Judges 6 Study Notes: Gideon Called to Deliver Israel
Midian ravages Israel for seven years, and when the people plead for help God first sends a prophet to rebuke their disobedience. The LORD’s angel then calls the fearful Gideon to rescue Israel; Gideon destroys his father’s Baal altar, earns the name Jerubbaal, and receives two signs with a fleece.
General
True or False: In Judges 6:14 and 6:16, the narrator calls the one who is speaking with Gideon the LORD.
Answer: True
This is true. The visitor is introduced as the angel of the LORD (6:11-12), but when he commissions Gideon the narrator names the speaker as the LORD (6:14), and he does so again in 6:16. The same thing happens elsewhere in Scripture: the angel who called to Abraham spoke the LORD’s own oath in the first person (Genesis 22:15-16), and the angel who appeared to Moses in the burning bush spoke as the God of Moses’ forefathers (Exodus 3:2, 6). Christians read this in different ways: some believe this angel is the Son of God appearing before He was born as a man; others believe he is an angel who carries the LORD’s name and authority. Either way, Gideon was hearing God’s own word and dealing with His presence.
- Judges 6:14 (BSB)“The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?””The narrator names the speaker who commissions Gideon as the LORD.
- Judges 6:16 (BSB)““Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.””Again the narrator says the LORD replied to Gideon.
- Genesis 22:15-16 (BSB)“And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,”The angel calls to Abraham from heaven and speaks the LORD’s oath in the first person.
- Exodus 3:2 (BSB)“There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.”The angel of the LORD appears to Moses in the burning bush.
- Exodus 3:6 (BSB)“Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”The one speaking from the bush identifies Himself as the God of the patriarchs.
Theological
True or False: The narrator of Judges 6 refers to Gideon’s visitor both as the LORD’s angel and as the LORD (6:12, 14, 16).
Answer: True
This is true. The figure introduced as the angel of the LORD (6:11-12) is named by the narrator as the LORD when he commissions Gideon (6:14, 16). The pattern matches the angel who speaks the LORD’s oath to Abraham in the first person (Genesis 22:15-16) and the angel in the bush who speaks as the God of the patriarchs (Exodus 3:2, 6). Some identify this angel as the pre-incarnate Son; others see an angel bearing the LORD’s name and authority. On either reading, Gideon is addressed by the LORD’s own word and presence.
- Judges 6:14 (BSB)“The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?””The narrator names the speaker who commissions Gideon as the LORD.
- Judges 6:16 (BSB)““Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.””Again the narrator says the LORD replied to Gideon.
- Genesis 22:15-16 (BSB)“And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time, saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,”The angel calls to Abraham from heaven and speaks the LORD’s oath in the first person.
- Exodus 3:2 (BSB)“There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.”The angel of the LORD appears to Moses in the burning bush.
- Exodus 3:6 (BSB)“Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”The one speaking from the bush identifies Himself as the God of the patriarchs.
General
That night, what did the LORD command Gideon to do about his father’s Baal altar (Judges 6:25-26)?
Answer: Pull it down, chop down the Asherah, and raise the LORD’s altar
Gideon’s own father kept an altar to Baal, a Canaanite god of storm and fertility, with an Asherah pole next to it (a wooden pole honoring a Canaanite goddess). The LORD told Gideon to pull down the altar, chop down the pole, build a fitting altar for the LORD on top of the stronghold, and sacrifice the second bull on it, burning it with the pole’s wood (6:25-26). Gideon’s first task, before any battle with Midian, was to remove idolatry from his own family. This was what God’s law had commanded from the start (Deuteronomy 7:5; Exodus 34:13), and Israel’s failure to do it had already been charged against them (Judges 2:2).
- Judges 6:25-26 (BSB)“On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.””The LORD commands Gideon to destroy his father’s Baal altar and Asherah pole and build the LORD’s altar.
- Deuteronomy 7:5 (BSB)“Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.”God’s law commanded Israel to tear down Canaanite altars and cut down Asherah poles.
- Exodus 34:13 (BSB)“Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.”The same command was given when the covenant was renewed at Sinai.
- Judges 2:2 (BSB)“and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?”Israel had already been charged with failing to tear down the altars of the land.
Theological
What did the LORD’s command in 6:25-26 require of Gideon regarding his father’s shrine?
