PROLOGUE — The Most Extensively Treated Judge
Judges 6 begins the fifth repetition of the cycle, and the story of Gideon, the most extensively treated judge in this entire book (spanning chapters 6–8). His calling is filled with far more complexity and human hesitation than any previous judge.
ACT ONE — Midian’s Oppression Like a Swarm of Locusts (verses 1–10)
“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.”
Dens, caves, and strongholds. Israel had been reduced to hiding within their own land. The Midianites regularly swept in like locusts, plundering every harvest.
When Israel cried out, God first sent a word of rebuke through an anonymous prophet.
“I brought you up from Egypt… I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.”
ACT TWO — Gideon, Threshing Wheat Hidden in a Winepress (verses 11–24)
“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 LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
Threshing wheat by the winepress… thou mighty man of valour. This scene carries remarkable irony — Gideon was hiding, trembling in fear as he threshed wheat, and at precisely that moment, the angel of the LORD called him a “mighty man of valour.”
Gideon’s first response was immediate doubt and skepticism.
“And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us?… but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
God’s response, rather than refuting his doubt, moved straight into direct command.
“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 continued to protest his own unsuitability.
“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.”
Surely I will be with thee. God did not deny Gideon’s objective condition (weakness, the least in his family) — instead, He promised His own presence regardless of that condition.
Gideon requested a definite sign, and God responded with a miracle of fire consuming an offering. Gideon built an altar there, naming it “Jehovahshalom” (the LORD is peace).
ACT THREE — Tearing Down His Father’s Altar to Baal (verses 25–32)
That same night, God gave Gideon a far more challenging first assignment.
“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.”
Gideon, out of fear, carried this out at night, but obeyed the command precisely. When the townspeople rose in fury the next morning to kill him, his father Joash, remarkably, defended him.
“If he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.”
ACT FOUR — The Two Fleece Signs (verses 33–40)
As the Midianite coalition gathered, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon. Yet he still sought assurance.
“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.”
A fleece of wool on the threshing floor. The first sign (fleece wet, ground dry) was fulfilled exactly, but perhaps thinking it could be coincidence, Gideon asked for the opposite sign once more (fleece dry, ground wet). God patiently answered both times.
REFLECTION — A God Who Patiently Bears With the Doubter
The most comforting insight Judges 6 gives us is that God does not use only those with perfect confidence. Gideon doubted, objected, and repeatedly requested signs — yet God patiently bore with all his weakness and continued to call him.
Despite your own doubt and fear, can you trust that God still patiently calls you?
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
Judges Chapter 7 — the remarkable story of God reducing Gideon’s army to three hundred men unfolds.
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