Judges 6

Judges 6 introduces us to Gideon, the next judge raised by God to deliver Israel from oppression. After years of disobedience, Israel falls into the hands of the Midianites, who devastate the land. In response to their cries for help, God calls Gideon to deliver the people, but Gideon struggles with doubt and asks for multiple signs from God before fully embracing his role.

Judges 6:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.
3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.
5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.

Israel’s disobedience led them into seven years of oppression by the Midianites. The Midianites, in collaboration with the Amalekites, raided the land, leaving the Israelites impoverished and forced to hide in caves. The invaders came in overwhelming numbers, like locusts, destroying crops and livestock, leaving nothing for Israel to sustain itself. This period of devastation was a direct result of Israel's sin, and the people were desperate for deliverance.

Judges 6:6 (NKJV)
6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

After years of suffering under Midianite oppression, Israel finally cried out to the Lord for help. Their cries signal a turning point, as in previous cycles of the Judges, where their repentance or plea for deliverance led God to raise up a leader to save them.

Judges 6:7-10 (NKJV)
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites,
8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you 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 who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.
10 Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’”

Before delivering Israel, God sent a prophet to remind them of His past acts of deliverance. The prophet recounts how God freed them from Egypt and gave them the Promised Land. Yet despite these blessings, Israel disobeyed by turning to the gods of the Amorites. This prophetic message highlights the root of their suffering—disobedience to God's command.

Judges 6:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

The Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon while he is hiding from the Midianites, threshing wheat in a winepress to protect it. The Angel greets Gideon, calling him a "mighty man of valor," even though Gideon feels weak and afraid. The Angel of the Lord was the pre-incarnate Christ, a manifestation of Jesus before He took on human form. This is because the Angel speaks with divine authority and promises God’s presence and strength to Gideon, indicating that this is more than just an angelic messenger.

Judges 6:13-14 (NKJV)
13 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 forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

Gideon responds with doubt, questioning why God allowed their suffering if He is truly with them. His question reflects Israel’s sense of abandonment. However, the Lord challenges Gideon’s doubt, commanding him to “go in this might” and deliver Israel, confirming that Gideon has been chosen for this mission.

Judges 6:15-16 (NKJV)
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon expresses his insecurity, pointing out that he belongs to the weakest clan in Manasseh and that he is the least in his family. However, the Lord reassures him that His presence will ensure victory. Gideon’s success will not depend on his own strength but on the power of God working through him.

Judges 6:17-18 (NKJV)
17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
18 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

Gideon, still uncertain, asks for a sign to confirm that it is truly the Lord speaking to him. He requests that the Angel of the Lord wait while he prepares an offering. This request for a sign reflects Gideon’s cautious approach and desire for assurance before accepting his divine commission.

Judges 6:19-21 (NKJV)
19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
20 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.
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 rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

Gideon prepares a sacrificial offering and presents it to the Angel of the Lord. When the Angel touches the offering with His staff, fire miraculously consumes it, confirming that this encounter is indeed divine. The disappearance of the Angel after the fire further emphasizes the supernatural nature of this sign, providing Gideon with the confirmation he sought.

Judges 6:22-23 (NKJV)
22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”
23 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”

After witnessing the sign, Gideon realizes he has encountered the Angel of the Lord. In fear, he believes he will die, as it was thought that seeing God’s presence could lead to death. However, God reassures Gideon, granting him peace and removing his fear of death, further confirming His protection over Gideon.

Judges 6:24 (NKJV)
24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

In response to God’s assurance, Gideon builds an altar and names it “The-Lord-Is-Peace,” commemorating the peace and reassurance God gave him. This act of worship marks a turning point in Gideon’s faith, symbolizing his acceptance of God’s call and the peace he now feels in carrying out his mission.

Judges 6:25-27 (NKJV)
25 Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.

God commands Gideon to destroy his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole next to it, symbolizing Israel’s idolatry. God then instructs Gideon to build an altar to the Lord and offer a sacrifice. Although Gideon obeys, he does it at night due to fear of the townspeople’s reaction. This event highlights the first step in restoring true worship in Israel.

Judges 6:28-30 (NKJV)
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built.
29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”

When the townspeople discover the destruction of the altar, they are outraged and demand that Gideon be put to death for his actions. This reaction shows the deep-seated idolatry in the community and the resistance to returning to worshiping the true God.

Judges 6:31-32 (NKJV)
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

Gideon’s father, Joash, defends his son, turning the argument back on the people by questioning Baal’s power. He suggests that if Baal is truly a god, he should be able to defend himself. This bold stance earns Gideon the nickname Jerubbaal, meaning “Let Baal contend,” marking the beginning of Gideon’s public role as a leader against idolatry.

Judges 6:33-35 (NKJV)
33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

As the Midianites and their allies prepare for battle, the Spirit of the Lord empowers Gideon, giving him the courage to rally Israel’s tribes for war. He sends messengers to gather warriors from surrounding tribes, marking the beginning of the confrontation with the Midianite oppressors.

Judges 6:36-40 (NKJV)
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—
37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”
40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

Despite God’s assurances, Gideon seeks further confirmation through the fleece test. Twice, he asks for miraculous signs involving the dew and the fleece. God, in His patience, grants these signs, reassuring Gideon of His presence and the certainty of victory. This reveals both Gideon’s cautious nature and God’s willingness to meet him where he is in his faith journey.