The Bible: It's All About Jesus
Gideon - Faith in Jesus
For God to show Israel what she had become, He lets the Midianites oppress Israel for seven years. The crops and herds were destroyed and the people hid in fear when the pilligers came into the land. To demonstrate His compassion and ability to save, God selected the least recognized man in the country to lead the people. God gives him the charge to destroy the armies that had kept Israel in poverty for those long years.
Gideon's story shows how God grows faith from the size of a mustard seed into a grand trust-relationship that overcomes all of the oppressive circumstanes that we encounter in this life on earth. It begins with Gideon questioning God about His supposed compassion. He basically said: "Where have You been, the only things I know about You are through handed legends --miracles that occurred years ago. What have You done lately? You haven't showed us that You really care!"
Through his daily life, God showed Gideon that He could be trusted. There was one sign after another. He spoke to an angel, put a sheep skin on the floor and God made it wet (and the dry), was given visions, heard about the enemy's defeat through one of their own, and watched as his force -which started at thirty-two thousand was winnowed down to just three hundred men. He was going to lead a small group of men to route out an army that was four hundred times their size.
Gideon is so much like our faith in Christ --we each being an Israel of sorts. We begin with so small of a faith --just diligently seeking God. And little by little, God let's us see how dependable He is. As we see His power and desire to care for us, we need les and less of our own strength to live this life.
With the war behind them, Israel once again became complacent. She wanted Gideon and his offspring for their leaders. But all his life Gideon struggled to keep God at the center of their worship.
Gideon had even made a memorial out of the earrings of the destroyed enemy. It weighed over forty pounds; that represents a huge army that was struck down. He had only three hundred unknown men (not proven warriors with superior strength) so that war was obviously won by God. Yet the people focused on what Gideon had done. The stories they told their children were of Gideon's leadership rather than on God's faithfulness.
That's us! We want to proclaim how great a pastor or evangelist is. What a wonderful sermon that the preacher gave. The magnificant works the missionaries do. The number of people that attend a church. Yet those faithful servants should not telling us about themselves, but about the God that redeems, and gives life through His Son.
Judges Chapter Six - Gideon - Trusting God
The story of Gideon –in these three chapters of Judges– provides several foreshadows of Jesus. They are hidden in the details of this larger-than-life hero's adventure. In order to find them, though, you kind of have to squint your eyes and hold the picture just right –like those "three-dimensional" image puzzles printed in magazines. Of course I'm teasing; but really, foreshadows are found by reading Scriptures a little differently.
They are very much like Jesus' teachings. We know that even the disciples had a hard time understanding those. In fact, there were times when they asked Him for an explanation. You might be thinking "How can we Christians today possibly understand the Bible any better than the disciples who physically walked and talked with Him?" Well, we can because a magnificent change occurred between the time when they asked "Lord, what does it mean?" and now. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide them –and us– into all truth. That happened at Pentecost –shortly after His resurrection (John 16:13-15; John 2:18-22).
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 that God wants us to know Him, His motivations, and the depths of His love for us. His Holy Spirit lives within us so that we can know His deep spiritual thoughts. God also gave us "the mind of Christ" so that we can comprehend His thoughts.
Jesus spoke to the two travelers who were walking to Emmaus. "Beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:13-27). The Scriptures –which were read for centuries– didn't suddenly change. But when He revealed the deeper meaning, their eyes were opened to a whole new understanding –a whole new relationship with God. Judges is part of the Prophets –so it's likely that Jesus led them through the same Scriptures we're going to be studying.
The purpose for studying foreshadows isn't merely to find a cloaked account of Jesus in another place in the Bible. It's to find out more about our Lord so that we can know Him better. Two people –particularly loving spouses– form a greater bond with one another as they reveal more about their own history; as they share years of life's experiences together; and as they plan for their mutual future. It's also true for developing a greater bond with Jesus –our Bridegroom.
Before we get started, I must tell you about the way I've marked the text. Following each section of the Scriptures we're reading, there are paragraphs of commentary. Some of those paragraphs draw out the significant details about Gideon. And others relate those details to the New Testament, and in particular, Jesus. The latter of these are highlighted like this paragraph.
