Essentials of Faith

037Abimelech

Gideon is dead. The deliverer of Israel, the one who defeated Midian is no more.  No sooner has Gideon been buried than the "ethical and spiritual seed sown by Gideon/Jerubbaal came to full bloom and fruition in the life of his son Abimelech."  Chapter nine of the Book of Judges is a sad chapter in the history of Israel. The writer shows us a nation that has become totally Canaanized, where "Baal has contended for himself and prevailed." In this session, we will not deal with an external threat to Israel but an internal problem of politics. The writer concentrates on Abimelech and the Canaanite city of Shechem over which he ruled. This chapter can be broken into four logical parts: 1) Abimelech's seizure of rule in Shechem v1-6; 2) The parable of rule v7-21; 3) Abimelech's demise and death v22-55; and 4) The closing to this sad chapter Israel v56-57. First a brief prelude to Abimelech in 8.33-35.

Judges 8.33 reveals Israel’s reversion to idolatry. When Gideon dies, the children of Israel turn from Yahweh and seek Baal, making Baal-berith their god. The meaning of Baal-berith is “the Covenant Baal,” and is equal to the El-Berith mentioned later in 9:46. It does not signify Baal as the god of the covenants, but Baal in the covenant, that is, the god with whom they made the covenant. Baal became the covenant-god of Israel instead of Yahweh. Forgetting God, who delivered them from their enemies (8.34), Israel also forgot Jerubbaal (Gideon) and showed no loyalty to his family (8.35). In chapter nine, Gideon is only called by the name Jerubbaal, the Baal Fighter, while his son goes back to the worship of Baal.

Abimelech's seizure of rule in Shechem 9.1-6

Verses1-2 records Abimelech’s offer to the men of Shechem.  Abimelech approaches his mother’s family, in Shechem, to secure their support. The Shechemites may still have been primarily Canaanite, because the Book of Joshua does not mention a national conquest of Shechem, merely that there is no opposition to his arrival there. This may also account for the worship of Baal-Berith. Later, in 9:28, they are also called the men of Hamor—and Hamor was the Canaanite king of Shechem, previously mentioned in Genesis 34. Being a Canaanite city, and having a history of city-statehood, may account for Shechem’s acceptance of Abimelech as the king of their city-state.

Abimelech’s first step in verse 1 was to secure the support of his mother’s brothers.  Abimelech’s mother may have been a Canaanite herself, and therefore provided the blood tie. Verse 2 deals with the second stage of the offer. Abimelech enlisted his relatives to secure the support of the aristocracy of Shechem.  In his address, Abimelech presented two arguments. First, he asked, whether it was better to have one ruler than seventy rulers? The writer gives us no indication that any of Jerubbaal's other sons had any ambitions to lead Israel.  To this point, no Judge was succeeded by a son and Gideon himself had rejected such a dynastic rule.

Second, Abimelech asked the men of Succoth to remember that he was their flesh and blood, implying that it is better to be ruled by an insider than an outsider. It is ironic that Abimelech sought the support of his mother's family to put him on the throne while he murdered all his relatives on his father's side to stay there. It would seem likely that through his mother he was half-Canaanite, so he was related to the men of Shechem by blood through his mother. This was not true of any of the other seventy sons that Gideon had.

Verses 3-4 records the agreement of the Shechemites and the building of Abimelech's mercenary army. At the instigation of his mother's family, the Shechemites were convinced to follow Abimelech. The Canaanite blood-tie was the most convincing argument, and Abimelech will act more like a Canaanite than a Jew. The Shechemites not only provide verbal support to Abimelech but monetary support as well. Interestingly, the Shechemites contributed 70 pieces of silver to Abimelech; this is the same number of Abimelech’s half-brothers that he was about to slaughter.  The silver came from the sanctuary dedicated to Baal, Baal-berith and is used to hire an army described as "reckless adventurers" in the NIV.

The word translated reckless, in Hebrew means “empty,” and denotes men with idle hands and empty stomachs, but with no desire to work or earn an honest living. These men were without possessions, willing to sell themselves for any task. The same word will be used of the men that Jephthah will gather around him later in 11:3. The second word translated "adventurers" is a Hebrew meaning “to boil up” or “to be violent,” and implies that these were reckless, licentious men. The men, who followed Abimelech, were idle and worthless, devoid of wisdom and moral understanding.

Verse 5 is a summary of Abimelech’s assassination of the sixty-nine sons of Gideon. The verse tells us that the slaughter was done on one stone, implying   that the sons of Jerubbaal were killed one by one. This was not a quick slaughter of unsuspecting victims, but a calculated brutal act of murder trying to foster terror. However, one half-brother escaped, Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal.  This scene drips with symbolism. The seventy sons of Israel, children of Yahweh, slaughtered as a sacrifice to Baal, the children of Jerubbaal, the fighter of Baal, are defeated and murdered by Abimelech, a worshipper of Baal, a son of Jerubbaal.

Abimelech’s successful campaign to be made king concludes in v6 with his coronation. Two groups of the aristocracy of Shechem were responsible for Abimelech's kingship, the aristocracy of Shechem, and the house of Beth-Millo. These two groups made Abimelech King. The kingdom of Abimelech was limited to four cities: Shechem, Beth-Millo, Arumah, and Thebez. His three-year rule was secured by gall, maintained by force, and did not survive his death. He was never a judge, and never much of a king. The place of the coronation was by the "great tree at the pillar that was in Shechem." In Joshua 24.26, this was the place of the renewal of the covenant ceremony. Now it became an idolatrous place, representing Baal in a Canaanite-cultic installation. The oak was a sacred tree in the sanctuary area, and this reference to it highlights the religious significance of the event of Abimelech’s coronation.

Parable of Jotham—9:7–21

Verse 7 describes the circumstance surrounding Jotham’s pronouncement concerning Abimelech’s self-appointed kingship. From the top of Mount Gerizim, it is easy to look down on Shechem. There is to this day a triangular platform projecting from the mountainside, which overlooks the city in the valley, and this would make a natural pulpit to proclaim the message. Jotham issues a call to the men of Shechem. This verse serves as a preamble to the parable or fable, a short story told in poetic or prose form, which teaches a moral lesson and uses people, animals, plants, or inanimate objects that act like people.

The fable is recorded in verses 8 to 15. Verse 8a provides the background; the trees went out to anoint a king for them. The offer of kingship is made to an olive tree, a fig tree, and a grape, and all reject the offer. Finally, in Judges 9:14–15, the searching trees make the same offer to the thorn bush. The thorn bush produces nothing of value and is worthless even as timber. Furthermore, it is dangerous and a menace to the farmer if it catches fire, because it can destroy the whole crop. Moreover, by catching fire, it would be a danger to the lofty trees around it. Finally, it casts virtually no shadow, and lies very close to the ground, and therefore is of no value for shade.

The trees, having failed to tempt the useful trees to leave their usefulness for the sake of status, as a last resort, offered the kingship to the lowest grade of plant life, the thorn bush. In v15, the thorn bush accepts the trees’ offer. "The thorn bush 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 thorn bush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!" The thorn bush offers almost no shade and the little that it does produce cannot provide needed shade for lofty trees. The story continues, although the thorn bush is so lowly, it can destroy the noblest tree of all, the cedar of Lebanon. The point is, Abimelech can offer no security or comfort to Shechem, and, in fact, he will be the source and cause of its destruction.

In verses 16 to 21, Jotham gives the application of the parable and then runs away into hiding.  First, Jotham asks if the men of Shechem are acting “honorably and in good faith?” If Shechem has done righteously in all that they did to Gideon, who had risked his life for them, then well and good. The literal reading of the Hebrew text is, “My father cast away his soul at a distance,” meaning he did not consider his own life of any consequence to himself if it meant the saving of Israel. Even the Canaanite population still in the land, who also had suffered from the Midianite raids, benefited from Gideon’s campaign. Jotham declares: "if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerubbaal and his family today," then the result should be "may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!" There is a tone of sarcasm here, "May you have much happiness with this thorn bush king of yours--you deserve each other!" But, of course, the caveat is, they are wished happiness if they have acted rightly in what they did. In verse 20, comes the application of unrighteousness:  “But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelech!" If they have not done well, may you destroy each other. Verse 21 records Jotham’s escape as he goes into hiding, probably for the three years that Abimelech was living.

Like one of Aesop's fables, Jotham’s speech is a message that continues to be relevant even in our modern world. Let's see what we can glean from it?

1) Kingship is understood in a negative light.  "It is self-destructive and destructive of the very ones it is intended to protect.

2) Good people who are engaged in constructive activity do not have time to for politics or political agendas, they are more interested in serving than being served.  As a result, politics falls to those who are just the opposite, they want to be served and have little interest in serving or meeting the needs of others.

3) Kings or rulers seek power to satisfy their self-interests. They will do whatever is necessary to gain that power and keep it, even making promises they can't keep.

4) People get the leaders they deserve. As Jotham so rightly points out, if we are foolish enough to select a worthless man to be our leader or king. then we cannot complain about the results he produces. 

