The Unlikely: Gideon / Judges 6:1-8:35
Introduction: The Cycle and the Oppressor
As we begin our time together, let’s pray.
Father in heaven, I am so grateful for the privilege to handle Your Word. I pray with expectation that You would do something special in our time together in the text. God, help us to see not just lessons from the life of Gideon, but help us see the Gideon in us. Shape us and change us. Give us courage to really rely on You and to be about what You are calling us to be about without fear or timidity, without hesitation or second thought. Raise up in us a courage to be all that You want us to be. We thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have your Bibles, open to Judges chapter six. Continuing in our Unlikely series, we come across a fascinating character. Previously, we looked at a host of characters, but we have one dude we are going to focus on tonight, and his name is Gideon.
Throughout the book of Judges, we see a repeated cycle: at some point, the people of God begin to toy with sin and indulge in sin, and God then raises up an oppressor. The oppressor in the story of Gideon is a group of people called the Midianites.
We see the Midianites all throughout the Old Testament. When Joseph’s brothers decided it would be better to sell him on eBay than kill him, they sold him to a group of Midianite traders on their way to Egypt. Moses killed an Egyptian, feared for his life, ran away, and ran right into a family of Midianites—his future father-in-law was Jethro the Midianite. In the book of Numbers, while Israel wandered in the wilderness—remember, it was relatively easy for God to get the people out of Egypt, but the heavy lifting was getting Egypt out of the people—a false prophet named Balaam was recruited to curse Israel. Every time he tried to curse them, he blessed them. He realized he could not curse the nation, but he could disqualify them through sexual immorality involving the worship of Baal, which was connected to the Midianites.
The Midianites were defeated in the book of Joshua, but they came back to power in Judges. They were such a menace that they camped out in the land, raiding crops all the way down to Gaza whenever harvest came. They did not spare anything living—not sheep, cattle, or donkeys. They swarmed the land like locusts with their livestock and tents, ravaging Israel until the nation was completely impoverished.
Finally, Israel cried out to the Lord. What is easy to miss is that it took them seven years to cry out. This was not an immediate response. They were a stiff-necked people. That is one of the reasons I love the Bible. You can read about someone and think, What an idiot! Why did it take you seven years? And then you look in the mirror and realize: Oh, I get it. We’re just like them.
Judges 6:1-6 (NASB)
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.
Hiding in the Winepress
In verse 11, we meet this man of supposed faith. I say “supposed faith” because Hebrews chapter 11 includes Gideon in the Hall of Faith, which sometimes drives me crazy. If you look at the totality of Gideon’s life, you wonder what thin slice of his life the author of Hebrews looked at and said, “There! That was an act of faith, let’s enshrine him forever.” He had moments of splendor, but he also had moments where he was a total doofus.
In verse 11, the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon. Throughout Scripture, angels are ministering spirits and messengers. This specific title—the Angel of the Lord—is distinct, and many scholars suggest this is a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. Regardless, Gideon receives a special divine visitation.
Judges 6:11 (NASB)
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.
Where does the angel find him? Gideon is threshing wheat in a winepress. If you were a wheat farmer, you harvested your wheat and took it to the threshing floor, which was always situated on top of a mountain or hill so the breeze could blow away the chaff. A winepress was completely different; vineyards were down in the valleys, and you pressed the grapes right there. Gideon is threshing wheat down in a sunken winepress because he is hiding from the Midianites.
And then comes verse 12.
Judges 6:12 (NASB)
The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.’
The angel says, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior!” That is pure comedy. Gideon is not exhibiting a single valiant trait; he is cowering in a pit hoping nobody spots his grain. Yet God sees something in Gideon that Gideon cannot see in himself.
Gideon immediately responds with the classic question of suffering: “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles? The Lord has abandoned us.” Have you ever asked the “why” question in the middle of suffering? It is a terrible question to ask. God rarely gives a direct answer to why. What He reveals instead is the what: What do You want to show me about Yourself? What do You want to build in me? How can I honor You through this? Gideon, in his lack of faith, assumes God has abandoned them.
Judges 6:13 (NASB)
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.’
The Reluctant Deliverer
This is what makes Gideon an “unlikely.” He is not naturally a man of bold faith. He is fearful, insecure, and confused. God begins a training process with him in verse 14, saying, “Go in this strength of yours and deliver Israel.”