Answer: Pull it down, chop down the Asherah, and raise the LORD’s altar
The LORD’s first assignment to the new deliverer is reformation at home: demolish his father’s Baal altar, fell the Asherah, build a properly ordered altar for the LORD on the stronghold, and offer the second bull on it with the Asherah’s wood (6:25-26). Deliverance from Midian begins with the removal of the idolatry that caused the oppression. Gideon carries out the standing commands of Deuteronomy 7:5 and Exodus 34:13, the very duty Israel had been rebuked for neglecting (Judges 2:2).
- Judges 6:25-26 (BSB)“On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.””The LORD commands Gideon to destroy his father’s Baal altar and Asherah pole and build the LORD’s altar.
- Deuteronomy 7:5 (BSB)“Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.”God’s law commanded Israel to tear down Canaanite altars and cut down Asherah poles.
- Exodus 34:13 (BSB)“Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.”The same command was given when the covenant was renewed at Sinai.
- Judges 2:2 (BSB)“and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?”Israel had already been charged with failing to tear down the altars of the land.
General
What did Gideon ask God to do with the fleece the first time (Judges 6:36-37)?
Answer: Wet the fleece with dew while the ground stayed dry
Even after the Spirit had come upon him and the tribes gathered, Gideon asked God for confirmation. He would lay a wool fleece out where grain was threshed (separated from its straw); if the fleece alone grew wet with dew while the ground around stayed dry, he would know that God would save Israel through him as He had promised (6:36-37). God did exactly that: the next morning Gideon squeezed a full bowl of water out of the fleece (6:38). Gideon was asking for confirmation of a promise God had already made, and God answered him patiently. In a similar way God gave Moses signs when Moses feared the people would not believe him (Exodus 4:1, 5).
- Judges 6:36-38 (BSB)“Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.”Gideon asks that dew fall only on the fleece; God does it, and he wrings out a bowl of water.
- Exodus 4:1 (BSB)“Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’””Moses feared the people would not believe that the LORD had appeared to him.
- Exodus 4:5 (BSB)““This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.””God gave Moses signs so that the people would believe.
Theological
What first sign did Gideon request with the fleece (6:36-37)?
Answer: Wet the fleece with dew while the ground stayed dry
Despite the Spirit’s empowering and the mustering of the tribes, Gideon seeks confirmation of the promise already given: dew on the fleece alone, with the surrounding ground dry (6:36-37). God grants it, and Gideon wrings a full bowl of water from the fleece (6:38). The request concerns a word God had already spoken, and God condescends to confirm it, as He did with the signs given to Moses (Exodus 4:1, 5).
- Judges 6:36-38 (BSB)“Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.”Gideon asks that dew fall only on the fleece; God does it, and he wrings out a bowl of water.
- Exodus 4:1 (BSB)“Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’””Moses feared the people would not believe that the LORD had appeared to him.
- Exodus 4:5 (BSB)““This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.””God gave Moses signs so that the people would believe.
General
True or False: When Gideon asked for a second sign with the fleece, God refused and rebuked him for doubting.
Answer: False
This is false. Gideon knew he was asking a lot. He begged God not to be angry with him and asked for one more test, this time with a dry fleece on wet ground (6:39). The text records no rebuke: that very night God did exactly what Gideon asked (6:40). The chapter shows God’s patience with a hesitant servant whose faith needed strengthening. Like a father with his children, the LORD is tender toward those who revere Him and remembers how frail they are (Psalm 103:13-14).
- Judges 6:39-40 (BSB)“Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.” And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.”Gideon asks for the reverse sign, and God grants it that night.
- Psalm 103:13 (BSB)“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.”The LORD has a father’s compassion on those who fear Him.
- Psalm 103:14 (BSB)“For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.”God remembers how frail His people are.
Theological
True or False: Judges 6:39-40 records that God declined Gideon’s second fleece request as an act of unbelief.
Answer: False
This is false. Aware of presuming on God, Gideon pleads that God not be angry and asks for the reverse sign: a dry fleece on wet ground (6:39). God grants it that night without rebuke (6:40). The narrative highlights the LORD’s fatherly compassion toward a wavering servant, the God who knows the frailty of His people (Psalm 103:13-14).
- Judges 6:39-40 (BSB)“Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.” And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.”Gideon asks for the reverse sign, and God grants it that night.
- Psalm 103:13 (BSB)“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.”The LORD has a father’s compassion on those who fear Him.
- Psalm 103:14 (BSB)“For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.”God remembers how frail His people are.
General
Gideon asked why all this had happened to Israel if the LORD was with them (Judges 6:13). What answer had the chapter already given?
