Who addressed him but he did use a term of respect similar to Abraham (Ge 19:2 cp Ru 2:13, 1Sa 1:15, etc). Sidlow Baxter comments that "When first we see Gideon he cuts a pathetic figure of unbelief (6:11-23). He is a furtive, nervous young man secretly threshing wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the marauding Midianites. What pathetic exclamations of unbelief escape his lips when the Lord suddenly appears... He gasps - "Oh, my Lord, if Jehovah be with us why then is all this befallen us? And where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying: Did not Jehovah bring us up out of Egypt? But now Jehovah hath forsaken us ..." A rather dismal reception this! - "Oh! ... if ... why? ... where?... but ..." Verse 14 continues, "And Jehovah looked upon him and said: in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?" These were strong and reassuring words, but Gideon can only moan, "Oh, my Lord, wherewith shall I have Israel ...?" The Lord replies still further, "Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." Yet even this only evokes another stammering "if" - "If now I have found grace in Thy sight, then show me a sign." To be sure, in these replies of Gideon we have a fair sample of the vocabulary of unbelief. In his successive exclamations and lamentations we have the skeptical surprise of unbelief, then its uncertainty and its questioning and its complaining and its false humility and its resourcelessness and its persistent dubiety and its seeking for signs. Unconverted Gideon presents a sorry picture of the paralysis which always accompanies unbelief. (See Online Explore the Book) Warren Wiersbe - "When God called him, he was hiding. When God spoke to him, he raised problems instead of trusting promises. One of his favorite words was if (vv. 13, 17, 36; Mark 9:22–23)." (Borrow With the Word) The most popular image of the local church today is that of the corporation, with the pastor as the CEO. I wonder how many churches would want a CEO with the credentials of some of the people God used in the Bible? Moses was eighty years old when he began his ministry and he was wanted for murder in Egypt. Jacob was a schemer. Elijah suffered from depression, and so did Jeremiah. Hosea couldn’t keep his marriage together. Amos, a farmer, had no ministerial training. Peter tried to kill a man with his sword. John Mark was a quitter, and Paul couldn’t get along with his associate Barnabas. These traits are not excuses either for leaders to sin or for churches to lower their standards, but they do remind us that God’s ways aren’t always our ways. The man or woman we think least qualified for God’s work may turn out to be a mighty servant of God. And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' - Miracles (pala') is a verb meaning to do something wonderful, to do something extraordinary, or difficult. It frequently signifies the wondrous works of God, especially His deliverance and judgments. The verbal root of pala' has the basic meaning be surpassing and conveys the ideas "be extraordinary, beyond one's imagination or expectations" or "be too difficult, beyond one's capability." Gideon most likely was referring to the Exodus and the events connected to it. In the Exodus account pala' refers specifically to the plagues God sent upon Egypt (Ex. 3:20), while Ps. 78:11, 12 associates these wonders with the miracle at the Red Sea. Gideon's response reflects unbelief as well as ignorance (or forgetfulness) of God and His clear warning in Scripture that if Israel would forsake God... "Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they shall be consumed, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day, 'Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us?' (Dt 31:17+) Gideon had it backwards! The Lord had not forsaken them as much as they had forsaken the Lord! But now the LORD has abandoned (natash/natas) us and given us into the hand of Midian - Gideon’s initial response ignored the singular pronoun “you” (Jdg 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. The point however is that it was not God Who had abandoned His people, but God's people who had turned their backs on Him. It is far easier to blame God for our problems than to recognize and deal with our sins and responsibilities. God had not abandoned them but they had abandoned God... Deuteronomy 32:15+ “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked– You are grown fat, thick, and sleek– Then he forsook (natash/natas) God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation. John
