JUDGES 6
1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of Yahweh: and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
etymologically, an Arab and a locust are almost the same in radicals, and in pronunciation arbeh, signifying a locust; and arbi, an Arab. In Judg. vi. 5, in the original, the locust is used to designate the number and character of invading Arab hosts --
"they (the Midianite Arabs and children of the east) came as locusts for multitude."
Eureka 9.1.6.
8 That Yahweh sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith Yahweh Elohim of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
The first specifically-mentioned prophet after the settlement of the land under Joshua, was between the judgeship of Deborah and Gideon-nearly two hundred years after the crossing of the Jordan. His mission was a mission of reproof against Israel's declension from the ways of God. As a result of this declension, Israel had come into great trouble at the hands of the Midianites, who had come into the land "as grasshoppers for multitude" and destructiveness.
Israel "cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites," and "the Lord sent a prophet" to them to explain the situation, which probably, in the lapse of time, they had ceased to understand. No man could have told them God's relation to the matter, or could have confidently maintained that God had anything to do with it at all.
Human helplessness in this respect will be manifest to anyone who attempts the interpretation of the modern situation-that is, who attempts to answer the simple questions, What does God think of European life? or has He any knowledge or regard in the case one way or other?
It requires the Spirit of God to answer such questions, and the Spirit of God coming on a man makes him a prophet, or a vehicle of the expression of the divine mind. ...Israel humbled themselves, and there shortly followed deliverance by the hand of Gideon in a miraculous manner.
The Christadelphian, June 1898
11 And there came an angel of Yahweh, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
This was a time of open vision unlike our own. From time to time the angels of Yahweh would appear to mortal man. After John on the Isle of Patmos no such visitations have occurred, but the return of Christ will begin to alter this state of affairs, and will come as a profound shock to this world.
The angel reassured Gideon who is threshing wheat by the winepress, hiding from the oppressor. This process of separating the wheat from the chaff is a refining process for the saints, culminating at Sinai (Matt 7).
Gideon is called a valiant man, but needed reassurance, and pleads for a sign.*
25 And it came to pass the same night, that Yahweh said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the 2nd bullock of 7 years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
The Altar of Baal was probably a construction of a large graven image in the form of an ox, raised on a pedestal, in the midst of a grove of trees. Here foul cultish worship took place.
The land had lapsed into idolatry and paganism, including the family of Gideon. He himself had remained separate from these abominations, showing his strength of character.*
26 And build an altar unto Yahweh thy Elohim upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
Gideon was to pull down the altar of Baal and use the wood from the grove to burn the idol on an altar upon a rock.*
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
This is a conspicuous valley in the north of Israel between Galilee and Manasseh. Here no doubt will the massive armies of Gog congregate in the battle of Armageddon, before being smashed by the stone power.
Here the stone power was Gideon, but he needed reassurance. And so the sign of the fleece. Is anything too hard for Yahweh.*
*The Apocalyptic Messenger, Aug 2019.
36 And Gideon [Gid'on] said unto Elohim, If Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand [Yisroel by my yad], as Thou hast said,
The case of Gideon is peculiarly interesting.
In his days,
"Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord."
The first response to Israel's cry was a message by a prophet, upbraiding them with their disobedience. But next (for Yahweh is merciful) "there came an angel of Yahweh, and sat under an oak," at a spot in Ophrah, where Gideon was threshing wheat in concealment from the Midianites. The angel saluted Gideon with these words:
"Yahweh is with thee, thou mighty man of valour."
Gideon, not knowing his visitor was an angel, but supposing he was only a man, asked why evil had befallen them if Yahweh were with them, and where all the miracles were, of which their fathers had told them. Whatever answer (not recorded) may or may not have been given to this question, the angel informed Gideon that he (Gideon) was to effect Israel's deliverance from the Midianites. The intimation filled Gideon with surprise, on account of his smallness and family obscurity. The angel rejoined in Yahweh's name,
"Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite Midian as one man."
Gideon, realising the character of his visitor, desired some evidence of the reality of the matter, that he might be sure his senses did not deceive him:
"Show me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee and bring forth my present."
The angel consented to wait, and Gideon went into his house and got ready a meal of cakes, meat and broth, to set before the angel. On his return with the food prepared, he found the angel sitting in the same position (under the oak). The angel directed him to put the flesh and cakes on an adjacent rock, and to pour out the broth. Gideon did so, and the angel then touched the articles of food with the end of a staff he had in his hand, upon which an instant and complete combustion of the whole occurred.
The cakes, flesh, and broth disappeared in flame, and the angel disappeared at the same moment. The object of this wonder was powerfully attained. Gideon, whose faith it was necessary thus to fortify as the instrument of the impending deliverance of Israel,
"perceived that he (his visitor) was an angel of Yahweh,"
and he instantly set to work to take the necessary measures for achieving the work assigned to him. As the result of those measures,
"all the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east gathered together."
Gideon also gathered the Israelites; but his force was so small compared with the mustering masses of the well-appointed enemy, that he naturally felt a twinge of misgiving, and a desire to have some further guarantee that there was no mistake about the divine origin and support of his enterprise.