In this situation, Abimelech was a worthless man, who appeared to be significant in only his eyes. Abimelech was the embodiment of all that Jotham felt was wrong about kings or political leaders.  The treachery of Abimelech and the Shechemites against Gideon and his family was indeed wrong, yet the greater crime was Israel's treachery against Yahweh.  Israel treatment of Yahweh and their relationship with Him are reflected in their relationship to each other.  The issue is not about politics but about the religious and spiritual state of Israel's heart. It is here that we see the real treachery. The rest of the chapter deals with events confirming the correctness of Jotham's words.

Conflict in Shechem—9:22–25

We are given a glimpse of things to come in verse 22. "After Abimelech had governed Israel three years." There are three significant elements to found in this simple statement. First, the word translated govern(ed) is from the Hebrew word which means prince, captain, or official, and not the word melech, which means king. By using this word, the writer states that Abimelech governed, but that he does not accept him as a king as the aristocracy of Shechem did. This shows that Abimelech did not fulfill Israel’s need for a king. The second element is the usage of the term Israel.  Israel is not always used of the whole nation, and here it is used more locally. In this case, Israel refers to Greater Shechem, with those four cities mentioned earlier. The last element is that the length of his rule is announced at the beginning rather than at the end, which is the norm in this book. This signals the reader that Abimelech's attempt to be king would not last as long as any of the oppressions or any of the periods of rest in the book.

In v23-24, divine vindication of Jotham’s judgment begins with the divine action, as God intervenes between Abimelech and the men of Shechem.  God’s purpose for sending a bad spirit is twofold. By sending the “calamitous spirit” between Abimelech and the nobles of Shechem, God destroys the relationship that had existed between Abimelech and the men of Shechem.  The broken relationship led to a break in faith between Abimelech and the men of Shechem in v23. The verb translated in the NIV "acted treacherously” is normally used to mean break faith, "especially with someone with whom one is in covenant relationship.” The writer's choice of words is intentional as it represents a clear contrast to the words used by Jotham in v16 and 19, "acted honorably and in good faith." Block suggests that: "Although the immediate cause of Abimelech’s death was a resourceful woman of Thebez (v. 53), ultimately the circumstances that led to his ignominious end were caused by the spirit sent by God.” This “calamitous spirit” was sent to punish both Abimelech and the lords of Shechem. God will use this bad spirit to bring about the break in faith between Abimelech and the men of Shechem that will avenge Abimelech’s crime against Jerubbaal’s seventy sons and punish the aristocrats of the city because they supported Abimelech in the murder of his brothers.

Verse 25 describes Shechem’s treachery as they now turn against Abimelech by using a strategy of "highway robbery."  As the caravans were coming to pay tribute to Abimelech, the men of Shechem robbed them. This highway robbery would bring the government of Abimelech into disrepute. The fact that this had to be "reported to Abimelech" indicates that the seat of government was not in Shechem, a point made again in 9:31. The actions of the men of Shechem achieved two ends. First, it showed that Abimelech could not guarantee the safety of travelers in his domain. Second, they deprived him of the tribute he would have reaped from the caravans.

Challenge of Gaal—9:26–41

The person who defies Abimelech in verse 26 was Gaal the son of Ebed, whose name means “to loathe” or “to abhor.” The name of his father, Ebed, means, “slave.” Thus, he was “the abhorred one, the son of a slave,” which may have been his nickname. He moved to Shechem with his brothers, resulting in a change of allegiance, as the men of Shechem put their trust in him, to help them in their revolt against Abimelech.

Verse 27 indicates that it is harvest time, and that the people of Shechem were celebrating a harvest festival at the house of their god, which would have been Baal-Berith. During the feast they ate, drank, cursed and complained about Abimelech. It is against this backdrop that the writer informs us of the boasts of Gaal in v28-29. Gaal makes two boasts. First, he asks, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? "Shechem here does not refer to the city, but to Abimelech, the leader of the city. Gaal continues, "Isn’t he Jerubbaal’s son?" Whereas Abimelech connected himself with his Canaanite mother, Gaal connected Abimelech with his Jewish father. Gaal reminds the people that Abimelech was the son of the Baal Fighter.

Gaal set himself up as the defender of Baal, and of Shechem, against the son of the Baal Fighter. Gaal argued that Abimelech should be regarded, not as flesh and blood, but as a contemptible person because he was the son of Jerubbaal, the son of the man who destroyed the altar of Baal and restored the worship of Yahweh. Gaal then chides, “Is Zebul his officer?” The might of Shechem did not consist of the authority of its magistrate, Zebul, since Abimelech had appointed him. Thus, there is no need for the Shechemites to serve him either. Gaal added: "Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem’s father! Why should we serve Abimelech?" Hamor was the Hivite prince who had founded Shechem (Gen. 33:19; 34:2; Josh. 24:32). The men of Hamor were the patricians of the city, who had origins from the noblest and most ancient stock of the city’s founder.

Gaal placed the men of Hamor in opposition to Zebul. So the Shechemites should be serving the men of Hamor, not Abimelech or his appointee, Zebul. Gaal concludes in Judges 9:29 with his boastful call to reject Israelite rule and reinsert Canaanite rule by saying, "If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, Call out your whole army!" This was pure defiance.

Zebul’s sends a report to Abimelech, without Gaal’s knowledge, of what was happening. Zebul’s message reports on the rebellion and gives Zebul’s advice on arranging a surprise attack on Gaal and his men (v30-33).

Abimelech's defeat of Gaal is described in v34-41. Verse 34 describes Abimelech’s deployment against Gaal’s attack: "So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies." Verse 35 lists initial developments on both sides. In verses 36-38, Gaal makes two observations and Zebul two replies. “When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men."  But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers’ tree."  Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him? Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!"

The results of the battle are recorded in v39-41. "So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight-all the way to the entrance to the gate. Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem." Abimelech was not able to penetrate the city’s defenses and could not capture the city at this point. Abimelech stays in Arumah, which may have been another point of contention for the Shechemites since it was they who made him king, not Arumah. Zebul drives Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem and Gaal is not heard of again.

Destruction of Shechem - 9.42-49

The destruction of Shechem is told in v42-49.  After the defeat of Gaal, Abimelech turns his attention to addressing the rebellion of the men of Shechem. Upon hearing that the men of Shechem had left the city to go into the fields, Abimelech divides his troops into three companies, reminiscent of his father's strategy against the Midianites, and with two companies rushing to attack those in men of Shechem in the fields, the third company rushes to the gates of the city of Shechem to cutoff the men of Shechem's return to their city.  This maneuver wiped out the Shechemites caught outside the city. In v45, we see the brutal destruction of the city of Shechem and its citizens that were trapped inside. "All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it."

Next, verses 46-49 tell us that upon hearing of the slaughter of the Shechemites both outside and inside the city, the remaining people fled seeking sanctuary in the stronghold or the tower of Shechem. Abimelech sought to destroy them as well. Cutting some boughs off a nearby tree, Abimelech orders his men to copy him, and taking these boughs place them around the foundation of the tower and light them. All the people in the tower were burned to death. In this way, the prophecy of Jotham was essentially literally fulfilled: Fire did come from Abimelech and destroyed the men of Shechem. In this manner, another Canaanite enclave had been eradicated from the Land.

Death of Abimelech - 9.50-57

Verses 50-54 give the circumstances of Abimelech's death. Abimelech leads his army against the city of Thebez. The citizens, aware of Abimelech's pending attack, retreat to the stronghold of their city to defend themselves.  Following the strategy that proved successful in destroying the stronghold of Shechem, Abimelech and his men cut off the boughs of trees and laying them around the base of the stronghold. A woman, on top of the stronghold, drops a millstone that hits Abimelech, cracking his skull. Realizing he was dealt a mortal blow, Abimelech requests death at the hands of his armor bearer so it could not be said that he died at the hands of a woman. This incident will be remembered many years later by King David (II Sam. 11:21). To a warrior, the most ignoble death was that inflicted by a woman. But it was too late to change that fact now. He had used a woman, his mother, to claim kingship, but now a woman would take it away from him; a woman gave him life, now a woman would take it away. Following Abimelech’s request, the armor bearer killed him.

Verse 55-57 marks the end of the conflict when the Israelites realized that Abimelech was dead. The identity of Abimelech's men as Israelites indicates that, when Abimelech destroyed Shechem, he also got some Jewish allegiance. The words themselves show that the rebels against whom Abimelech fought were Canaanites, because the men of Israel were distinguished from those in the tower. In the end, after Abimelech’s death, his army broke up, each man going to his own home. The experiment in Canaanite-type, city-state kingship ended in failure; and it was aborted, awaiting another time for national kingship. According to verses 56 to 57, Abimelech’s demise was all divine retribution: "Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came on them."

The curse of Jotham (Judges 9:14–20), the son of Jerubbaal, is fulfilled. It shows, Yahweh defeating Baal and that Yahweh, the true God of Israel, is the real Baal fighter. God has been the agent behind the remarkable turn of events. God also brought about Jotham’s curse upon the Shechemites for their complicity in the crimes against Jerubbaal. Block cites an interesting observation by another commentator: "Abimelech has craved desperately to prove himself a worthy successor to his father by living up to one interpretation of his name (The king [Gideon] is my father), only to experience the original intention of the name (The king [divine] is my father)." As we have seen, neither human pretension (8:22–32) nor human ferocity (9:1–55) can move Yahweh from his throne. "In the end Abimelech’s egomaniacal ambition must yield to the kingship of God, and with this, the story of Gideon is complete."