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Wiersbe - 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.”....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?” (Ro 11:34NIV; Isa 40:13, 1Co 2:16) “Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7NKJV)....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” (Ro10:8), and “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Ro10:17). But Gideon didn’t receive that Word and needed assurance beyond the character of Almighty God. (See The Wiersbe Bible Commentary) 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.” (From Knowledge of the Holy) Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house." - Gideon seemed to think that God could do nothing because he and his family were nothing. However his family being "Least in Manasseh" may not be completely true as his father Joash seems to have been a fairly important man (he had a huge altar to Baal) and the family was certainly not poor (Gideon had 10 servants! Jdg 6:27). What we most need is not self-confidence, but God-confidence! What Gideon does seem to be saying is that he had a overriding sense of his own inadequacy, which is not a bad place to be ("our adequacy is from God" 2Co 3:5, 6+, "when we are weak then we are strong" 2Cor 12:9+, 2Co 12:10+). Inadequate in ourselves, overwhelmingly adequate in and through our God -- that is the lesson of Gideon's life. What we most need is not self-confidence, but God (Christ) -confidence! It is worth noting that most often the choice by God as His "vessel of honor" is one who appears to be the least. Jehovah even had to remind Samuel declaring... "to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sa 16:7) Our problem today, friend, is that most of us are too strong for God to use. Most of us are too capable for God to use. You notice that God uses only weak men, don’t you? [1 Co 1:26-29] God wants weak vessels, and that is the only kind he will use. God follows this policy so that no flesh will glory in His presence. God always does that, beloved. The interesting thing is that Nero was on the throne while Paul was being beheaded. At first glance, it looked like Paul had lost and Nero had won. But history had already handed down its decision. Men name their sons Paul and call their dogs Nero. This is quite interesting, is it not? God is choosing the weak things of this world. 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 Heb 11:32 Gary Inrig - But it does seem evident that Gideon was filled with a deep sense of personal inadequacy and insignificance. He had absolutely no confidence that he could do what he was being asked to do. And that is the response of anyone who is not self-deceived when he or she experiences the commissioning call of God, whatever the task. The wonderful thing is that this is exactly where God begins with a person. Time and time again, as we read the Word of God, we see the Lord cutting away a person’s self-confidence to bring her to the place where she admits that she is totally inadequate to do or to be what God desires. In fact, I do not think there is a single major figure in the Word of God whom God did not bring to a deep realization of personal inadequacy. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves.” But that is only half the verse. God never leaves us with a sense of our own inadequacy. Paul ends verse 5 by saying: “But our competence comes from God.” Whenever we admit our inadequacy, God confronts us with the truth of His total adequacy. So in Judges 6:16, He makes a wonderful promise to Gideon: “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Inadequate in ourselves, overwhelmingly adequate through our God. The actual expression is, “You will strike all the Midianites as one man,” which seems to mean, “It will be as easy as if you were fighting just one man.” And that is remarkably close to what happened. I wonder to what extent you have allowed the promise of God’s adequacy to minister to your life. God has committed Himself to be with you and to pour His strength into the places of your weakness. Is this a truth you are claiming? Your weakness does not hinder God. In fact, His pattern is to reveal His power in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). What we most need is not self-confidence but God-confidence. (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) LEADING The Most Frequently Used Excuses For Not Leading Some people approached about leading may offer excuses for why they can’t do it. Perhaps you’ve heard some of the following • “I’m not qualified.” (Ex 3:11) • “I’m an unknown.” (Jdg 6:15) • “I can’t speak well.” (Ex 4:10, Jer 1:6a) • “I’m not credible.” (Ex 4:1) • “I’m too young.” (Jer 1:6b) • “I don’t want to.” (Jonah 1:3) • “I’m too scared.” (Mt 14:30) • “It’s too risky.” (Esther 4:11) • “I’m too tired.” (1Ki 19:4) What is God’s response to these excuses? “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2Co12:9- note) “I will be with you” (Josh 1:5b). Judges 6:16 But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man." Jdg 6:12; Ex 3:12; Joshua 1:5; Isa 41:10,14, 15, 16; Mt 28:20; Mk 16:20; Acts 11:21 But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man The promise is that the Midianites will be defeated as if they were only one man but this Word from the Lord was still not sufficient for Gideon and he wanted a sign, some proof that this summons from God was authoritative. And so we too have been commissioned and charged and encouraged that His presence will be with us in the battle for disciples (Mt 28:20) As one man: NRSV = "every one of them"; NIV = "all the Midianites together"; TEV = "You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man." BBE= "you