Gideon - In depth

[B-A-C]

I have been reading about Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 lately. Sometimes I am amazed
at the practical application about reading about situations God puts people in.

Maybe there are some things we can learn from Gideon's life here.

In particular I would like to start at Judges 6.

In Judges 6:1-6;
We see Israel is in a bad place. Because "they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord".
So God gives them over to the Midianites. (verse 1)

The lesson here is simple. Sometimes if we keep doing evil before God there is a price to pay.
Sometimes God will discipline us. ( Heb 12:6; ) This isn't always a bad thing.

Things are so bad, that the Israelites are hiding in the rocks, crevices, and caves of the mountains.
(verse 2)

What do we sometimes do when the storms and trials of life come against us? We go hide, hoping
they will go away on their own, but they rarely do.

It seems food was hard to come by and getting scarcer all the time.
Whenever the Israelites would try to grow crops, the Midianites, Amalakites and the "sons of the east"
would come up against them and destroy any produce or crops the Israelites tried to grow. ( verses 3-4 )

They would camp just outside the fields of the Israelites, and then when things got close to harvest
they would destroy all the food... "and leave no sustenance in Israel", not even any livestock.
No sheep, oxen or donkeys... ( verse 4 )

It seems they would come up "like locusts in number" and with "innumerable camels" (verse 5)
and they came into the land and destroyed it. You know the Bible says the enemy comes to
kill, steal, and destroy... ( John 10:10; )

So Israel was brought very low because of Midian ( verse 6) ....

.... so what did they do about it?
We will study that over the next few (days?) but the question that comes to mind here is...
What do you do when the enemy comes against you?

Another thing to keep in mind here is... It was God who gave them over to the Midianites in the first place
because they were doing evil (verse 1). Sometimes the trials we go through, are because of our own
choices and actions. Sometimes God uses bad circumstances to change the direction we are going in.
We may not always see it.. but there is grace, even in that.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

I haven't really posted much scripture here, because I think it's best that when you do a sudy like this.. you follow
along in your Bible. I haven't give references for every verses... that way I don't have to post the verses themselves.

For studying this works reasonably well. For disputes and disagreements, I've found posting scripture is usually
required.

So where were we... the Israelites were in a bad place. The Midianites kept destroying all of their food.

Sometimes the enemy doesn't come directly at us. Sometimes, he just wants to destroy the things in
life that we depend on to sustain us. He wants to destroy our health our families, our jobs, and most
of all, our relationship with God.

In verse 6... the Israelites finally got tired of hiding, and decided to do something about it.
What did they do? It says that the sons of Israel.. "cried out to the Lord". ( verse 6)

Have you gotten to the point where you are fed up with being defeated by the enemy?
Have you cried out to God about it? I mean... really cried out to Him... I don't just mean
complained about the circumstances to Him, or just prayed things like "I hope it gets a little better".
I mean.. really cried out from your heart. Cried out in anguish.... have you really gotten to the point
where you really want to change things, or are you just a little upset with the way things are?

The first thing the Israelites had to do here,... was to cry out to the Lord... to acknowledge that they couldn't
beat the enemy of their own. When they finally got to the point of doing this .. (verse 7 )
God sends them a prophet. We aren't given the name of the prophet, but apparently the Israelites
recognized this person as a man of God. ( verse 8 )

This prophet delivers a message to them. When we cry out to God... we should be ready to receive an answer.

Go reminds them, He is the God that led them out of slavery and bondage in Egypt. ( verse 8 )
He reminds them that He defeated the Egyptians for them, and not only them, but all the inhabitants of Canaan that
tried to stop them from possessing it along the way (in the time of Joshua ). ( verse 9 )

Sometimes we need to remember who God is. Is there really any problem in the world bigger than God is?
Any problem... I've had people tell me... you just don't know what I'm going through. You just don't understand
the place I'm in... well maybe not... But I know God does. And I know there's no situation too big for Him.

The prophet goes on to tell them that God says that they shouldn't fear the gods of the Amorites and that
He reminds them why they are in this predicament... "you have not obeyed Me". ( verse 10 )

Sometimes we need to know... the reason we are in the place we are in... is because we didn't do what God
told us to do in the first place.

We don't really hear anything else about the prophet after this time... but...
It says the angel of the Lord came and sat under an oak tree at Ophrah. ( I was told once that Oprah Winfrey
was named after this... but this has nothing to do with the lesson really ).

This oak tree belonged to a person named Joash the Abiezrite. He just happened to be the father of a guy named
Gideon. Hmmm... this thread is about Gideon... and we're just now getting there.