Judges 6:14 (NASB)
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?’
Gideon basically says, “I’m not a warrior!” God replies, “Then just go in whatever little strength you have. Hands shaking, knees knocking—just get up, and I will deliver the nation through you. You don’t have to be anyone other than who I made you to be.”
Gideon objects: “Who am I? My clan is the weakest, and I am the youngest in my father’s house. I have no resume, no street cred.”
Judges 6:15 (NASB)
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.’
God responds in verse 16: “I will be with you.” The issue is not who Gideon is; the issue is who God is.
Judges 6:16 (NASB)
But the LORD said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.’
Even after God promises His presence, Gideon wants proof: “Show me a sign.” Gideon prepares a sacrifice of meat and unleavened bread. The angel touches it with his staff, fire consumes the offering, and the angel vanishes. Gideon realizes he has seen the Lord, builds an altar, and calls it Yahweh Shalom—“The Lord Is Peace.”
Judges 6:17-24 (NASB)
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.
That very night, God gives Gideon his first assignment: tear down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole. Where does this work start? Right in his father’s backyard. Gideon does not ride in at high noon like a gunslinger to knock it down. He sneaks in under the cover of darkness with ten servants because he is terrified of his family and the townspeople. When the town wakes up and discovers what happened, they want to kill Gideon. His father, Joash, steps in with great logic: “If Baal really is a god, let him defend himself.” So Gideon gets the nickname Jerub-Baal, meaning “Let Baal contend.”
Judges 6:25-32 (NASB)
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.
Soon, the Midianites and Amalekites gather for war. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon, he blows the trumpet, and thirty-two thousand men assemble behind him. But Gideon still doubts. He puts out a fleece: “Lord, if the fleece is wet with dew tomorrow morning and the ground is dry, I’ll know You’re with me.” He wakes up, wrings a bowlful of water out of the fleece, and the ground is bone dry. Then he says, “Don’t be angry, Lord, but let’s flip it. Make the fleece dry and the ground wet.” God patiently accommodates his weak faith and does exactly that.
Judges 6:36-40 (NASB)
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.
Three Hundred with Torches and Trumpets
In Judges 7, Gideon marches his army toward the enemy. Then God drops a bombshell on the commanding general: “You have too many men.”
Judges 7:2 (NASB)
The LORD said to Gideon, ’The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’
Has any general in military history ever complained about having too many troops? God says, “If Israel wins with this army, they will boast that their own strength saved them.” So God tells Gideon to announce that anyone who is afraid can go home. Twenty-two thousand soldiers pack their bags and walk away, leaving ten thousand. Gideon is standing there thinking, Uh-oh.
God says, “Still too many.” He has Gideon take them down to the water to drink. The men who lap water with their hands while staying alert are separated from those who drop to their knees and bury their faces in the water. When the test is over, only three hundred men remain. God whittles an army of thirty-two thousand down to three hundred.
Judges 7:4-7 (NASB)
Then the LORD said to Gideon, ’The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.’ So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.’ Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. The LORD said to Gideon, ‘I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the [other] people go, each man to his home.’
This is not King Leonidas’s elite Spartan 300; these are ordinary, frightened men outnumbered 450 to one. This is an unwinnable battle by human standards.
Knowing Gideon’s fear, God tells him to sneak down to the Midianite camp at night if he needs encouragement. Gideon creeps up to a tent and overhears an enemy soldier recounting a dream about a loaf of barley bread rolling into camp and flattening a tent. The other soldier interprets it: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon; God has given Midian into his hands!” Gideon bows his head right there in the dark and worships. Finally, he is ready.
Judges 7:9-15 (NASB)
Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to him, ’Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands. ‘But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp.’ So he went with Purah his servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp. Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, ‘Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.’ His friend replied, ‘This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.’ When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, ‘Arise, for the LORD has given the camp of Midian into your hands.’
He divides the 300 men into three companies, giving every man a trumpet, an empty clay jar, and a torch inside the jar. No swords, no shields, no spears. In the middle of the night, they surround the massive camp. On Gideon’s signal, they blow their trumpets, smash the jars, hold up their blazing torches, and shout: “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
Judges 7:16-20 (NASB)
He divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. He said to them, ’Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. ’When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’’ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, ‘A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!’