The people and things in this account of Gideon each play a part in our foreshadow of Jesus. I've listed several of them below as a reference.
| Name | Representation |
|---|---|
| Israelites | Mankind |
| Midianites | Troubles (since the fall) to remind men of God |
| The prophet | The prophets, from Moses through Malachi |
| Gideon | Jesus |
| Angel of the Lord | God, the Father |
| Joash (Gideon's father) | God, the Holy Spirit |
| Winepress | God's wrath, the shedding of blood |
| Wheat | Harvest of the righteous |
| Oak tree | Preview of the cross |
| Rock | Jesus, the foundation |
| Gideon's offering | Elements of Jesus' Passover, His body |
| Gideon's altar | The cross |
| Baal | Anything worshipped other than God, the Father and His Son |
| Father's household | The religious body (e.g., Sanhedrin) |
| Men of the city | People of Jerusalem |
The book of Judges covers the period of time after Joshua had led the Israelites into the Promised Land –and before Saul had become their first king. It describes times of peace when Israel followed God –and times of oppression when they ignored Him.
Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.
The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them.
So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it.
So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD. (Judges 6:1-6)
Chapter five ended with the Israelites doing what was right and living in peace –with God and men– for forty years. And chapter six began with "Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD." During that time of peace, they presumed that there was no need for God with His supernatural intervention –they adopted the gods of the local inhabitants. So He set in motion a sequence of events to bring them back to Him. He began by handing them over to the Midianites –oppressive pillagers– for seven years to make them realize how far their hearts had wandered. Those invaders ravaged the country –trampled the crops; slaughtered the herds; and terrorized the people. With their physical and emotional security gone, the Israelites were no longer self-reliant –they "cried to the Lord."
This parallels God's plan to restore mankind's righteousness –to return us to Him– like it was before the fall in the Garden of Eden. The fall is graphically pictured in Romans 1:18-31. It states three times that "God gave us over" to reap the rewards of our own selfish desires and evil actions.
Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian, that the LORD sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery.
I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me."'" (Judges 6:7-10)
God sent a prophet to remind the Israelites of His involvement in their past. The land that they were living in was first given to Abraham. Their fathers –Abraham's heirs– lived in Egypt for four hundred years and the last many of those years had been under oppression. Then Moses led them out of Egypt and up to the Promised Land. On the way, they saw God's compassionate provision through miracle-after-miracle. But they still didn't trust Him to provide all that they needed. Instead, they grumbled. And that grumbling resulted in receiving the Law. Exodus, chapters twenty through twenty-three, enumerates the many parts of the Law. The very last part –found in Exodus 23:20-33– contains instructions for entering and taking possession of the land. Their rebellion –refusal to enter it on God's terms– precipitated their forty-years of wandering in the desert-wilderness. Eventually, the Israelites were permitted to enter, but only by following Joshua.
This Judges passage states "But you have not obeyed Me." Possession of the land involved a conditional agreement. God would gradually drive out the existing inhabitants as the number of Israelites increased and as they needed more space to live. But the Israelites were to not worship or serve the gods of those people; to not practice what they did; to overthrow their religions; and to tear down their sacred pillars (Exodus 23:24). Their disobedience was failing to do these things.
God gave each of us a conscience –essentially the Law– which serves like the prophet. That Romans chapter one passage mentioned above (Romans 1:18-25), clearly states that everyone –without exception– is separated from God. Creation testifies to God's existence and our consciences attest to our sinful nature. None of us have an excuse for remaining in this spiritually lost condition.
Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites.
The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."
Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." (Judges 6:11-13)
The angel went to Gideon with a message of hope. Gideon questioned it, essentially saying "Since all these bad things are happening to us, God can't possibly be with us –He must have abandoned us." But the angel's words, "The LORD is with you," weren't directed to the whole Israelite community –they were specifically spoken to Gideon –their soon-to-be leader.
This little section uses two common Bible metaphors to foreshadow salvation. First, there's the grain beaten from the wheat. John 12:24 says that a grain of wheat must fall and die so that more will be produced. Jesus used this example to explain that He had to die, and be raised again, so that many could have new life. 1 Corinthians 15:35-48 goes on to associate the life-cycle of the grain of wheat to our own burial and resurrection –when our earthly bodies are no longer useful and we receive new spiritual bodies.
Next, there's the winepress. It's symbolic of God's wrath –crushing grapes to release their "blood" –particularly crushing His Son whose blood paid for the sins of us all (Isaiah 53:3-6).
