GIDEON - THE JUDGE WHO NEEDED SIGNS - PART 2 (Judges 6:11-32)
INTRODUCTION:
We began a new chapter in Judges last week, it is in this chapter that we are introduced to the fifth judge raised up by God to deliver Israel. This chapter opens by giving us a review of the condition of Israel, her new oppressors, and God’s formal accusation against Israel. After Israel was delivered from the oppression of Jabin and Sisera by the judge Barak, Israel enjoyed 40 years of rest and that rest could have continued except Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD and turned once more to the gods of the Canaanites. They failed to keep their focus on the LORD their God, they failed to keep their covenant with Him. The LORD gave the sons of Israel into the hands of the Midianites and after 40 years of rest the Midianites plundered Israel year after year for seven years. Midian would come into Israel at harvest time along with their allies, the Amalekites, and the people of the east, they would come in like locust and plunder the land taking the grain that was ready to harvest and the livestock of the Israelites. Israel would flee to the mountains and live in caves and strongholds they had made for themselves and would stay there until the land was devastated and Midian and her allies would move on. After seven years Israel cried to the LORD not in repentance, but for relief from this yearly plundering of their land. God sent them a prophet who brought the word of the LORD to the people, God’s word was a formal accusation against the sons of Israel that they had failed to listen to the voice of the LORD. They had failed to obey Him and keep His covenant. He had warned them many times of the consequences of forsaking Him to worship the false gods of the people around them. The implication in this indictment is that because of their unfaithfulness they have given up and lost all right to deliverance. This is what the prophet leaves them with and in view of this, just what God is going to do or not do next is unclear.
This morning we will see what it is that God is going to do, and it will begin with making a young man into the leader and judge that God needs to deliver His people whom He loves. Let’s pray and then turn to the Scriptures.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Judges 6:11-32, our passage of Scripture for this morning. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Judges 6:11-32,
“Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.’ Then Gideon said to him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.’ The Lord looked at him and said, ‘Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?’ He said to Him, ‘O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.’ So Gideon said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.’ And He said, ‘I will remain until you return.’ Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, ‘Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Now on the same night the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.’ Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night. When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built. They said to one another, ‘Who did this thing?’ And when they searched about and inquired, they said, ‘Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.’ Then the men of the city said to Joash, ‘Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.’ But Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.’ Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, ‘Let Baal contend against him,’ because he had torn down his altar.” (Judges 6:11–32, NASB95)[1]
GIDEON’S CALL (Judges 6:11-24)
Verse 11 begins with the appearance of the Angel of the Lord. This is His third appearance in the book of Judges. He first appeared in chapter 2 to warn the Israelites of the consequences of not obeying the LORD when they did not tear down the altars to Baal that were in the land. The second appearance comes in chapter 5, verse 23 where the Angel of the LORD curses the town of Meroz and its inhabitants for not coming to the aid of the LORD when He was routing Sisera’s army. Here in verse 11 is His third visit and the first to a single person.
Throughout this passage He is referred to as the Angel of the LORD, the Angel of God, and the LORD, which gives us a better understanding of who this is that appears here. Theologians call this a Theophany or a Christophany, a bodily appearance of God in the Old Testament. We need to understand also that two different Hebrew words are translated Lord in this passage. When this word is translated in all capitalized letters it is the covenant name of God, it is the name Yahweh. When it is not in all capitalized letters it is the Hebrew word Ădōnî which is Hebrew for Lord, and used like we would use sir, used to address someone to whom we want to show respect. It is important to understand these differences to understand what is happening in this passage. When the Angel of Yahweh appears He is sitting under an oak tree that was in the vicinity of the town of Ophrah in the territory of Manasseh. This particular oak we are told belonged to Joash the Abiezrite and it was near his wine press which at that time was being used by his son Gideon to thresh out wheat. Something that was usually done out on an open flat area of hard packed earth or even on a wooden floor built for that purpose and often oxen were used to tread on it to cause the kernels of wheat to break loose and fall from the stalk and they would sift down to the bottom and could then be gathered up. This would be difficult to do in a winepress, but Gideon was doing it here to hide it from the Midianite raiders. The Angel of Yahweh came and sat down under the oak tree in the shade and was watching Gideon as he sought to thresh the wheat out of sight.