will overcome the Midianites as if they were one man." ICB = "It will seem as if you are fighting only one man" Judges 6:17 So Gideon said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Thy sight, then show me a sign that it is Thou who speakest with me. If now I have found favor in Thy sight Ex 33:13,16 then show me a sign Jdg 6:36, 37, 38, 39, 40; Ge 15:8-17; Ex 4:1-9; 2Ki 20:8, 9, 10, 11; Ps 86:17; Is 7:11) So Gideon said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Thy sight, then show me a sign that it is Thou who speakest with me. Found favor in Thy sight = a Hebrew idiom which means to be an object of another's favorable disposition or action or to be a recipient of another's favor or kindness. The favor shown may be deserved or at least prompted by the object's character or actions as was Boaz's kindness bestowed upon Ruth in return for her kindness to her mother-in-law had prompted him to reach out to Ruth and meet her needs (Ru 2:10, 11, 12-note). Sign ('ot) usually refers to an event, object, or person that has special significance. It is used most often to describe awe-inspiring events: God’s work to bring the Hebrew people out of Egypt (Ex. 4:8) Gideon asks for a tangible guarantee of the Lord's identity. Such guarantees sometimes, though not always involved a miraculous deed (Ex 4:8, 9; Is 38:7) as in the present case when the Angel miraculously caused Gideon's offering to go up in smoke (Jdg 6:20, 21). 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. Richards - Gideon respectfully asked for a sign—that is, some miraculous evidence that what this stranger was saying was true. This should not be taken as a lack of faith. Deuteronomy 18 indicates that prophets in Israel—those who claimed to speak for God—could and should be tested. A prophet was supposed to make some statement which came true, giving supernatural indication he or she was God’s spokesperson (Deut. 18:21, 22). (The Teacher's Commentary) Judges 6:18 "Please do not depart from here, until I come back to Thee, and bring out my offering and lay it before Thee." And He said, "I will remain until you return." Jdg 13:15; Ge 18:3,5; 19:3 Please do not depart from here, until I come back to Thee, and bring out my offering and lay it before Thee." And He said, "I will remain until you return.": Offering (minchah) 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). It can refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission (Gen. 33:10; 43:11, 15, 25, 26) where the gift is presented to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. In the present case we cannot state for certain his motivation, although it certainly is reasonable to see it as an act of worship. Observe that the large amount of food prepared by Gideon (goat’s meat and broth, and bread made from an ephah or one-half bushel of flour) reflected both his wealth in a destitute time and the typical excessiveness of Near-Eastern hospitality. 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. Judges 6:19 Then Gideon went in and prepared a kid and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak, and presented them. LXE And Gedeon went in, and prepared a kid of the goats, and an ephah of fine flour unleavened; and he put the flesh in the basket, and poured the broth into the pot, and brought them forth to him under the terebinth tree, and drew nigh. Jdg 13:15-19; Ge 18:6-8 Then Gideon went in and prepared a kid and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour - keep in mind that this is a time of general scarcity of food bc of the Midianite raiders. So what Gideon prepares here is essentially a feast, cooking an entire kid and using about 35# of flour to prepare the bread. And it obviously didn't come to fruition instantly like a Big Mac. he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak, and presented them. Larry Richards - The word for “offering” is used of voluntary gifts presented to God. Gideon’s gift of 40 pounds of flour in time of famine shows Gideon’s request for a sign was an act of faith. He honored his visitor with a very generous offering. Judges 6:20 And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so. lay them Jdg 13:19; pour out - 1Ki 18:33,34 And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so. Judges 6:21 Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. Jdg 13:20; Lev 9:24; 1Ki 18:38; 1Chr 21:26; 2Chr 7:1 Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. Judges 6:22 When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD- Jdg 13:21 For now I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face Jdg 13:22,23; Genesis 16:13; 32:30; Exodus 33:20; Deut 5:5,24,26; Isa 6:5-8; Jn 1:18; 12:41 When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! Instantly Gideon was conscious of his sin and guilt and he cried out in fear. But God had not come to judge him but to deliver His people through Gideon. 