6:2 The Midianites were desert people descended from Abraham’s second wife, Keturah (Genesis 25:1, 2). From this relationship came a nation that was always in conflict with Israel. Years earlier the Israelites, while still wandering in the wilderness, battled the Midianites and almost totally destroyed them (Numbers 31:1-20). Because of their failure to completely destroy them, however, the tribe repopulated. Here they were once again oppressing Israel.
6:6 Again the Israelites hit rock bottom before turning back to God. How much suffering they could have avoided if they had trusted him! Turning to God shouldn’t be a last resort; we should look to him for help each day. This isn’t to say life will always be easy. There will be struggles, but God will give us the strength to live through them. Don’t wait until you’re at the end of your rope. Call on God first in every situation.
6:8 The Bible does not say who this prophet was. Prophets were those who brought God’s message to the people. Their main role was not to tell about the future but to urge the people to turn away from their sins and back to God. This is exactly what this prophet did.
6:11 The Old Testament records several appearances of the angel of the Lord: Genesis 16:7; 22:11; 31:11; Exodus 3:2; 14:19; Judges 2:1; 13:3; Zechariah 3:1-6. It is not known whether the same angel appeared in each case. The angel mentioned here appears to be separate from God in one place (6:12) and yet the same as God in another place (6:14). This has led some to believe that the angel was a special appearance of Jesus Christ prior to his mission on earth as recorded in the New Testament. It is also possible that as a special messenger from God, the angel had authority to speak for God. In either case, God sent a special messenger to deliver an important message to Gideon.
6:11 Threshing was the process of separating the grains of wheat from the useless outer shell called chaff. This was normally done in a large area, often on a hill, where the wind could blow away the lighter chaff when the farmer tossed the beaten wheat into the air. If Gideon had done this, however, he would have been an easy target for the bands of raiders who were overrunning the land. Therefore, he was forced to thresh his wheat in a winepress, a pit that was probably hidden from view and that would not be suspected as a place to find a farmer’s crops.
6:13 Gideon questioned God about the problems he and his nation faced and about God’s apparent lack of help. What he didn’t acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey and neglect God. How easy it is to overlook personal accountability and blame our problems on God and others. Unfortunately, this does not solve our problems. It brings us no closer to God, and it escorts us to the very edge of rebellion and backsliding.
When problems come, the first place to look is within. Our immediate response should be confession to God of sins that may have created our problems.
6:13 Gideon had heard about the great miracles God had done for his people, but he hadn’t seen any. It had been almost 250 years since the 10 plagues and the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 7–14) had occurred, and 200 years had passed since the last great miracle, the parting of the Jordan River (Joshua 3). Because of this lack of miracles, Gideon wrongly assumed that God had given up on his people. But it was the people who had given up on God. They knew what God expected of them. They had his laws, but they chose not to obey them. God’s blessings, as Moses and Joshua had foretold, came only when the people were obedient.
6:14-16 “Surely I will be with thee,” God told Gideon, and God promised to give him the strength he needed to overcome the opposition. In spite of this clear promise for strength, Gideon made excuses. Seeing only his limitations and weaknesses, he failed to see how God could work through him.
Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in specific ways. Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. But reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does not know all about us or that he has made a mistake in evaluating our character. Don’t spend time making excuses. Instead, spend it doing what God wants.
6:22, 23 Why was Gideon afraid of seeing an angel? The Israelites believed that no one could see God and live (see God’s words to Moses in Exodus 33:20). Evidently Gideon thought this also applied to angels.
6:25-30 After God called Gideon to be Israel’s deliverer, he immediately asked him to tear down the altar of the pagan god Baal—an act that would test Gideon’s faith and commitment. Canaanite religion was very political, so an attack on a god was often seen as an attack on the local government supporting that god. If caught, Gideon would face serious social problems and probable physical attack. (For more on Baal and Asherah, see the notes on 2:11-15 and 3:7.)
Gideon took a great risk by following God’s higher law, which specifically forbids idol worship (Exodus 20:1-5). After learning what Gideon had done, the townspeople wanted to kill him. Many of those people were fellow Israelites. This shows how immoral God’s people had become. God said in Deuteronomy 13:6-11 that idolaters must be stoned to death, but these Israelites wanted to stone Gideon for tearing down an idol and worshiping God! When you begin to accomplish something for God, you may be criticized by the very people who should support you.
6:33 The armies of Midian and Amalek camped in the valley of Jezreel, the agricultural center for the area. Whoever controlled the valley’s rich and fertile land controlled the people who lived in and around it. Because of the valley’s vast resources, many major trade routes converged at the pass which led into it. This made it the site of many great battles. Gideon’s men attacked the enemy armies from the hills, and the only escape route was through the pass toward the Jordan River. That is why Gideon urged some of his troops to take control of the river’s crossing points (7:24).
6:37-39 Was Gideon testing God, or was he simply asking God for more encouragement? In either case, though his motive was right (to obey God and defeat the enemy), his method was less than ideal. Gideon seems to have known that his requests might displease God (6:39), and yet he demanded two miracles (6:37, 39), even after witnessing the miraculous fire from the rock (6:21). It is true that to make good decisions, we need facts. Gideon had all the facts, but still he hesitated. He delayed obeying God because he wanted even more proof.
Demanding extra signs was an indication of unbelief. Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know is true.
Today the greatest means of God’s guidance is his Word, the Bible. Unlike Gideon, we have God’s complete, revealed Word. If you want to have more of God’s guidance, don’t ask for signs; study the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).
6:39 After seeing the miracle of the wet fleece, why did Gideon ask for another miracle? Perhaps he thought the results of the first test could have happened naturally. A thick fleece could retain moisture long after the sun had dried the surrounding ground. “Putting out fleeces” is a poor decision-making method. Those who do this put limitations on God. They ask him to fit their expectations. The results of such experiments are usually inconclusive and thus fail to make us any more confident about our choices. Don’t let a “fleece” become a substitute for God’s wisdom that comes through Bible study and prayer.