This day for Gideon was just like any other day in the last seven years, everything had to be done in secret so as not to call attention to yourself and arouse the curiosity of the Midianites who would take what you had and maybe even put you to death. So, like everyone else, Gideon was hiding, he was certainly not expecting deliverance. He was just trying to stay alive. Suddenly the Angel of Yahweh appears to Gideon. Gideon sees Him sitting in the shade of the oak tree near his father’s wine press. The Angel of Yahweh’s appearance to Gideon is of great significance. Because of the circumstances and because of His sudden appearance and Gideon’s sudden awareness of Him, you would think that Gideon would be alarmed, but the text does not indicate that he was. Gideon’s Visitor sits like an ordinary man, but there is something about Him that is different, something that demands respect. Gideon does not feel threatened by His sudden appearance, but then He speaks and considering the circumstances and what Gideon is doing, His greeting is rather astonishing, He says, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” (Judges 6:12b, NASB95)[2] This Visitor addressing Gideon as a valiant warrior makes no sense and it brings all the frustration of the last seven years to the surface in a rush of angry, accusing words. Gideon responds, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:13b, NASB95)[3] Gideon out of respect for this stranger addresses Him as “lord” (Ădōnî), but who is this person? A prophet? Gideon gives Him a piece of His mind that He can take back to His Master. This Visitor is not put off by Gideon’s rush of angry, accusing words, on the contrary, it says Yahweh looked at him, He turned and gazed at Gideon and then gives him a direct command, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14b, NASB95)[4] This was not the response that Gideon expected from this Visitor, it shook him up a bit. Maybe this Visitor really is a prophet and with that thought Gideon begins to make excuses. He responds, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” (Judges 6:15, NASB95)[5] This Visitor is persistent, He is no more moved by Gideon’s excuses than He was by his anger. Yahweh responds to Gideon’s excuses by saying, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.” (Judges 6:16b, NASB95)[6]
This appearance of the Angel of Yahweh is much like when Yahweh appeared to Moses in the burning bush. Gideon is being backed into a corner much like Moses had been when he encountered God in the burning bush. How could he possibly accept what this Visitor was asking him to do. He did not feel like a valiant warrior hiding in a winepress trying to thresh a little wheat to help feed the family. But if this Visitor really was from God, how could he refuse to do what He commanded? Gideon wanted to be sure, how could he know for sure? He needed some assurance that this Visitor truly was from God. Gideon asks for a sign from this Visitor so he will know He is from God. He asks Him to wait while he goes and prepares an offering and brings it out to Him. The Angel of Yahweh promises to wait.
Gideon goes and prepares a meal for the Visitor and the Visitor patiently waits as it is prepared. When Gideon brings the meal out to the Visitor, He treats it like an offering instead of a meal. He instructs Gideon to put the bread and the meat on a rock and to pour the broth over it. Then the Angel of Yahweh reaches out the staff that is in His hand and touches the meat and bread with the tip of it and fire shoots up from the rock and consumes the bread and meat and in the same instance the Angel of Yahweh vanishes. Gideon upon seeing this is past his anger, he is no longer uncertain about who this was that was speaking to him, and he is terrified because he knows at last that he has been speaking with God, he cries out, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” (Judges 6:22b, NASB95)[7] How foolish Gideon’s angry outburst seems now, and how dangerous. If only he could take back all he had said about everything being God’s fault. It is too late for that now and all he can do is blurt out his fear, like a man condemned to die. Then suddenly somehow Gideon hears Yahweh whom he fears, who is still in someway present even though the Angel of Yahweh has vanished. He speaks to Gideon and says, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” (Judges 6:23b, NASB95)[8] Gideon’s fear is relieved, and he is incredibly grateful. Because in the midst of war and devastation, anger, frustration, self-doubt, and a threatening future which all is still there, in the midst of this Gideon has peace. So, in his first act of faith, Gideon builds an altar to the LORD and calls it Yahweh Shalom, “the LORD is peace.” This becomes a visual marker or testimony to what Gideon has learned in this encounter with Yahweh: The God of Israel, the LORD is his peace.
GIDEON’S STAND (Judges 6:25-27)
Gideon has experienced something that shaped his life forever and then the awful reality of what God had commanded him to do was brought to bear that very same night. The LORD spoke to Gideon again and told him what he was to do. The LORD told him to take his father’s bull and tear down the altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole that was beside the altar. This was not just some random altar to Baal; this was the altar of Baal that belonged to Gideon’s father.
