Judges 8:28-35 – Gideon Dies

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 8:28 Just as God had promised, Gideon’s war was a success! Midian was totally defeated and Israel as a nation was much stronger. God had done his part in the agreement. If God promises something, we can trust his promises, God does not disappoint. For Gideon personally, however, the end was a spiritual failure. First, Gideon’s golden foot leads …

Judges 8:22-27 – Gideon Refuses to Become King

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 8:22-23 The longing for a king was already great among the people of Israel in Gideon’s time. Only hundreds of years later, Israel gets Saul as its first king (1 Sam 8ff). Gideon refuses to be king of Israel. It was right for Gideon not to want to be king, because God was the king of Israel (1 Sam …

Judges 8:1-21 – Final Victory Over the Midianites

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 8:1 The patriarch Jacob (who was named Israel) had 12 sons who became 12 tribes. Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of Jacob’s son Joseph but were considered two separate tribes (Genesis 48:5). Although Manasseh was older than Ephraim, Ephraim was considered the leader (Gen 48:14-20) and there was an old jealous conflict between the two (Isa 9:21). Since Gideon …

Judges 7:19-25 – Gideon Defeats Midian

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 7:20 The vast majority of the Midianite camp was asleep but was suddenly awakened by a scream and chaos that led to confusion. Since Gideon found out that the Midianites were already afraid of Gideon’s sword (Judges 7:14), Israel uses this to further intimidate the Midianites. Jdg 7:22 Just as during the Exodus, when God delivered Israel from Egypt, …

Judges 7:1-18 – Gideon’s Three Hundred Men

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 7:1 Gideon’s army of 32,000 was much smaller than the Midianite army of 135,000 (Judges 8:10), but even though it was small, it was still too big for God. If Gideon had had a larger army than the Midianites and then won the victory, he could have taken credit for the victory. If Gideon had defeated the Midianites with …

Judges 6:36-40 – The Sign of the Fleece

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 6:36 Gideon asks God for another sign that God is with him. It is easy to understand that Gideon wanted a confirmation of his calling, but this is the second time he has asked for a sign. This shows us that Gideon’s faith is still weak and that he was also longing. It’s not wrong to ask God for …

Judges 6:28-35 – Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 6:29 In the hard times that Israel found themselves in, Baal became very important to them, they would probably have worshipped Baal even more now that the Midianites were fighting with them. When Gideon destroys Baal’s altar, the villagers get angry, but one can ask why they didn’t get angry when they built Baal’s altar. Jdg 6:30 Because Gideon …

Judges 6:1-10 – Midian Oppresses Israel

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 6:1 The time is about 300 years after God has delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. Israel has no king yet, but is led when necessary by various leaders called judges, hence the title “The Book of Judges”. Israel had been doing well and living in peace and wealth, but unfortunately they had also begun to live in sin. …

Judges 4:1-16 – Deborah

Christian MölkJudges Leave a Comment

Jdg 4:1-3 When Israel made a covenant with God on Mount Sinai, they agreed that obedience would lead to God’s blessing, and disobedience would lead to God’s curse (Deuteronomy 28). The blessing would lead to a good harvest, protection from enemies, sanctification and many children. But the curse would lead to punishment, sickness, war, confusion and starvation. In a way, …