What is the writer's purpose for including the story of Abimelech in the Book of Judge?  Whatever our perspective may be the writer believes the story of Abimelech supports his overall agenda.  There are four points we should glean from this story.

1) Despite what Israel may think, God is in charge. Behind the scenes or in the forefront, it is God's agenda being accomplished. While God is only mentioned twice (vv. 23, 56), note how everything moves toward God's intended outcome. Block suggest that there are at least five things that cry out for the recognition of being God's handiwork: "(1) the emergence of Gaal out of nowhere; (2) Abimelech’s initial victory over Gaal, emboldening him to attempt greater exploits; (3) the ease with which Abimelech conquers Thebez; (4) the inspiration and empowerment of the woman to drop the millstone from the tower of Thebez; (5) the guidance of the millstone to Abimelech’s head."

2) This is the first time in the book of Judges, we see God operating on the "give them what they deserve" system of justice. There is no room for mercy, here, people get what they deserve. The people got the "king" they deserved and the king got the "subjects" he deserved. This chapter is a classic, biblical example of divine retribution. "Fratricide has been answered with fratricide. He who had slaughtered his brothers upon one stone has his skull crushed beneath one stone. "Note, that when Israel is her own worst enemy God seems to withdraw His grace and mercy. When Israel declared itself to be "spiritual Canaanites" by following after Baal, they failed to realize that they absolved "Yahweh of responsibility for their well-being, bringing them under the fury of his covenant curse."  No political institutions, leaders, or men, could reverse Israel's fate, "only radical repentance would reverse the fate of the nation."

From the writer's perspective the Canaanization of Israel is complete and it is spiritually downhill from here.  Even with the elimination of Abimelech, the Spirit of the Lord, who had been the agent of deliverance, is now the Spirit of Retribution.  At the end of the day, Israel seemingly defeated Shechem but it was Yahweh, that again defeated Baal and His people.

3) Gideon reaps what he has sown, as seen in the life of Abimelech. Abimelech's flaws come from both sides of the family.  Ruling like a "Canaanite" and foregoing God's model of servant leadership, spoken by Moses in Deu 17.14-20, Abimelech seals his own ruin and the ruin of his people. The driving force behind the story of Abimelech is not kingship or its failure, it is retribution that provides the force of this chapter. It is easy to overlook the fact that Abimelech is not being punished for his lust for power or the throne, nor are the men of Shechem being punished for their support of Abimelech.  "The crime in this chapter is that they have committed treachery against Gideon by murdering his sons."

4) This is another fascinating account regarding issues of gender. We see at the start "Abimelech roots his political ambition in the identity of the woman who gave him life; in the end, it is a woman who takes his life."

037Abimelech

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036 Gideon: The Antihero?

In our last session, we looked at Gideon's defeat of the Midianites and their allies. This week we will need to answer the question “Was Gideon an antihero? “The definition of an antihero is a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make him a hero.  Using this definition let's look at chapter eight of Judges and you make the decision. But first we must deal with the anger of the Ephraimites.

According to v1, the Ephraimites were angry about three things: First, they were not summoned in the original call of 6:35; second, they were not involved in the primary rout of the Midianites; and third, they were called in at the last minute to prevent the Midianites escape through their territory. The Ephraimites saw these actions as a personal snub against them and they complained vehemently. When confronted by the Ephraimites, Gideon responds with tact and diplomacy in v2-3a. Gideon answers them with three questions and an observation.  First, Gideon asks: “What have I accomplished compared to you?" He follows that question with another question: "Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?”

Gideon is drawing a contrast saying that the full grape harvest was the initial victory over the Midianites while the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes was the mopping-up operations and the slaying of the two Midianite princes. Gideon was saying that the part in the battle played by Ephraim while less spectacular than the initial victory of Abiezer, the part played by Ephraim was of greater importance in the final victory because if the fords of the Jordan had not been seized in time, the advantages of the initial success would have been lost. The Ephraimites not only made sure that the battle ended in success, it was they, and not Gideon, who captured the two key princes of the Midianites.

Verse 3b records their response: "At this, their resentment against him subsided."  This is a good example of the truth of Proverbs, which teaches a soft answer turns away wrath (15.1). The care with which Gideon chose his words, in vv. 2–3, was like that of the experienced diplomat. Gideon provided a four-dimensional response. First, he minimizes his role by asking a rhetorical question.  Secondly, he flatters the Ephraimites with a well-placed proverb and another rhetorical question that elevates the accomplishments of the Ephraimites above his. Thirdly, he suggests that God Himself blessed the importance of their accomplishments by granting them the privilege of capturing the two key Midian princes, Oreb and Zeeb. Fourthly, by the judicious use of a third question he again emphasizes the importance of the role the Ephraimites plays while minimizing his own.   

This short episode is significant for several reasons. First, lost in translation is that the fact that Gideon refers "to God "Elohim rather then Yahweh (v3)."  The question formed by the commentator Daniel Block is why? "Does this reflect his own fundamental disaffection from Yahweh, or is he accommodating his response to the spiritual disaffection of the Ephraimites? It is hardly accidental that his use of “Elohim” echoes the comment of the Midianite in 7:14."

A second issue is raised by the very nature of Gideon's defense of his own actions to the Ephraimites. Why didn't he explain his call by Yahweh, or mention that he was operating under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit? Why doesn't he speak to the fact that Yahweh wanted to use a minimal force so there would be no mistaking who was responsible for the Israelites victory of the Midianites? As Block observes, "Instead, his arguments are all psychologically rather than theologically based."

This irony of this brief account is that some among the tribes of Israel are so fearful that they would rather not fight (7.3), while some are offended when they were not called to fight. The problem with Ephraim will arise again in Judges 12:1-6, but then things will end with tragic consequences. In the Book of Judges, the Ephraimites are presented as self-centered, factious, easily offended, and having an inflated estimation of their own importance within the nation itself. "The tribal cohesion is crumbling. Unlike the period of conquests under Joshua, it is impossible for the nation to operate in concert. More specifically this episode exposes a fundamental problem with the Ephraimites that will resurface in 12:1–6. They are a self-centered and fractious lot, easily offended, and with an inflated estimation of their significance within the nation. Even in victory Israel remains her own worst enemy."

Gideon's pursuit, capture, and execution of the two Midian kings, Zebah and Zalmuna, are the subject of verses 4-21.  In chapter seven the writer created the impression that God had given the outcome of the battle against Midian in the hands of Gideon and his force of three hundred.  While there are similarities between the accounts in chapter seven and eight, it is the differences between the accounts that draw our attention. Block provides a list of the key differences:

1. Yahweh is not involved in this phase of the plot at all (except in Gideon’s own glib comments).

2. The two captured Midianite leaders have strange names and are called “kings” rather than “commanders.”

3. The campaign takes Gideon and his men far a field to Karkor east of the Dead Sea.

4. Gideon runs into serious conflict with his Tran Jordanian countrymen.

5. Gideon is involved in the capture and execution of the enemy kings.

6. Personal blood vengeance replaces national deliverance as a motive for Gideon’s action.

       7. Gideon, the fearful young man, has become a brutal aggressor.

In chapter 8, we see another "metamorphous" of Gideon. In the first two chapters of the Gideon story we "witnessed his transformation from a fearful private citizen to a fearless agent of God, willing to take on the enemy against all odds, not to mention a sensitive diplomat." Yet here in chapter 8 we are provided with an entirely different picture of Gideon. The view of Gideon in chapter 8 is one of a "tyrant, arbitrary in his treatment of the enemy and ruthless in his handling of his own countrymen." The spotlight in chapter 8 is not on Gideon fighting and destroying the enemy but on a Gideon who is fighting and destroying his people.   

In our last session, we raised the possibility that Gideon’s addition of his own name to the battle cry in 7:18, 20), might have been the writer's hint to us of a future problem—this is it.  The picture we are about to see is one of a "human deliverer who is the antithesis of the divine Savior." The contrast between Yahweh’s patience and grace with his people is unmistakable compared to Gideon who "turns out to be an impatient and ruthless ruler."

Verses 4-7 pick up the narrative from Judges 7:23. Gideon and his three hundred men come to and cross the Jordan River, in pursuit of the remnant of Midianite forces. They were tired from the fight and the pursuit, but still moving. Gideon requests food for his men from Succoth, that they could regain their strength and continue their pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. Gideon is very diplomatic in his request for food and shelter where it would have been acceptable for him to simply taken what he needed. In contrast, the leaders of Succoth deny Gideon's request abruptly because they want proof of victory before providing the supplies, if Gideon fails and the Midianites would take vengeance on Succoth. The cohesiveness between the Promised Land and the Trans-Jordanian tribes that we saw in the Book of Joshua has broken down. They do not see themselves as one people anymore.

Dismissing a diplomatic response, Gideon responds to the princes of Succoth with a threat: "Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers."  This threat may mean one of two things. One possibility is that he threatens to drag them over thorns as a threshing sledge is dragged over grain. The second possibility is that Gideon intended to lay them upon thorns and thresh them by drawing threshing sledges over them. Either way, the result would be death.

