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| 1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. |
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| 2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites the children of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. |
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| 3 And it came to pass when Israel sowed, that Midian came up, and Amalek, and the children of the east, and came up against them. |
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| 4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the produce of the land, until thou come to Gazah, and they left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. |
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| 5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number; and they entered into the land to destroy it. |
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| 6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian. And the children of Israel cried to Jehovah. |
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| 7 And it came to pass when the children of Israel cried to Jehovah because of Midian, |
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| 8 that Jehovah sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; |
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| 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land, |
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| 10 and I said to you, I am Jehovah your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not hearkened to my voice. |
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| 11 And an angel of Jehovah came and sat under the terebinth that was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abi-ezrite. And his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, to secure it from the Midianites. |
Gideon – The record implies that he was fine of form and feature, indicating natural nobility. R4082:3
Threshed wheat – Gideon was threshing out a few sheaves of wheat in a concealed place lest the Midianites rob them. R5605:3
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| 12 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him, and said to him, Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. |
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| 13 And Gideon said to him, Ah my Lord, if Jehovah be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his miracles that our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? And now Jehovah hath cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian. |
This befallen us – It was not that God was unfaithful to his covenant, but that the Israelites had been unfaithful. R5605:6, R4082:2
How few spiritual Israelites realize that spiritual difficulties are traceable to the Lord's providences. R4082:2
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| 14 And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have not I sent thee? |
Have not I sent thee? – The angel was not there to discuss theology, but to inspire Gideon. R5605:3
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| 15 And he said to him, Ah Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my thousand is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. |
I am the least – Here Gideon's humility shines out. R5605:5
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| 16 And Jehovah said to him, I will certainly be with thee; and thou shalt smite Midian as one man. |
I will be with thee – This protection was dependent upon Israel's maintenance of heart-loyalty and faithfulness to God. R5605:5
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| 17 And he said to him, If now I have found favour in thine eyes, shew me a sign that it is thou who talkest with me. |
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| 18 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. |
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| 19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid of the goats, and an ephah of flour in unleavened cakes: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the terebinth, and presented it. |
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| 20 And the Angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. |
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| 21 And the Angel of Jehovah 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. And the Angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight. |
Rose up fire – Demonstrating that the visitor was an angel of the Lord. R5605:6
Angels have powers above the human. R265:2
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| 22 And Gideon perceived that he was an angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! for because I have seen an angel of Jehovah face to face... |
He was an angel – For he had appeared to him in human form. A183; B127
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| 23 And Jehovah said to him, Peace be unto thee: fear not; thou shalt not die. |
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| 24 And Gideon built there an altar to Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom. To this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. |
Jehovah-shalom – The Peace of Jehovah. E43
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| 25 And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said to him, Take the young bullock, which thy father hath, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it; |
The same night – At night, because his family and the villagers would have stoutly resisted it if they had known. R5606:2
Grove – Large posts, significant of honor, erected near the idol. R5605:6
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| 26 and build an altar to Jehovah thy God upon the top of this strong place in the ordered manner, and take the second bullock, and offer up a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah that thou shalt cut down. |
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| 27 And Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had said to him. And it came to pass, because he feared his father's house, and the men of the city, if he did it by day, that he did it by night. |
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| 28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered up upon the altar that was built.
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| 29 And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing. |
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| 30 And the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it. |
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| 31 And Joash said to all that stood near him, Will *ye* contend for Baal? or will *ye* save him? he that contends for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning. If he be a god, let him plead for himself, because they have broken down his altar. |
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| 32 And on that day they called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead with him, because he has broken down his altar. |
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| 33 And all Midian and Amalek and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. |
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| 34 And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, and the Abi-ezrites were gathered after him. |
Came upon Gideon – Type of the Lord Jesus. R4082:5
Blew a trumpet – Representing the proclamation of the truth, the call to faith in the Lord, resulting in justification and acceptance. R4083:5, 2
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| 35 And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were gathered after him; and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. |
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| 36 And Gideon said to God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said, |
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| 37 behold, I put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if dew shall be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said. |
Then shall I know – Gideon required fresh evidence from the Lord that he was doing the divine will. R5606:4
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| 38 And it was so. And when he rose up early on the morrow, he pressed the fleece together, and wrung dew out of the fleece, a bowl-full of water. |
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| 39 And Gideon said to 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, I pray thee, be dry upon the fleece only, and upon all the ground let there be dew. |
Let me prove – The first test was not enough. He would reverse the test. R5606:5
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| 40 And God did so that night, and it was dry upon the fleece only, but on all the ground there was dew. |
And God did so – We are not to think that because the Lord thus granted proofs to Gideon it would be proper for us today to make similar tests. We walk by faith, not by sights and signs. R5606:5
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