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” (Ro15:13), but unbelief brings fear and worry. For now I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face - 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 (v23). For a similar reaction to the presence of God, see Manoah in [Jdg 13:22, 23] (cf. Ezek 1:26-28; Isa 6:1–9; Rev 1:17). God told Moses,“No one may see Me and live” (Ex. 33:20). Gideon recognized the angel as a manifestation of God and was afraid. But the Ex. 33 passage means seeing God in His essential glory, not in another form. Richards, L. Judges 6:23 And the LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die." Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die Genesis 32:30; 43:23; Ps 85:8; Daniel 10:19; John 14:27; 20:19,26; Ro 1:7 And the LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die 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. Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child. But God I know not, but God knows; Oh, blessed rest from fear! All my unfolding days To Him are plain and clear. Each anxious, puzzled "Why?" From doubt or dread that grows, Finds answer in this thought: I know not, but He knows. I cannot, but God can; Oh, balm for all my care! The burden that I drop His hand will lift and bear. Though eagle pinions tire, I walk where once I ran, This is my strength to know I cannot, but He can. I see not, but God sees; Oh, all sufficient light! My dark and hidden way To Him is always bright. My strained and peering eyes May close in restful ease, And I in peace may sleep; I see not, but He sees. -Annie Johnson Flint Hannah Hurnard, author of Hinds’ Feet on High Places, was once paralyzed by fear. Then she heard a sermon on scarecrows that challenged her to turn her fear into faith. The preacher said, “A wise bird knows that a scarecrow is simply an advertisement. It announces that some very juicy and delicious fruit is to be had for the picking. There are scarecrows in all the best gardens...If I am wise, I too shall treat the scarecrow as though it were an invitation. Every giant in the way which makes me feel like a grasshopper is only a scarecrow beckoning me to God’s richest blessings.” He concluded, “Faith is a bird which loves to perch on scarecrows. All our fears are groundless.” Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to new York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence was enough to overwhelm the toughest stagecoach guard. Related Resource: Fear, How to Handle It Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Then Gideon built an altar Jdg 21:4; Ge 33:20; Josh 22:10,26-28 Related Passages: Joshua 17:1-2 - Now this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war. 2 So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer and for the sons of Helek and for the sons of Asriel and for the sons of Shechem and for the sons of Hepher and for the sons of Shemida; these were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families. THE LORD IS PEACE Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace (Jehovah Shalom): Jehovah Shalom signifies that the Lord is peaceful, friendly or well-disposed toward Gideon. Gideon is able to confidently name the altar this because the Lord had just said shalom or "peace," to him prior to assuring him that he need not fear and that his life would be spared. The Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom click here) 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. Wherever Abraham journeyed, he built an altar (Ge 12:7, 8; Ge 13:4, 18; Ge 22:9); and Joshua left many monuments of Israel’s march of Conquest through the land. 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.” Whenever God calls us to a task that we think is beyond us, we must be careful to look to our OMNIPOTENT God (we must know His attributes to experience them in our lives Da 11:32, 2Pet 1:2+) and not to ourselves. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God asked Abraham (Ge18:14); and the answer comes, “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Lk 1:37ASV). 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” (Mt 19:26); and Paul testified, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php 4:13+). Warren Wiersbe concludes that for a man with a worried heart, “The-Lord-Is-Peace” was just what he needed (Jdg 6:24). You can enjoy God’s peace today as you fight the battle (Php 4:4, 5+, Php 4:6+, Php 4:7+, Php 4:8, 9+). (Be Available) Sidlow Baxter has some interesting thoughts on Gideon's conversion to the true God of Israel - But now look at Gideon's transforming experience. In the first place he became converted. We use the word thoughtfully. By the time that the "Angel of the Lord" had completed his visit to him he had become quite convinced regarding the true God of Israel. Note verse 24, "Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah Shalom "There is vital significance about that altar. The altar is ever the place where God and man meet. It is the outward symbol of an inward transaction between the human soul and God. When Gideon built that altar to Jehovah he turned his back on false gods and became a worshipper of the one true God. Moreover he gave that altar a significant name - Jehovah-Shalom, which means, "Jehovah my peace." For the first time in his life this young Hebrew came into a sense of peace. That is