Answer: Israel had done evil and disobeyed the LORD
Gideon remembered the stories of the exodus and wondered where those wonders had gone, concluding that the LORD had abandoned Israel (6:13). But the chapter had already explained the trouble: Israel did evil, and the LORD handed them over (6:1), and the prophet had just told them they had not obeyed (6:10). The LORD had told Moses that when Israel turned away, they would one day ask whether their troubles came because God had left them (Deuteronomy 31:17). In fact it was Israel that had forsaken the LORD to follow other gods (Judges 2:12). Gideon’s question was honest, but the problem lay with Israel, not with any failure on God’s part. The LORD did not rebuke him; He answered by sending him to save Israel (6:14).
- Judges 6:13 (BSB)““Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.””Gideon asks where the LORD’s wonders have gone and says the LORD has abandoned Israel.
- Judges 6:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,”The narrator has already explained the oppression: Israel did evil and the LORD gave them over.
- Deuteronomy 31:17 (BSB)“On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’”The LORD told Moses that a disobedient Israel would ask whether their troubles meant God had left them.
- Judges 2:12 (BSB)“Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,”The book shows that Israel forsook the LORD first, turning to other gods.
Theological
Gideon complains in 6:13 that the LORD has abandoned Israel. What explanation for Israel’s suffering has the chapter already supplied?
Answer: Israel had done evil and disobeyed the LORD
Gideon’s lament appeals to the exodus wonders and concludes that the LORD has abandoned Israel (6:13). The reader already knows otherwise: 6:1 attributes the oppression to Israel’s evil, and the prophet has just charged them with disobedience (6:10). Deuteronomy 31:17 anticipated exactly this misreading, and Judges 2:12 makes clear that Israel forsook the LORD, not the reverse. The LORD answers Gideon’s question not with a rebuke but with a commission (6:14).
- Judges 6:13 (BSB)““Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.””Gideon asks where the LORD’s wonders have gone and says the LORD has abandoned Israel.
- Judges 6:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,”The narrator has already explained the oppression: Israel did evil and the LORD gave them over.
- Deuteronomy 31:17 (BSB)“On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’”The LORD told Moses that a disobedient Israel would ask whether their troubles meant God had left them.
- Judges 2:12 (BSB)“Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,”The book shows that Israel forsook the LORD first, turning to other gods.
General
What was Gideon doing when the angel came to him (Judges 6:11-12)?
Answer: Beating out his grain where Midian could not see
The angel of the LORD is a heavenly messenger who in Judges speaks and acts with the LORD’s own authority. When he came, Gideon was threshing wheat (beating the grain loose from the stalks) down in a winepress, a place for pressing grapes, so that the Midianites would not see and seize the harvest (6:11). Yet the angel greeted him as a brave warrior and told him the LORD was with him (6:12). The greeting rested on the LORD’s presence with him, not on anything Gideon was showing at that moment. God often chooses weak people to put the strong to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27), and Hebrews remembers Gideon among those who were made strong out of weakness (Hebrews 11:32-34).
- Judges 6:11-12 (BSB)“Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.””Gideon is hiding his grain from Midian when the angel greets him as a brave warrior.
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 (BSB)“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”God deliberately chooses the weak to put the strong to shame.
- Hebrews 11:32-34 (BSB)“And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.”Gideon is named among those who through faith gained strength from weakness.
Theological
In what circumstance does the angel find Gideon before greeting him as a valiant warrior (Judges 6:11-12)?
Answer: Beating out his grain where Midian could not see
Gideon is beating out his wheat inside a winepress, out of sight, to keep his grain from Midian (6:11), when the angel hails him as a valiant warrior with whom the LORD is present (6:12). The title rests on the LORD’s presence with him, not on what he is showing at that moment. The contrast displays God’s pattern of choosing the weak to put the strong to shame (1 Corinthians 1:27), and Hebrews lists Gideon among those whose strength came out of weakness by faith (Hebrews 11:32-34).
- Judges 6:11-12 (BSB)“Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.””Gideon is hiding his grain from Midian when the angel greets him as a brave warrior.
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 (BSB)“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”God deliberately chooses the weak to put the strong to shame.
- Hebrews 11:32-34 (BSB)“And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.”Gideon is named among those who through faith gained strength from weakness.
General
Why did Gideon carry out the LORD’s command at night instead of during the day (Judges 6:27)?
Answer: He feared his own family and the townsmen
Gideon took ten servants and did everything the LORD commanded, but he did it at night because he was afraid of his family and of the townspeople (6:27). The LORD had said nothing about the timing; the night work came from Gideon’s fear. Still, he obeyed completely. The chapter shows faith that is real yet weak, and God’s patience with it. Again and again the LORD tells His servants not to be afraid because He is with them and will strengthen them (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10). God did not wait for Gideon to become fearless before using him.