Gideon his son was hiding in a winepress beating out the wheat (separating the wheat and chaff ). He was
hiding in the winepress doing this, so that the Midianites wouldn't destroy his wheat. It seems even Gideon
had a "sneaky" part about him. This isn't always bad either. ( verse 11 )

The angel comes up to Gideon and says .. "The Lord is with you, Oh valiant warrior". ( verse 12 )
Wow... wouldn't you like to be called a valiant warrior by God's messenger?

However Gideon's response is somewhat disappointing.
"If God is with us, then why has all this happened to us?" "Where are all of His miracles our fathers told us about?"
"Why has the Lord abandoned us, and given us over to Midian?" ( verse 13 )

Sometimes when God is speaking to us... do we just focus on the bad things that have happened in our past?
Do we refuse to hear what He is saying to us right now, because of the baggage we carry around with us?
When are you going to get tired enough of being defeated, that you cry out to God?

We we've tried and tried to beat the enemy on our own, but failed, and failed, and failed....
Maybe we even prayed to God and complained about the way things are... the way certain people are...
But have we cried out to God? Have we asked Him to help us.

** Before we can conquer things in the natural world, we have to conquer things in the spiritual world **
This is an important life lesson here.... this is one of the things we will learn here.

 

[B-A-C]

Back in verse 12... it says this being is "the angel of the Lord".
But somewhere along the way... the language changes slightly... In verse 14 it says...
"The Lord looked at him and said...." Now it isn't merely an angel, but the Lord himself.

The Lord is talking directly to Gideon now. One thing that is amazing about the Christian life
in this day and time...is we can talk to God directly. We don't need a prophet, or a priest, or a saint,
or anything but Jesus.

After Gideon accuses God of abandoning them ( verse 13 )
The Lord tells Gideon... "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" ( verse 14 )

Sometimes we need to take that first step of faith on our own. Especially if we know God is the one sending us
in that direction. If God gives us a mission, He will make sure we have everything we need to accomplish that mission.
But we are the ones who have to take that first step.

There are a hundred excuses not to take that step. Gideon had a few of his own.

Jdg 6:15 He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."

Maybe you see yourself as small and useless. Maybe you've fallen down so many times you no longer believe in yourself.
Maybe you've tried and tried again to get up and fight the enemy, but you're just so tired. Maybe you've given up.
God doesn't give up on us. He sees the potential in us. In fact, He's the one who puts that potential in us.
Gideon says he is nobody, he is the smallest person, from the smallest family, from the smallest tribe.

Sometimes God chooses us when we are at our lowest point. When we have given up on ourselves.
Sometimes... that's the only time He can use us.

Jdg 6:16 But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man."

God promises Gideon, that He will be with him, and that they will defeat the enemy.

Did you know... we have both of these same promises today. He will never leave us or forsake us.
Lo... He is with us always.. until the end of the age. Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

Jesus said in this life we will have "many" tribulations". ( problems and troubles ) John 16:33;
Paul said the same thing. ( Rom 2:9; )

The tribulations are a test of our faith.

Gideon gets even bolder and says ... "Show me a sign that it is really you God who is telling me these things" ( verse 17 )
Gideon says he needs to go take care of a few things, and get things in order. He asks the Lord...
"Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You." ( verse 18 )

Amazing this is God's reply.
"I will remain until you return." ( verse 18 )

Did you know, God is willing to wait for us sometimes. If He see's we are willing to take a step of faith,
He won't run off ahead of us. This isn't for His benefit... it's for ours!!!
Sometimes the ball is in our court.... He has given us direction, maybe He has even told you the direction
to go in, or the thing you need to do. What's keeping you from doing it? God will wait on us.... for a while.
To see where our faith is.

... to be continued ...

 

[Bendito]

Back in verse 12... it says this being is "the angel of the Lord".
But somewhere along the way... the language changes slightly... In verse 14 it says...
"The Lord looked at him and said...." Now it isn't merely an angel, but the Lord himself.

The Lord is talking directly to Gideon now. One thing that is amazing about the Christian life
in this day and time...is we can talk to God directly. We don't need a prophet, or a priest, or a saint,
or anything but Jesus.

After Gideon accuses God of abandoning them ( verse 13 )
The Lord tells Gideon... "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" ( verse 14 )

Sometimes we need to take that first step of faith on our own. Especially if we know God is the one sending us
in that direction. If God gives us a mission, He will make sure we have everything we need to accomplish that mission.
But we are the ones who have to take that first step.

There are a hundred excuses not to take that step. Gideon had a few of his own.

Jdg 6:15 He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."

