Judges 6:1-6- 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. And the hand of Midian prevailed 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. 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; 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. 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. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
This time the enemy not only came after the Israelites, but they also started to destroy the Promised Land! The Hebrew children were now begging God to save them and their land.
Judges 6:11-12- 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 Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORDis with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Isn't that funny?! God sends an angel to talk to a man that is hiding, and the angel calls him a mighty man of valor! God not only sees what we are; he sees what we will become. Gideon wasn't a man of valor at this point in his life, but he would become that!
Judges 6:13-14- 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. 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?
Gideon wanted to know why the Lord hadn't sent someone to deliver them yet. He, obviously, knew about the past judges.
That's when God told him that he was going to be the next judge. How do you think he reacted?
Judges 6:15-18- And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
This begins a long line of doubt that God has to overcome in Gideon. You see, Gideon didn't think that God could use him. He was from a poor family that hadn't done anything notable. They were considered "small" in the eyes of the Hebrew children.
But, God likes to use small things. He likes to use the things that people consider "unworthy".
God didn't seem to get mad at Gideon for asking for signs over and over again. He just answered him.
Judges 6:19-21- And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, 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. 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. 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.
Maybe, Gideon didn't realize that he was talking to an angel. Do you know why he probably didn't know? Because angels look like men- they don't have wings or long hair. They aren't the women looking things with wings that people think about. You may have met an angel and not even known it!
Hebrews 13:2- Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Judges 6:22-23, 25-26 - 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. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 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: And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, 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.
God had answered one of Gideon's questions. God, now, wanted to see if Gideon would obey Him. He told Gideon to tear down the false idol in their town that people were worshiping and to build an altar to Him in it's place.
Judges 6:27- 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.
Gideon didn't become the mighty man that God saw him as just by one encounter with an angel. He feared the people that worshiped Baal. But, he was willing to obey God! So, he took some servants and went at night.
Judges 6:28-31- 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. 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. 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. 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.
The people of the city got so mad that they wanted to kill Gideon. They went to his dad and demanded that he send his son out to die.
But, Gideon's dad said, "If Baal is a god, then he should be able to kill on his own." And he saved his son's life.
Don't you think that's a good question? If you're worshiping something, shouldn't it be able to take care of it's own problems? If it can't take care of it's own self, how is it going to take care of you?
Judges 6:33-34- 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. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
The enemy had got together to battle God's people. When you see different nations getting together to go after God's people, you'd better not join them! You had better watch out! Because God does take care of His people!
Gideon had obeyed God, and now God was turning him into the Mighty Man of Valor that He saw in him.
Judges 6:36-38- And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 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. 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.
Gideon still needed God to prove to him that he was going to the battle with him. So, he asked for a sign- let the fleece be wet, but the ground be dry. And God showed him the sign.
Judges 6:39-40- 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. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Gideon still wasn't certain. So, he asked God for another sign- let the fleece be dry, and the ground be wet. And God showed him that sign, too.
I think that God knew Gideon would obey him, no matter how crazy the task seemed. God didn't mind proving Himself to Gideon, because He knew Gideon would also prove himself to God!