- Judges 6:27 (BSB)“So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night rather than in the daytime.”Gideon obeys fully but does it at night out of fear.
- Joshua 1:9 (BSB)“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””The LORD tells His servant not to be afraid because He goes with him.
- Isaiah 41:10 (BSB)“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”God answers His people’s fear with the promise of His presence and strength.
Theological
What reason does 6:27 give for Gideon’s acting under cover of night?
Answer: He feared his own family and the townsmen
Gideon obeys the command in full, with ten servants, but by night, because he fears his family and the townspeople (6:27). The timing is his, not the LORD’s. The narrative holds together genuine obedience and genuine fear, and God works through both. The LORD’s repeated word to fearful servants is the promise of His presence and strength (Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10), and He uses Gideon before his fear is gone.
- Judges 6:27 (BSB)“So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night rather than in the daytime.”Gideon obeys fully but does it at night out of fear.
- Joshua 1:9 (BSB)“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””The LORD tells His servant not to be afraid because He goes with him.
- Isaiah 41:10 (BSB)“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”God answers His people’s fear with the promise of His presence and strength.
General
What reason does Judges 6:32 give for Gideon being called Jerubbaal?
Answer: Baal was dared to fight him for wrecking his altar
The verse itself explains the new name: it means that Baal should take up his own case against Gideon, and it was given because Gideon had destroyed the altar of Baal (6:32). The name grew out of his father’s challenge in the previous verse (6:31). Gideon is called Jerubbaal again as the next chapter begins (7:1), and later Samuel listed Jerubbaal among the deliverers the LORD had sent to rescue Israel (1 Samuel 12:11).
- Judges 6:32 (BSB)“So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.”The narrator explains why Gideon was given the name Jerubbaal.
- Judges 7:1 (BSB)“Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.”The next chapter opens by calling Gideon by his new name.
- 1 Samuel 12:11 (BSB)“So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Samuel lists Jerubbaal among the deliverers the LORD sent to Israel.
Theological
According to 6:32, what is the significance of the name Jerubbaal?
Answer: Baal was dared to fight him for wrecking his altar
The narrator glosses the name himself: Baal is to contend with Gideon, because Gideon destroyed Baal’s altar (6:32), taking up Joash’s challenge from 6:31. The name itself carries Joash’s dare: Baal is challenged to fight the man who destroyed his altar. It is used of Gideon again in 7:1, and Samuel later names Jerubbaal among the deliverers the LORD sent (1 Samuel 12:11).
- Judges 6:32 (BSB)“So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.”The narrator explains why Gideon was given the name Jerubbaal.
- Judges 7:1 (BSB)“Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.”The next chapter opens by calling Gideon by his new name.
- 1 Samuel 12:11 (BSB)“So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.”Samuel lists Jerubbaal among the deliverers the LORD sent to Israel.
General
When the townsmen demanded Gideon’s death, how did his father Joash respond (Judges 6:30-31)?
Answer: He said that if Baal was a god, Baal could defend himself
The men of Ophrah discovered that Gideon had wrecked the Baal altar and demanded that Joash hand him over to be killed (6:28-30). Joash, whose altar it had been, turned the question around: were they going to fight Baal’s battles for him? Anyone who did would die, and if Baal really was a god, he could defend his own cause (6:31). A god who needs people to protect him is no god at all. Elijah later made the same point on Mount Carmel, challenging Israel to choose between the LORD and Baal and mocking Baal’s silence (1 Kings 18:21, 27). The psalmist describes idols as having mouths, hands and feet that cannot do anything (Psalm 115:4-7).
- Judges 6:30-31 (BSB)“Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.””The townsmen demand Gideon’s death, and Joash answers that Baal should defend himself.
- 1 Kings 18:21 (BSB)“Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.”Elijah later forced Israel to choose between the LORD and Baal.
- 1 Kings 18:27 (BSB)“At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!””Elijah mocked Baal’s inability to answer his own worshipers.
- Psalm 115:4-7 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.”Idols made by human hands have mouths, hands and feet that can do nothing.
Theological
What argument does Joash make against the men who want Gideon executed (6:31)?