Maybe you see yourself as small and useless. Maybe you've fallen down so many times you no longer believe in yourself.
Maybe you've tried and tried again to get up and fight the enemy, but you're just so tired. Maybe you've given up.
God doesn't give up on us. He sees the potential in us. In fact, He's the one who puts that potential in us.
Gideon says he is nobody, he is the smallest person, from the smallest family, from the smallest tribe.

Sometimes God chooses us when we are at our lowest point. When we have given up on ourselves.
Sometimes... that's the only time He can use us.

Jdg 6:16 But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man."

God promises Gideon, that He will be with him, and that they will defeat the enemy.

Did you know... we have both of these same promises today. He will never leave us or forsake us.
Lo... He is with us always.. until the end of the age. Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

Jesus said in this life we will have "many" tribulations". ( problems and troubles ) John 16:33;
Paul said the same thing. ( Rom 2:9; )

The tribulations are a test of our faith.

Gideon gets even bolder and says ... "Show me a sign that it is really you God who is telling me these things" ( verse 17 )
Gideon says he needs to go take care of a few things, and get things in order. He asks the Lord...
"Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You." ( verse 18 )

Amazing this is God's reply.
"I will remain until you return." ( verse 18 )

Did you know, God is willing to wait for us sometimes. If He see's we are willing to take a step of faith,
He won't run off ahead of us. This isn't for His benefit... it's for ours!!!
Sometimes the ball is in our court.... He has given us direction, maybe He has even told you the direction
to go in, or the thing you need to do. What's keeping you from doing it? God will wait on us.... for a while.
To see where our faith is.

... to be continued ...

Gideon was a man of real faith. He is kind of my hero.. The justified shall live by faith, thus he is an example of how its done. It proves too that Gideon was good for more than printing bibles? Oof Sorry.
Here was a guy who barely knew God Then he's busy and God interrupts his doing and says Here's your new assignment, and Gideon say "Right! You command, I Obey" Yup He's my hero.

 

[B-A-C]

In Judges 6:17; Gideon asks God for a sign... "that it is you who speak with me".

This is a pretty good practice. Sometimes we need to know who is speaking to us.
There are false teachers, false doctrines, doctrines of demons, and even Satan can disguise himself as a angel of light ( 2 Cor 11:14; )
Sometimes we need to be sure who is talking to us. Even our friends who have "good advice" for us.

God says He will wait for Gideon while he goes to get his offering. Sometimes we need to lay our offering before the Lord.
It may be confession, it may simply be praise and thanks. It may be just "getting right" with God. But the thing about
getting right with God, is that you can't do it without God.

Matt 5:23; says if we remember that there is something between us and another brother (fellow believer) while
we are presenting our offering on the altar, we should go make peace with them first... then come back to the altar
to meet with God.

So Gideon prepares a young goat and some unleavened bread with some broth and brings them back out to the
oak tree where the Lord said he would wait for Gideon. ( verse 19 )
The angel then tells Gideon to lay his sacrifice out upon the rock, and then pour the broth upon it ( verse 20 )
Then the angel takes his staff and touches the sacrifice and fire springs up from the rock and consumes the sacrifice.

Now, I don't know about you. But if I saw this... fire coming up out of a rock to consume the sacrifice.
If I wasn't a believer before.. I sure would have been after I saw that. Gideon asked God for a sign that it was really the Lord,
and this is the sign that God gave him. I think it's OK to ask God... "Lord is it really you?" In Matt 14:28; Peter
asks Jesus... "Lord, if it is really you...".

After this... the angel vanishes. ( verse 21 ) Did he just walk off, or did he magically disappear before Gideon's eyes?

Finally in verse 22.. it dawn's upon Gideon who the angel really was. This is much like Peter's revelation of who Jesus was
in Matt 16 when Jesus asks him... "who do you say that I am?".
Gideon is afraid that now that he has seen the angel of the Lord,... he is going to die.

But in verse 23.. the Lord says to Gideon... "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die."
Peace... the Hebrew word here is shalom ... it isn't just peace... it is complete safety, welfare, soundness,
tranquility, contentment... it is the peace of God.

In verse 24 we see that Gideon builds an altar there to the Lord... and he names it "The Lord is peace."
Jehovah-Shalom... the Lord is my peace. or The God of peace.

Do you have peace within you? Complete total contentment? Do you have any worry or strife within you
at all? Gideon didn't just hear about God's peace. He didn't read a book about it. He experienced it
first hand. Have you really experienced God's peace within you? Do you have the peace that passes all understanding?
( Php 4:7; ) do you have peace, even when it doesn't make sense to have it?

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

On the very same night that all the things in post #5 happened, the Lord also gave Gideon another job to do.

