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But the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
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and during that time Midian prevailed over Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made for themselves hiding places in the mountains, namely caves and strongholds.
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Whenever the Israelites had finished sowing, the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people from the east would come up against them;
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they would camp in their land and destroy the produce of the land as far as Gaza, and leave no food in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey.
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For they came up with their livestock and their tents, coming in numbers like locusts. Both they and their camels were without number; they came into the land to lay it waste,
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so that Israel was brought very low because of Midian. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
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When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian,
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the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites, who said to them: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I brought you up out of Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery.
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I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.
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And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.’ But you did not listen to my voice.”
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Then the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while Gideon his son was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
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The Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
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Gideon answered him, “Ah, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous deeds that our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.”
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Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you!”
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But he said to Him, “Ah, my Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
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And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.”
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Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then give me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
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Please do not depart from here until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I will stay until you return.”
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So 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 to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
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And the Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
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Then the Angel of the LORD stretched out the staff that was in His hand; with the tip of it He touched the meat and the bread, and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the bread. Then the Angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
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Then Gideon knew that it was the Angel of the LORD, and he said, “Alas, my Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.”
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But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you! Do not fear; you shall not die.”
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Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it: The LORD is Salvation. To this day it is still in Ophrah, the city of the Abiezrites.
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That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the seven-year-old bull, and tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the idol pole beside it.
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Then build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold, in proper order, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the idol pole that you shall cut down.”
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So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city to do this by day, he did it by night.
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When the men of the city rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal had been torn down, the idol pole beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been built.
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They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon son of Joash has done this thing.”
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Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and because he has cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
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But Joash answered all who stood against him, “Will you plead for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever pleads for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down.”
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Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, because they said, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”
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Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east had gathered together; they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.
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Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and he blew the trumpet, and the men of Abiezer were called out to follow him.
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He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to join them.
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Then Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken,
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look, I am laying a fleece on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and all the ground is dry, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.”
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And it was so; for early the next morning he rose, squeezed the fleece, and wrung dew from the fleece, a bowlful of water.
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Then Gideon said to God, “Let not Your anger burn against me, if I speak once more: let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
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And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground there was dew.
🛖🗡️🔥 Summary of Judges 6 – Gideon Is Called by God in the Midst of Midianite Oppression
Judges 6 introduces Gideon, a young man who feels weak and unimportant, yet called by God to deliver Israel from the hand of the Midianites. This chapter shows how a person’s faith grows from fear toward courage, through an encounter with God.
📌 1. Oppression by the Midianites (verses 1–6)
- Because of Israel’s evil, the LORD gave them into Midian’s hand for 7 years.
- Midian was very cruel: ruining the harvest, taking livestock, and making Israel live in caves.
- The people suffered greatly and cried out to the LORD.
🎯 Sin brings ruin, but God hears the cries of His repentant people.
📌 2. Reproof Through the Prophet (verses 7–10)
- The LORD sent a prophet, not a deliverer at once, who reminded them:
“I brought you up out of Egypt… but you did not listen to My voice.”
🎯 Before deliverance, God often first corrects the heart of His people.
📌 3. The Calling of Gideon (verses 11–24)
- The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, who was threshing wheat in secret because he was afraid.
- The LORD greeted him:
“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”
- Gideon questioned:
“If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?”
- The LORD said:
“Go in this strength of yours… I am the one who sends you.”
- Gideon asked for a sign, and the LORD accepted the offering of the burnt sacrifice in a wondrous way. Gideon cried out:
“Alas for me!” yet the LORD calmed him.
🎯 God does not call those who feel strong, but those willing to grow in faith.
📌 4. Gideon Tears Down Baal’s Altar (verses 25–32)
- The LORD commanded Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and build an altar to the LORD.
- Gideon obeyed, but because he was afraid, he did it at night, in secret.
- The people were angry, but Joash (his father) defended Gideon:
“If Baal is a god, let him defend himself.”
🎯 True obedience begins at home — even if it means standing against family tradition.
📌 5. The Spirit of the LORD and the Fleece Sign (verses 33–40)
- The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he gathered an army.
- Yet Gideon still doubted, and so he asked for two signs through a fleece:
First, the fleece wet and the ground dry.
Second, the fleece dry and the ground wet.
- The LORD granted both without rebuke.
🎯 The LORD is patient with growing faith. He understands human limitations.
📖 Main Lessons
- The LORD uses ordinary people for extraordinary work.
- Faith often begins with doubt, but grows through obedience.
- True deliverance begins with the destruction of personal idols.
- The LORD gives signs not to display power, but to confirm a calling.
- The Spirit of the LORD is the true source of strength, not the size of an army or strategy.
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
“My power is made perfect in weakness.”
“About Gideon… who through faith conquered kingdoms.”
“My peace I give to you…”
🎯 The Lord does not seek human certainty, but faith that rests on Him.
“The Lord is with you, O mighty warrior.” – Judges 6:12
“I am the one who sent you!” – verse 14
“Let Baal himself contend against him.” – verse 31
“Do not be afraid; you will not die.” – verse 23