Answer: He said that if Baal was a god, Baal could defend himself
Confronted with the demand for his son’s death (6:30), Joash turns the charge back on the townsmen: anyone who takes up Baal’s cause will die, and should Baal truly be a god, he can plead his own case (6:31). A deity who must be defended by his worshipers exposes his own nothingness. The argument anticipates Elijah’s challenge and taunt at Carmel (1 Kings 18:21, 27) and the psalmist’s portrait of lifeless idols (Psalm 115:4-7).
- Judges 6:30-31 (BSB)“Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.””The townsmen demand Gideon’s death, and Joash answers that Baal should defend himself.
- 1 Kings 18:21 (BSB)“Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.”Elijah later forced Israel to choose between the LORD and Baal.
- 1 Kings 18:27 (BSB)“At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!””Elijah mocked Baal’s inability to answer his own worshipers.
- Psalm 115:4-7 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.”Idols made by human hands have mouths, hands and feet that can do nothing.
General
Gideon protested that both his clan and he himself were too small and unimportant to save Israel. How did the LORD answer (Judges 6:15-16)?
Answer: He promised to be with Gideon and give him victory
Gideon pointed to his own smallness: his clan was the least in Manasseh, and he was the youngest in his family (6:15). The LORD did not argue that Gideon was stronger than he thought. Instead He promised His presence: He would be with Gideon, and Gideon would defeat the Midianites as easily as if they were a single man (6:16). The LORD had already told him to go with the strength he already had, because the LORD was the One sending him (6:14). God answered Moses’ similar objection with the same promise of His presence (Exodus 3:11-12). The strength for the task lay in the One who sent him, as Paul learned when the Lord told him that His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- Judges 6:14-16 (BSB)“The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?” “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.””Gideon objects that he is the least likely deliverer; the LORD promises His presence and victory.
- Exodus 3:11-12 (BSB)“But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” “I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.””God answered Moses’ similar objection with the promise that He would be with him.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (BSB)“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”The Lord’s power is shown most fully through human weakness.
Theological
How does the LORD respond to Gideon’s objection of insignificance in Judges 6:15-16?
Answer: He promised to be with Gideon and give him victory
Gideon pleads the obscurity of his clan and his own place as the youngest (6:15). The LORD does not reassess Gideon’s abilities; He promises His presence and a victory as complete as striking down a single man (6:16), grounding the commission in His own sending (6:14). The exchange closely parallels Moses’ call, where God answers human inadequacy with His presence (Exodus 3:11-12), and it anticipates the principle that divine power reaches its fullness in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- Judges 6:14-16 (BSB)“The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?” “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.””Gideon objects that he is the least likely deliverer; the LORD promises His presence and victory.
- Exodus 3:11-12 (BSB)“But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” “I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.””God answered Moses’ similar objection with the promise that He would be with him.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (BSB)“But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.”The Lord’s power is shown most fully through human weakness.
General
According to Judges 6:1, why did Israel spend seven years under Midian’s power?
Answer: They did evil, and the LORD gave them over
The chapter opens with the familiar pattern of the book. Israel again did what the LORD counted as evil, and so He handed them over to seven years of Midianite rule (6:1). The oppression was not an accident of history or a sign that Israel’s God was weak; it was the LORD’s own discipline on His unfaithful people. Judges 2:14 had already described this pattern: when Israel turned to other gods, the LORD’s anger burned and He gave them over to raiders. Long before, Moses had warned that a foreign people would eat up the fruit of Israel’s labor if Israel abandoned the covenant, the binding agreement God had made with them (Deuteronomy 28:33).
- Judges 6:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,”The cycle begins again: Israel’s evil and the LORD’s handing them over to Midian.
- Judges 2:14 (BSB)“Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”The book’s summary of the cycle says the LORD Himself gave Israel over to plunderers when they forsook Him.
- Deuteronomy 28:33 (BSB)“A people you do not know will eat the produce of your land and of all your toil. All your days you will be oppressed and crushed.”Moses warned that a foreign people would consume Israel’s harvest if they broke the covenant.
Theological
What cause does Judges 6:1 assign to Israel’s seven years under Midian?
Answer: They did evil, and the LORD gave them over
6:1 restarts the cycle: Israel does evil, and the LORD Himself subjects them to seven years of Midianite rule. The narrator traces the oppression to divine judgment, not to Midian’s strength or to any failure on God’s part. It is the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:33 coming true, exactly as 2:14 summarized the cycle: the LORD’s anger burns and He gives His people over to plunderers.
- Judges 6:1 (BSB)“Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,”The cycle begins again: Israel’s evil and the LORD’s handing them over to Midian.
- Judges 2:14 (BSB)“Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.”The book’s summary of the cycle says the LORD Himself gave Israel over to plunderers when they forsook Him.
