Judges Chapters 6,7,8 Commentary

JUDGES Chapters 6-8 Chapter 6 6:1 This book with the repeated expression, “then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”, confines the viewpoint that unless we are diligent, we are always only one generation away from apostasy.

The Midianites were related to the Hebrews in so much as Midian was the son of Abraham by his second wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1-6). They were a nomadic people who ranged from the southern part of the Sinai peninsula, northward to the gulf of Aqabah and as far as the plains east of Moab.

6:2-5 Rather than permanently settling in the land, the Midianites had adopted a different strategy. They waited until the harvest was ready, then they would move in from the desert, cross the Jordan in huge numbers and overwhelm the land. “With their speedy, wide-ranging mounts (camels), they roamed all the way to Gaza, helping themselves to crops and animals” (Gaebelein p. 417). Then, with their camels fully loaded down, they returned across the Jordan until the next harvest.

Verse 5 compares with annual invasion with an locust infestation. “Like a plague of locusts, they would swoop through the land, stripping it bare of grain, vegetables, fruit, and livestock. Finally, their camels loaded down with their spoil, they would cross back into the desert and live there until the next harvest time. Perhaps they would leave a small force in the land, but the main host came only during the yearly invasion” (Inrig p. 87).

None of this should have surprised of Israelites, for the Law made it clear that covenant-breakers could expect precisely this type of treatment (Deuteronomy 28:38,31). The unfaithful Israelites found themselves captives in their own land, and out of desperation tried living in mountain dens, and caves.

Sin has the tendency to deprive the sinner of even life’s most basic pleasures. “Seven years of it. You are hungry, poor, and tired. Every year, as sure as income tax, Midian’s buzzards come. You’re tired of rushing your family, livestock (what is left of it), and grain (if salvaged) to the hills where you live a caveman existence till the foreign locusts get bored and move on to impoverish others. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to throw your wheat up into the wind out on the threshing floor, as a free man should (11)?” (Ralph Dale Davis pp. 91-92).

6:6-10 In response to Israel’s cry for deliverance, God first sends a prophet who rebukes their unfaithfulness. Instead of relief, they now must hear a word of criticism! “Hence Yahweh sends a prophet because Israel needs more than immediate relief; they need to understand why they are oppressed….Like Israel, we may want to escape from our circumstances, while God wants us to interpret our circumstances. Sometimes we may need understanding more than relief; sometimes God must give us insight before He dare grant safety. Understanding God’s way of holiness is more important than absence of pain. We may want out of a bind, whereas God wants us to see our idolatry. God means to instruct us, not pacify us.

We should not miss the kindness of God in all this. One of the kindest things God does for us is to bring us under the criticism of His word to expose the reasons for our helplessness and misery” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

92). The message from this unnamed prophet stressed: Since God had been able to deliver them in the past, the present crisis wasn’t due to a weakness on God’s part, but rather it was caused by their own unfaithfulness. Israel was without excuse, God had clearly on many occasions demonstrated the truth that there was no God besides Him, and yet they had abandoned Him and served idols.

6:11 The angel of the Lord is also mentioned in 2:1. Possible site identifications for the city of “Ophrah” (AHF rah), are el-Affula (six miles east of Megiddo) or et-Taiyiba (eight miles NW of Beth Shan). The name “Abiezrite”-(a bih EZ rite), indicates that Gideon’s father was from the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17:2). The name “Gideon” (GIDD ee un), means warrior. “To hide the wheat and himself from the Midianites, Gideon was threshing in a winepress, a pit carved out of rocky ground. Normally threshing floors were located in exposed areas so that the wind could easily blow away the chaff” (Gaebelein p. 419).

6:12 At this moment, Gideon hardly looked like a valiant warrior! The expression probably reflected Gideon’s potential. God sees our possibilities! “The Lord is with you” is the same type of promise and encouragement which was given to Moses (Exodus 3:12-14). If God is with us, then who can resist us? (Romans 8:31)

6:13 The above statement proved to be a theological problem for Gideon, because if God is with him, then why is he beating out wheat in a winepress? And why hasn’t there been any miraculous intervention like what had happened in Egypt? Of, course, the answer to this should have been obvious to Gideon. It was the wickedness of his own people that brought God’s judgment (Isaiah 59:1-2). How ironic that Gideon is complaining about a lack of miracles, when the angel of the Lord is standing right in front of him! In addition, plenty of miracles had happened since the Exodus, lest we mention the events during the lifetime of Joshua, and the deliverance wrought by Deborah.

6:14 This verse may infer that the angel of the Lord, was the Lord Himself.