Israel’s root problem was not the Midianites, their root problem was their doing evil in the sight of the LORD and that was seen particularly in their worship of Baal. The LORD would not deliver them from the Midianites until they renounced their Baal worship. They could not have the LORD as their deliverer while Baal was their god. This is a big problem for Gideon because Baal-worship was honored and revered in his own village and approved by his father, the place of the altar to Baal was on the family farm. Gideon has built an altar to the LORD, but his father already had one for Baal. This commitment to the LORD sets Gideon at odds with his own family and the community. At this point the conflict is only symbolic, but to carry out what God has commanded requires that Gideon take a stand and to do it now. If the LORD is to be his peace, that means peace with his family cannot be above his commitment to the LORD. The altar of Baal must be pulled down, he must make his stand, no matter the cost. This is still true today, there are times we must make a stand for the Lord even when that goes against our families and our communities. We may have our families turn their back on us because of our commitment to the Lord. This reality was true for Gideon as well because of the authority that fathers had in his day. To go against his father was to risk disinheritance, shame and even death. The LORD had told Gideon not to fear, that he would not die and that had calmed Gideon’s fears and brought him peace at that moment. But with this new task looming ahead of him it is not easy to rest in that peace now. Gideon is very afraid to do what God has told him to do, but he did not let that fear paralyze him. He chose not to do it in the day when he could easily be discovered, but he carried out God’s command in the night with the help of 10 servants. He tore down the altar, cut down the Asherah and built an altar to the LORD on the ruins and offered his father’s bull as a burnt offering to the LORD using the Asherah as the wood on the altar. He had made his stand for the LORD; his fate would be decided in the morning.
GIDEON’S FATE (Judges 6:28-32)
In the morning, the men of the city come to worship Baal and discover that Baal’s altar is gone and a new altar to Yahweh is in its place. Gideon’s worst fears begin to come true before him. The men of the city are upset and want to know who has done this. It is not long before someone speaks, maybe one of the ten servants, and Gideon is found out. The men of the city want him delivered to them so they can kill him, and they demand this of Joash his father. Gideon finds his life hanging in the balance with his father on one side and the angry men of the city on the other side. Then to Gideon’s astonishment and relief, Baal’s hold over the community begins to weaken. What happened in a symbolic way when the altar was torn down, now begins to happen in reality in the hearts of the people and it begins in the heart of Joash. Although he is a Baal worshiper, possibly even a priest of Baal since the altar was on his property, he sides with his son. Faced with choosing between Baal and his son, Joash chooses his son and lets Baal take his chances. Joash speaks to the angry mob and says, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.” (Judges 6:31b, NASB95)[9] This is an amazing turnabout for Joash that took an incredible amount of courage. He honors the stand his son has taken for the LORD.
This could have gone either way, but Joash uses his authority as the priest of Baal or at least the one who had charge over his altar to speak as a head man in his town, he speaks with the authority of one who holds the power of life and death over its citizens. They threaten his son, and he threatens them. This power play by Joash works and the mob proves to be fickle. It seems they fear the wrath of Joash more than the wrath of Baal, they give up their attack on Gideon and instead hail him as a hero. So, the man who was as good as dead when he awoke that morning has suddenly been reborn as “Jerubbaal” or “the man who fought against Baal and won!” This was only a small victory, Ophrah was only one town and a small, obscure town at that. But Gideon has made his stand where it would be the most difficult among his family and his community. Gideon pushed through his fears and proved God to be faithful. God has begun to shape this young man into the leader and judge that he needs to be to deliver God’s people from the Midianites. This too will take tremendous courage and Gideon again will have to face his fears and depend on God to see him through.
CONCLUSION:
In this passage we learn some things about ourselves and about God. First, when Gideon realized that he had just had an encounter with God he was immediately aware of his sin, and he was also conscious of that fact that God had seen him in his fallenness. Because of this he feared the death that sinners should die before a holy God. We should each recognize this truth, we do not deserve anything from God but to die in our sin, we are each guilty before God and should be condemned to die. God graciously promised life to Gideon instead of death and peace instead of wrath. God has also poured out His grace and mercy on us and offered us life instead of death and peace instead of wrath. When we repent of our sin and place our faith in the forgiveness that is available to us through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are given eternal life and we have peace with God. Paul explained it this way in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, NASB95)[10]
Second, each of us at some time in our life will have to make a stand for God. That stand may cost us family and friends, but God will show Himself faithful. Just as Gideon’s stand could have brought about his death, instead it changed his whole community, God proved Himself faithful to Gideon for his obedience. Your obedience may not change a whole community, but it may change one life and it will bring glory to God and God will faithfully bring you through whatever circumstances you will face due to your stand, and He will be your peace.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.