Leaving Succoth without the asked for supplies, Gideon and his men continue to the town of Penuel and Gideon repeats his request for food. He is confronted with the same response at Penuel that he had received at Succoth. Gideon responds without tact or diplomacy and promises that when he and his men return they will destroy the tower stronghold of the Penuelites. The tower was the stronghold, which formed a refuge in time of danger for the inhabitants of an unwalled town.

What was the writer's purpose for including these two glimpses of Gideon’s Transjordan campaign? First, it shows the reader that the tribes could not agree on a policy of “your enemy is my enemy.” So we are left with a picture that there was not a lot of tribal support among the confederacy of Israelite tribes.  Yet the purpose of the writer is deeper than this. These two examples are intended to reflect the general attitude of the Transjordan tribes toward Gideon.  The intent is to show the difference between the positive response of the northern tribes to answer Gideon's call to join in fighting the Midianite oppressors and the less enthusiastic response or "show me first" attitude of the Transjordan tribes.  It is the writer's way of distinguishing between "Gideon’s wars of liberation and his personal crusades (cf. vv. 18–21)." This alerts the reader to a change in agenda. If Gideon was about Yahweh's work the tribes were ready to help but now that Gideon and his three hundred men were off on a private campaign, the tribes are reluctant to participate. "The divinely chosen force has become his private army."

Verses 10-12 describe Gideon's capture of the two Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmuna. Zebah and Zalmunna had retreat to Karkor, located about one hundred miles east of the Dead Sea, very close to the Midianite homeland. Gideon and his forces pursued the Midianites by the way of the road used by the nomads and the caravans on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah. Gideon and his forces attack the remaining fifteen thousand Midianites. Surprised, because the Midianites did not expect Israel's pursuit to extend this far south, so close to their home territory, Gideon captures the kings of Midian and routs the remaining Midianites, inspiring new panic among the enemy.

Gideon celebrates his victory over the Midianites by returning to the towns of Succoth and Penuel and punishing them in verses 13-17.

Verses 13-14 record the return of Gideon to Succoth and explain how Gideon could get a list of all seventy-seven names of the elders of Succoth, the decision-making body of the city. Block tells us that: "This is the first time elders are mentioned in the book. In the absence of a king, towns were governed by a body of senior members of the community, usually heads of the clans, who conducted the community’s business in the city gate." 

Gideon, presumably with the elders gathered before him, reminds the elders of their own words and Gideon then fulfills the threat of Judges 8:7, by threshing the elders of the city with thorns and briers. It was a painful and deadly object lesson.

Gideon continues delivering retribution as he returns now to Penuel, "whose fate at his hands turns out to be more tragic than that of Succoth." Gideon did as he promised and destroys their stronghold tower.  But Gideon did more than destroy their stronghold he went on to murder all the men in the city.  This might have been justified if Penuel was Canaanite city but these men were Israelites.  Block suggests: "Gideon’s behavior could be justified if Penuel were a Canaanite city, but these were fellow Israelites! His character has been transformed again—he acted like a general out of control, no longer bound by rules of civility, let alone national loyalty."  The irony is that Gideon does to a Jewish city what should have by now been done to all the Canaanites.

Verses 18-21 depict the interrogation and execution of the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna. Gideon's asks the kings of Midian: "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?"  What this question shows is that not only did the Midianites plunder Israel, they also committed murderous acts against the Jewish population. The kings' answer would lead to their execution as they each respond: “Men like you, . . . each one with the bearing of a prince." Gideon's response confirms the identity of the Mount Tabor victims, saying, that they were his brothers, the sons of his mother. So now Gideon must become the avenger of the blood.

Gideon offers the chance of vengeance to his firstborn son, since it would add to the kings’ humiliation to be killed by a youth, inexperienced in war. Gideon's oldest son, Jether, does not respond and the kings request that Gideon does it himself. This shows that the kings of Midian were not afraid to die, but also that they wished to avoid the agony of a protracted death due to an inexperienced hand. Gideon performs the execution himself, and takes the crescents that were on their camels' necks. The Hebrew word for crescents is saharonim, a word used only in this chapter and in Isaiah 3:18. It refers to crescent-shaped jewelry, which adorned the necks of the camels. Gideon now takes these crescent, moon-shaped ornaments as spoils.

Verse 22 is a pivotal passage as Gideon's countrymen respond to his victory over the Midianites by offering to establish a dynasty with him and his offspring as rulers over Israel.  Israelites are now beginning to see the advantages of a king to provide a central, strong leadership to save them from their enemies. But in verse 23, Gideon rejects the offer while insisting that Yahweh is their King and will rule them.  Nevertheless, Gideon will begin to act like a king, and, in fact, one of his sons will be crowned a city king.

There are several points worth mentioning about this offer of kingship in verse 22.  First, the writer makes it seem like that it was all of Israel that made this offer of kingship to Gideon. At least it would likely have been the three hundred men initially selected by Yahweh and at the most it would have been leaders of the tribes that were involved with Gideon in the battle against Midian, Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali, Ephraim. Block tells us: “Regardless of the consistency of the delegation, the author deliberately characterizes them as ‘the men of Israel’ making this look like a pan-Israelite assembly offering rule over the entire nation. Their offer is symptomatic of a nationwide problem. On the surface, it appears laudable that the tribes have finally united, but as the sequel demonstrates, it was for the wrong agenda."

Secondly, the term king or the phrase "to reign as king" are not explicitly used in "Israel's" offer of the throne to Gideon. The word for rule "masal" means "to rule in a general sense, it is often used of royal and divine dominion." This and the fact that Gideon was offered a dynastic position and the wording of Gideon's refusal would argue for the idea that is was indeed an offer of kingship. Block suggests that the writer "may have avoided the term melek (king) because the issue in Gideon's statement is not a title or an office but performance, which from beginning to end belongs to God."

Thirdly, the offer of kingship made to Gideon does not comply with Mosaic requirements for kingship in Deu 17.14-20. Gideon had not been anointed by God to be king. The fact that Israel's first foray into kingship deals with dynastic rule would indicate, as Block says, "Israel’s paradigm for kingship was derived from the surrounding nations."

The last point is both the most distressing and the most telling about the state of Israel as a nation. Israel makes this offer of dynastic rule to Gideon because he saved them from the hands of Midian. But some how the real message of who did the saving has been lost.  Through the Gideon cycle the word interpreted saved or delivered has been applied to God. The most important one being 7.2: "The Lord said to Gideon, You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her." Israel, as Block comments, has "misinterpreted the nature and the agent of their own deliverance." The writer emphasizes that Yahweh, "Not Gideon, nor Israel, is the one who saves, the people have either failed to recognize the hand of God at all or the image of the latter heroism of Gideon has eclipsed the memory of Yahweh’s involvement."  This maybe the point of the writer noting that Gideon himself had shouted, “A sword [belonging] to the Lord and to Gideon (7:18, 20)."  The short memory of Israel has never been more on display.  "In the end, despite the miraculous nature of the victory over the Midianite camp (7:22), they forgot the first part of the challenge and attributed the outcome of the conflict entirely to the human agent."

Gideon’s response to his countrymen's offer of kingship can be divided into two parts.  V23 is a straightforward rejection of the Israelites’ proposal. Gideon clearly rejects the offer to be Israel's first king or the founder of a royal dynasty. And he does so for all the right reasons, Yahweh is the only ruler in Israel. Yet, as with much if the story of Gideon, things may not be what they appear. Notice that while he declined to accept their offer, he did not take the trouble to correct the mistaken idea that he was responsible for victory over the Midianites. He does not insist that God was the author of Israel’s victory. Instead of saying "It was not me but Yahweh that delivered you from the Midianites, " Gideon says God is your ruler not me.

In the pursuit of the Midian kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, in 8:4, he has acted like a typical king of the day. Block summarizes Gideon's actions: "(1) he treated his subjects/countrymen ruthlessly (vv. 5–9, 13–17); (2) his actions were driven by a personal agenda rather than theological or national ideals; (3) he reacted to the death of his brothers as if they were royal assassinations requiring blood vengeance; (4) he made ridiculous demands on his people (v20); (5) he claimed for himself the symbols of royalty taken from the enemy."  Israel's offer of kingship to Gideon would seem to only be an attempt to make official what is already fact.

Despite his claims, Gideon increasingly took on the trappings of royalty (v24). By requesting the soldiers give him a gold earring from their share of the spoils of the war, he was demanding a symbolic gesture of submission. In verses 25 to 26, the people willingly give their assent. Gladly giving of their spoils to him, they acknowledged themselves to be his vassals. The total weight was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold or forty-three pounds of gold. The amount of gold taken in had the character of a royal treasury. Even that was not the total, for the uncounted included the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks.

Verse 27 deals with Gideon making an ephod.  The real meaning of the usage of the word here has been lost. We are left to speculate what the writer actually meant.  There are three possibilities of what this may have been. First, it may have been a garment, after the pattern of the high-priestly ephod, with an unusual degree of gold ornamentation. Second, it may have been a pure gold replica of the high-priestly garment. Third, it may have been a freestanding image draped with the gold ephod. This last option is the most popular among modern scholars. Despite which of these three options it was, one thing is clear, for the first time in the Book of Judges, it was a judge who began to foster idolatry.