“Have I not sent you?” This expression should remove any excuses that Gideon might of had, for would God ever command us to do something which would end in defeat? The expression, “Go in your strength”, doesn’t mean that Gideon is to relying on his own power. Rather, the strength previously given to him was the assurance that God was on his side. “God’s answer to discouragement is never (mere) positive thinking, but rather the promise of His presence. Quite frankly, when I look at the secular world in which we are living and realize the powerful attacks of anti-Christian forces on biblical truths and values, I feel very much as Gideon did before the Midianites---puny, helpless, and insignificant” (Inrig p. 92).

6:15 Gideon’s excuses resemble the reluctance of Moses (Exodus 3:11).

He belonged to the weak clan of Abiezer, and his own position in his family division was not a prominent one. Yet the Bible contains many examples of God using people who the world thought were unqualified, like David (1 Samuel 16:11; 1 Corinthians 1:26-27). 6:16 If God is with us, then we are qualified for the task! What many Christians need, is not more self-confidence, but more God-confidence. “But I will be with you”.

Basically, God has nothing else or more to offer you” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

95). 6:17-21 Gideon asks for a sign to confirm the Lord’s promise. On the one hand, we might agree that Gideon was weak in faith at this point, but the sign which God provided for him required that he bring certain things before the angel of the Lord. These objects included food (19), and during a time of famine, it would indeed take an act of faith on the part of Gideon to use such material.

6:22-23 The sign terrifies Gideon rather than offering him reassurance.

“We western Christians do not understand Gideon’s agony. Such talk is strange to us. We long to reach our warm hand through the print of our Bible page, pat Gideon’s shoulder, and soothe him with ‘Don’t worry,

brother Gideon, God’s not really scary like that—if only you had a New Testament…’….This sort of talk (22) is strange to us, because we have no real sense of the terror and awesomeness of God, for we think intimacy with God is an inalienable right rather than an indescribable gift. There is nothing amazing about grace as long as there is nothing fearful about holiness” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 96-97). 6:25-26 Almost immediately God asked Gideon to respond to His call to deliver Israel. He is commanded to take decisive action against a pagan altar which belonged to his own father! In the Law God had clearly commanded that all such altars must be torn down (Exodus 34:12-13).

God demands complete and total allegiance (Matthew 6:24; 10:37). If we are to serve God, then we cannot keep our faith hidden. “When we must declare ourselves, when we must burn our bridges and, if need be, stand alone against the religious, social, cultural expectations of the community” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 98). 1. Before we can be successful against sin, all our idols must go. There can be no spiritual victory where the heart is still divided (James 1:6-8). Baal must go! 2. God cannot truly be our God unless He is the sole object of our devotion (Matthew 6:24).

3. Faithfulness must start at home. Before Gideon can lead the nation, he must first deal with Baal in his own family. If my commitment to God doesn’t first affect my marriage and my parenting, then it is superficial and hollow. 4. The very first battle that many new converts encounter is a battle with members of their own family. “Gideon’s obedience to God’s command should not be minimized by his use of 10 servants (dismantling a Canaanite altar was a massive task), or by the fact that he did it at night (the Baal-worshippers would obviously have prevented it if he had tried to do this during the day)” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 392).

6:28-29 “How different from Deuteronomy 13:6-10, where Moses commanded that even close relatives must be stoned for idolatry! The heresy had become the main religion” (Gaebelein p. 422). Here we learn that evil is just as intolerant of the truth as truth is to be intolerant of evil.

The idea of “tolerance” is a myth, or that if we are more tolerant of religious error, such error will be more tolerant of us. When any error gains the majority, the proponents of error drop their appeal for tolerance.

6:30-31 “Crises sometimes causes people to talk sense—at least Joash found it so” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 98). Gideon’s actions appeared to have both shamed and challenged his father. The argument he offered was, “If Baal is God, he doesn’t need any help from Ophrah’s town council to maintain his honor; he should be perfectly able to kill my son”. So the issue that confronted Israel was either, continue to prop up Baal or worship at the altar of Jehovah. Compare with what Elijah said in 1 Kings 18:27.

6:32 As a result Gideon was given the name “Jerubbaal” (jer uh BAY uhl).

Initially this was probably given as a derogatory name (let Baal condemn him), but the longer that Gideon lived without any harmful side effects, the more evidence was accumulating as to Baal’s inability to defend himself. Hence the name Jerubbaal, came to mean, “Baal-fighter”.

“Every time men looked at Gideon, they had visible proof of the weakness of Baal and the power of God” (Inrig p. 103).