The wheat in this passage was secretly beaten out in the winepress so that the enemy wouldn't steal or destroy it. Metaphorically, Satan and the religious leaders of the time couldn't comprehend how Jesus' death could result in new-life for His followers. That new-life in us is something that the world can not see –nor does it accept. Its value and reality are hidden from them. By the way, Jesus' Hebrew name is Yeshua –or Joshua– and it means the "Lord's Salvation."
The world likes leaders that are big, strong and outspoken –men like King Saul, who stood head-and-shoulders above the rest.
The LORD looked at him and said, "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house." (Judges 6:14-15)
The angel said to him "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." From the world's point of view, Gideon wasn't a valiant warrior. He was the least-of-the-least. His family was insignificant in the tribe and Gideon himself was insignificant in his family. It's much like the young David who faced the dreadful giant Goliath with the massive Philistine army.
The world viewed Jesus as insignificant, too. The poignant passage in Isaiah 53:1-3 describes Him as: not majestic; unattractive; despised and forsaken by men. The gospels say that He was born in poor family; lived as a servant without possessions; was called a glutton, a drunk, and a devil; was beaten and killed as a criminal; and was buried in a tomb that wasn't His own. From the world's point of view, He was a "nobody" –definitely not a leader of the nation.
But Jesus intentionally came as the least-of-the-least in Israel. When He was speaking to his disciples, He explained "for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great" (Luke 9:48). Those words served as an attitude adjustment to the disciples who aspired to be important –at the same time, they revealed Jesus' majesty. The "nobody" who lived among them was actually their heavenly, eternal King!
In this Judges passage, Gideon was told to deliver Israel. He didn't have any supernatural strength to accomplish such a task. All he had was the knowledge that the Lord was sending him. In Psalm 18:1-3, David prophesies about some of Jesus' titles –and "Deliverer" is one of them. "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." In the same manner, Jesus didn't use His supernatural powers to deliver mankind from sin and death.
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 tells us that God doesn't use the things that this world considers powerful and beautiful to accomplish His ends. Verse 27 says "God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong."
This section focuses on Gideon's offering; yet, it is prefaced with his task at hand –defeating the Midianites. It's his offering that makes the victory a reality.
Here, Gideon hears the outcome of the battle and the source of his strength; he requests a sign; meets the angel; prepares the food; expresses concern about being left alone; watches fire consume his offering; and receives the blessing of peace and life.
But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man."
So Gideon said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me. Please do not depart from here, until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You." And He said, "I will remain until you return."
Then Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.
The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.
Then the angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread.
Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD, he said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face."
The LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:16-24)
Let's compare what we've read so far –along with the above passage– to Jesus' offering.
Sin's Troubles: The first part of Judges chapter six explained that the Midianites were not merely some random people that came into Israel and wreaked havoc. God intentionally handed the Israelites over to these pillagers to show them that their hearts had departed from Him. His purpose was not to beat down and destroy them –it was to restore them to their initial perfection. But first they needed to realize their condition.
The Midianites represent sin's effects on us before our salvation. They aren't just the natural results of detestable things that we think and do. Rather, they are our God-given troubles through which He appeals to us to join Him for all eternity.
Even if the wonders of creation and the preaching of the gospel don't convince us, God still doesn't give up. There is a description, in the book of Job, of the extreme measures that He uses to persuade us from reaching the final destination of our godless journey. He speaks to us through terror in nighttime visions and through painful illnesses to save us from hell (Job 33:13-22).
Gideon was told that he would destroy all of Midian as one man. It was a foreshadow of Jesus' defeating Satan. By living the sinless life and then offering that life as a sacrifice, Jesus fulfilled the Law for us. That, in turn, took away sin's power and gave us the victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:55-58).
The Tree: The oak tree, under which the angel met Gideon, is known for its superior strength and endurance. It signifies that Gideon would be performing under God's authority.
The tree represents the altar –the old rugged cross– on which Christ made His offering. It's where Jesus cried out to His Father about the enormity of what He faced –the punishment for the sins of all mankind.
A Sign: Gideon asked the angel of the Lord to show him a sign. He wanted to be sure that God was pleased with him before he began his monumental endeavor of saving Israel.
Jesus received such a sign at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) –not long before His final trip into Jerusalem. His Father said "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased" –another translation says "This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight." The sign was clear –especially to those disciples with Him– He had the approval to proceed.