always a first product of true conversion. (See Online Explore the Book) To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites - To the day when the inspired writer had recorded these words in Scripture. The Abiezrites were from the tribe of Manasseh and settled on the western side of the Jorday. Phrase - To this day - 88x in 87v - Gen. 19:37; Gen. 19:38; Gen. 22:14; Gen. 26:33; Gen. 32:32; Gen. 35:20; Gen. 47:26; Gen. 48:15; Num. 22:30; Deut. 2:22; Deut. 3:14; Deut. 29:4; Deut. 34:6; Jos. 4:9; Jos. 5:9; Jos. 6:25; Jos. 7:26; Jos. 8:29; Jos. 9:27; Jos. 16:10; Jos. 22:3; Jos. 22:17; Jos. 23:8; Jos. 23:9; Jdg. 1:21; Jdg. 1:26; Jdg. 6:24; Jdg. 10:4; Jdg. 15:19; Jdg. 18:12; Jdg. 19:30; 1 Sam. 5:5; 1 Sam. 6:18; 1 Sam. 8:8; 1 Sam. 12:2; 1 Sam. 27:6; 1 Sam. 29:3; 1 Sam. 29:6; 1 Sam. 29:8; 1 Sam. 30:25; 2 Sam. 6:8; 2 Sam. 7:6; 2 Sam. 18:18; 1 Ki. 8:8; 1 Ki. 9:13; 1 Ki. 9:21; 1 Ki. 10:12; 1 Ki. 12:19; 2 Ki. 2:22; 2 Ki. 8:22; 2 Ki. 10:27; 2 Ki. 14:7; 2 Ki. 16:6; 2 Ki. 17:34; 2 Ki. 17:41; 2 Ki. 20:17; 2 Ki. 21:15; 1 Chr. 4:41; 1 Chr. 4:43; 1 Chr. 5:26; 1 Chr. 13:11; 1 Chr. 17:5; 2 Chr. 5:9; 2 Chr. 8:8; 2 Chr. 10:19; 2 Chr. 21:10; 2 Chr. 35:25; Ezr. 9:7; Neh. 9:32; Isa. 39:6; Jer. 3:25; Jer. 11:7; Jer. 25:3; Jer. 32:20; Jer. 32:31; Jer. 35:14; Jer. 36:2; Jer. 44:10; Ezek. 20:29; Ezek. 20:31; Matt. 11:23; Matt. 27:8; Matt. 28:15; Acts 2:29; Acts 23:1; Acts 26:22; 2 Co. 3:15 Judges 6:25 Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; Take your father's bull Ge 35:2 Job 22:23 Ps 101:2 pull down the altar of Baal 1Ki 18:21; Mt 6:24; 2 Cor 6:15, 16, 17 which belongs to your father, Mt 10:37 Ac 4:19 5:29 cut down the Asherah that is beside it Jdg 3:7 Ex 34:13 De 7:5 GOD TESTS GIDEON: CUT DOWN THE IDOL Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to him - What night? The night the LORD had revealed Himself to Gideon after he sacrificed on the altar he had built. Gideon had sought a sign from God but now God seeks a sign from Gideon. Or better, God tests His fledgling judge to strengthen his faith. Take your father's bull and a second bull seven years old, : to destroy this shrine Gideon is told to employ a bull, the sacred animal of the fertility cult. 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 (1Sa 17:32–37). When we prove that we’re faithful with a few things, God will trust us with greater things (Mt 25:21). And pull down the altar of Baal (bāʿal) which belongs to your father - We need to keep the context in mind. These are God's people who were to recite the shema of Dt 6:4-5 proclaiming their love and devotion to one God, Yahweh. And yet now what is Israel doing approximately 222 years after they entered the Promised Land (as estimated by adding up all the prior times of retribution and rest, so obviously only an approximation)? Instead of tearing down pagan altars, they were building altars to no gods! THOUGHT - Beware when you begin to drift away from God, for you may while end up much farther from Him then you ever dreamed possible! These are the people who have access to the Most High God and they are constructing large altars to a "nothing!" Amazing disgrace indeed! THOUGHT - Let us all beware beloved -- the Baals and Asherim are both incredibly sensual and seductive to our fallen flesh. No man or woman is immune to the siren calls to seek gratification. O God control us by Thy Spirit that we might tear down and hew to pieces the Baalim and Asherim in our lives (Ro 8:13+). For Thy glory. In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Warren Wiersbe notes that "It is one thing to meet God in the secrecy of a winepress, but quite another thing to stand up for the Lord in public. That very night God tested Gideon’s dedication by asking him to tear down his father’s idolatrous altar to Baal, and to build an altar to Jehovah. More than this, he was to sacrifice his father’s special bullock (probably reserved for Baal) on the new altar. Christian testimony has to begin at home...God will never use a “secret saint” to win great battles. We must come out in the open and take our stand, regardless of the cost. (Borrow Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament) And cut down the Asherah (Asherah) that is beside it - There is an incredible play on words in this verse. Gideon's name means "hacker" or "hewer" and is derived from the root Hebrew verb 'gada (01438) which is translated in this verse "cut down" (or hew down) the Asherah! Get rid of the idols! Asherah (dictionary - Hebrew = Asherah) signifies the Canaanite fertility goddess believed to be the consort of Baal, thus the worship of Baal and Asherah was often linked together. Asherah most often refers to a carved wooden image of the goddess instead of the proper name. These carved images were frequently associated with high places and fresh trees. The Asherah pole symbolized the fertility supposedly provided by the goddess Asherah, who was viewed as the mother of the gods. Sidlow Baxter comments - Gideon...became consecrated. He yielded his own will to the will of God. Read Jdg 6:25-27. We only need to think our way back into the circumstances a little, to appreciate what an acute