6:33 The above event was soon eclipsed by the annual invasion of the Midianites. This was their eighth incursion into the fertile Valley of Jezreel, and it came during the wheat harvest in May or June (11). 6:34-35 Like Ehud (3:27), Gideon sounded the trumpet to gather the troops. The men of his own clan were the first to follow him---an indication that they now shared Gideon’s attitude toward Baalism.

6:36-40 A craving for signs can be dangerous. Some have interpreted this account as a lack of faith. Note that Gideon doesn’t want a new word from God, but rather simply a confirmation of the word just given (37). Davis says, “He is hesitant, not unbelieving. It is not the absence of faith but the caution of faith we see here. Cautious it is. After Yahweh granted the sign of the wet fleece and the dry ground, Gideon asked for a reverse—dry fleece and wet ground…This would be even more striking and marvelous, since it is in the nature of wool to absorb moisture. The second sign would therefore go against nature and demonstrate God’s power to do what seems impossible to men even more clearly” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 99-100).

Of course, in the above example we see a problem associated with asking for confirmation of a word from God that is really clear. If one doubts the truthfulness of God’s word, one will probably also doubt the sign. “You will notice that he was aware that he was treading on very thin ice. “Please Lord, don’t be angry, but we are going to have to run through all this again. I am afraid my test wasn’t good enough” (Inrig p.

115). It seems reasonable that this is one reason why God condescended to Gideon’s requests. To reveal to all future generations the inherent problems when we don’t just believe what God has said in the first place.

“If they do no listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31). 2. God’s instructions to Gideon were clear, and God had already demonstrated that He was with Gideon (6:21). Smith reminds us, “Far better to admit weakness and ask for strengthening than to go into battle with a cocky faith” (p. 155). On other occasions God punished people for doubting His word (Luke 1:20).

Chapter 7 7:1 Along the foothills of Mount Giboa, Gideon began to marshal the troops together. The spring of Harod (spring of trembling), is probably modern Ain Jalud at the foot of Mount Gilboa. The Midianites were located some four miles north of them in the Jezreel Valley. “The invaders knew about this 32,000-man army and their leader (Gideon) (14), but apparently they did not view them as a serious threat” (Gaebelein p. 424).

7:2 What a surprise to hear from God the message, “You have too many men”! Already, Gideon was outnumbered four to one. God knew that Israel would be tempted to believe that when victory came it was due to their own strength. To this day we are tempted to pat ourselves on the back when things go well in life. “The Bible is not obsessed, as we are, with our image…God usually calls servants, not heroes, and many of his servants simply don’t fit the mold that Madison Avenue has taught us to prize” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 101). God is much more concerned about trying to teach us trust in Him than making our lives run smoothly all the time. “If our victories make us self-reliant, they are ultimately more disastrous than defeat” (Inrig p. 125). 7:3 Gideon was instructed to use the provision of the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 20:8), and dismiss all those who were afraid, which reduced his army from 32,000 to 10,000. Twothirds of his army was gone! 7:4 Still too many!

7:5-8 Some suggest that the non-kneeler, scooped the water up in one hand (holding his weapon in the other) from which he lapped the water with his tongue. The writer doesn’t tell us if the method of drinking revealed anything about the soldier’s character. Some suggest that the 300 were more watchful, while Josephus argued that the 300 men were less watchful. Davis notes, “Those who were kept appeared to be the ones who stood upright while drinking the water from their hands, thus prepared for a sudden attack” (p. 116). Be impressed that God chose less than 1 percent of the group with which Gideon began. The Midianites now outnumber Israel, 450 to 1. This example should always remind us that God doesn’t need numbers and vast resources to accomplish His purposes. So let us never convince ourselves that we can’t spread the gospel because our resources are limited or our numbers are few.

7:9-15 God gives Gideon one more sign to strengthen his faith. Obviously, Gideon is fearful (7:10-11). From these verses we learn: 1. The Amalekites and other desert tribes had joined forces with the Midianites. 2. The Midianites new about Gideon (14) and his army. 3. We see a beautiful demonstration of God’s providence. It just so happened that when Gideon arrived he overheard the dream that one of the soldiers in the

Midianite camp was relating to his friend. “The other Midianite responded, perhaps in jest (or in faith), that this must refer to the sword of Gibeon…the divinely intended symbolism is clear (barley bread aptly described the poverty-stricken Israelites, and the tent referred to the nomadic Midianites)” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 394). “In light of this, we may need to alter our current stereotypes of what a servant of Christ is (or, is like). We sometimes dupe ourselves into thinking that a real servant of Christ is only someone who is dynamic, assured, confident, brash, fearless, witty, adventuresome, or glamorous” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 106).

