Christians through the ages have gained courage and strength to perform their God given missions by reading stories of the great heroes of the Bible. The story of Gideon is a favorite among children’s classes as well as full grown adults who face incalculable odds.
Words: 4472 / Time to read: 24 minutes
Gideon lived in Ophrah, a city of Abiezer (his ancestor), in the tribal land of Manassah during the times of the Judges. Gideon was the 5th of the 12 Judges recorded in the Book of Judges. Deborah had been the previous Judge and Israel had enjoyed peace and safety under her leadership for 40 years. The pattern which repeated itself during the time of the Judges was that Israel would disobey the Lord and his commandments and fall into oppression by their enemies. This divine discipline would be lifted once they cried out for help in repentance. Then the Lord would send a deliverer (judge) to deliver them from their oppression and lead them for a period of time. Sadly, once the judge died, Israel would fall back into disobedience. After the death of Deborah, Israel began worshiping idols like the Gentile nations surrounding them. Therefore, the Lord allowed the Midianites and others to raid the land of Israel as a form of discipline.
“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.”
Judges 6:1-6
Gideon was doing his best to help his family survive and was threshing grain in a secluded winepress that belonged to his father. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him he would be the next deliver/judge for his nation. Gideon was surprised by this choice and described his family and himself as “the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family (Judges 6:15).” The fact is that even if Gideon’s family had been the greatest in Israel and he was the largest, strongest most experienced warrior in all the land, he would not have made an adequate opponent to the hordes of foreigners who annually raided their land. Therefore, Gideon was content to hide out being thankful that he could muster up enough subsistence for his family to survive another miserable season. From this humble circumstance, God was about to raise up a mighty warrior to deliver Israel from idolatry and oppression from their enemies.
Phase 1
After having a conversation with the Angel of the Lord and receiving confirmation that he was indeed to become the next deliverer for the nation, Gideon set out on the first phase of his mission. He went to his home and prepared a crew to demolish his father’s altar to Baal and the Asherah pole – both used for ritual idol worship by the community. That task must have presented Gideon with a large measure of fear because of the potential repercussions from his family and townspeople. He courageously overcame his fear and did it anyway. It turned out that his father backed him but the townspeople renamed him Jerub-Baal which means “he contends with Baal”. I’m sure they meant that in a derogatory way and may have even believed that their false god Baal would take some sort of revenge on Gideon. However, Gideon didn’t miss a beat. He moved on to the next task. He put the word out that he needed men willing to fight the invaders.
Phase 2
Gideon initially accumulated a fighting force of 32,000 men from some of his neighboring tribes. However, many of them were scared to report, but apparently more ashamed to stay home with their families. Then Gideon got word from the Lord that he had too many men and they needed to be pared down. Gideon sent the scared ones home and wound up with 10,000 men. The Lord told him it was still too many and there needed to be another cut. After the final cut, Gideon had a force of 300 men to fight against the army which included over 120,000 swordsmen. The mob of invaders included others who were so numerous they could not be counted and were described to be as swarms of locusts. These were incalculable odds.
Prior to the battle, Gideon and his armor bearer Purar snuck down into the camp of the Midianites to survey their position. By a divine design, they overheard two soldiers talking about a dream . The soldiers interpreted the dream to mean that Gideon would attack and overpower them in battle. When Gideon sensed the fear that was instilled in these two men, he was encouraged and went back to his troops and communicated a battle strategy to them.
The battle was miraculously won by the Lord through the faithful actions of Gideon and his army. It turned out that Gideon’s army kept all the supplies from the men who had originally reported. They took lanterns and trumpets which were normally used by one man assigned to a large battalion who would lead and signal his single battalion. With every man of the three hundred with a lantern and trumpet, the illusion was created that there were 300 battalions which were surrounding the valley where the Midianites were camped. Gideon’s army was divided into three flanks and they attacked during the night. They abruptly awoke the enemy and panic spread instantly. In the confusion, they started attacking anybody and everybody and basically killed each other. This was a classic example of the Lord working through the faithful actions of his people. Gideon’s army did everything they could and relied on the Lord for divine assistance to win the battle. The Lord blessed the faithful response from Gideon and his men.
Phase 3
After the initial massacre, some Midianite kings and their men tried to escape by heading to Beth Shittah. Gideon pursued these men remembering that the Lord’s message said he would not leave any alive – “The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive (Judges 6:16).” Gideon summoned help from the other Israelite tribes who had not been included with the initial battle plans. Some of them were miffed that Gideon hadn’t included them in the initial request for troops but Gideon won their favor through a diplomatic and generous response to their objection. They assisted in wiping out many of the Midianites but two Kings and their men were still on the run. Gideon and his original 300 men continued the pursuit to find and execute the remaining enemy troops. During the pursuit, two Israelite towns refused to feed Gideon’s men. By their refusal to assist, they were not only rejecting Gideon, but the Lord. Gideon warned them that they would be punished for their actions. It was obvious to everyone that this victory was the Lord’s work but these two towns choose, in essence, to ally themselves with the enemy. Though exhausted, hungry and rejected by those he was trying to help, he and his men pursued Zebah and Zalmunna, two Midianite kings with troops numbering 15,000. Gideon’s 300 men pursued and attacked until they were found and executed. With the threat from the enemy eliminated, Gideon doubled back and took revenge on the towns that refused to help his fighting force when they needed it most. Gideon saw to it that the men of those cities were tortured and killed.