The Offering: Gideon's offering consisted of unleavened bread, meat and broth –the same basic elements as contained in the Passover. The feast was a memorial celebration of God's protection for His people when all of the first born of Egypt were killed by the Death Angel –and of His provision for them on the way to the Promised Land. (If you were wondering about this offering being a goat rather than the traditional lamb, the Passover instructions stated that the acceptable sacrifice was to be a young male sheep or goat.)
During His ministry, Jesus had called Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:32-36; John 6:48-51). Then, with the Passover just hours away, during His last meal with His disciples, He explained the symbolic relationship of that meal to Himself. His body was the unleavened bread that would be broken (Matthew 26:26-29).
The Passover lamb had to be unblemished; put on public display for four days; killed; put through fire; and consumed. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29-34). God's Passover Lamb lived the unblemished life. His display began two days earlier with the Triumphal Entry. On the next day He would be killed. He would take on fiery death for the sin of all. And God would protect all who wholly accepted His Lamb.
The third part of Gideon's offering was broth. It's the soup or juices left from cooking the meat –including the blood and water. And those are what flowed from Jesus' body when the Roman soldier pierced His side to make sure He was dead (John 19:31-34).
Left Alone: He was frightened and didn't want to be left alone. So the angel of the Lord stayed with Gideon until his offering was completed and then departed from him.
Jesus cried out to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane when death was near. Then, when He made His offering –giving up His life on that wooden altar– He was abandoned. "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:41-50).
The Rock: Gideon was told to put his offering on the rock. Once everything was prepared, the angel of the Lord touched it with his staff and fire consumed it. Then the angel departed and the only thing that remained was the rock.
The "rock" appears throughout the Bible. The Israelites drank from the rock in the desert (1 Corinthians 10:4); they stumbled over it (1 Peter 2:7-8); the church is based upon it (Matthew 16:18); and our spiritual foundation is built upon it (Matthew 7:24-27). In each of these cases, the rock is Jesus.
The first pictures of Jesus are found in chapter one of Genesis. It's where He (the Light of the world) appeared on the first day; where He (the Living Water) and His Father were separated on the second day; and where He (the Rock of our salvation) came up out of the water (death) on the third day. He's the rock on which mankind was created. Now He has made us "fishers of men" to bring others to Him –the One who gives eternal life to the perishing (Matthew 4:18-19).
The Blessing: Gideon was told "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die."
You might ask "How does this foreshadow Jesus?"
To see the answer, we have to look beyond the surface. Yes, He did suffer death for us –there's no denying that. But this blessing, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die" was an encouragement from His Father telling Him to be courageous –just as His forerunner Joshua was told before he went down into the Jordan River and came up again in the Promised Land (Joshua 1:5-9).
Jesus went down into death and came back up in the promised eternal life. He did not cease to exist –and He is not dead. The encouragement in the blessing is that once His death, burial, and resurrection were over, there would be no more sacrificing –no more beatings –no more insults –no more cross –no more death –no remembrance of sins (Hebrews 10:11-18). He said "It is finished" and it is!
Not only is it finished for Him, it's also finished for us because He finished it once and for all! And we'll live our lives based on His promises. We can experience peace without fear (Isaiah 44:8; John 14:27; 1 John 4:15-19) –and we will not die (John 5:24).
What we've read so far has been a set of remarkable parallels between Gideon and Jesus –up to His death. As we continue, we'll use what we know for certain about Jesus –including prophetic events such as found in Revelation– as tie-points to connect their stories. Then we'll infer some things that likely happened.
We'll keep the end-times prophecy rather light since it can be quite confusing –and there are so many views on the subject. Anyway, the goal isn't to develop new doctrine or become an expert in theology. Rather, it's to grow deeper in an intimate knowledge of the One who loves us so much that He gave His life –enjoying life in His gentle embrace.
Gideon's account: The Israelites ignored God so He gave them into the hands of the Midianites to regain their attention. As planned, they cried out for relief from their troubles. Then He sent a prophet to remind them why they were in their current situation. It was because they did not follow His instructions for taking possession of the Promised Land.
In the background, God was preparing Gideon as the deliverer of the people. The angel of the Lord came to him under an oak tree to finalize the plan. There, Gideon made a sacrificial offering using some of the same elements as the Passover to make himself acceptable to the angel.