In verse 25, the Lord tells Gideon to take his father's own bull and another bull that is seven years old.
The Lord tells him, pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father. While you're at it...
cut down the Asherah that is beside it. Jewish tradition holds that an Asherah is a wooden statue of sorts to the
earth goddess, or the earth Mother. Sometimes new age theology isn't as new as we think it is.
God tells Gideon, after you have torn these things down... build an altar to the Lord on top of this stronghold. (verse 26 )

Talk about spiritual warfare!! This is at his father's own house. I was in some people's house not long ago.
They said they were Christians. Other than that, I didn't know much about their faith. Went I went to their
house, I saw Buddha statues, Mary statues, many armed Hindu goddesses, and even a native american dream catcher.
I tried not to offend them, but I asked them about these other faith objects they had laying around the house.
They said these things were there just in case Jesus couldn't handle whatever problems they were dealing with.

I notice God calls these things strongholds ( verse 26 ). He tells Gideon to tear them down, and build an altar in their
place. Do we have strongholds in our house? Maybe it isn't an idol er se... but do you have an idol of something else
in your house? An idol of swimsuit magazines? An idol of men's magazines? An idol of anything you know God wants
you to get rid of, but you haven't gotten around to it yet. The reason it's so hard to get rid of these things is because they
have become a spiritual stronghold. A place where Satan has a foothold in your life.

God even tells Gideon to take the wood from the Asherah statue and use it for the offering on the altar.
That's what we need to do sometimes... take those false idols and strongholds in our life and burn them. When we are worshiping the created, instead of the creator we are worshiping an idol, even a woman's body can be an idol.

I knew a new Christian who had a bunch of old Playboy magazines in his attic. He told me he paid hundreds
of dollars for those, and he "couldn't just throw them all away". He needed to get his money back from them.
I told him that he was responsible for whoever he sold them to. He was being a stumbling block to them.
I told him he needed to burn them. I'm not really sure what he ended up doing, but I am told they are gone now.

The funny thing here is that Gideon went at night... (remember I said he had a sneaky streak in him back in post #2 ). It says
he did this because he was afraid of his father, so he took 10 men with him. Sometimes I don't think cares if
we are a little afraid, I don't even think he cares if we "do it at night" so to speak. Just so long as we do what
He asks us to do.

... to be continued ...

 

[robaston]

Gideon was a man of real faith. He is kind of my hero.. The justified shall live by faith, thus he is an example of how its done. It proves too that Gideon was good for more than printing bibles? Oof Sorry.
Here was a guy who barely knew God Then he's busy and God interrupts his doing and says Here's your new assignment, and Gideon say "Right! You command, I Obey" Yup He's my hero.

i don't like gideon, in theory i do like him, but he compromised - 'twas his undoing (i recall "...it proved a snare...)

 

[B-A-C]

i don't like gideon, in theory i do like him, but he compromised - 'twas his undoing (i recall "...it proved a snare...)

Do you have a scripture reference for this?

 

[B-A-C]

Judges 6:28-32;

The next morning the men "of the city" find out what happened the night before.
The altar of Baal is torn down, the Asherah is chopped down, and the remains of the bull that was sacrificed on the altar
are still there. ( verse 28 )

So they go around asking everyone... who would do such a thing?

There could be a lot of commentary written here about "who would do such a thing?" Sometimes the world becomes
so used to doing evil, that when someone finally stands up for something that is right and Godly... the world is shocked.

Eventually they figure out it was Gideon... the son of Joash...
I find it interesting that even though Gideon was afraid of his father. He was willing to do what God told him to do.
Even more so, that his father had turned away from God and started worshiping idols. Yet Gideon did not follow
his father in this.

In fact in verse 29... the men tell Joash to bring his son out "so that he may die". Sometimes we face persecution for doing the right thing. Sometimes even the threat of death.

Still I like Joash's answer here. Will you take your god's vengeance on my son for him? If he is really a god, let him
take his own vengeance. ( verse 30 )

Now of course, this wasn't the real battle for Gideon.... not yet. (that's in the next chapter)
But it was a test leading up to it. Sometimes God wants to see obedience in us in the smaller things before
he gives bigger things for us to handle.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

Judges 6:33; Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.
Judges 6:34; So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.
Judges 6:35; He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

The thing about this passage that stands out to me is... "the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon:" ... and he blew a trumpet...
The Spirit of the Lord didn't come upon many people in the old testament. But I notice this didn't happen until Gideon
was obedient to God (in tearing down the altar of Ball and the Asherath).

