Judges 6 Study Notes

6:22-24 Realizing the true identity of his visitor, Gideon became convinced he was doomed to die (Ex 33:20). Again, the Lord spoke to reassure him. This time the Lord’s message seems to have been heeded by Gideon, who built an altar to the Lord and named it The Lord is Peace (Hb Yahweh Shalom). This altar erected by Gideon in Ophrah at the beginning of his service contrasts sharply with the ephod idol that he set up there toward the end of his life (8:27).

6:25-27 Before Gideon could take on the Midianites, he first had to confront the idolatry within his own family by tearing down his father’s altar of Baal and the Asherah pole beside it. An Asherah pole was a stylized tree that represented the fertility goddess Asherah, Baal’s consort. It was a frequent feature of Canaanite cult installations. Gideon was to reclaim the area for the Lord by building a new altar to God there, on which he was to offer his father’s . . . bull. The wood of the Asherah pole would provide fuel for the fire, as if to underline the foolishness of worshiping a piece of wood (Is 44:19). Gideon did this at once, though it is clear that his earlier timidity had not disappeared. He gathered ten of his father’s servants to help him, illustrating a trust in numbers rather than trust in the Lord. He also committed this action at night rather than in broad daylight because he was . . . afraid, so no one would know who was responsible.

6:28-32 The response of the men of the city to Gideon’s actions reveals clearly where their loyalties lay. They wanted the sentence of death that ought to have been imposed on idolaters (Dt 13:6-10) carried out on Gideon instead. What is surprising is that Gideon’s father, Joash, who owned this altar to Baal, defended his son. Did Baal need the men of the city to save him? Normally, a man expected his god to save him, not vice versa. From this intervention, Gideon acquired another name, Jerubbaal, which means “let Baal contend.” Gideon’s continued existence was living proof of Baal’s inability to defend his own honor.

6:33-35 Gideon’s initial success was soon followed by a greater challenge. Israel’s oppressors crossed over the Jordan River for another seasonal pillaging expedition. The Spirit of the Lord enveloped (lit “put on”) Gideon, empowering him for action to deliver the Lord’s people. Remarkably, the men who first had wanted to kill him (v. 30) responded to his call. He also called his whole tribe (Manasseh) plus their northern neighbors, who also responded.

6:36-40 The gathering of the tribes should have been sufficient evidence of God’s presence with Gideon, but he wanted a sign that God would do what he had promised. He doubted that God would deliver Israel by his strength, even though that was what God had promised. As a result, Gideon put God to the test. In the first test, God did as Gideon asked, but it was not enough; Gideon may have thought that it could have been a fluke. So Gideon, showing his timidity, demanded a second test. Displaying great patience, the Lord graciously gave him a confirmatory sign.