In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

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In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

When The Judges Ruled Israel

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 So far, God has used “weak” things to

deliver Israel 3:16, 31 4:9, 21 He will now use a man who showed some

“weaknesses” 6:13-18, 36-40 This has always been God’s “method” to

deliver man 1 Cor 1:18-29

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Again, Israel is unfaithful to the Lord v. 1a He sells them to another oppressor…this

time, it is the Midianites v. 1b Descendants of Abraham’s 4th son by

Keturah Gen 25:1-2

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Midian’s oppression vv. 2-6

They forced Israel to flee to dens & caves in the mountains just to survive

They devastated the land…whatever Israel sowed, they destroyed

They also left no livestock in the land As a result, Israel cried out to the Lord

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 God’s response to Israel’s cry vv. 7-10

He didn’t respond as He had previously done by sending a “deliverer” (judge)

Instead, He sent a prophet to “explain” He reminded Israel of His deliverance from

Egypt and from Canaanite oppression He also reminded them re: Canaan’s idols

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 God’s response to Israel’s cry vv. 7-10

Finally, He rebuked them for their repeated disobedience

It seems God wanted Israel to understand her present predicament was more important than her immediate deliverance

Sometimes, understanding the problem is more

important than eliminating it.

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 First glimpse of Gideon v. 11

The son of Joash the Abiezrite who lived in Ophrah (in Issachar)

However, he was from the tribe of Manassehv. 15 Josh 17:2

He was beating wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Trying to reassure Gideon vv. 12-24

He was addressed as a “valiant warrior” and promised with God’s presence v. 12

However, Gideon was not reassured…he reasoned if God was with Israel, why did God abandon them to Midianite control? v. 13

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Trying to reassure Gideon vv. 12-24

God responded for him to go in strength and deliver Israel from Midian v. 14

Gideon still had doubts v. 15 His family was least in Manasseh He was least in his family

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In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Trying to reassure Gideon vv. 12-24

Gideon wanted more reassurance vv. 17-21 He requested the angel to not depart until he

prepared a sacrificial offering…God agreed Gideon prepared a kid (goat) with unleavened

bread…he was instructed to place the meat and bread on a rock along with the broth

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Trying to reassure Gideon vv. 12-24

Gideon wanted more reassurance vv. 17-21 God (the angel) touched the offering with a

staff Fire came from the rock & consumed the

offering Afterwards, the angel vanished

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Trying to reassure Gideon vv. 12-24

Gideon reassured again vv. 22-24 He was afraid he had inappropriately seen a

forbidden manifestation of God’s angel God reassured him he would not die He named the place “Yahweh-shalom”

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon’s instructions vv. 25-32

He was to take his father’s bull and tear down his father’s idol to Baal & Asherah

He was also to use the Asherah wood to offer up the bull in sacrifice to God

Gideon did so at night…he was too afraid to do it during the daytime

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon’s instructions vv. 25-32

These instructions to Gideon re: his father’s idol to Baal underscore a bedrock principle also taught by Jesus

Loyalty to parents (family) must give way to loyalty to God Mt 10:34-37

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon’s instructions vv. 25-32

The men of Ophrah discovered the next day what had happened to Baal

They discovered Gideon was responsible They demanded Joash send him out to them

for execution…Joash refused on the grounds Baal should be able to contend for himself

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon’s instructions vv. 25-32

As a result, Joash called Gideon by the name “Jerubbaal” (Let Baal contend against him)

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon gathers his forces vv. 33-35

The Midianites & the coalition they built gathered in the valley of Jezreel v. 33

(N in Manasseh…SW in Issachar) Gideon gathered men from Manasseh, as well

as from Asher, Zebulun, & Naphtali vv. 34-35

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon seeks more assurance vv. 36-40

With the battle imminently before him, he once again wants confirmation that God is with him

He requested a sign dew on the fleece while the rest of the threshing floor was dry

God did as he requested

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon seeks more assurance vv. 36-40

To “confirm the confirmation”… He requested the reverse sign dew on

the ground all around the fleece while the fleece remained dry

Again, God did as he requested

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon seeks more assurance vv. 36-40

This was not necessarily an absence of faith God is always fully aware of man’s weak

moments…thus, man must be strengthened Afterwards, man is able to use that strength

to accomplish God’s expressed will

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

Gideon Is Called Judg 6:1-40 Gideon seeks more assurance vv. 36-40

A “thought question” for us to consider… How can we know that God is with us? Answer when we abide in His word

Jn 14:23 15:10 2 Jn 9

In The Days When The Judges RuledBiblical Studies From Judges & Ruth

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