Judges 6

Discussion starters – Judges 6-8

  1. In Judges 6:13 Gideon asks, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Who today might be feeling the same?
  2. As soon as Gideon receives his commission from the Lord, he finds himself in conflict with his immediate family (6:25). In what ways do you find that your Christian faith brings you into conflict with those close to you? How do you deal with that?
  3. As with Moses (Exodus 3 &4), Gideon is reluctant to do what the Lord wants him to do (Judges 6:15). He asks for signs that the Lord really is with him (vv17-23; 36-40). Do you think it is OK for us to seek the Lord’s guidance or reassurance in this way?
  4. In chapter 7 we learn that God uses a small number of ill-prepared and poorly-equipped soldiers to win a victory. In what ways is it still true today that God uses unpromising material to achieve his aims? Why do you think this is so?
  5. What evidence can you see in chapter 7 that Gideon is relying on the Lord, but in chapter 8 he is relying on his own strength and skill? How can we today avoid the danger of beginning in God’s strength, but then continuing in our own?

 

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Chapter precis
For seven long years the people of Israel had been raided and robbed by the Midianites.

For seven long years their crops had been destroyed and their animals killed.

For seven long years the Israelites had been reduced to hiding from their enemies, in caves and clefts and mountain shelters.

Then someone had a bright idea. “Perhaps we should ask the Lord to help us.”

The Lord responded to their cry for help by sending a prophet. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: I am the God who delivered you from slavery in Egypt. I am the God who brought you safely into this land. I warned you not to worship false gods. But you have not listened to me, and that is why all this calamity has fallen on you.”

No doubt the Israelites needed to hear that message, but it didn’t do very much to rescue them from their enemies. One day, however, the angel of the Lord appeared to a man called Gideon. “The Lord is with you,” said the angel.

“But if the Lord is with us,” replied Gideon, “what is he going to do about these Midianites who keep making our lives so unbearable?”

“Ah, yes. Actually, the Lord wants you to lead the fight against the Midianites.”

“What, me? But I’m the least important member of the weakest family in my tribe. I’m just a nobody.”

“But the Lord will be with you, and you will be victorious over your enemies.”

“Well, I’m not sure. Can you give me a sign that you really are who you seem to be?”

Gideon went off and prepared an offering of bread and meat and brought it back. Then the angel of the Lord touched the food with the tip of his staff, and the food burst into flames.

“OK, I’m convinced,” said Gideon.

Then the angel said to Gideon, “Now you must tear down the altar your father has built to the false god Baal, and replace it with an altar to the true God.”

So Gideon destroyed the altar to Baal, and built a new altar to the God of Israel. But he did this at night-time because he was terrified of what his family and the men of the town might do to him.

In the morning, the men of the town saw that Baal’s altar had been torn down and they were furious when they learned that it was Gideon who had done it. They would have killed him. But Gideon’s father stood up for him, and said, “If Baal really is a god, then he can look after himself without your help.” And at that, they left Gideon alone.

Now the Midianites were getting ready to attack the Israelites again. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and Gideon blew a trumpet, and called the Israelites together to fight against their enemies.

But Gideon was getting a little nervous again. So he said to the Lord, “Please may I have another sign? Supposing I leave this wool fleece on the floor overnight? If in the morning there is dew on the fleece, but the floor is dry, then I’ll be really sure that you will give us victory.” And the Lord did just as Gideon asked.

But Gideon was still feeling nervous, so he said again to the Lord, “Can I check this out with you just one more time? Supposing I leave the fleece out again tonight, but this time in the morning the fleece is dry and the floor around it is wet with dew? Then I’ll be really, really, sure.” And again, the Lord did just as Gideon asked.

And at last Gideon felt ready to lead the Israelites against the Midianites, confident now that the Lord would give them the victory he had promised.

Oppression and Confrontation, 1-10

6:1 The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD turned them over to Midian for seven years. 6:2 The Midianites overwhelmed Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. 6:3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them. 6:4 They invaded the land and devoured its crops all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat, and they took away the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 6:5 When they invaded with their cattle and tents, they were as thick as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. They came to devour the land. 6:6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.
6:7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help because of Midian, 6:8 he sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and took you out of that place of slavery. 6:9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 6:10 I said to you, “I am the LORD your God! Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’ ”

Gideon Meets Some Visitors, 11-24

6:11 The LORD’s angelic messenger came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites. 6:12 The LORD’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The LORD is with you, courageous warrior!” 6:13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me, but if the LORD is with us, why has such disaster overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Did the LORD not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 6:14 Then the LORD himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?” 6:15 Gideon said to him, “But Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.” 6:16 The LORD said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.” 6:17 Gideon said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to you.” The LORD said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

v11 ‘Like Moses [Ex 3], [Gideon] received his call while he was in hiding from the enemy, doing menial work to keep his family alive (11). Like Moses, he was told that the Lord was sending him on a mission (14). He protested, as Moses did, that he was inadequate for the task (15). He received the same promise as Moses received, ‘I will be with you’ (16), and, like Moses, he received a sign to confirm his call (17). Finally, miraculous fire signalled God’s presence (21), as it did in the call of Moses. So the message is clear: Gideon was to be used by God to save Israel from the Midianites, just as Moses was used to save Israel from the Egyptians. The God of the exodus has come to Israel’s rescue again.’ (NBC)

6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. 6:21 The LORD’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The LORD’s messenger then disappeared.
6:22 When Gideon realized that it was the LORD’s messenger, he said, “Oh no! Master, LORD! I have seen the LORD’s messenger face to face!” 6:23 The LORD said to him, “You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 6:24 Gideon built an altar for the LORD there, and named it “The LORD is on friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon Destroys the Altar, 25-32

6:25 That night the LORD said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 6:26 Then build an altar for the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the LORD had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.

v25 “Tear down your father’s altar to Baal”– ‘Gideon’s enlistment by the Lord immediately projected him into a head-on confrontation with his own family and clan, for they had become Baal worshippers, something that the Lord would not tolerate. The Lord’s altar and Baal’s altar could not stand side-by-side, for this was a direct contradiction of the very first commandment, ‘You shall have no other gods besides me’ (Ex. 20:3; niv mg.) Parallels to this kind of predicament are often found today when people’s commitment to Christ sets them against their families’ wishes or principles.’ (NBC)

6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 6:29 They said to one another, “Who did this?” They investigated the matter thoroughly and concluded that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 6:30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him! He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 6:31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him, “Must you fight Baal’s battles? Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning! If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles! After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.” 6:32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal, because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”

Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation, 33-40

6:33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east assembled. They crossed the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 6:34 The LORD’s spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 6:35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.
6:36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised, then give me a sign as proof. 6:37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised.” 6:38 The LORD did as he asked. When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl. 6:39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.” 6:40 That night God did as he asked. Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.

Some Christians have thought thought that this episode in Gideon’s life warranted ‘testing’ God in similar sorts of ways. But:

‘God’s positive response to Gideon’s repeated experiment with the fleece was a gracious concession to his weak faith rather than an indication that God was pleased with him for seeking reassurance in this way. Similar actions by Christians today should not be necessary, but God in his mercy sometimes responds to such calls for reassurance.’ (NBC)

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