Judges 6:1-40
1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 And the hand of Midian prevaileda against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
8 That the LORD sent a prophetb unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideonc threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD 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 the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my familyd is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present,e and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid,f and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom:g unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock,h in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal,i saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit of the LORD camej upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gatheredk after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
When Israel again did evil in the sight of God, he delivered them into the hands of the Midianites, who were descendants of Abraham and Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2). They were allied in the oppression of Israel with the Amelekites and the children of the East, which is the general name of the people who lived in the desert east of the promised land. Because of seven years of severe treatment, the children of Israel made homes out of the caves and ravines they found in the mountains. Their enemies came every time they planted and destroyed their crops, not even leaving the sheep, ox or ass. They came in such large numbers that they could be said to be as locusts in the land. Their large herds would have eaten much, if not all, of the available grasses (Ruth 6:1-5).
Israel cried out to God for help during this time of great poverty. He sent a prophet who reminded them of the deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 20:2) and conquest of the land of Canaan. The prophet further reminded them of God's injunction for them to not fear the gods of the people in whose land they were dwelling, but they had failed to heed his voice (Ruth 6:6-10).
God sent his angel to call Gideon to deliver his people. It is reassuring to note God is well acquainted with Gideon's life and character (Verses 11-12). Gideon's knowledge of the suffering under Midian, and perhaps God's warning issued through Moses (Deuteronomy 31:17), led to the questions of verse 13. Keil says Gideon did not recognize his visitor as an angel, so he addressed him as "Sir." The Lord said he would be with him and he could go in that might. Gideon then realized who he was talking to and addressed him as "Lord," while still doubting his own abilities because he was from such a lowly family. However, God again told him he would be with him and said the Midianites would be defeated as if they were one man being killed by a blow.
Gideon's request for a sign might be viewed today as a lack of faith, however, Thomas presents a different view. "There is a great difference in a humble believer's seeking more information regarding a given situation, and one who questions that which God proposes to do." He sites the difference in God's reaction to the questions of Mary and Zacharias in Luke 1:1-80. Mary was given an answer while Zacharias was stricken dumb because of his lack of belief (Verses 20, 38).
Gideon asked his visitor to stay long enough for him to prepare a gift for him. Keil says the word used indicates he was speaking of a sacrificial gift which, if accepted, would prove God was speaking to him. The angel directed Gideon to place the gift on a rock much like a sacrifice on an altar and the burning of it proved to him God was sending him. As the angel departed, Gideon became afraid because he had seen the Lord's angel face to face but God assured him he would have peace and not die. In gratitude, Gideon built an altar he named "The Lord send peace" (Ruth 6:14-24).
That same night, God gave him instructions to tear down the altar to Baal, erect one to God and offer a sacrifice using the wood from Baal's altar. This Gideon did at night with the help of ten servants. The next day, the men of the city intended to kill Gideon, but his father, Joash, said it was none of their business. If Baal was offended, he could deal with him, so he was named Jerubbaal, which means "Let Baal plead." At that time, a fresh invasion occurred but, instead of fleeing to the caves and ravines, the people answered the call of Gideon's trumpet and prepared for battle. The text tells us this call went out as a result of Spirit of the Lord coming on him (Ruth 6:25-35).
Gideon still felt he needed one more sign from God that he was to lead the people into battle against the Midianites. He asked God let dew only be on a wool fleece in the morning and all the ground be dry. When God met that request, Gideon asked for one more. This time the ground should be wet and the fleece dry. God answered in just the way he asked and Gideon had assurance the Lord would fight for Israel (Ruth 6:36-40).