The Israelites were so impressed by the leadership, diplomacy and victorious battle led by Gideon that they offered to make him King and his sons after him would form a lasting dynasty. Of course, Gideon wisely refused and told them “The Lord will rule over you (Judges 8:23).”
Phase 4
Gideon went on to be their Deliverer and Judge and led the nation for 40 years. With the Lord’s help, Gideon had gone from hiding out in a secluded winepress to becoming a mighty warrior and one the Judges of Israel. “Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites (Judges 8:32).” After his death, the Israelites fell back into their pattern of idolatry. This again was the familiar cycle during the period of the judges. They would fall into sin and idolatry and God would punish them. Then they would pray to God for help and he would send them a deliverer who served as their judge for a period of time then when that judge died, they would fall back into their sinful ways.
“When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
Judges 6:7-10
Additional Notes on Gideon’s story:
The Fleece
Gideon’s fleece is something that many Christians bring up from time to time when they are struggling to make a decision. Since they vaguely remember that God answered Gideon through the fleece, they foolishly attempt to have God answer their question with some type of “fleece”. This is a terrible idea. It’s akin to witchcraft. Christians should not ever engage in such a practice. Gideon lived in a different dispensation than we do and didn’t have the resources we have. Christians today have access to the Holy Spirit and the complete Word of God, the Bible. If we have questions about God’s will, we should read, study and pray for God’s guidance. We should discuss the options with trusted fellow believers. Based on these prerequisites, we should make a decision and be at peace with it. Gideon did not have the resources we have today. For some unstated reason, Gideon stooped to the episode with the fleece even though God already promised victory:
“Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.’ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
“Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.’ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.”
Judges 6:36-40
Keep in mind that Gideon was not trying to determine God’s will regarding a decision. He already had received explicit and clear instructions on what God’s will for him was to be. What Gideon was doing with the fleece was seeking confirmation that he would be victorious in battle. While the Lord condescended to Gideon’s request and Gideon learned that he would indeed be victorious, there is not a valid precedent set here. Gideon should have done what was requested of him regardless of the outcome. Keep in mind that we will not always be victorious and successful in all our endeavors. We will struggle, falter and even completely fail sometimes by God’s will. Then we will learn perseverance by our failures and trust in the Lord even more. God’s ultimate will always prevails through everything that happens.
Another factor in this story is that Gideon asked for a supernatural sign. The fleece being wet or dry was something that would not have happened naturally. So when someone today says, for example, that they used their loan application as a fleece; if it gets approved they will proceed with the purchase, if not, they won’t since it must not be God’s will, they are not really duplicating Gideon’s fleece request. In this example, there was nothing supernatural involved. The application would be approved or disapproved by a variety of factors as determined by the lender. I would say there are countless ways people say they set out a fleece, but they are invariably things that can happen naturally. Again, if you want to communicate with the Lord, read the Bible and pray. Don’t try to engage in divination. Don’t demand God to perform some supernatural feat to appease your weak disposition. Be prepared for seemingly good or bad things to result from our walk with the Lord. Maintain faith that it will all end well not matter how it seems at the moment:
“Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, ‘In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.’ And, ‘But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.’
“But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.”
Hebrews 10:32-39
The Ephod
Gideon’s greatest moment was after he won the battle by executing the enemies of God and stood victorious with the Israelites in awe of all God had accomplished through his actions. When the Israelites offered to make him king, he refused:
“The Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.’
“But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.’”
Judges 8:22-23
One thing that happens often in the lives of believers is that immediately following a great spiritual victory comes a great spiritual blunder. I’ve experienced this unfortunate event and I’ve heard and seen it happen to others. Well, what happened right after Gideon’s greatest moment was his greatest blunder. The Israelite soldiers had war booty in the form of gold earrings worn by the enemy. Gideon could not resist the temptation to ask for some of it. The Israelites were more than happy to oblige and Satan’s snare was set. Gideon took the 1,700 shekels (46 pounds) of gold and had it made into an ephod. He was probably trying to make this poor decision seem somehow justifiable. Like lying to get a bigger tax refund or insurance settlement and then trying to justify it by pledging a generous donation to the church. Gideon had no business to make such a request in the first place. Secondly, he had no business making an ephod. He was not a priest, he was not even a Levite. He never even gave it to the Levites. He took all this gold, had it made into an elaborate ephod and it became an idol that the Israelites worshiped. The very thing God was wanting them to repent from is what Gideon encouraged and enabled through this repulsive gold ephod.
