We saw earlier that Gideon’s story was interrupted. After his calling, there first came the episode in which he tore down the altar of Baal and Ashtaroth. In the verses that followed, Gideon gathered the forces and seemed about to… Lees verder
Judges 6 began with the calling of Gideon, but before it begins with the deliverance of Israel, there is a pause, described in verses 25-32. In the following verses, we read about the enemy setting up camp and Gideon gathering… Lees verder
Gideon’s fellow Israelites have discovered that he has destroyed the shrine of Baal and Asherah. However, they don’t question why Gideon did this. That would have been relevant, since he was appointed by God to deliver Israel. But the people… Lees verder
Gideon tears down the altar of his fathers’ religion and builds a new one. This represents Christ, who has fulfilled the old covenant and establishes a new covenant. Gideon does his work in secret, at night, because of the enmity… Lees verder
We saw that Gideon tore down the shrine of Baal and Asherah and built a new altar there to the LORD. Further on, we see that he is to use the wood of the Asherah pole, which he cuts down,… Lees verder
So far, this chapter has been about the calling of Gideon. Now, you might expect Gideon to begin his mission, but there is a pause first, and later in this chapter there will be another interlude, when Gideon asks for… Lees verder
Gideon had asked God for a sign that He was the one speaking with him. The sign he received speaks in all its details of resurrection life. YAHWEH takes the sacrifice to himself by burning it with fire and proves… Lees verder
Gideon asks for a sign that it is God speaking with him. He asks the messenger to wait and goes inside. There he prepares a young goat and unleavened bread and returns to the angel under the oak. Judges 620… Lees verder
In the following verses, Gideon asks God for a sign. He will do so again later when he places a sheepskin on the threshing floor (7:36-40). What follows is explicitly called a sign and is therefore full of meaning. It… Lees verder
Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh. He was the eldest son of Joseph, who did not receive the greatest blessing, for that went to Ephraim. (Gen. 48:17-19). Moreover, Gideon came from a family that was the least in this… Lees verder
In the conversation between God’s messenger and Gideon, the angel says that it is YAHWEH who sends him to save Israel. But Gideon doesn’t understand why he is being chosen and objects to his calling. Apparently, he feels weak and… Lees verder
The messenger of YAHWEH sat under the oak of Gideon’s father Joash, and the following verses describe his appearance to Gideon and the conversation they had. The angel tells Gideon the message with which God had sent him. Judges 612… Lees verder
In the previous blog post, we saw that “a messenger of the LORD” came to Gideon and sat under the oak of his father Joash in Ophrah. The oak has everything to do with the promises God made to Abraham,… Lees verder
The previous verses spoke of an unknown prophet sent to Israel. We only find the prophet’s message described, but the effect and reaction of the people are not mentioned. Immediately following the account of this prophet, we find the introduction… Lees verder
What we find throughout the book of Judges is also found at the beginning of Gideon’s story: the people call upon the name of YAHWEH in their distress. This is the beginning of the deliverance and the reason for Gideon’s… Lees verder
In the previous verses, we saw that the Midianites annually came against Israel, along with the Amalekites. They, like the Midianites, were a brother nation, descendants of Esau (Gen. 36:12). In addition, there were also “the sons of the east,”… Lees verder
Seven times in Judges we read that the people did what was evil in the sight of the LORD (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:10:6; 13:1). For seven years they are given over to the Midianites, who come every year like… Lees verder
The story of Gideon covers only three chapters: Judges 6 through 8. It begins with the recurring statement, a central thread throughout the book, that Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. These words remind us… Lees verder
Gideon is one of those biblical figures whose beautiful stories capture the imagination and are therefore indispensable in children’s Bibles. The most well-known is probably the story in which God orders Gideon to reduce an army of 32,000 Israelites to… Lees verder