Furthermore, Gideon put the ephod in his city, Ophrah, with two disastrous results. First, the text states, all Israel played the harlot after it there; Ophrah became the center of idolatrous worship. Second, the ephod became a snare to Gideon, and to his house. It became a snare because his sin consisted of two things, first, he took upon himself the role of a priest; and second, he established a worship center away from the Tabernacle in Shiloh. His sin consisted in his encroaching on the prerogatives of the Aaronic Priesthood and drawing people away from the one chosen sanctuary. Gideon thereby not only undermined the theocratic unity of Israel, but also provided occasion for the relapse into the worship of Baal after his death.

Gideon may have put on the ephod and worn it as a priest when he wished to inquire and learn the will of God, or perhaps when he sacrificed on the altar that was built in Ophrah back in 6:24. The ephod became a snare to Gideon, for these reasons, and to his house, because it would ultimately result in the slaughter of all of his sons, but two, with one dying in battle later.

Gideon may not have assumed the title of King, but he did assume the role of king. Yet this does not follow the Mosaic standard for establishing the reign of an earthly king. Deu 17.15 "be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses."  But just as the kingship is not of Yahweh, nothing of Gideon's "reign" is of Yahweh either. Compare Gideon's "kingship" with what Moses envisioned. Deu 17.17-20 "He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel." The first thing we find Gideon doing at the beginning of his reign is accumulating wealth for his benefit. 

The irony we are left with is that Gideon, with maybe Samson, was the only judge clothed with the Spirit, yet Gideon did more harm to Israel than any of the other judges.  Under Gideon, idolatry is now "officially sponsored by a leader of the nation."  Block summarizes this succinctly: "Gideon, as representative and leader of the people, will do what is right in his own eyes and invite the people to follow him."

The subduing of Midian was such that they lifted up their heads no more. This shows the severity of their defeat. They never again play a major role in the biblical record. The duration of the rest was: And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

Verse 29 records the return of Gideon to his house, which now becomes the base of his judgeship. In verse 30, we find that Gideon continues to ignore the injunctions of Moses as he fathers 70 sons with many women. This is also indicative that Gideon assumed the prerogatives of a king. In v31 Gideon adds a concubine to his many wives and she bears him a son named Abimelech, 2ho will play the major role in our next session.

Verse 32 records the death of Gideon. Gideon died and was buried where he had been born. Gideon went from poverty, to prosperity, to corruption. He rejected kingship, but he lived like a wealthy king, with many wives, including a concubine in Shechem. He even named the son of the concubine Abimelech, which means, "My father is king." Such is the end of the cycle of Gideon. Now you decide--hero or anti-hero?

036 Gideon: The Antihero?

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035 Gideon Defeats The Midianites

In our last session, we learned about the background of Gideon and about some of the trials of being an Israelite under Midianite oppression. The canaanization of Israel was continuing as God allowed Midian, the Amalekites, and the Bedouins to cripple the Israelites by stealing their food and destroying their crops. Yahweh hears the cries of hunger and suffering of Israel and He raises up Gideon to be their deliverer. We left off with Gideon having built an altar to Yahweh in Judges 6.24 and naming it Yahweh-shalom.

In this session we will look at Gideon’s destruction of the altar of Baal in Ophrah of the Abiezrites, Gideon’s unusual method of selecting troops with which to attack the Midianites and the attack of Gideon’s forces. Let’s begin with Gideon’s house cleaning, the removal of the presence of a pagan altar.

The altar built by Gideon in 6.24 represents a direct challenge to the religious rites being practiced by the people at Ophrah. Like much of Israel, the Abiezrites, by practicing pagan worship, as symbolized by this altar of Baal and the Asherah pole, demonstrated that they had become Baalists. Before Yahweh would allow Gideon to carry out his mission against the Midianites, Gideon must first deal with this abomination in his backyard. The God of Israel would not suffer a divided allegiance; He wanted all their love and loyalty. Ex 20.1-7 provides a basic understanding of the covenantal relationship between Israel and Yahweh; “You shall have no other gods before Me (Ex 20.3).” God would not allow Gideon to serve him while Gideon’s family and clan were serving and worshipping Baal. As commentator Daniel Block suggests: “This is one dimension of bearing the name of Yahweh in vain.” Ultimately, Yahweh is telling Gideon to deal with the most important issue first. The issue of importance to God is Israel’s “bondage to the spiritual forces of the land,” and not their physical oppression by the Midianites.

God wastes little time in challenging Gideon to act against the pagan worship of the Abiezrites. In verses 25-26, Gideon is commanded to destroy the altar and Asherah pole that is on his father’s property. Gideon was commanded to use his father’s prize bull to tear down the altar and cut down the Asherah pole. Some translations suggest that there were two bulls involved, however, many modern scholars believe that there was only a single bull involved and that the phrase that has been translated as a second bull actually meant “to be exalted, of high rank.” To both be strong enough to tear down the altar and to be perfect enough to be a sacrifice the animal would be seven years old. The fact that it was seven years old may also connect it with the seven years of oppression, since, normally for sacrificial purposes; no animal was more than three years old. Thus, he was told to take a bull whose age was the same length of time as the oppression. If God was going to use Gideon to deliver Israel, Gideon must remove from his house the idolatry that brought on God’s divine judgment.

After destroying the false altar, Gideon was to build an altar to the true God, take the bull along with wood from the Asherah pole and make a burnt offering to Yahweh. Altogether there were four Gideon’s actions commit several affronts against Baal. First, his altar was to be thrown down; second, an altar to the true God was to be built over the destroyed altar; third, a prime bull, the sacred animal in Baalism, was to be offered on this altar, being sacrificed, not to Baal, but to the God of Israel; and, fourth, the Asherah poles, which represent Baal’s consort, were to be used as the firewood for the sacrifice.

Verse 27 tells us that Gideon did as Yahweh commanded him, fulfilling all the requirements of verses 25 to 26. If we stopped reading verse 27 at the half waypoint of the verse, we would likely be impressed with Gideon’s immediate response to God’s commands. Yet as we read the rest of the verse we find that the motivation for Gideon’s immediate response was not his love of God, or even necessarily his sense of obedience to God but his fear of discovery of being the one to tear down the altar of Baal. He chose to do the deed by night because he feared his family, his father’s household, and the men of the city. This would indicate to the reader that Gideon is still not the mighty man of valor predicted of him by the Angel of God, but that is coming.

The response to the discovery of Gideon’s actions justifies his reasoning for committing the act under the cover of darkness 6.28-31. As the men of the city arose early in the morning, they were witnesses to Gideon’s compliance with the commands of God. They discovered three things: first, the altar of Baal was broken down; second, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it; third, the remains of Joash’s bull that was offered upon the altar that was built.

Consider the people’s response to the violation of Baal’s altar and the cutting down of the Asherah pole. Their first reaction to the crime was to ask who and not why. Daniel Block reflects on this “They have only one concern: to bring the ‘criminal’ to justice (when they are the real criminals).”

In 6.29b-30, after a brief investigation, Gideon was identified as the one responsible for the act. Note that Gideon had taken ten of his servants to help him in the act. But a secret known to ten men does not stay a secret very long.

Verse 30 records the demand of the townsmen for Gideon to be put to death because he had broken down the altar of Baal, and second, and because he had cut down the Asherah that was by it. The fact that it was Jews who wanted to execute Gideon for tearing down the altar of Baal shows how far the Canaanization process of Israel had progressed. It is interesting that the report of his son’s offenses that was given to Joash makes no mention of the altar to Yahweh that Gideon built or the sacrifice of Joash’s best bull on it.

Verse 31 presents Joash’s defense of Gideon. Like most fathers, Joash’s concern is for his son. There is no indication of Joash’s concern about losing his best bull or even the destruction of his altar to Baal. He begins his defense of his son by asking two rhetorical questions that he hopes will make clear to his son’s accusers the illogicality of their demands for Gideon’s death. First, he asked, Will you contend for Baal? That is, are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Does Baal need a defense attorney? Second, Joash continues, or will you save him? Will you save or shield Baal? Joash uses the same word that is used in the Book of Judges of the judges who saved Israel. Men could save Israel, but this god could not even save his altar. Instead of people needing deliverance from a hostile god, this god (Baal) requires deliverance by people.

Joash’s concludes, saying to those that want to sentence his son to death, that anyone who defends Baal will be put to death before the night is done. If Baal is truly a god, then he needs no human defense; but for one to defend a false god is to bring the death penalty upon himself: If he were a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar. Joash seems to have been won over by his son’s actions.

We saw earlier that Gideon’s call concluded with a confirming event, the construction and the naming of an altar to Yahweh (v24). In verse 32 we see this event also ends with a “naming ceremony.” Gideon’s new reputation leads to Gideon’s new name, Jerubbaal. The new name was a combination of two Hebrew words, yariv and Baal, meaning “Let Baal fight” or “Let Baal argue.” It carried the meaning of “The Baal Fighter,” since he fought against Baal. From this point on in the narrative, the writer refers to Gideon by both names. The reason Joash gave his son this name, Jerubbaal, is to reinforce his defense of his son against the men of the city. Basically Joash is saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.

