THE LORD CONFIRMS HIS AUTHORITY ON A THRESHING FLOOR

JUDGES 6–8

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,” and for seven years the Lord allowed Midianites and other intruders from the eastern wilderness to enter Israel where they seized or ruined the food supply (Judg. 6:1–6). The Israelites were so hard-pressed by these raids that they eventually cried out to the Lord for help. God chose to help Israel through Gideon (Judg. 6:11–18). In spite of Gideon’s uncertainty and reluctance, the Lord confirmed that he was indeed calling Gideon and that he, the Lord, and not Baal, had ultimate control. This confirmation happened on a threshing floor for a reason.

With an unusual faith-building demonstration based on the provision of dew—moisture critical to the well-being of all in the Promised Land—the Lord convinced Gideon that Israel would be delivered under Gideon’s leadership. During the summer months in Israel, warm, moist air is carried eastward from the Mediterranean Sea during the day, only to be cooled after sunset. If that moist air cools to dew point, the invisible moisture becomes visible, forming either fog or dew.18 Since it usually does not rain in Israel during the summer months, this moisture is critical to the maturing of produce harvested at the close of summer. Grapes, figs, pomegranates, and melons all require dewfall in order to ripen.19 No dew means no summer harvest.

The spring of Harod. The Lord instructed Gideon to choose his fighting men at the spring of Harod.

Threshing floor.
© Direct Design

Canaanites believed Baal to be the provider of this life-giving moisture, and his adherents pictured him with thunderbolt in hand, bringing both rain and “dew from heaven” to the fields of Canaan.20 But the Lord, the Creator of the universe, taught that he is the one who provides everything, including rain and dew (Deut. 11:10–17; 1 Kings 17:1). The Israelites vacillated between obeying the Lord and assimilating into the Baal worship around them. In this event, the Lord elected to demonstrate his power over Baal on a common threshing floor.

The miracle grew out of the natural relationship between dew and the threshing floor. To take advantage of the wind, threshing floors were located on ridges. In the morning, exposure to the direct rays of the rising sun caused such higher elevations to warm more quickly than the valley floors, making them the first to lose their dew. In this account, Gideon placed a fleece on the threshing floor and asked the Lord to allow the highly absorbent fleece to be wet while the remaining floor was dry. This followed natural expectation. But then Gideon asked the Lord to demonstrate his power over Baal and the dewfall by allowing the fleece to remain dry while the threshing floor around it became saturated with moisture (Judg. 6:36–40). When it happened in just that way, Gideon knew that the Lord was faithful and that the Lord, not Baal, controlled both dew and the upcoming battle.

Midianites encamped in the Harod Valley between Mount Gilboa (left) and Mount Moreh (right).

The threshing floor became a practical, visual reminder of the miracle for the men who came to fight with Gideon. By design the threshing floor was a large, open area that could provide an unobstructed view to the gathered forces and give encouragement to them about the outcome of the approaching battle (Judg. 6:33–36).

The Lord confirmed his authority on a threshing floor for a reason. Like dew, the threshing floor was a fundamental part of Israel’s agricultural year, making it the ideal place for God to demonstrate his control over dew. It was the place that the Lord promised his blessing would be apparent (Lev. 26:3–5; Deut. 16:13). Ruined harvests and invasions had indicated God’s absence (Judg. 6:7–10). What better place for the Lord to reaffirm his desire to bless Israel than the threshing floor—a place that speaks of a wider return during a time of blessing under God’s hand.21

Agricultural cycles and rainfall in the Promised Land

Used by permission. Chart taken from the Holman Bible Atlas by Thoms C. Brisco © 1999 Broadman & Holman Publishers