Notice that phrase: “For the Lord and for Gideon.” God does not share the stage with anyone. Unless you can make dirt breathe, you have no equal footing with the Almighty. Yet here is an early indicator of Gideon’s creeping pride.
The Midianite camp explodes into sheer panic. Confused and terrified in the dark, the enemy soldiers turn their swords on one another and flee in terror. It is an absolute rout, accomplished entirely by the power of God.
Judges 7:21-22 (NASB)
Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. When they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
The Fall at the Pinnacle
Following this massive victory, the men of Israel come to Gideon with an offer: “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson.” They are not just offering him a crown; they are offering him a dynasty.
Judges 8:22 (NASB)
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.’
Gideon gives what sounds like the perfect spiritual answer: “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”
Judges 8:23 (NASB)
But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.’
If the story stopped right there, Gideon would be a flawless hero. But keep reading. In verse 24, Gideon says, “I do have one request: give me the gold earrings from your plunder.” He collects thousands of shekels of gold and crafts an ephod—a priestly garment—placing it in his hometown of Ophrah. The text tells us that all Israel “prostituted themselves” by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
Judges 8:24-27 (NASB)
Yet Gideon said to them, ‘I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil.’ (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) They said, ‘We will surely give [them].’ So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 [shekels] of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which [were] on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that [were] on their camels’ necks. Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
He starts out hiding in a winepress, rises to lead a historic victory by the power of God, refuses the earthly crown, and then turns around and creates an idol that leads the entire nation into spiritual ruin. He trips at the finish line.
Three Life Lessons from Gideon
As we look at Gideon’s life, we must look in the mirror. It does no good to criticize Gideon unless we recognize that the same tendencies live in our own hearts. There are three critical principles we need to take away.
1. Rest in the Plan of God Because He Can Be Trusted
Over and over again, Gideon demanded proof. He needed the wet fleece, the dry fleece, the consumed sacrifice, and the overheard dream. He constantly questioned whether God was truly with him.
If God has called you, rest in His plan. He can be trusted. If the Holy Spirit is prompting you to lead a life group, step up and lead. If God is calling you to go on a mission trip, get your passport and go. If He prompts you to share your faith with your neighbor or comfort a hurting coworker, do it. Life with Christ is deeply engaging when you walk in obedience. Stop waiting for every traffic light on the street to turn green before you obey. You have the Spirit of God sealed inside of you. Trust Him and take the step.
2. Believe About Yourself What God Believes About You
I do not know what internal dialogue you wrestle with, but many of us have voices in our heads telling us we are inadequate, unqualified, and broken. If I asked you to write down a list of your strengths and weaknesses, which list would be longer? Most of us can fill pages of weaknesses.
When the angel appeared to Gideon, he called him a “valiant warrior” while he was still hiding in a hole. God saw what Gideon would become through His power. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. When you place your faith in Christ, you are made a new creation. Scripture calls you a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Stop defining yourself by your past, your family background, or the lies you tell yourself. Believe what God says about you. He has given you purpose, and He will use you in your weakness if you rely on Him.
3. Be Mindful of Your Success
Most people cry out to God when life falls apart. When tragedy strikes, we hit our knees because we know we have nowhere else to turn. But what happens when life is going great? When your career is booming, your finances are secure, and your health is good, do you seek God with the same desperation?
Gideon did not fall when he was hiding in the winepress; he fell at the pinnacle of his greatest victory. David did not fall when Saul was hunting him in caves; he fell when he was resting comfortably in his palace. Elijah stood boldly against 450 false prophets, but ran in despair right after the victory.
We are often at our most vulnerable when we think we are strongest. The warning of Scripture is clear.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NASB)
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
The moment you think you have conquered a sin entirely on your own strength—that you are beyond falling—brace for impact. Guard your heart in seasons of victory. Stay humble, stay dependent on God, and give Him all the glory.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word. It cuts straight to our hearts and exposes the places we try to hide. We see Gideon’s doubts, his fears, and his failures, and we recognize how much of him lives in us.
Lord, make us men and women who trust Your plan without demanding endless signs. Help us to see ourselves through Your eyes, redeemed and equipped for Your mission. And protect us in moments of success from pride and self-reliance. Keep us faithful to the very end.
Thank You for being a God who uses unlikely, imperfect people like us for Your glory. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.