Yet before we leave thinking that all is well here and the Baal has been defeated, consider these words of Daniel Block: “Gideon’s action here appears to have exposed the impotence of Baal irrefutably. But this account should be read with 8:27 in mind, according to which Gideon, himself, revives and expands the influence of the Baal cult at Ophrah, and 8:33, which seems to have the Israelites entering some sort of covenant with Baal. Did Baal contend for himself? Apparently, yes. In the end, he is vindicated. He has risen again in Israel, which makes the coming deliverance that Yahweh provides even more remarkable. Despite the nation’s fundamental Canaanization, God still acts on their behalf.”

The preparation for battle is described in v33-35. The writer resumes his primary plot in 6.33 by addressing the next raid of Midian and their allies’ as they cross the Jordan River and encamp in the valley of Jezreel. This was the largest and the most fertile valley in Israel. Ophrah, the home of Gideon, was at the very edge of this valley.

Verse 34a describes the divine source of Gideon’s power. The text says literally that the “Spirit of Yahweh ‘clothed’ Gideon.” So Gideon was clothed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon him and laid Himself around Gideon as if He were a coat of mail or armor, so Gideon became invulnerable and invincible in his might.

Verses 34b to 35 presents Gideon’s call to Israel, which came in two stages. The first stage was the sounding of the trumpet, the shofar or the ram’s horn in verse 34b. The result was that Abiezer was gathered together after him. Abiezer was Gideon’s own clan. The second stage, in verse 35, was the sending of the messengers, of which he sent out two groups. The first group went to Gideon’s own tribe, Manasseh, and they gathered to him. The second group of messengers went to three more tribes of Israel: Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. The result, again, was that they came up to meet them.

Block raises a key question: “Why are Gideon’s clansmen, tribesmen, and countrymen, so ready to respond to him? Are they impressed with his leadership ability or his courage? Do they recognize him as the ‘valiant warrior,’ whom the messenger of Yahweh had addressed in v.12?” The only answer must lie in v34a that this is the result of Gideon being clothed with the Spirit of God. Here we see that not only is God responsible for Gideon but He is also responsible for the response of His people.

Verses 6:36-40 continue to show us Gideon’s human weaknesses. After having been clothed with the Holy Spirit, and calling out a vast army, Gideon’s still worried about God’s presence. He continues to test God with requests for signs of God assurance. Gideon requests two signs, with the first sign recorded in verses 36 to 38. He was still not the mighty man of valor he had been prophesied to be. The first sign was to be if the fleece of wool had dew on it while the ground around it was dry then Gideon would know the Yahweh would save Israel by Gideon’s hand. The second sign is recorded in verses 39 to 40. Gideon asks God for only one more sign of confirmation. He is seeking further assurance from God in a moment of crisis. He asks that the fleece be dry and dew on the ground around it. The miracle here was that, under ordinary circumstances, the ground would dry more quickly than the saturated wool. This request was also fulfilled for it was dry on the fleece, and there was dew on the ground.

This passage is not intended to be an encouragement to use tests to determine the will of God. Believers often say that they “put out a fleece” for determining what the will of God is,but that is a faulty conclusion from this passage. Gideon did not put the fleece out to determine God’s will, since he already knew it; God had already told him what He wanted him to do. Gideon’s use of the fleece was not a sign of his spirituality, but a sign of his very weak faith. It was not the sign of a mature believer, but a mark of an immature believer who had trouble believing what God had already told him.

Chapter 7 opens with the arrangement of the opposing armies. The army of Israel was to the south of a long pass, and the Midianites were located due north by the Hill of Moreh. The army of Israel was located beside the spring of Harod, which bubbles out at the foot of Mount Gilboa. Block provides us with an interesting insight into this “spring.” “Strategically, by camping at a spring Gideon ensures that a refreshed force may be sent against the enemy. But since the name “Harod” derives from a verb, “to tremble,” this is also “the spring of trembling.” Whether or not Gideon still trembles at the sight of the Midianites despite Yahweh’s repeated assurances, v. 3 indicates the majority of his troops did.” The Beth Shean Pass runs between the Hill of Moreh on the north and Mount Gilboa on the south, connecting the Jezreel Valley to the Jordan Valley. The phrase in the valley refers to the Valley of Jezreel that had been won for Israel by Barak.

Gideon had tested God twice with the fleece and here in verses 7.2-6 we find Yahweh testing Gideon twice. Yahweh reduces the size of Gideon’s army because God doesn’t want there to be any misunderstanding about who is going to save Israel. He wants it clear that He, not Israel’s own might, saved them. As I Samuel 14:6 teaches, it is no problem for God to save by the many or by the few. So, in keeping with the law of Deuteronomy 20:8, Gideon was to allow those soldiers who were “fearful and trembling” to depart. The result was that twenty and two thousand left and there remained ten thousand. We are not told what Gideon’s reaction is to the loss of two/thirds of his force, we can only imagine.

If losing twenty thousand men raised Gideon’s anxiety level, imagine what happens when God tells him that he still has too many men. This led to the second test at the waters of Ein Harod, where God brought a separation between those who would stay to fight and those who would leave.

The test in verses 5 to 6 is not always understood correctly. Gideon was given instruction on how to select men for his special forces. Those who were kept bowed on their knees, but cupped their hands to bring up and drink the water from their hands, showing they were ready for any sudden attack. So Gideon was to divide the people by putting all those who lick the water with their tongues, as a dog licks, into one class, and all those who faced down to drink into another class. Those who knelt and lifted the water to their mouths with their hands numbered three hundred. The rest put their faces down to drink. Those who lifted the water to their mouths with their hands represented the good soldiers who, upon reaching a brook before the battle, did not allow themselves time to fall down and satisfy their thirst in the most convenient manner. These good soldiers simply knelt, took up some water with their hands, as they remained upright in their military armor to strengthen themselves for the battle, and proceeded without delay against the foe. They remained watchful and prepared for any emergency. The first test (of voluntary release) eliminated the fearful. The second test (of readiness at the stream) eliminated the careless.

In v7-8, God tells Gideon to send away the ninetyseven-hundred men who knelt to drink water like dogs and that He would deliver the Midianites into Gideon’s hand with the remaining three-hundred men. However, they were not sent home, but back to their tents. They will be called in later to join the fighting, but they will not be used in the initial attack.

Verses 9 to 15 provide additional insight into Gideon and Yahweh, as Yahweh address Gideon’s lack of faith. Here we will read about the sign to Gideon that finally convinces him that he will defeat the Midianites. In verse 9, God gives Gideon both a command and a promise. The command was to attack the Midianites and the promise was that Yahweh had already delivered the enemy into Gideon’s hands. In v10-11 we find God, not waiting on Gideon to protest another reduction in force, raising the issue for Gideon. Yahweh says to Gideon “If you are afraid to attack,” then you can take your servant and go down to the camp and you can hear what the Midianites are saying and you will know that I have given them into your hands. The fact that Gideon was fearful again shows that he was still not a mighty man of valor. He is told to take his servant into the Midianite camp, and what he will hear will finally encourage him. Since he was afraid, this was exactly what Gideon did.

Verse 12 records two reasons Gideon might feel discouraged. The first was the sheer number of his enemy, they were as numerous as a plague of locusts, and second the resources and provisions of his enemy were numberless.

Verses 13 to 14 records what Gideon heard in the Midian camp that as a dream. Generally speaking, when God communicated with or through pagans, He would do so with a dream. Only with Balaam did He use direct speech. But for people like Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and Abimelech, He used dreams. “In keeping with common human experience, the content of this dream was quite absurd: a cake of barley bread tumbled into the Midianites’ camp, smashing into the tent with such force that it overturned and collapsed it.”

This symbolized the defeat of the Midianites by Gideon. Then came the interpretation, this was the sword of Gideon, and into his hand God has delivered Midian, and the Amalekites and the Children of the East.

Verse 15 describes the immediate change in Gideon brought about by hearing the dream of the Midianite. Gideon prostrated himself in worship before Yahweh because he was convinced that he would have victory over the Midianites. Only now does he finally become the mighty man of valor. So, after he returned into the camp of Israel, he issues the command to “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Gideon is now prepared to follow God’s command.

Verses 16-25 records Israel’s victory over Midian. Gideon begins the preparation for the attack in v16-18. Gideon’s preparations reminds us of those of Joshua before the battle of Jericho, they seem absurd to us. First, Gideon divides his small force in three groups of one hundred men each. Now things become a bit ridiculous. Second, the Israelite forces are to face the swarm of Midianites with just three things: trumpets, and empty pitchers, and torches. The trumpets were made of animal horns, which could be worn on the body, while the pitchers and torches had to be carried. At the time the trumpets were blown, the pitcher and the torch could be held temporarily in one hand. The empty pitchers would be used to hide the light of the torches. Finally, the men were to go with torches within the pitchers. The strategy was the sleeping enemy was to be covered on three sides, and the sudden exposure of light out of the darkness of the night, together with the loud sounds of three hundred trumpets, would spread consternation and panic in the camp. This does not qualify as fitting the conventional standards of war.

