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GIDEON:  A JUDGE AND A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR

 

The Pledge Given to Gideon

Judges 6:33-40

Lesson #8

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     Gideon, as the leader of God’s people, removed the altar of Baal and erected an altar to God and made sacrifice to the Almighty God upon that altar.

 

B.      News like this travels fast.  It appears that the Midianites heard that a judge had been raised up in Israel.  They, along with their allies, immediately rose up to squash the opposition.

 

C.     In this lesson, we will see the initial movements of both the Midianites and Gideon.  But, before the war breaks out a pledge is given to Gideon by God.  “The Pledge Given to Gideon” is recorded in Judges 6:33-40.

 

I.                    THE RISE OF THE ENEMIES (Judges 6:33)

 

A.     The Synchronization of the Enemy (Jud. 6:33a)

 

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together…

 

1.       Was this just a normal invasion by the enemy that was done on an occasional basis?  Or, was this a result of what Gideon had done in destroying the altar of Baal?

2.       If the Midianites thought it was the beginning of a rebellion, they would have sought to put it down as quickly as possible.

3.       It is interesting that enemies will often band together in order to put down another foe.  The Midianites consorted with both the Amalekites and the children of the east in this battle.

 

B.      The Site of the Battle (Jud. 6:33b)

 

…and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

 

1.       The valley of Jezreel

a.       This valley lay in Central Palestine.

 

Definition of Jezreel in the Bible       time lapse jezreel valley israel Stock Footage Video (100% Royalty-free)  1019833195 | Shutterstock

b.      It is also referred to as Megiddo.

c.       Description:  “The central Jezreel Valley, roughly 380 square kilometers (146.72 square miles) in size, is bounded on the north by the Nazareth mountains and Mount Tabor, on the east and south by Mount Gilboa and the mountains of Samaria respectively, and on the west by Mount Carmel– all of which are Scriptural stars” (www.b2Israel.com, “Jezreel Valley”).

d.      Several battles of the Bible were fought here.

1)      Deborah and Barak against Sisera (Jdg. 5:19-20)

2)      Gideon (Jdg. 6:33)

3)      Saul against the Philistines (1 Sam. 31).

4)      Josiah died at Megiddo when he fought Pharaoh-necho (2 Chron. 35:22-24).

2.       NOTE:  It is believed by the premillennialists that the final battle between Christ and the anti-christ will be fought the valley of Megiddo.

 

II.                 THE RECRUITMENT BY GIDEON (Judges 6:34 -35)

 

A.     The Spirit Comes upon Gideon (Jud. 6:34a)

 

But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon…

 

1.       The Spirit of the Lord involves the power of the Holy Spirit.

2.       Came upon

a.       Strong (3847):  properly to wrap around…to put on as a garment, to cloth

b.      BDB:  to dress, wear, clothe, to array with

c.       Keil & Delitzsch:  “…clothed, i.e., descended upon him, and laid itself around him as it were like a coat of mail, or a strong equipment, so that he became invulnerable and invincible in its might…” (e-sword).

d.      The Spirit also came upon other judges of Israel (Judges 3:10; 11:29; 14:6, 19), however, the Hebrew word “came upon” is different.

 

B.      The Sounding of the Trumpet (Jud. 6:34b)

 

…and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

 

1.       Trumpets were used for many purposes in the Old Testament.  One of them was a call to battle.  All of the men who heard the call were to assemble at a prearranged place.

2.       Abiezer was gathered after him.

a.       Judges 6:11 tells us that Joash, the father of Gideon, was an Abiezrite.

b.      This “was one of the families of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh” (Barnes, e-sword, Judges 6:11).

c.       Gideon’s family rallied around him after he destroyed the altar of Baal.

 

C.     The Sending Forth of Messengers (Jud. 6:35)

 

And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also gathered with him:  and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulon, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet him.

 

1.       Manasseh was the tribe to which Gideon belonged.

a.       When he called them to fight, they “also gathered with him.”

b.      LESSON:  Families usually stick together and support one another in a battle against an enemy.

2.       Three other tribes were called:  Asher, Zebulon, and Naphtali. 

a.       They, too, “came up to meet him.”

b.      These four tribes make up one fourth of the army of Israel.

c.       NOTE:  These were the most northern tribes of the land of Canaan.  They were all neighbors. 

d.      LESSON:  Not only families help one another, but neighbors also lend assistance to each other in just causes.

 

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III.              THE REPETITION OF SIGNS GIVEN TO GIDEON (Judges 6:36-40)

 

A.     Sign #1 (Jud. 6:36-38)

1.       The inquiry by Gideon (Jgs. 6:36-37)

 

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou has said.

 

a.       God had already provided Gideon with a sign through the angel.

b.      Now he asks for another sign.

1)      What was the reason Gideon asked for another sign?

a)      Reassurance/confidence

b)      Fear

c)       Lack of faith

d)     A personality trait

2)      We may never know the answer to this question.

c.       The sign was simple.  It involved the falling of the dew.

1)      The dew was a natural occurrence.

2)      However, Gideon asked for the dew to fall in a specific place.

a)      He wanted the dew to fall on a piece of fleece he put on the ground.  He did not want the dew to be on the ground surrounding the fleece.

b)      Dew usually falls everywhere.  It does not pick and choose its spots.

3)      If the dew fell just as Gideon requested, he would know that God was responsible for it.

2.       The indulgence by God (Jud. 6:38)

 

And it was so:  for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

 

a.       “And it was so.”

1)      God did not chastise Gideon for his request.

2)      He was willing to do exactly as Gideon had asked.

b.      Gideon picked up the fleece the next morning and wringed out “a bowl full of water.”

c.       QUESTION:  Having this sign fulfilled, shouldn’t this have been enough?  No.  Gideon makes a second request.

 

B.      Sign #2 (Jud. 6:39-40)

1.       The inquiry by Gideon (Jud. 6:39)

 

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once:  let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon the ground let there be dew.

 

a.       Question:  Why would Gideon want this request?

b.      Answer:  Remember, the ground was dry the previous morning and fleece was wet.  Someone could have poured water on the fleece taking away the miraculous fulfillment.

c.       When dew falls on the ground, it covers everything left outside.  Thus, Gideon asks for the fleece to be dry and the ground wet.

2.       The indulgence by God (Jud. 6:40)

 

And God did so that night:  for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

 

a.       Verse 38 merely said:  “And it was so.”  This verse states:  “And God did so that night…” 

b.      NOTE:  God did not get upset with Gideon for this second request.  Perhaps He knew Gideon’s personality and knew he needed these confirmations.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     Gideon’s insistence on signs is intriguing.  The fact that God provides the signs every time is comforting.

 

B.      We should not think that God will confirm His will for our lives by some sort of a sign.  His will is found solely in the New Testament (John 16:13).  Nowhere in the New Testament are we taught that God will reveal various things to His people today through visions, dreams, or miraculous revelations. 

 

C.     With this sign, Gideon had the authority and proof he needed to go against the Midianites.  Now the ball was in his court.  He was commanded by God.  Would he obey?