Jesus' account: Mankind, as a whole, has ignored God since the day that Eve made her fateful decision. He gave all of us over to wallow in our depravity in order to regain our attention –our consciences testify about the evil in our hearts. His plan is to show us that we can't resolve life's troubles; but He can. That happens by following His instructions for possessing eternal life.
In the background –since before God created the world– He was preparing His Son to be the deliverer of all mankind (Revelation 13:7-8). Jesus spoke with His Father as the day of His sacrificial offering approached. "Must I drink from this cup? Not My will, but Your will be done." His offering made Him acceptable to His Father –so that He could serve as the great High Priest to atone for the sins of all.
Now on the same night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it; and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down."
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.
When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.
They said to one another, "Who did this thing?" And when they searched about and inquired, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash did this thing."
Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it."
But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar."
Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar. (Judges 6:25-32)
Although the Israelites were in the Promised Land, they had not taken possession of it. They were merely sharing it with –and living their lives like– the local inhabitants. Taking possession required them to "utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces" (Exodus 23:20-33). That was Gideon's mission.
Like a scene-change in a play or movie, our foreshadow now switches from the past –Jesus' death– to the future –His glorious return.
The passage above uses what appears to be an inconsequential term: "the same night." In fact, it's highly significant. From Genesis chapter one, all the way through Revelation, light (or day) is symbolic of God's presence –particularly in reference to His life-giving presence within man. Correspondingly, darkness (or night) is the absence of God –it's spiritual death.
Here are some related, familiar passages. Jesus came into the dark world as the Light (Genesis 1:1-5; John 1:1-5). John the Baptist was a witness to the Light (John 1:6-14). When Jesus died, the sky grew dark (Matthew 27:45-46). He left the world in darkness (John 12:35-36, John 12:44-46).The only remaining light is the Holy Spirit within His followers. That is why it is so important for us to be light to others –to not hide our light under a basket (Matthew 5:14-16). The next time that the Light will be in the world is the great Day of the Lord –the Day of Judgment –it's the second half of the Great Tribulation (2 Peter 3:8-13; Revelation 6:12-17).
"The same night" that Gideon presented his offering to the angel, the Lord gave him instructions to tear down the altar and the pole. A "likely inference" is that "the same night" that Jesus was crucified, His Father instructed Him to tear down the worship places of false gods. The night that we're referring to is His bodily absence from us –the period of time between His crucifixion and His return. So far, it's lasted about two-thousand years.
There are differing opinions about whether there were actually two bulls or just one. The views are primarily based on which translation of the Bible is preferred. One group supports the presence of two bulls, saying that the Scriptures –for some unknown reason– are merely silent about the first bull and emphasize the second. The other group says that the original language suggests that there was only one bull.
What's so important about whether there was one or two bulls? For that matter, what's so important about the bulls at all? Let me answer those questions with a comparison to the gospels. All four gospels tell the same basic story about Jesus' life –and yet, they all vary in content. Some contain more history leading up to His birth –or more details about what happened after His death –or more of His parables –or more events of His ministry –or more instructions about life. And they each describe the events in a different sequence. By having all four gospels, we are able to piece together a more thorough account of Jesus' life-story so that we can understand and appreciate Him more.
Parts of Gideon's account in Judges and Elijah's account in First Kings point to the same prophetic event –the tribulation period. That might seem too theological, or irrelevant to everyday Christian life, or just plain boring. But the fact of the matter is that we will all be joined together with our Lord at some point in that time-period. It's when Jesus will be riding His great white horse, leading the charge into battle, and all of us will be with Him. It's when the marriage of God's Son and His bride takes place. It's when the entire body of Christ will exchange sorrows and pain for overwhelming joy and praise. It's when we will experience a new meaning and purpose for life itself. The point is: don't lose interest just because we're discussing prophecy, we're also learning more about the One that we will be spending eternity with!
Although the foreground stories of Gideon and Elijah are unique, some of the fundamentals are too similar to ignore. First, in both cases the Israelites had been worshipping Baal as the one who controlled the earth's produce. God used extreme measures to turn their hearts back to Him. Second, they both have unmistakable references to the tribulation time periods –seven years and three-and-a-half years –mainstays for discussion in studies of Daniel and Revelation.