Gideon’s newfound confidence is visible in his instructions to the troops. Block comments: “the confidence exuded in Gideon’s words reflects an amazing personal transformation. He instructed his forces to keep their eyes on him and to do as he would do. When he would arrive at the edge of the Midianite camp, he and his group would blow their horns and cry out, “Belonging to the Lord and to Gideon!” This declaration recognized that the battle belonged to Yahweh, the Commander-in-Chief, and that Gideon was his deputy. Gideon’s addition of his own name seems innocent enough, but because of what follows in chap. 8 one wonders if the narrator does not intend some ambiguity here.

The summary of the battle are given in verses 19-22a, with v19-21 a summary human actions and v22a “a summary theological interpretation.”

Verse 19a describes the Israelite approach on the enemy, while verses 19b to 20 record the attack on the enemy, with verse 19b giving the basics that they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands, followed by the five details of the attack in verse 20. First, the three companies blew the trumpets; second, and broke the pitchers; and third, they held the torches in their left hands. Up to now, the pitchers had hid these torches, but the torches are now revealed. Fourth, they held the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow. And, fifth, they cried, the sword of the Lord and of Gideon. Sword here was used figuratively for the battle because Israel, at this point, did not have swords. Only the Midianites had swords, which they would now use against themselves. In this manner, when Israel comes upon the dead, they could take the swords from those who were slain. Adding his name to God’s Name, the sword of Jehovah and of Gideon, may have been the first step toward Gideon’s own downfall.

Verse 21 contains the general description that Israel stood still and did not enter the camp itself. There was no need because the confusion already caused was sufficient to win the battle. The text tells us the “Midianites ran, crying out as the fled.”

Verse 22 then gives the detailed description of Israel’s action that while Israel blew the three hundred trumpets, Yahweh set every Midianite’s sword against his fellow soldier, and against all the host. The confusion and panic created by the surprise commotion from Gideon’s men was divinely used to turn the Midianites on each other. This self-destruction was followed by the panicked flight of the survivors. They fled toward the southeast, down the Jordan Valley through the Beth Shean Pass, and eventually crossed to the east side of the Jordan River, as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. This incident was a biblical use of psychological warfare, and it resulted in bedlam. In this bedlam the Midianites and their allies killed each other, ran, cried out, and fled.

In verse 23, the flight of the enemy led Gideon issue a call to arms that included the three tribes of the original call, Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and they pursued Midian. There was another call to arms that may have included the thousands who had left Gideon originally because they were fearful. Since the battle had turned into pursuing Midianite survivors, the fear of those some twenty-two thousand fighters was gone. Furthermore, the call would also include those who had recently been sent back to the camp-those who, while not fearful, were not watchful.

It is worth considering here whether Gideon disobeyed Yahweh by his mobilizing the forces at his command. Did not Yahweh intentionally reduce his effective fighting force from thirty thousand plus to three hundred men? L.R. Klein, quoted by Daniel Block, implies a similar but more far-reaching question. “The coward has become confident; he directs far-flung mopping up operations which are effectively carried out. But the voice of the Lord is stilled, not to be heard for the balance of Gideon’s narrative. And the spirit of the Lord, which brought the courage to fight a far greater military force, seems to slip from Gideon’s shoulders in the process.”

Verse 24-25 records another call, where Gideon calls on the tribe of Ephraim, to now join the fight against Midian. The men of Ephraim seize the Jordan crossings, capture and slaughter two Midianite princes. The first was named Oreb, which means, “raven.” The second was Zeeb, which means, “wolf.” They were executed in different places: they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb. The place names were obviously given after the execution to commemorate the fate of the two Midianite leaders. This was still remembered many centuries later and mentioned in Psalm 83:11 and Isaiah 10:26. The Ephraimites then delivered the heads to Gideon in the Trans-Jordan.

035 Gideon Defeats The Midianites

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034

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034 The Call of Gideon

Our next cycle in the Book of Judges, Cycle Five, is known as “The Midianite and Gideon Cycle (6.1-9.57).  This cycle is, perhaps, the most complex and certainly the most complete of all the cycles we will find in Judges. On the surface, the account is broken into two basic parts, the actual account of Israel’s deliverance from the Midianite oppression under the leadership of Gideon (6:1–8:35) and the story of his son Abimelech (9:1–57). For the purposes of our study of the Book of Judges, we will divide cycle 5 into three parts: Part 1 6:1–8:3, Part 2 8:4–28, and Part 3 8:29–9:57. In part 1, we will see that credit is given to Yahweh for Israel’s deliverance from the Midianites.  In part 2 Yahweh is almost totally absent and in part 3 we encounter an Israel that is her own worst enemy and Yahweh treats Israel accordingly.

As we have seen before in the Book of Judges, the theme continues to be the Canaanization of Israel.  Rather than continue the victorious spirit of the Deborah and Barak cycle, we are again brought back to earth deal with a heroic figure who is almost an antihero.  Gideon begins the cycle by trying to evade the call of God and ultimately abandons God in the end. We will confront an Israel that relishes her role as God’s covenant people but cannot divorce herself from the entrapments of a culture that she has found so enticing.  You are the judge: Is Gideon a hero or an antihero? Is Israel better off or worse off for his leadership?

The Call of Gideon

Sin 6:1a

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD,

As we saw in 3.12 and 4.1, the writer presents us with the Canaanization of Israel immediately and unadorned.

Oppression: The Midianites 6:1b-6

Verse 1b spells out the divine judgment against Israel and the means: and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham and Keturah (Gen. 25:2), and they were involved in the sale of Joseph to Egypt (Ge 37:25-36). They were defeated by Israel in Nu 25:6-18. But now, two centuries later, they had renewed their strength. One branch of the Midianites was the Kenites; Moses found shelter with them and married one of them; and the Kenites journeyed with Israel into the Promised Land. But the other clans of Midian were not pro-Israel. In more recent times even some of their Kenite kinsfolk had allied with the Canaanites against Israel. Daniel Block’s commentary on Judges suggests that: “The revival and expansion of Midian and their present encroachment on Israelite territory may have been occasioned by instability in the region. In any case the present account portrays them not as caravaneers but as camel-riding warriors, who may have been driven by the need to supplement the [inadequate] foodstuffs being produced in their own territory.”

Midian is not alone in their oppression of Israel. They are joined by the Amalekites and the “children of the east.”  Earlier in Judges, we saw the Amalekites aligned with Eglon of Moab in 3.13 and now we see these descendants of Esau join with other Bedouin tribes and Midian to wreak havoc on Israel. 

Judges 6:2 describes the severity of the oppression by using a Hebrew word that we  translate mountainous ravines, hollowed out by wadis(caves), or strongholds.  It was in these that Israel would hide themselves or their possessions and necessary supplies. This word is found only here in the Hebrew Bible. The Midianites were more interested in plundering rather than exterminating the residents. Because the Midianites were nomadic, or Bedouin by nature, they had no desire for permanent settlement in the Land. They came after the produce of the land, not after the land itself or the inhabitants. In the face of these raids, the Israelites hid their produce in the caves and the strongholds to survive.

Verses 3-5 details the Midianites’ method of oppression. The tactics of this loose confederacy against Israel served to act like swarms of locusts. After Israel had planted their crops and the crops had begun to sprout, Midianite, Amalekite, and “Bedouins” hordes would swarm across the Jordan with their livestock and camels.  These hordes developed a two-pronged attack. They would send out their animal herds to graze the planted fields while their raiding parties would raid Israelite cities and settlements looking for food stores.  The effect of this was devastating on Israel, the emotional impact may have been even greater.  The purpose of the Midianite migration was clear: they came into the land to destroy it, by sheer force of numbers.

Verse 6 concludes with two results: Israel was brought very low or became impoverished or “literally, Israel became small,” because of Midian; and, the children of Israel cried unto Yahweh. As we have noted previously the cry of Israel was without a hint of repentance, it reflected on a cry of pain.

Israel’s Cry and the Prophetic Response 6:7-10

Following the cry of verse 7 came a prophetic response in verses 8 to 10. In rabbinic tradition, this prophet was Phinehas the High Priest, which, if true, would mean that he would have lived a very long time!  The prophetic response serves several purposes. It serves to remind the reader of the theological implications of Israel’s actions while highlighting the fact that Yahweh’s intervention on Israel’s behalf was once more undeserved.  The unnamed prophet, like Deborah, appears immediately after the notice that Israel had cried out to Yahweh. Interestingly, the prophet does not call a deliverer for the people but he does serve as a divine response to peoples’ cries. The prophet, like the angel of Judges 2, serves to alert the people that Yahweh has heard their cries but that Yahweh is not happy that Israel, in spite of all that He has done (v8-9) continued to stray after Canaanite gods.  V10 is an indictment of Israel for her disobedient response to Yahweh’s continuing mercy. Yahweh, Israel’s divine covenant partner,  would not tolerate rivals. Yahweh’s disappointment with Israel is summed up in the words: “But you have not listened to me.” Block says in his commentary that this literally means “my voice.” Just as we saw in Judges 2:1-5 , Yahweh has spoken but Israel has refused to listen.