- Deuteronomy 28:33 (BSB)“A people you do not know will eat the produce of your land and of all your toil. All your days you will be oppressed and crushed.”Moses warned that a foreign people would consume Israel’s harvest if they broke the covenant.
General
What did the Midianites and their allies do each time Israel sowed its crops (Judges 6:3-5)?
Answer: Invaded, camped on the land, and ruined the harvest
Midian, joined by the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, came up whenever Israel had sown its fields. They camped across the country all the way to Gaza, wiped out the crops, and left Israel no sheep, oxen or donkeys (6:3-4). They arrived with herds, tents and countless camels, as thick as a locust swarm (6:5). Israel hid in caves and mountain shelters (6:2) and became very poor, until at last the people called on the LORD for help (6:6). This was the very hardship Moses had warned would come on a disobedient people (Deuteronomy 28:51). Yet the book’s pattern also shows God’s mercy: when Israel groaned under its oppressors, the LORD sent deliverers (Judges 2:18).
- Judges 6:3-6 (BSB)“Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them, encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys. For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it. Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.”Midian and its allies invade season after season and leave Israel impoverished.
- Deuteronomy 28:51 (BSB)“They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish.”Moses warned that enemies would devour Israel’s crops and herds if Israel broke the covenant.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”The book’s summary shows the LORD hearing His oppressed people’s groaning and raising up deliverers.
Theological
How does Judges 6:3-6 describe Midian’s recurring oppression of Israel?
Answer: Invaded, camped on the land, and ruined the harvest
Each planting season Midian, Amalek and the eastern peoples swept in, camped across the land to Gaza, destroyed the crops and stripped Israel of livestock (6:3-4), arriving in locust-like numbers (6:5). Israel was reduced to poverty and to hiding in caves (6:2, 6). The scene enacts the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 28:51. Israel’s cry in 6:6 sets up the next turn of the cycle, in which the LORD, moved by His people’s groaning, raises up a deliverer (Judges 2:18).
- Judges 6:3-6 (BSB)“Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them, encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys. For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it. Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.”Midian and its allies invade season after season and leave Israel impoverished.
- Deuteronomy 28:51 (BSB)“They will eat the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have caused you to perish.”Moses warned that enemies would devour Israel’s crops and herds if Israel broke the covenant.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”The book’s summary shows the LORD hearing His oppressed people’s groaning and raising up deliverers.
General
Why was Gideon terrified after the angel vanished, and what did the LORD tell him (Judges 6:22-23)?
Answer: He had seen the angel face to face; he would not die
Once Gideon understood that his visitor had been the LORD’s angel, he cried out in alarm because he had seen him face to face (6:22). The LORD’s answer shows what Gideon feared: He gave him peace, told him not to be afraid, and assured him that he would not die (6:23). The LORD had told Moses that nobody may see His face and live (Exodus 33:20). Jacob had marveled that his life was spared after meeting God in person (Genesis 32:30), and Manoah would later fear death for the same reason (Judges 13:22). Gideon responded by building an altar there for the LORD and giving it the name The LORD Is Peace (6:24).
- Judges 6:22-24 (BSB)“When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.” So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”Gideon cries out after seeing the angel; the LORD gives him peace, and he builds an altar.
- Exodus 33:20 (BSB)“But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.””The LORD told Moses that no one can see His face and live.
- Genesis 32:30 (BSB)“So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.””Jacob marveled that he survived seeing God face to face.
- Judges 13:22 (BSB)““We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!””Manoah later expects to die for the same reason.
Theological
What fear does Gideon express in 6:22, and how does the LORD answer it in 6:23?
Answer: He had seen the angel face to face; he would not die
Recognizing the angel, Gideon cries out in alarm at having seen him face to face (6:22). The LORD’s reply shows the fear was of death: He speaks peace, forbids fear, and promises he will not die (6:23), the danger Exodus 33:20 describes; and Gideon commemorates the word with an altar named The LORD Is Peace (6:24). The episode stands with Jacob at Peniel (Genesis 32:30) and Manoah after the angel’s visit (Judges 13:22): the holy God draws near, and He Himself grants peace to those who would otherwise not survive His presence.
- Judges 6:22-24 (BSB)“When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.” So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”Gideon cries out after seeing the angel; the LORD gives him peace, and he builds an altar.
- Exodus 33:20 (BSB)“But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.””The LORD told Moses that no one can see His face and live.
- Genesis 32:30 (BSB)“So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.””Jacob marveled that he survived seeing God face to face.