Perhaps it is the same in the new testament. ( Acts 5:32; )

In verses 36 to 40; we see one of the things Gideon is perhaps most well known for...
It's known as fleecing God. Some people take this as testing God. I personally disagree. I think it was simply
questioning God. I think sometimes it's OK if we ask God... is this really want you want me to do?
Is this really the direction I should be going in?

The first night he asks God for a sign again...
He lies a fleece of wool on the ground... He asks God.. if the fleece is wet, but the ground is dry, then I will know
what your answer is. Sure enough... this is exactly what happens the next morning. ( verse 38 )
Yet Gideon still isn't convinced....
So the next day... Gideon asks God for another sign... he asks God to do the exact opposite this time.
This time make the fleece dry, and the ground moist (with dew).
So God gives him this sign also.

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

Gideon and the 300.

Judges 7:1-8;

We finally made it through Judges 6. Even though God told Gideon he was going to use him to defeat the Midianites,
God tested Gideon first... to see if he would be obedient. (tear down his fathers idols). After Gideon passed that test
God proceeded to use Gideon.

In verse 2, God says I will help you defeat the Midianites, but there are too many of you.
You might say "We did this on our own power".

How many times, has God helped us... and we've said to ourselves... "I did it!!" As if you did it yourself.
In fact.. the more difficult the task... the more involved God has to be.
God sometimes gives us difficult things to do... just so we will know we need Him.

So God tells Gideon to send the people who are afraid back home. ( verse 3)
There were a little over 32,000 people here. It says that 22,000 people went back home.
That left 10,000 people to fight the battle. ( verse 3 )

In verse 4... God tells Gideon... there are still too many of you.
I can imagine if I was Gideon... I would be saying... com'on God you're killing me. There's a lot of those bad guys.
We need all the help we can get. It seems we have a hard time trusting God to help us do what He said He would do.

God tells Gideon to send the people down to the water. ( verse 4)
God tells Gideon to separate the people... take the ones that put their faces down to the water and lap it like a dog,
from the ones who cup the water in their hand and drink it from their hands. ( verse 5 )

This leaves 300 people. That's quite a step down from 10,000. ( verse 6 )
But yet God promises Gideon.. I will deliver the Midianites into your hands with just these 300 warriors. ( verse 7 )
So Gideon let all the other would be warriors go home. About 9,700 warriors took up their belongings and went back home ( verse 8 )

... to be continued ...

 

[B-A-C]

Judges 7:9-18;

In verse 9... God tells Gideon... it's a done deal!!!
Go down against the camp (of the Midianites) for I have given it to you.

It's interesting that even after God tells Gideon this... He adds... "if you are afraid, take your servant
Purah with you". We don't know a lot about Purah, in fact he is only mentioned in these two verses ( Judges 7:9-10; )

In verse 11 God tells Gideon, you will overhear something that will strengthen you. (Some Bibles say "encourage you")

So we know that Gideon only has 300 warriors with him now. But how many of the enemy are there?

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.

It doesn't mention a specific number... but it sounds like there were a lot. Many times more than 300.

In verse 13.. it says Gideon came into the camp and he overhears one of the enemy telling another man about a dream he had.
He tells him about a loaf of (barley) bread that came "tumbling" into the camp, it came into the tent and struck the tent so hard
that the entire fell and was turned completely upside and fell flat.

It's hard to imagine a loaf of bread would cause a tent to fall down. The tents in those days weren't made out of nylon
and fiberglass and carbon fiber. They were big heavy canvas tents. Sometimes they also used animal hides, but either
way, these were big sturdy tents.

Somewhat amazingly, the man's friend knows the interpretation of the dream. ( verse 14 )
He replies to his friend that the sword of Gideon is coming against the camp. He even knows that God has given the
camp over to Gideon.

wow!! First of all... these aren't Israelites.. they are Midianites (or Amalakites) but sometimes God even uses the enemy
to help us defeat them. In the book of Daniel ... King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream ... and Daniel interpreted it.
In the book of Genesis, Pharaoh had a dream and Joseph interpreted it. Neither Nebuchadnezzar nor Pharaoh believed
in nor followed the God of the Israelites. Sometimes God can give non-believers dreams and visions to make them do
His bidding. What is somewhat unique here... is that in most places it requires a man of God or a prophet to interpret
a dream.. but in this case.. another one of the enemy has the foresight to interpret it. ( verse 14 )

In verse 15... it says when Gideon heard this... he bowed his head in worship. (we always should be thankful to God
when He gives us the victory.. even if it hasn't been accomplished yet) he goes back to the camp of the Israelites and tells
the warriors that God has given the camp over to them.

This is faith!! This is believing God will do what He says He will. This is stepping out in that faith to do your part.

.... next, the battle ....