7:16-22 The middle watch would have been at 10:00 p.m. The confusion in the Midianite camp was unbelievable as they imagined a much larger Israelite force attacking them and as they perhaps mistook their own returning guards for Israelites. Note the weapons issued, “A horn, a torch, and a jar! No shields, no arrows, no swords. I can imagine Gideon’s 300 looking at those things and wondering how they could ever win a victory with such unmilitary objects” (Inrig p. 135). “To the half-asleep men, everything that moved became an enemy. Every shadow was an Israelite. In all the confusion, the camels stampeded, and, in the chaos and tumult that resulted, the panicked Midianites began to slaughter one another” (Inrig p. 136). 7:22 Finally the Midianites had enough sense to flee, and they fled the Jezreel Valley toward the Jordan River. Later prophets regarded this victory as one of the greatest in the history of Israel (Isaiah 9:4). “The Midianites’ line of flight was toward the SE, past Beth Shan and across the Jordan. 7:23-25 To help in the pursuit, Gideon summoned reinforcements, perhaps including many of his original 32,000.

Gideon also summoned the powerful tribe of Ephraim to cut off the Midianites at the fords of the Jordan.

Chapter 8

8:1-3 The tribe of Ephraim had a proud heritage and felt insulted by Gideon’s failure to call on them earlier. “Ephraim was a prima donna among the tribes, a corporate Diotrephes (3 John 9)” (Dale Ralph Davis p.

107). Let us remember that Ephraim had made no effort to attack Midian on its own, and although they had probably heard of Gideon’s effort to raise an army, none of them had volunteered. “It is sadly true that in a time of victory the greatest danger often comes from within, from fellow believers” (Inrig p. 139). How many church problems have started because someone’s feelings or pride was injured? “Sometimes keeping

peace in the camp is more of a challenge than chasing the enemy!”

(Smith p. 159).

8:2 But Gideon doesn’t respond with a harsh answer (Proverbs 15:1).

Gideon praises Ephraim for their capturing of two Midian leaders. He pointed out that their accomplishments in this battle, their mopping up operation, bore greater fruit than the initial victory gained by him and his 300 men. Finally he pointed out that God was the true source of the victory. Since God had given the victory to Israel there was no room for boasting by any man.

8:4-5 Succoth (SUK oth) was located just north of the Jabbok River.

Weary and hungry, Gideon asked for provisions from this Israelite city in the territory of Gad. However, the men of Succoth reasoned that the Midianite kings could easily regroup and defeat Gideon’s little army. Any assistance given to Gideon would implicate Succoth and bring certain retaliation from the feared nomads. Such neutrality on their part was inexcusable, especially when the conflict was on their soil! “They sided with the enemy and acted like the enemy, so Gideon would treat them like the enemy” (Smith p. 159).

The devil is still trying to get Gideon to give up. The attitude of Succoth and Penuel could have influenced a lesser man to give up. “You are right, We have already won a great victory. Why press our luck any further? There is not much chance we can do anything. Let’s turn back” (Inrig p. 143). 2. The inhabitants of these two cities wanted to ride the fence and then side with the victors. 3. Often what people claim as “prudence” can be nothing more than unbelief. “Must our safety always be the ultimate consideration?….Here is instruction for us: sometimes the people of God are a great disappointment. (If you don’t know that, you may not survive in the church.) Don’t allow God’s people to disillusion you; at least be prepared for it. And watch out that it is not your passion for status (Mark 10:34-35) or your pursuit of security (1 Timothy 6:17) that disturbs the unity and saps the energy of the church” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 108-109).

8:6 “Zebah” (Zee bah); “Zalmunna” (zal MOON uh). 8:7 “I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers”-i.e. severe punishment. 8:8-9 He received the same answer from the inhabitants of Penuel (pih NOO uhl), which was a city a bit further on the Jabbok River.

“Gideon vowed that he would soon demolish the fortified tower that had made Penuel an important city” (Gaebelein p. 431).

8:10-12 Here we learned that the original Midianite force had numbered 135,000, but even now the fleeing Midianites still outnumbered Gideon.

