In this chapter, God chooses Gideon to rescue Israel from the Midianites. The chapter begins, “Again the Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years (Is this happening to us in our lives today….is the Lord abandoning us because of our evil ways?). The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites fled to the mountains, where they made hiding places for themselves in caves and dens. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. These enemy hordes, coming with their cattle and tents as thick as locusts, arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.” (Judges 6:1-6)
In response to the Israelite’s call for help, the Lord sent an angel to Gideon, son of Joash. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” (God is always here for us...wow!)
“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, “The Lord brought us up out of Egypt”? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites I am sending you!” (Judges 6:13-14)
Gideon immediately responded with doubt, indicating he was the least in his entire family. “The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” (Judges 6:16) Wow…the Lord is awesome!
Gideon then asked the Lord to prove it was Him who was speaking to him, and the Lord did. Gideon then built an altar for the Lord in Ophrah. “That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second best bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hill, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”
Side note: Notice in the text that God told Gideon to pull down his father’s altar to another god (Baal). Obviously, Gideon’s father had lost his way and was no longer following the way of the Lord. Many times we have to separate ourselves from our own family members when choosing to follow and serve the Lord and not this world.
Gideon did as the Lord commanded and the people of the town found out it was him who had built a new altar. “Bring out your son,” they shouted to Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole.”
The chapter ends with Gideon, again, asking the Lord to prove He is going to use him to rescue Israel.
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us to always choose you over all things, including our own family. And help us recognize your presence in our lives so we can boldly and confidently show up for the battles YOU have already fought and won for us! We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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