The message of the unnamed prophet was a reminder of what God did for Israel in the Exodus and the Conquest. Israel’s obligation was faith, loyalty, and obedience, but the prophet concluded by pointing out Israel’s failure: “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.”. The point of the prophet’s message was this: In light of all that God did for Israel, it was simply not too much to ask for exclusive allegiance to this God. All this set the stage for the call of Gideon.

The Call of Gideon 6:11-24

The call of Gideon is in a form that has been identified by biblical scholars as a type of genre. Block’s commentary identifies the various parts of the call as typically: “(1) a confrontation with God and/or his messenger; (2) an introductory address of the person being called; (3) the divine commission; (4) the raising of objections by the person called; (5) divine words of reassurance; and (6) a sign authenticating the call experience.” In addition to using the typical call narrative, the writer also is intentionally trying to make Gideon like a second Moses (Ex 3-4).

The Commissioning (6:11-14). Verse 11 provides background information that allows us to better understand Gideon’s personality and mission. Verse 11 tells us about the appearance of the Angel of Yahweh. It was Ophrah, and not the oak, which was owned by a man named Joash. Joash was the head of the family at that time, and as such was the lord or the owner of Ophrah (Judges 6:24), called Ophrah of the Abiezrites, perhaps to distinguish it from the Ophrah of Benjamin located further south. From Josh 17:2 and 1 Chr 7:18 we find that the Abiezrites are a small clan of Manasseh, a tribe which was granted land on both sides of the Jordan. Verse 35 indicates that the Abiezrite allotment was located west of the Jordan. Joash’s estate was located at Ophrah, which is believed to have been located in Jezreel Valley.

The facts seem to contradict Gideon’s protest to the Angel that his family was the least significant in the entire tribe of Manasseh.  As we will learn, Joash must have been a man of wealth and with significant standing in the community. His son Gideon has at least ten servants (v. 27), and Joash, himself, “is the sponsor of a significant Baal cult site that includes an altar, Asherah image, and temple fortress (vv. 25-26), the desecration of which raises the ire of the entire community.” Joash’s authority and influence allow him to convince the men of the town to abandon their demand for the death of Gideon for his crime.

After introducing the father and the clan, the writer introduces us to the son, Gideon. The name Gideon means “hacker” or “hewer.”  There is a thought favored by many biblical scholars that the name Gideon was actually a nickname “and that his real name was Jerubbaal.” Gideon meets the angel while Gideon is beating out grain in a winepress.  The purpose of his threshing in the winepress was to hide it from the Midianites. Normally, wheat is threshed on a slightly elevated flat area, so that the wind can blow the chaff away. The fact that Gideon’s threshing took place in a wine press illustrated two aspects of the context of Judges 6:2. First, threshing in a wine press would keep it out of view from the Midianites. Second, a wine press would provide very little room for a lot of wheat to be threshed, which shows the scarcity of the crop.

While Gideon is engaged with his threshing, an angel of Yahweh suddenly appears seated under the oak tree that likely offered shade and shelter for the winepress. The  mal-ak yhwh has commissioning authority and the writer has him alternately speak as Yahweh’s messenger and as Yahweh himself. The mal-ak of Yahweh delivers God’s answer to the cry of the Israelites (vv. 6-7).

Judges 6:12 reveal both the angel’s sudden appearance and his message: “Yahweh is with you, mighty warrior.” This is a strange way to start a conversation, especially in light of the current circumstances.  Block suggests that this is done to focus “Gideon’s (and the reader’s) attention on the central issue in the narrative: Where is Yahweh when you need him?”

The statement is filled with irony. How would you react to someone calling you a mighty warrior when you are hiding while you are threshing grain in order not to have it taken by your enemies - some mighty warrior? Some suggest that the mal-ak at  this point is speaking prophetically. Calling Gideon a mighty warrior is paradoxical, since he is trying to hide his activity of threshing the grain. But the angel here is speaking prophetically of what will be true of Gideon. He will prove to be a mighty man of valor, and thus it will be shown that God was with him. Other scholars understand this simply as a flattering address, designed to win the sympathy of the man to what the mal-ak is about to tell him. A third option would be to ‘interpret the phrase less as an expression of commendation than as a recognition of his standing in the village; he is an “aristocrat.”  In the Book of Judges, this term mighty man of valor is used only of two people: Gideon, here, and Jephthah in 11:1. 

6:13  reveals Gideon’s response, while sounding polite, “But sir” or as Block prefers “Excuse me, my Lord,” begins with a denial: “But sir, Gideon replied, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?”  Gideon’s response ignores the angel’s flattery and with perhaps a tinge of sarcasm gets right to the theological question “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?”  Gideon continues: “Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” What Gideon said was true. God did deliver Israel into the Midianite hands; but he blames God for it, not Israel, to whom the blame belongs. Gideon is likely expressing a popular perspective: (1) Yahweh has abandoned Israel. (2) Yahweh has delivered the nation into the Midianites’ hands.

Gideon’s response to the divine messenger is a statement of fact, is theologically correct,  and is in agreement with the unnamed prophet’s word in vv. 9-10,yet he has missed the point along with the rest of the Israelites. Instead of acknowledging Israel’s  responsibility for the present crisis, he blames God. “Gideon is an example of those who know what God has done in the past, who have memorized the creed, but find it belied by present reality. Stories of past deliverance are irrelevant in light of the Midianite crisis.”

6:14 The angel continues as if Gideon hadn’t said a word. The statement: “Go in the strength you have,” is ambiguous. If we are looking at Gideon in chapter 8 then it could refer to Gideon’s own power and courage, however he is more likely referring to the power and courage that Yahweh will invest in him upon his call. Gideon, like the other deliverers in Judges, receives his authority and power from God. Gideon’s charge from God is to deliver Israel out of Midian’s hand and that is all the authority that Gideon will need to get the job done.  Gideon, the “fearful and cynical farmer, is hereby informed that God has indeed heard the people’s cry of pain, and he has personally chosen him to solve the problem.”

6:15 Gideon’s second response to the mal-ak, like his first, sounds proper and polite, but it is tinged with cynicism as he has failed to truly recognize to whom he is speaking.  Like Moses in an earlier time, Gideon voices his excuses dressed in his personal sense of incompetence and inadequacy, and in particular his lack of social status in Israel. He complains that his clan is the least in Manasseh and that he is the least of the least. Gideon fails to recognize that it doesn’t make any difference what one’s tribal position is, or what one’s social status is when it comes to doing God’s work.  God’s call is all anyone needs, including Gideon. Block suggests that Gideon: . “Having no experience with the divine presence, he cannot imagine beyond his own human resources (or lack thereof).”

6:16 Yahweh responds to Gideon’s objections by offering two words of encouragement. First, as He did with Moses in Exod 3:12-14, Yahweh promises Gideon that He will be with him. Just like Moses was transformed into the deliverer of his people by God’s presence, Gideon will be transformed into the deliverer of his people by Yahweh’s presence. Additionally, Yahweh suggests that the victory over Midian will be an easy one. 

Verses 17 to 18a record Gideon‘s request, which ends up being a request for a sign, the first of several such requests. Gideon’s request for a sign is driven by two things. The first is his desire to confirm God’s favor on him, as expressed in the opening conditional clause. This request for confirmation reflects Gideon’s uncertainty about his own relationship with the One speaking to him, the One Who is doing the commissioning. Second: Gideon wants to confirm God’s presence with him in this venture. This relates to his commission, as he seeks confirmation that God will be with him and that he will receive the strength to defeat Midian as if they were one single man. The lack of confidence that Gideon displays here will continue until verses 36 to 40.

Verse 18b-19 presents the speaker’s agreement while verse 19 describes the offering: a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal, which would make the weight of it somewhere between 34 and 45 pounds, depending on which ephah measure Gideon used. Either way, it is a rather large offering, more so since the context is a time of great scarcity. All this Gideon presents to the angel.

6:20-21 In verse 20, the Angel of Yahweh instructs Gideon what to do with the offering and Gideon does as he was instructed. In verse 21, the angel of Yahweh fulfills Gideon’s request for the sign. That God consumed the meal that Gideon brought shows that Gideon did find favor in the sight of the Lord, thus addressing his personal concern. At that point, the angel of Yahweh departed from  his sight.

6:22  records that these confirming events led to Gideon’s fear. The basis of the fear was that Gideon suddenly realized that he had been talking to God. All this shows that Gideon recognized that Yahweh and the angel of Yahweh were the same Person, since merely seeing an angel would not cause this kind of response on the part of a Jew. Block would suggest that for any Jew this wouldn’t make any difference. “To encounter the messenger face-to-face is as lethal potentially as encountering God himself.”

Gideon’s confession causes us to remember similar encounters of Moses with Yahweh, but there is no sense of intimacy with God, or a relationship, on  Gideon’s part, he simply fears for his life.

6:23 In verse 23, Gideon receives three powerful assurances from God.  The first was positive: Peace (to you). The second a negative: Do not be afraid. And these were followed by a promise: you shall not die. In other words, Gideon had a commission to fulfill, and he was immortal until that commission was fulfilled. He is accepted by God and now he can get on with the job at hand.

6:24 This section concludes in verse 24, with Gideon building of a memorial altar and calling it Yahweh-shalom - meaning Yahweh is Peace. The writer suggests that for the readers of his day that they could go to Ophrah of the Abiezrites and verify the site of the altar.