challenge to Gideon's new faith and obedience this test was. The command that he should "throw down the altar of Baal" reminds us at once that Gideon lived in a time of widespread religious apostasy. Israel's. religious leaders were "modernists," and had caused the people to err. To wreck Baal's altar was to run counter to the popular will, and to invite death. But Gideon did it. And how remarkable was the result! Read again Jdg 6:28-32. Gideon's father became converted too! Maybe the old man had secretly sighed for the "good old ways" and had longed for some brave champion of the old-time faith to arise and call his fellow-countrymen back to Jehovah; and now, when his son stood up for the old-time faith Joash was immediately by his side. We may apply this to ourselves. In nine cases out of ten, the reason we have so little influence for Christ among our own kith and kin is that we ourselves are not prepared to go the length of full consecration to the will of God. (See Online Explore the Book) Related Resources: For significance of Idol Worship and Spiritual Adultery see Israel the Wife of Jehovah Who was Baal? | GotQuestions.org Who was Asherah / Ashtoreth? | GotQuestions.org What is an Asherah pole? | GotQuestions.org Why was the worship of Baal and Asherah a constant struggle for the Israelites? | GotQuestions.org Baal (Canaanite god)(01168) bāʿal was a common name given to the god of fertility in Canaan. In the Canaanite city of Ugarit, Baal was especially recognized as the god of fertility. The Old Testament records that Baal was “the god” of the Canaanites. The Israelites worshiped Baal during the time of the judges (Jdg. 6:25–32) and of King Ahab. Elijah stood as the opponent of the Baal priests at Mount Carmel (1 Ki 18:21ff.). Many cities made Baal a local god and honored him with special acts of worship: Baal-peor (Nu 25:5), Baal-berith at Shechem (Jdg. 8:33), Baal-zebub (2 Ki 1:2–16) at Ekron, Baal-zephon (Nu 33:7), and Baalhermon (Jdg. 3:3). Among the prophets, Jeremiah and Hosea mention Baal most frequently. Baal - 78x in 66v - Num. 22:41; Jos. 13:17; Jdg. 2:11; Jdg. 2:13; Jdg. 3:7; Jdg. 6:25; Jdg. 6:28; Jdg. 6:30; Jdg. 6:31; Jdg. 6:32; Jdg. 8:33; Jdg. 10:6; Jdg. 10:10; 1 Sam. 7:4; 1 Sam. 12:10; 1 Ki. 16:31; 1 Ki. 16:32; 1 Ki. 18:18; 1 Ki. 18:19; 1 Ki. 18:21; 1 Ki. 18:22; 1 Ki. 18:25; 1 Ki. 18:26; 1 Ki. 18:40; 1 Ki. 19:18; 1 Ki. 22:53; 2 Ki. 3:2; 2 Ki. 10:18; 2 Ki. 10:19; 2 Ki. 10:20; 2 Ki. 10:21; 2 Ki. 10:22; 2 Ki. 10:23; 2 Ki. 10:25; 2 Ki. 10:26; 2 Ki. 10:27; 2 Ki. 10:28; 2 Ki. 11:18; 2 Ki. 17:16; 2 Ki. 21:3; 2 Ki. 23:4; 2 Ki. 23:5; 2 Chr. 17:3; 2 Chr. 23:17; 2 Chr. 24:7; 2 Chr. 28:2; 2 Chr. 33:3; 2 Chr. 34:4; Jer. 2:8; Jer. 2:23; Jer. 7:9; Jer. 9:14; Jer. 11:13; Jer. 11:17; Jer. 12:16; Jer. 19:5; Jer. 23:13; Jer. 23:27; Jer. 32:29; Jer. 32:35; Hos. 2:8; Hos. 2:13; Hos. 2:17; Hos. 11:2; Hos. 13:1; Zeph. 1:4 Asherah (Asherim = plural) (0842) Asherah refers to "poles" representing and/or associated with the goddess Asherah - these poles could be cut down and burned (Jdg. 6:25-26). They were made (1Ki 14:15) and set up (1Ki 14:23) after being carved (2Ki 21:7). In many cases, Asherah clearly refers to the deity and not to an image or symbol (Jdg. 3:7, 1Ki. 18:19 and 2 Ki. 23:4). It is in the period of the divided monarchy that the Asherah cult flourished both in Israel and Judah (NOTE THE PREDOMINANCE OF USES IN 1KINGS-2CHRONICLES - 27 of 40 uses = ISRAEL COULD NEVER ERADICATE THIS PERSISTENT SIN! LOOK OUT FOR SENSUAL SEDUCTIVE SEXUAL SINS - THEY WILL TAKE YOU INTO EXILE LIKE THE DIVIDED KINGDOMS!!!), though its existence before is documented by the command in Exodus 34:13, the prohibition of Deut. 16:21, and the incident at the threshold of Gideon's life of service to God, Judges 6:25ff. In Judges 3:7 we read that "The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth." Asherah - 40x in 40v - Exod. 34:13; Deut. 7:5; Deut. 12:3; Deut. 16:21; Jdg. 3:7; Jdg. 6:25; Jdg. 6:26; Jdg. 6:28; Jdg. 6:30; 1 Ki. 14:15; 1 Ki. 14:23; 1 Ki. 15:13; 1 Ki. 16:33; 1 Ki. 18:19; 2 Ki. 13:6; 2 Ki. 17:10; 2 Ki. 17:16; 2 Ki. 18:4; 2 Ki. 21:3; 2 Ki. 21:7; 2 Ki. 23:4; 2 Ki. 23:6; 2 Ki. 23:7; 2 Ki. 23:14; 2 Ki. 23:15; 2 Chr. 14:3; 2 Chr. 15:16; 2 Chr. 17:6; 2 Chr. 19:3; 2 Chr. 24:18; 2 Chr. 31:1; 2 Chr. 33:3; 2 Chr. 33:19; 2 Chr. 34:3; 2 Chr. 34:4; 2 Chr. 34:7; Isa. 17:8; Isa. 27:9; Jer. 17:2; Mic. 5:14 Related Resource: Dictionary of Deities and Demon in the Bible - page 132 on Asherah (borrow this resource for an hour) Dictionary of Deities and Demon in the Bible - page 165 on Baal (23 pages) (borrow this resource for an hour) Judges 6:26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down." and build an altar to the LORD your God 2 Samuel 24:18 in an orderly manner, 1 Corinthians 14:33,40 WORSHIP YAHWEH ALONE And build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner - So after Gideon was in effect "commissioned" now his faith is tested. Remember the tests (afflictions, trials, adversities) God either sends or allows in your life are not to destroy you but to strengthen you for the good fight of faith we must all fight until we go home to Jesus. Stronghold means refuge, place