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
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
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
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
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
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
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 6:11-27 – The Call of Gideon
Jdg 6:11 So bad was it for Israel that Gideon threshes wheat in a winepress. Jdg 6:12 Gideon found it hard to believe in the angel. Was the angel ironic? It must have felt like a slap in the face because Israel was de facto living in caves, had no food and was constantly under attack from Midian. Even though …