Elijah's story is the only place in the Bible (other than chapter six of Judges) that speaks about only two bulls being used as sacrifices. (Other passages tell about sacrifices of two bulls along with other animals.) In 1 Kings 18:17-40, Elijah confronted the Israelites and demanded that they make a decision to worship God or worship Baal. For some time, they had been living two radically different and compartmented lives –worshipping both. And the result was a three-and-a-half-year devastating drought.
Elijah challenged 450 of Baal's prophets. It was a test to determine whose god was real. He brought two bulls with him. Baal's prophets killed one and put it on their altar –on top of some wood– for a burnt offering. If Baal was truly god, he would ignite the wood to complete the offering. Baal's prophets started first. They called out to him all day long and nothing happened. When it was Elijah's turn, he repaired the Lord's altar, killed his bull, and put it on the altar –on top of some wood. Then he poured water on the wood to make the fire more difficult to start. Of course, God's fire was spectacular. It fell from the sky and consumed the bull, the wood, the water, the altar, and even the dirt underneath. And He did it right on time for the evening burnt offering. Afterward, Elijah killed all of the false prophets. 1 Kings 18:41-46 tells that after God proved His supremacy, the people's hearts changed and then the rains came roaring down!
The distant hearts, length of the drought (three-and-a-half years), changed hearts, rebuilding the Lord's altar, restoring the daily sacrifices, removal of the altar (and halting the sacrifices), and the return of the rains, are all prophetic of events happening in the first half of the Great Tribulation! Also, at the end of that first half, the Anti-Christ will be revealed and he will set up an image of himself for everyone to worship. The Bible calls that idol the "abomination of desolation" (Daniel 11:30-32).
The Main Point: My reason for tying these two accounts together is to relate Gideon's story to the tribulation timeline. The end of his "same night" is the midpoint of the Great Tribulation. That's when darkness disappears and Jesus –the Light of the world– returns!
After Gideon spoke with the angel of Lord and made his offering, the Lord told him to tear down Baal's altar and Asherah pole. Gideon was to do what the Israelites of the city didn't. It just so happens that Gideon's name means "feller" –as in one who causes things to fall down (like felling a tree). Felling Baal's altar of stones and the Asherah pole would fulfill his prophetic name –and he was also going to fell the enemy's army.
The account says that the idols belonged to Gideon's father –meaning that they were on his property. It doesn't say that his father erected them –and we know that he wasn't protective of them –nor was he visibly bothered by their destruction. So let's proceed on the assumption that the idols were actually set up by the men of his household. After all, they were the ones who were infuriated.
... The men who are angry are the deceived, religious Hebrews. They are the ones who are referred to as members of God's household in several of Jesus' teachings.
Gideon was to take two bulls and sacrifice one of them as a burnt offering using the wood from the Asherah pole. He was then to build an altar to God on top of the stronghold and sacrifice the second bull.
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Ten of Gideon's servants accompanied him when he tore down Baal's altar and Asherah pole.
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It happened at night.
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The next morning there were two groups of angry men who inquired to find out who did the deed.
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The men demanded Gideon's death.
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Joash's said "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning." He was warning the men who were trying to live a double life of religious obedience –to God and Baal– that the Law they revered also demanded the death of anyone who worshipped another god. It violated the very first Commandment (Exodus 20:4; Exodus 22:20).
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Gideon received a new name –really it's more of a title– Jerubbaal, which means "Let Baal contend against him." As far as his father was concerned, if there was a problem about the desecrated altar, it was between his son and Baal –and no one else.
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Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel. So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them. (Judges 6:33-35)
Those nasty Midianites and their allies gathered together and flaunted their power –reminiscent of the Philistines when David faced Goliath and the Philistine army. Gideon called for backup
Then Gideon said to God, "If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken." And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground." God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground. (Judges 6:36-40)
Gideon was still short on confidence that God was with him in this huge undertaking. He asked for a sign that he was not alone. He placed a sheepskin on the threshing room floor and asked God for it be wet and the floor be dry in the morning. It happened just as he asked. Still unsure, Gideon asked God for another proof –a dry sheepskin on a wet floor. That was the point in time when Gideon saw that God was worthy of his trust.