of safety and protection! Gideon had to first put things right in his own backyard before God would use him to deliver Israel. THOUGHT - Before God will use you in His holy service, you have to be holy! That is, you need to "cut down" all the idols in your life. Are you being used by God? Do you sense His presence, His blessing and His power on your work for Him? If not, it might be that you have a basic "root" problem with idols in your life and you need to "root" them out. Purge the sin in your "backyard" and then God can use you. And take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down - It is interesting that the Midianite oppression had lasted 7 years and the bull to be sacrificed up in smoke to God was 7 years old. THOUGHT - What's the lesson for us today? As Gary Inrig says below Baal must go before Midian can go. God's altar is not allowed besides Baal's altar. The Lord allows no syncretism (combination of teachings, practices, etc of two different systems, in this case worship of Jehovah and of idols). The two cannot exist (cf Mt 6:24+). There can be no worship acceptable to God until we remove the false altars from our hearts and lives. Syncretistic worship is no worship at all. Finally, the place we must begin is our own backyard. If my commitment to Jesus Christ does not first affect my home and family, it is superficial and hollow. Gary Inrig - Gideon’s own backyard contained a visible symbol of all that was wrong in the nation of Israel. God had made it very clear: there were to be no rival altars, no idols, no other gods. Yahweh alone is God. But Gideon’s father, Joash, had either built a pagan shrine on his property or allowed it to be built. There was an image of Baal as well as a carved wood pole with enlarged breasts and genitalia to represent the female goddess, Asherah. This was not merely a family altar, intended for the family’s private use. What follows makes it clear that this was the village shrine, with Joash perhaps acting as the supervisor or sponsor of pagan worship in the area. This was probably not just a tiny shrine tucked away in a grove. A Baal altar discovered at Megiddo, not far from Ophrah, was twenty-six-feet square and four-and-a-half-feet high, made of stones cemented by mud. Joash’s altar was probably similar. The fact is that Gideon’s own family and village was Canaanized. That backyard shrine was in direct contradiction of God’s command. His will was clear. Until Gideon put things right in his own backyard, God would not and could not use him to deliver His people. He could not fight for the Lord while retaining a shrine to Baal. The Lord’s instructions are straightforward, and they came that very night. There was to be no delay. Gideon was to take one of his father’s bulls,11 one of the prime age of seven years, and use it to tear down the massive altar (the fact that he needed a bull to help shows that it was of significant size). He was then to chop down the Asherah (remember that Gideon means “hewer” or “hacker”) and, using the idol’s wood, to sacrifice the bull on a brand new altar that he was to build for the Lord on a high rock. Several things are worth noting. The two altars could not coexist, any more than the Lord would accept equal status with Baal. The Lord’s altar must replace the Baal altar. Gideon must reclaim this territory for his God. As well, there is a cost to such obedience. A bull, as opposed to a heifer, was a very valuable animal, and few farmers would own more than one. Besides, as the local Baal shrine-keeper, Joash may have intended to offer it to Baal. But that very bull was to be used to tear down Baal’s altar and then offered to the Lord, the only true God. There may also be a symbolism in its age. After all, it was seven years old, and the oppression under Midian’s seasonal invasion had lasted for seven years. When Gideon offered that animal on the Lord’s altar, the years of oppression would begin to go up in the smoke of obedient service. There are some profound spiritual implications in Gideon’s assignment. 1. Baal must go before Midian could go. Before Gideon could be the deliverer of Israel, he had to be the destroyer of the false god Baal. It is the same for us. Before we can have victory in our lives over the sins or problems or habits that are defeating, debilitating, or discouraging us, Jesus Christ must be the unquestioned Lord of our lives. There is no victory where there is idolatry or a divided heart. There can be no compromise if we desire to know the Lord at work in our lives. What might be the Baal or the Asherah in your life? It may be any one of a hundred things, many of them good and valuable in themselves, until they take the place that belongs only to the Lord. Whatever it is, it must be chopped down before God will deal with the Midian in your life. 2. God’s altar cannot be built until Baal's altar is destroyed. The Lord will not allow any mixing or syncretism. The Lord’s altar cannot stand alongside Baal’s. The two cannot coexist. There can be no worship acceptable to God until we remove the false altars from our hearts and lives. And syncretistic worship is no worship at all. He alone must be Lord and King. In our pluralistic, inclusivistic age, syncretism is a constant temptation. The central issue of the gospel is whether the triune God revealed in and through Jesus is Lord and God. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Lisa Miller introduces us to several increasingly common types of people: a 36-year-old woman who says, “I’m an Episcopalian, but I think of myself as a practicing non-Jew”; a 57-year-old man who describes himself as “a Mennonite hyphen Unitarian-Universalist who practices Zen meditation”; and a 30-year-old woman who says, “I call myself a Christian Buddhist, but sort of tongue in cheek.” Miller then describes St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco, where the ministers, dressed in African robes, hold a service featuring the worship of Jesus, dancing, and the ringing of Buddhist cymbals in a building containing Eastern Orthodox icons, a Shinto shrine, and a Chinese gong. Lisa Miller summarizes her research in these words: If America has always been a melting pot, these days its religious practices have become a spiritual hash. Blending or braiding the beliefs of different spiritual traditions has become so rampant in America that the Dalai Lama has called the country a “spiritual supermarket.” Jews flirt with Hinduism, Catholics study Taoism, and Methodists discuss whether to make the Passover Seder an official part of worship. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, a prominent Jewish scholar, is also a Sufi sheik, and James Ishmael Ford, a Unitarian minister in Arizona, is a Zen sensei, or master. The blending of Judaism with Buddhism has become so commonplace that marketers who sell spiritual books, videotapes, lecture series have a name for it: “JewBu.” I could multiply examples, but Lisa Miller has put her finger on one of the most significant marks of our postmodern society: a “both-and” mindset. It resents and even rejects “either-or” thinking. It loves to keep its options open. It embraces uncertainty and personal choice and hates the idea of absolute truths. It isn’t popular or polite to call someone to choose. The postmodern mindset refuses to choose; it wants to try to hold together opposites, to combine, to have it both ways. But the Lord will not tolerate such an arrangement, either in Gideon’s day or in ours. 3. The place we must start is in our own backyard. Before Gideon could lead his whole nation to faith in God, he had to deal with the Baal in his family. That is a principle that runs all through Scripture. Begin at home first! If my commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ does not first affect my home life, it lacks credibility. (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) Judges 6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and it came about, because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it by day, that he did it by night. and did as the LORD had spoken to him - Deut 4:1; Mt 16:24; Jn 2:5; 15:14; Gal 1:16; 1Th 2:4 he did it by night Ps 112:5; Jn 3:2 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and it came about, A pagan altar unearthed at Megiddo not far from Ophrah was 26' square and 4.5' high made with stones cemented by mud. Joash's altar was likely of similar size especially since 2 bulls (and 10 men) were conscripted to carry out the desolation. because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it by day, that he did it by night - (Related Resource: How to Handle Fear - 4 Part Study) Warren Wiersbe summarizes Gideon interaction with God commenting that "He was an unlikely candidate for God’s “Hall of Fame” (Heb 11:32+). When God called him, he was hiding. When God spoke to him, he raised problems instead of trusting promises. One of his favorite words was "If" (Jdg 6:13, 17, 36). When Gideon did start to obey God, he worked at night (Jdg 6:27) and had to have repeated reassurance that the Lord was with him. But God saw the potential in Gideon and even called him a “mighty man of valor” (Jdg 6:12). God sees the potential in you and says to you as He did to Simon, “You are...You shall be” (Jn 1:42). He knows your weaknesses and will accommodate Himself to your needs so that He might develop your faith. For a man with a worried heart, “The-Lord-Is-Peace” was just what he needed (Jdg 6:24). You can enjoy God’s peace today as you fight the battle (Php 4:4, 5+, Php 4:6+, Php 4:7+, Php 4:8,9+). (Borrow With the Word) “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40, NKJV) “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid” (Isa. 12:2, NKJV). THOUGHT - After all the encouragements God had given Gideon, his faith should have been strong. BUT...before we judge him, we’d better look at ourselves and see how much we trust the Lord. The point is this that FAITH is not demonstrated by fearlessness but by obedience! (cp 1Co 2:3, 4). So if you obey God and sometimes feel fearful and weak, you are not necessarily expressing disbelief and in fact you are in good company with Gideon and Paul. Very real human fear and wise precaution interplays with trust in an all-sufficient God.