The curious thing about it is not only was it a poor decision in a weak moment, he kept it and allowed this to go on for years! “Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family (Judges 8:24).” Another observation that can’t help to be made is that even though Gideon officially declined the Kingship, he seemed to live like a king. As the story in Judges continues, we learn that Gideon went on to have 72 sons. Though not stated, he probably had about that many daughters and countless wives and/or concubines. All those dependents would require a steady stream of revenue to maintain. Perhaps the ephod generated some income through offerings received during the idolatrous worship. Or it’s possible the people continued to offer him gifts since the land enjoyed peace and safety from the raiders. The narrative doesn’t mention that but it does seem like a plausible explanation for keeping the ephod around.
“And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.’ (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)
“They answered, ‘We’ll be glad to give them.’ So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.”
Judges 8:24-27
Abimelek
Abimelek isn’t mentioned until after the death of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon). Don’t confuse Abimelek with the other Judges who ruled Israel. He wasn’t a Judge, he usurped the throne and tried to become king, but failed. His story is included to accentuate the moral decline the nation of Israel experienced during the time of the Judges.
Abimelek was a son of Gideon born to an unnamed concubine who lived with her parents in Shechem. Interestingly enough, Abimelek means “my father is King”. Gideon had refused the kingship but was apparently regarded by some as a King. Gideon had many wives and at least one concubine which resulted in 70 or 72 sons. With numbers like that, it’s likely he had many daughters as well but the narrative does not mention it. It does say in Judges 8:30 that he had 70 sons. But later, in several places, it speaks of Abimelek who killed 70 of Gideon’s sons on one stone in one day but goes on to mention Jotham, the youngest who escaped. So if he killed 70 and Abimelek and Jotham were not killed, that makes 72. It’s possible that there is a logical explanation but perhaps the simplest is that 70 was used as a round number. From the narrative, it is possible that Abimelek was not considered equal with the rest of the sons of Gideon. This may have been real or merely his own perception. However, Abimelek desired to assume the Kingship that his father had declined. Apparently, the other sons did not share this desire as they were probably busy doing other important, perhaps God given tasks and duties.
Abimelek started by rallying support from his fellow residents of Shechem to support him as king. Once he gained their support, he promptly went and killed all his brothers, except Jotham, the youngest who escaped. Abimelek may have carried this out because he had been jealous of these legitimate brothers, or he may have perceived them as competitors to the crown, though there was no mention of any of them seeking or desiring it. In any event, the people of Shechem supported him financially and morally although this was a great moral disgrace. Seventy innocent sons of Gideon executed publicly on one stone in one day just so he could falsely be acknowledged as king. He was not king of Israel, in fact he wasn’t king at all, but the people in Shechem and the surrounding towns merely acknowledged him as king. Perhaps they hoped this fake crowning would raise their status as news spread throughout Israel, but it didn’t. They weren’t fooling anybody but they were determined to go through with the charade.
Jotham, the youngest of Gideon’s sons escaped the execution by hiding but then he climbed up to a high vantage point and spoke to the people. He hollered out to them a well crafted fable which characterized Gideon and his 70 sons as noble men busy performing noble tasks. They collectively had no inclination to rule over them even though the people desired such a ruler. So the fable goes on to show how the people tried and tried to find a good ruler, or a pretty good ruler, or any ruler, and eventually settled for a worthless ruler. The obvious conclusion identified Abimelek as the worthless ruler. He began his story by saying they would have to give an accounting to the Lord and he then ended his story with a curse which predicted a civil war in which the people and their worthless ruler would suffer defeat.
“Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king.
“When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, ‘Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’
“But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
“Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’
“But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’
“Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’
“But the vine answered, ‘Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’
“Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king.’
“The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
“Have you acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelek king? Have you been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family? Have you treated him as he deserves? Remember that my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian. But today you have revolted against my father’s family. You have murdered his seventy sons on a single stone and have made Abimelek, the son of his female slave, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is related to you. So have you acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today? If you have, may Abimelek be your joy, and may you be his, too! But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!”
Judges 9:6-20
Abimelek ruled the area for about three years until a scoundrel named Gaal moved into the area with his own following of thugs. He turned the people of Shechem away from Abimelek and bragged about how he would kill him and become their new leader. The people supported this notion so Abimelek gathered his army and attacked. Abimelek killed Gaal and the people of Shechem. From there he moved on to the city of Thebez who were apparently involved in the support of Gaal as well. The people of the city were hiding in a strong tower. Abimelek and his men attempted to create an inferno to consume those seeking refuge inside. During the attack, a woman dropped a millstone from atop the tower which struck the head of Abimelek. As he was about to die from the severe head wound, he ordered his armor bearer to run a sword through him and he died in shame. The Lord’s vengeance on these evil people was complete as the curse uttered from the mouth of Jotham was fulfilled (see Judges 9:20). The charade ended tragically and the survivors went home. Jotham was not mentioned again. The nation was next led by Tola who assumed the task of healing the fractures of a morally bankrupt nation.
“Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
“Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’ So his servant ran him through, and he died. When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.
“Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.”
Judges 9:52-57
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”
Hebrews 11:32-34
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