08: The Calling of Gideon (Judges 6:1 – 24)

As the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, the Lord turned them over to Median for seven years. People complained that the Lord had abandoned them. The Lord commissioned Gideon to fight against Median, saying “The Lord is with you."

👉 Read Judges 6:1 - 24

Q1. (1 – 6) Find the expressions telling the Midianites plundered the Israelites, swiped the land, and left nothing.

“devoured it crops all the way to Gaza”

“They left nothing” 

“they were as thick as locusts” 

“they came to devour the land” 

As a summary of verses 2 - 5, verse 6 says “Israel was so severely weakened by Midian”.

Q2. When they cried to the Lord, He said they disobeyed the Lord. What command did they not listen to the Lord? 

They worshipped the gods of the Amorites, the gods of the land.

In ancient pantheon theology, it was believed that each god ruled over a specific town or nation. Therefore, when moving to another place, people were expected to serve the local deities of that region. From their contemporary perspective, it seemed natural to worship the gods of Canaan upon settling there. However, contrary to these prevailing thoughts, the Lord commanded them not to worship or rely on the local deities when they entered Canaan. Just as the Lord proved stronger than the Egyptian gods by delivering them from Egypt, He is also stronger than the gods of the Amorites, from whom He took the land and gave it to the Israelites. Therefore, they only needed to worship the Lord, without concern for the Canaanite gods. The Lord God is universal, and there is no place where His sovereign rule does not extend.

The Lord's universal sovereignty requires that we give Him and His kingdom our highest priority. While living in this world, we are not to follow its ways but to follow the Lord.

This is the only episode in which the Lord explicitly pointed out their sins. In other Judges’ episodes, the Lord just sends Judges without a word. 

Q3. From the passage where the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, we can observe Gideon’s lack of faith and understanding about God. Find the related verses for the following statements. 

He believed they were suffering under the Midianites because the Lord had abandoned them. (     )

Gideon struggled to believe that he was truly speaking to the angel of the Lord and asked for a sign. (     )

He feared he would die because he had seen the face of the angel of the Lord, assuming that God’s appearance meant punishment. (           )

He doubted his ability to save the Israelites, viewing himself as weak and cowardly. (      )

He believed they were suffering under the Midianites because the Lord had abandoned them. (v13) -> The Lord hasn’t abandoned them. How do we know this? The Lord is now sending Gideon (v14). Note that the Lord doesn’t explain their oppression was due to their sins. Gideon was not sent to proclaim the message of repentance but to deliver them from Median.

Gideon struggled to believe that he was truly speaking to the angel of the Lord and asked for a sign. (v17) -> Gideon’s tendency to seek signs from God continues throughout the narrative. Even after his initial encounter with the angel of the Lord, Gideon repeatedly asks for signs to confirm God's will. Such tendency in line with his reliance on visible objects later led him to make a golden ephod that caused national idolatry. 

He feared he would die because he had seen the face of the angel of the Lord, assuming that God’s appearance meant punishment. ( v22 ) -> If the Lord intended to harm, He would not appear to Giden this way nor patiently perform a miracle at Gideon’s request. In the past, when people presumptuously approached God, He punished them. However, when God came to them, it was not to harm them

He doubted his ability to save the Israelites, viewing himself as weak and cowardly. ( v15) -> Gideon didn’t know the meaning of “the Lord is with you.” Gideon only needed to fight as if he fought with one man (“you shall strike the Midianites as one man” (v16 ESV)).  Then, the Lord will do His parts. Only when we focus on walking with the Lord, will He accomplish it.

Q4. What was God’s promise to Gideon, who was hesitant about His commission? (12, 14, 16)

“The Lord is with you.” "Have I not sent you?"

When Gideon looked at himself, he saw his own disqualifications. But the Lord patiently encouraged him, assuring Gideon that He would go with him. This was the same when the Lord called Moses. Throughout the narrative that follows, the Lord will continue to strengthen Gideon’s faith from time to time.

"The Lord is with you" and "Have I not sent you?"—these were the two key assurances Gideon needed to confirm and hold onto as he undertook his mission, and the same applies to us. Once these two things are confirmed, there is no reason for us to hesitate.

p.s. The first is about our existential identity, and the second is about our mission or commission.