Judges Chapter Seven - The Battle
In chapter six, we read that God had Gideon call for others to join him –thousands of Israelites came. He (and his countrymen) thought it was to join in the battle, but God's purpose was for them to see the magnitude of the forces against them. The Israelites had 32,000 troops and their enemy had 135,000.
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 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, announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. (Judges 7:1-3)
Although Gideon was outmanned, he was prepared to take on the enemy. He knew that God was with him, but his confidence was still in what he could see –the size of his army. God was going to demonstrate His own power so that Gideon would trust Him even more.
But the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. (Judges 7:4-8)
After sending twenty-two thousand back home, there still remained ten thousand. God knew that those who would hear about this battle later would remember Gideon's great army rather His miraculous power. So even more troops were sent home. It's like what John the Baptist said. "I must decrease so that He may increase."
The focus of this part of the story is traditionally –and mistakenly– on the men and how they drank the water, lapping it with their tongues from their hands versus kneeling to it. Some say that the ones who stood lapping were better soldiers because they remained more aware of their surroundings. But let's remember that this story is about transferring Gideon's dependance from men to God. Gideon is the least-of-the-least in his tribe. In the same way, these men would have been the least-able warriors so that all of the glory would go to God!
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. (Judges 7:8-12)
Gideon was learning first-hand what is written in Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed." His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands." When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands." Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. (Judges 7:13-16)
Can you imagine overhearing a conversation that went something like this? A man said to his friend, "I had a really strange dream last night. A loaf of bread came rolling down a hill and it hit our tent and knocked it over." The friend responded, "Wow, that could only have one possible meaning. Gideon is going to destroy us all." Where would that understanding have come from if it wasn't from God? These men wouldn't have known about Gideon –he was that obscure, least-known person, from the weakest clan, from a subserviet people who have been dominated for seven years!
"Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'" Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. (Judges 7:17-21)
The plan was to take some trumpets, torches and jars to attack the countless enemy. Although it's not said, the torches were probably hidden under the jars –much like under a lamp shade.
When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah." So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan. (Judges 7:22-25)
When the trumpets were blown, the jars broken, and the lights exposed, God caused the enemy soldiers to turn on one another. It wasn't the loud sounds or sudden lights that caused confusion in the camp. It was all God! The Israelites could claim no part in this victory. More than a hundred thousand Midianites and their friends were killed.
Judges Chapter Eight - The People's Response
The other Israelites were angry at Gideon because they weren't included -and didn't get credit for- such a successful undertaking. His reply we elegant, letting them know that they received the official praise. Isn't that just like the religious part of us, wanting to show off what we have done for God?
Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply. But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided. (Judges 8:1-3)
For Gideon to rid the land of the Midianites, he also had to destroy all those who gave aid to them.
Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. He said to the men of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?" Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers." From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower." (Judges 8:4-9)
This little band of 300 men led by the least recognized man of Israel overturned an army four hundred times their size. That's what happens when God is at work; He does the impossible.
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army. Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. (Judges 8:10-12)
The execution of those accomplices was a public expression of not tolerating the traitors of his country.
Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town. Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'" He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. (Judges 8:13-17)
By executing the kings, Gideon showed that he was committed to his charge of destroying all that God had told him to do.
Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince." Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.' " So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks. (Judges 8:18-21)
Here we go again. Man always wants someone or something that can be seen. He wants gods (those people or things) to be down on his own level. That way he can think that he has control on his life.
The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you." (Judges 8:22-23)
So Gideon made a memorial to remind all of Israel of what God had done to remove the oppression. It was a forty-plus pound item of gold to show the magnitude of His accomplishment and it was displayed where all could come to see it.
All of Gideon's life he reminded the people of what God had done. But the people kept saying to each other, "Have you seen the ephod that Gideon made after he killed the Midianites? That Gideon, he was a mighty warrior and deserves our praise." Israel gave praise to Gideon instead of God.
And he said, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) They answered, "We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. (Judges 8:24-27)
When Gideon was leading there was peace. But thhere is a warning here. Read on in Judges chapter ten and you will find that his son from the concubine nearly wiped out his entire family and he also took Israel back into troubles.
Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years. Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Judges 8:28-32)
And the cycle begins again. It's another example of how our faith -our salvation- cannot be passed from one generation to another. Each of us must go through the trials of life to find a need for God and the salvation that He offers through His Son Jesus Christ.
No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for them. (Judges 8:33-35)