The Call of Gideon

After only 7 years of Midianite oppression, God raised up Gideon to deliver Israel (Judges 6:1, 14).

• As the Midianites destroyed crops, flocks and herds Israel experienced a food shortage (1-6)
• In answer to their prayers, God sent word that He would deliver the people (7-10).
• Gideon questions his call; and the Lord sends fire from a rock to authenticate the commission (11-24)
• The deliverer’s first task is to destroy his father’s idolatry (25-32); his father learns and teaches a valuable lesson.
• Dew and a fleece are the instruments by which Gideon wishes God to prove (again) His will for Gideon (33-40).

Meditation Points:

1. God is under no obligation to deliver sinful people from their problems. Certainly such have no reason to complain when the Lord allows them to suffer for any length of time.
2. The nation that once had the powerful presence of God was impoverished and frightened by a people that they should have conquered easily. This has been the case ever since-a nation is blessed by God, that nation forgets about God, the nation loses it reputation, power and wealth.
3. God saw Gideon as a mighty man of valor (Judges 6:12, 14). Gideon saw himself as the least of an insignificant family (Judges 6:15). Better to accept God’s evaluation (and strength).
4. Yes, Gideon destroyed his father’s idols at night, under the cover of darkness; but he did destroy them (Judges 6:27). Have you ever had to turn your back on the false religious traditions of your ancestors?
5. “If he be a god…” was the father’s response to his offended neighbors (Judges 6:31). The day before there was no doubt of Baal’s existence and power; and now there is reason to believe otherwise. Is the object of your religious activity really God?
6. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon (Judges 6:34). What else, Who else, would he need?
7. Have you ever placed a fleece before the Lord and challenged Him to prove Himself? Gideon did; and when he didn’t like God’s response, Gideon arranged for a second opinion (Judges 6:37-40). Do you always accept God’s answers to your prayers?

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Deborah and Barak

• For twenty years Israel was oppressed by King Jabin and the Canaanites (Judges 4:2-3).
• Deborah was a prophetess and a judge (Judges 4:4).
• Barak, commissioned to lead 10,000 soldiers against the Canaanites, refused to go unless Deborah went also (Judges 4:8).
• Although victory was promised to him, Barak’s hesitance cost him credit for the same (Judges 4:9).
• Sisera, the Canaanite captain, fled the battle on foot and took refuge in the tent of Heber (Judges 4:17, 11).
• Heber’s wife Jael assassinated Sisera while he slept (Judges 4:21).
• The victory song (Judges 5) gives God the glory for overcoming the Canaanites (verses 1-5), recognizes the sinful state of Israel at the time (6-8), questions the motives of the Israelite tribes which did not come to the battle (12-23), honors Jael for her part (24-27), and concludes with a prayer for absolute victory over all their enemies (31).

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Who were the judges, and what was their purpose?

Today’s reading provides the answers.

• After the death of Joshua the nation of Israel quickly forgot God, and adopted the religious practices of their pagan neighbors (Judges 2:12-13).
• God was angry with Israel, and turned His providence against them (Judges 2:14-15, 20).
• The various Canaanite tribal nations that remained in the promised land were left to test Israel’s devotion to the Lord (Judges 3:1, 4).
• When the oppression of the Canaanites became great, God would send a judge to deliver Israel from the oppression (Judges 2:16, 18).
• But it wouldn’t be long before Israel would forget God again and return to its heathen and idolatrous ways (Judges 2:17, 19).

Did the judges live and lead consecutively or concurrently?

• Questions of chronology and dating can be addressed to Nikolaos through the contact page. He is well-studied on the subject. As we study the judges, make note of the oppressing nation, the years of oppression, and the years of rest from oppression. This is the first step in understanding the chronology.
• Othniel, Caleb’s nephew and son-in-law, delivered Israel from 8 years of Mesopotamian oppression. Attribute the 40 years’ rest to the presence of the Spirit of the Lord upon him (Judges 3:10).
• Ehud, a Benjamite (remember Judges 19-21!), brought Israel 80 years of rest after 18 years of Moabite oppression by his daring assassination of Eglon (verses 17-26). Ehud’s rallying cry: “The Lord has delivered your enemy into your hands” (Judges 3:28).
• Shamgar slew 600 Philistines with a cattle prod (Judges 3:31). Nothing else is known of him (Judges 5:6).

Meditation Points:

Do you see any modern religious groups which mix heathen idolatry with Christianity?

Do you know anyone who cries loudly for God’s help in times of trouble but quickly forgets God when the trouble goes away?

Has God ever used you to help someone else out of spiritual bondage? To do so, you had to judge their condition. Contrary to modern scripture-twisting, judging human conduct is not forbidden, it is commanded (Matthew 7:1-6; John 4:24). Why, God even has a whole book of Judges!

The Christian’s weapons against sin seem little more than ox goads; but be sure that the Word of God empowered by the God of the Word is mighty to the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

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Outline of the chapter:

• Israel feels the loss of the tribe of Benjamin, and prays for wisdom (1-4)
• Six hundred Benjaminites remained alive; and the other tribes wanted to rebuild Benjamin without violating their pre-battle oaths (5-7)
• Upon discovering that Jabesh-Gilead had not joined in the battle, 12,000 soldiers were dispatched to destroy the city; and they returned with 400 virgins to be given for wives to the surviving Benjaminites (8-15).
• Still short 200 brides, the Benjaminites were encouraged to kidnap (?) virgins of Shiloh who attended the annual feast to the Lord (16-24)
• Thus was the tribe of Benjamin allowed to survive-what other explanation can there be for such strange events except that there was no king in Israel, every man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25)?

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