37 Behold [Hinei], I will put a fleece of wool in the floor [ goren (threshing floor)]; and if the dew [tal] be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth [ha'aretz] beside, then shall I know that Thou wilt save Israel [Yisroel] by mine hand [yad], as thou hast said.
38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust [squeezed] the fleece together, and wringed the dew [tal] out of the fleece, a bowl full of water [mayim].
God is not unreasonable: He desired Gideon to be quite certain that the angelic message was a reality. Therefore He complied with Gideon's request. Early on the morrow Gideon, going out to the fleece, found it drenched with moisture, while the ground on which it lay was dry. He wrung out of it a bowlful of water. But Gideon had again a misgiving. Perhaps some one overheard his prayer, and wet the fleece in water and put it on the ground. He would like to make assurance doubly sure. If he could have the sign reversed-if the ground might be wetted while the fleece should remain dry (he knew no man could do that)-but he was afraid to propose it...
39 And Gideon [Gid'on] said unto Elohim, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove [test], I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew [tal].
Gideon asking his tokens
Gideon was what in modern language we might call a small farmer-with a farm away in the mountains, specially subject to the depredations of marauding bands who watched their opportunity and pounced upon the crops at the right time. All Israel were exposed to this affliction because of their neglect of the institutions Moses had delivered to them.
The affliction was very bitter, and Israel cried for deliverance. One day, Gideon was threshing corn in secret, for fear of the Midianites. An angel came in response to Israel's prayers and informed Gideon that God would deliver Israel by his (Gideon's) hands, and proceeded to indicate steps he must take.
Gideon desired a token that his visitor was a divine reality. He could not enter upon such an apparently hopeless undertaking as the overthrow of the Midianite armies of occupation, without the assurance that God was with him. He asked his visitor to stay while he (Gideon) should present him something. The visitor assented, and Gideon prepared a repast of flesh and broth and unleavened cakes, and brought it to him. The angel asked him to deposit the things on a certain spot on the rock. Gideon did so. The angel then touched them with the end of his rod, and flames issued from the rock and consumed them in a moment.
This satisfied Gideon for the time, and (the angel having departed) he proceeded to carry out his directions. But days having passed, it appears to have occurred to Gideon that possibly the angelic visit was a dream or an illusion of some kind. He desired a further confirmation. He asked God in all humility that He might suffer Himself to be tested. He would put a fleece of wool in the open air during the night; let it be wet on the fleece in the morning and dry on all the ground. God granted the request.
Gideon found the fleece wet and wrung a bowl of water out of it, while all the ground was dry. But Gideon appears to have doubted again. Perhaps someone knew of his wish that the wool should be wet and took and dipped it in water and replaced it in its position whilst he slept. Would God refrain His anger and allow him one more token: namely, let him again place the fleece on the ground, and this time, let the fleece be dry and let all the ground be wet: he would then be sure that there was no human deception.
God heard Gideon in this also: the fleece was perfectly dry and all the ground wet, and Gideon went on without further hesitation till he succeeded in routing the Midianitish army and driving them out of the country.
What is there in all this for us? Why this, it is the illustration of a fact meeting us at every turn throughout the whole course of Bible history, that the transactions upon which our faith and hope are founded were all of a practical, palpable, tangible character. They were not of the dreamy unreal character of heathen prodigies.
There never was any room for the possibility of "cunningly devised fables." There was no hole and corner character about them; none of the demands upon "confidence" that are more or less characteristic of every form of imposture.
From the day that Moses brought Israel from Egypt by public acts of power which the magicians of Egypt could not imitate (at last killing the Egyptian firstborn and opening a way in the sea), to the day when mighty signs and wonders were openly performed by Christ in the midst of Israel. For three-and-a-half years, there was one long, strong, and divine interposition of a character as open and substantial as any transaction that ever transpired among men.
If God has spoken "at sundry times and in divers manners," He has also attested the fact in a way not to be mistaken by common sense and child-like candour. Faith rests upon a foundation that could not be made more solid except by the performance of miracle before our own eyes, and even this would not, in true logic, add to its strength. The resurrection of Christ is the crowning assurance.
His miracles, while he lived, were convincing enough; but had he died and passed off the scene in the ordinary way, it might have been suggested that the power enabling him to perform these miracles was a power mysteriously resident in himself as an extraordinary man, and of no wide significance as regards other men. But what can the caviller say when the dead Christ rises from the dead?
A dead man cannot raise himself. A power external to himself must do this. That he rose is certain on the evidence. The world is full of crucifixes today because he rose. The cross of Christ would never have come to be magnified if Christ himself had not risen. The world would never have heard of the crucified Christ had he not become the risen and glorified Christ.
The testimony of the apostles is before us in the written form in which they left it; and the evidence of their testimony having been given is to be seen in the altered state of the world, which while idolatrous under the Caesars at the time their work began, is now "christian" and civilised to a degree, bearing witness to the employment of some powerful agency effecting the change.
Seasons 2.20.
40 And Elohim did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew [tal] on all the ground.
There is no more distinct illustration of the object of miracle in all the Scriptures than this. It is either to make His power known, as in the case of the Egyptian plagues, or (as in this) it is to give warranty of the divinity of any work in which God proposes to employ the voluntary cooperation of man.
Visible Hand of God Ch 21