- Judges 13:22 (BSB)““We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!””Manoah later expects to die for the same reason.
General
The prophet reminds Israel of the exodus and of God’s command about the Amorites’ gods. What charge does his message end with (Judges 6:10)?
Answer: They had not obeyed the LORD’s voice
The prophet speaks for the LORD. He recalls that God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt, rescued them from every oppressor, and gave them the land (6:8-9). He reminds them that God had told them He alone was their God and that they must not fear (that is, revere or worship) the Amorites’ gods, the deities of Canaan’s peoples (6:10). Then comes the charge: Israel had not obeyed. The message echoes the opening of the Ten Commandments, where God first names Himself as the One who freed them from slavery and then forbids any other gods (Exodus 20:2-3). Joshua had set the same choice before Israel, naming those very gods (Joshua 24:15). Israel’s misery under Midian was the fruit of breaking faith with the God who had saved them.
- Judges 6:8-10 (BSB)“He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I delivered you out of the hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.””The prophet recalls the exodus and the gift of the land, then charges Israel with disobedience.
- Exodus 20:2-3 (BSB)““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.”God’s law opens by naming Him as Israel’s Redeemer from slavery and forbidding other gods.
- Joshua 24:15 (BSB)“But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!””Joshua had set before Israel the choice between the LORD and the Amorites’ gods.
Theological
With what charge does the prophet’s message in Judges 6:8-10 close?
Answer: They had not obeyed the LORD’s voice
The oracle follows the shape of the covenant itself: the LORD’s saving acts (the exodus, rescue from oppressors, the gift of the land, 6:8-9), His claim to exclusive worship (no fear of the Amorites’ gods, 6:10), and Israel’s breach (they did not obey). This mirrors the Decalogue’s prologue and its ban on other gods (Exodus 20:2-3) and the choice Joshua set before Israel at Shechem (Joshua 24:15). Midian’s oppression is covenant discipline on a redeemed people who turned to other gods.
- Judges 6:8-10 (BSB)“He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I delivered you out of the hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.””The prophet recalls the exodus and the gift of the land, then charges Israel with disobedience.
- Exodus 20:2-3 (BSB)““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.”God’s law opens by naming Him as Israel’s Redeemer from slavery and forbidding other gods.
- Joshua 24:15 (BSB)“But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!””Joshua had set before Israel the choice between the LORD and the Amorites’ gods.
General
When Israel called to the LORD for help against Midian, whom did the LORD send to them first (Judges 6:7-8)?
Answer: A prophet bringing a message from the LORD
Israel’s cry for help was answered first not with a deliverer but with a prophet, a messenger who spoke God’s words to the people (6:7-8). Before rescuing them, the LORD made them face the reason for their suffering. This fits how God dealt with Israel throughout its history: again and again He warned His people through His prophets, urging them to abandon their sin and keep His commands (2 Kings 17:13). Earlier in the book the angel at Bochim had confronted the people in the same way (Judges 2:1-2). God’s rescue would come, but He first named the sin that had brought the trouble.
- Judges 6:7-8 (BSB)“Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Israel’s cry is answered first by a prophet speaking the LORD’s word.
- 2 Kings 17:13 (BSB)“Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.””The LORD’s regular way with Israel was to warn them through prophets to turn from sin.
- Judges 2:1-2 (BSB)“Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?”Earlier in the book the angel at Bochim confronted Israel with the same history and charge.
Theological
What was the LORD’s first response to Israel’s cry in Judges 6:7-8, before any deliverer appeared?
Answer: A prophet bringing a message from the LORD
The LORD’s first answer to Israel’s cry is a prophet, not a deliverer (6:7-8). Rescue is preceded by indictment: the people must hear why the oppression has come. This is the consistent pattern of God’s dealings with Israel, whom He warned through prophets and seers to turn from their sin (2 Kings 17:13), and it repeats the confrontation at Bochim earlier in the book (Judges 2:1-2).
- Judges 6:7-8 (BSB)“Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”Israel’s cry is answered first by a prophet speaking the LORD’s word.
- 2 Kings 17:13 (BSB)“Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.””The LORD’s regular way with Israel was to warn them through prophets to turn from sin.
- Judges 2:1-2 (BSB)“Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?”Earlier in the book the angel at Bochim confronted Israel with the same history and charge.
General
Gideon asked for a sign to prove it was really the LORD speaking with him. What happened to the food he brought (Judges 6:19-21)?