The exact location of Karkor is unknown, but it is thought to have been near Rabbah, the modern Amman Jordan. From verse 11 is appears that the Midianite leaders thought that they were beyond the reach of Gideon. 8:13-17 The leaders of the two cities which refused to help Gideon are punished. Note, the detail in verse 14 about a young man writing down the names of the elders in Succoth. “His ability to write attests to a high degree of popular literacy” (Gaebelein p. 432). “The final defeat of the Midianites was achieved basically without the enthusiastic support of God’s people. The Ephraimites were more concerned about their tribal status than about smashing the enemy. The Transjordan towns of Succoth and Penuel chose neutrality rather than jeopardize their security. Everyone wants to join the victory parade. Few are willing to hazard their lives in the heat of battle” (Smith p. 160).

8:18-19 Here we are told that the Midianites had previously killed the brothers of Gideon. The inference in the verse seems to be that Gideon’s brothers had been treacherously murdered under the orders of these two kings rather than killed in fair combat” (Smith p. 160). The verse also infers that Gideon wasn’t a ninety pound weakling, he did have an impressive physical appearance. 8:20-21 Gideon gave the honor of executing these kings to his firstborn son, but the lad was afraid and refused. These kings quickly pointed out that such a task was a “man’s job”. In addition, for these kings it was considered to be more honorable and less painful to be killed by a renowned warrior like Gideon. The crescent-shaped ornaments on the camel’s necks are still in common use among the Arabs.

It’s Tough To End Well 8:22-23 To Gideon’s credit he rejected the offer to be king. “Insisting that theocracy, not monarchy, was best for Israel. God was there king, and the people needed to renew their allegiance to him” (Gaebelein p. 434).

8:24-27 Gideon did accept gifts from his grateful soldiers and the total weight of the gold given was between 35 and 75 pounds, depending on the size of the shekel at the time. With this gold Gideon made an ephod, which the Israelites ended up worshipping. An ephod was an apronlike garment worn by the high priest. Two shoulder straps and a waistband held it secure. We aren’t told why Gideon did this. Gaebelein suggests that the priesthood may had fallen on hard times; so Gideon may have wrongly assumed the priestly functions.

Gideon may have had the best intentions, he may have seen himself as someone being more spiritual than the current high priest and able to lead Israel back to God. Admittedly, this ephod was far more beautiful than the ephod worn by the high priest in Shiloh. 2. “It is extremely important that we recognize this. The essence of all compromise, and ultimately of all heresy, is that we believe that we have the right to alter or improve the revealed will of God” (Inrig p. 153). 3. In reference to the high priest, the breastplate was attached to the ephod, suggesting that the priest’s ephod was connected with asking for God’s direction by Urim and Thummim. It could be that Gideon wanted to make sure that he would remain an ongoing spokesman for God. “If Yahweh gave uniquely direct guidance to one of his servants (as to Gideon in chapters 6 and 7) in some circumstances, that did not authorize that servant to assume he should become an ongoing, alternative channel of divine guidance for Israel…Christians today do not deal with ephods, high priests, or tabernacles, and yet may have this same thirst for more---hankering for more than what God has already given for our sustenance, nurture, and direction. We subtly suggest God has furnished us inadequately. We are not content merely to walk obediently to the Scriptures, trusting God’s providence and goodness to direct us in the proper path. No, we must have more---a specific direct word from God about what we should do in our particular problem. So we come up saying, ‘The Lord said to me that I should…’ or ‘The Holy Spirit spoke to me, telling me that’” (Dale Ralph Davis pp. 114-115). 4. There is also a warning here to all of God’s servants. “I remember how disappointed I was as a child in the kings of Judah. Whether I read in my Bible story book or in the text of Kings and Chronicles, I mentally grieved over kings like Asa, Jehosphaphat, Uzziah, and Hezekiah who, though basically faithful, all marred that fidelity in some way before the end of their reigns (2 Chron. 16; 18:1-19:3; 26:16-23; 2 Kings 20:12-21)” (Dale Ralph Davis p. 111). The Bible has many cases in which faithful servants of God made some very poor choices and in essence sowed the seeds for apostasy for the next generation.

8:30-31 Though Gideon rejected the offer of being king at the same time he lived like a king. “God had warned that Israel’s kings should not multiply wives (Deuteronomy 17:17). How much more this would apply to those who were not kings” (Smith p. 162). In addition, the name “Abimelech” means, “My father is king”.

Closing Comments “It may be significant that none of the judgeships recorded in the rest of the Book of Judges resulted in a designated period of peace…This seems to fit the general pattern of progressive political and social decline and moral degeneration in the book. The event that launched the declining phase of the period of the Judges was the abortive kingship of Abimelech. Abimelech, the son of Gideon by a concubine, was not called a judge. In fact his rule included some elements of oppression which were eliminated only by his death and by the subsequent positive judgeship of Tola (who lived in the same general area of the central highlands)” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 396).