Answer: Fire came out of the rock and burned it up
Gideon asked for a sign (6:17) and got a young goat ready along with bread made without yeast, bringing it out under the oak (6:19). At the angel’s word he set the meat and bread on a rock and poured out the broth (6:20). The angel touched the food with the tip of his staff, fire leapt up out of the rock and burned it up, and the angel disappeared (6:21). Elsewhere in Scripture, fire that consumes an offering is a sign that the LORD is present and has accepted it, as with the first offerings at the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24) and on Mount Carmel in Elijah’s day (1 Kings 18:38). Samson’s father Manoah later saw a similar sign (Judges 13:20).
- Judges 6:17 (BSB)“Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.”Gideon asks for a sign that it is truly the LORD speaking with him.
- Judges 6:21 (BSB)“Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.”The angel touches the offering, fire consumes it, and the angel disappears.
- Leviticus 9:24 (BSB)“Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”Fire from the LORD consumed the first tabernacle offerings, showing His acceptance.
- 1 Kings 18:38 (BSB)“Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.”On Mount Carmel the LORD answered Elijah by sending fire on the sacrifice.
- Judges 13:20 (BSB)“When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.”Manoah later sees the angel of the LORD go up in the flame of his offering.
Theological
What happened to Gideon’s offering in answer to his request for a sign (6:17-21)?
Answer: Fire came out of the rock and burned it up
Asked for a sign (6:17), the angel has Gideon place the meat and the bread on a rock; with the tip of his staff he touches them, fire rises from the rock to consume them, and he vanishes (6:21). Fire consuming an offering marks the LORD’s presence and acceptance, as at the inauguration of the tabernacle (Leviticus 9:24) and at Carmel (1 Kings 18:38); the closest parallel is the angel’s ascent in the flame before Manoah (Judges 13:20).
- Judges 6:17 (BSB)“Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.”Gideon asks for a sign that it is truly the LORD speaking with him.
- Judges 6:21 (BSB)“Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.”The angel touches the offering, fire consumes it, and the angel disappears.
- Leviticus 9:24 (BSB)“Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”Fire from the LORD consumed the first tabernacle offerings, showing His acceptance.
- 1 Kings 18:38 (BSB)“Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.”On Mount Carmel the LORD answered Elijah by sending fire on the sacrifice.
- Judges 13:20 (BSB)“When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.”Manoah later sees the angel of the LORD go up in the flame of his offering.
General
When the Midianites and their allies crossed the Jordan to set up camp in Israel’s land, what happened to Gideon (Judges 6:33-35)?
Answer: God’s Spirit came on him, so he summoned the tribes
When Midian, Amalek and the eastern peoples massed at Jezreel (6:33), the LORD’s Spirit came upon Gideon (6:34). In Judges this means God’s own power taking hold of a deliverer to equip him for the task God had given him. Gideon then sounded a ram’s horn to summon his own clan, the Abiezrites, and sent messengers to Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun and the rest of Manasseh (6:34-35). The same empowering came on Othniel before him (Judges 3:10) and on Jephthah after him (Judges 11:29). Deliverance would come not by human strength or force but by the LORD’s Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
- Judges 6:33-35 (BSB)“Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him. Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.”As Midian’s coalition gathers, the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Gideon and he calls the tribes.
- Judges 3:10 (BSB)“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.”The same empowering came upon Othniel, the first judge.
- Judges 11:29 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.”The same empowering later came upon Jephthah.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”God’s work is done not by human strength but by His Spirit.
Theological
What equipped Gideon to rally Israel when Midian’s coalition camped at Jezreel (6:33-35)?
Answer: God’s Spirit came on him, so he summoned the tribes
As the coalition gathers at Jezreel (6:33), the LORD’s Spirit comes upon Gideon (6:34), the same empowering for a deliverer’s task given to Othniel (Judges 3:10) and Jephthah (Judges 11:29). In Judges this endowment is God’s equipping of a deliverer for the task He has given him. Thus equipped, Gideon sounds a ram’s horn, rallies the Abiezrites and summons Manasseh, Asher, Naphtali and Zebulun (6:34-35). The deliverance will be the Spirit’s work, not the work of might or power (Zechariah 4:6).
- Judges 6:33-35 (BSB)“Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him. Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.”As Midian’s coalition gathers, the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Gideon and he calls the tribes.
- Judges 3:10 (BSB)“The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.”The same empowering came upon Othniel, the first judge.
- Judges 11:29 (BSB)“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the Ammonites.”The same empowering later came upon Jephthah.
- Zechariah 4:6 (BSB)“So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.”God’s work is done not by human strength but by His Spirit.