The Call of Gideon (Judges 6:1-24)

We see once again the cycle of the children of Israel, after a time of blessing, turning away from the Lord and engaging in sinful behaviour. As on previous occasions they found themselves oppressed by an alien power, this time by the Midianites. The oppression by the Midianites caused the Israelites to turn to the Lord for help, yet the impression that is given is that the Lord did not send immediate help because the prayers of the people were based on an inadequate understanding of where they were in their relationship with God.

One detail that is very striking is how quickly people forgot about the things God had done for his people. The oppression of the Midianites had only lasted for seven years; nevertheless we can see from Gideon’s words that he did not mention what God had done through previous judges, even the most recent, Deborah and Barak, who had given rest to the land for eighty years.

Instead of sending immediate help, God chose to send a prophet whose message informed the Israelites about the root cause of their troubles, which was disobedience to the revealed will of God. We might say that it is not sufficient to pray out of desperation, which is what the Israelites were doing. In addition there has to be an awareness of the dangerous consequences of sin. It is also the case that this unknown prophet is a reminder that God has his faithful servants willing to declare his message in the most difficult of days.

When we are introduced to Gideon, he is not an attractive option as a leader. He is sifting grain, but he is doing so in a hidden and inadequate location. Sifting would usually be done in an open area so that the wind could blow the chaff away. His circumstances indicate that he had not thought much about what could be done to change his situation. All he expected was to do as best as he could and hope the Midianites would not find him out.

Jesus appears to Gideon

We have met the heavenly Visitor before in the Book of Judges. His words are recorded in the song of Deborah and he will appear later in the book as well. We can see from verse 14 that the visitor is more than an ordinary angel. Instead he is the Lord himself. So we need to remember this as we listen in to the conversation. And we should remind ourselves that he has appeared down through the history of Israel, beginning with Abraham. As we have noted many times, here is a pre-incarnate activity of the second person of the Trinity.

The first thing we can observe about the visitor is his posture – he sat, and was holding a staff. This is a very simple description, yet it tells us a great deal because it informs us that the Visitor appeared in human form, and in a humble manner. Moreover we can see that the Visitor focuses on Gideon as he is working as if he appreciates what he is observing. Does that not remind us of what Jesus did when he called Simon Peter and Andrew and James and John? The Gospels tell us that Jesus looked on them as they fished, and then he called them, and something similar is happening here.

Then we can notice the promise that the visitor gave to Gideon when he was told that the Lord was with him. Does the promise indicate that God was with Gideon continually or that he was now with Gideon in a special way? We are not told why Gideon needed this promise, although it does look as if he was thinking about why the Lord seemed to be absent from Israel. So maybe he needed assurance that God had not forgotten his people.

And we have to notice the surprising name by which the visitor addressed Gideon – he was called ‘a mighty man of valour’. It did not look as if this was the case at that moment because Gideon was trying to hide from the Midianites. Probably the Visitor was telling Gideon what he would yet be, although it does not look as if Gideon realised this initially. And did Jesus not do something similar when he met his first disciples? He told Simon that he would become a rock and he told the fishermen (Simon, Andrew, James and John) that they would catch humans in the gospel net.

The first objection

We are not surprised that Gideon initially had questions about what the Lord was doing. He knew that God had delivered his people in the past from Egypt and he also realised that the current predicament in which they were under the domination of the Midianites was the Lord’s actions. I suppose we could say that Gideon’s problem was divine providence. God seemed to be indicating that he would no longer help his cause.

Is there anything wrong with Gideon’s response? It was not wrong for him to express his concerns, but we can say that his description of the Lord’s doing was very brief. Sometimes summaries are helpful, at other times they are not. The description of Gideon missed out what the Lord had done in the recent past through previous judges. His response was as if we were to say that God delivered us at the Reformation and now we are in trouble. If we said such a thing, it would suggest that we were ignorant of what God had done recently or that we dismissed what God had done recently because it was not as great as what he did at the Reformation.

Gideon discovered that the answer to the present is not merely to think about the past, which is escapism, but to focus on the present with the promise that the Lord would be with him. What did the presence of the Lord mean for Gideon? It meant that Gideon had sufficient power to accomplish the task God had planned for him. The Lord speaks to him in such a way that informed him that when God commissions he provides what is necessary for serving him. As we apply that to ourselves we should note that the Lord Jesus gives his Holy Spirit to enable his people perform the tasks he has in mind for them.

The second objection

The first objection by Gideon was connected to his perception of divine providence and his second objection was related to his personal circumstances. He tells the visitor that although he belonged to the prominent tribe of Manasseh he actually belonged to the weakest family in the tribe, with he himself as the weakest member of his family.

Of course, this estimation seems to be based on knowledge, whereas it is actually based on ignorance. How could Gideon know he belonged to the weakest family in the tribe? His words are like us saying that we belong to the smallest group in the Highlands. Ignorance is never a good way to respond to omniscience in the presence of God.

Moreover we can see that because Gideon did this, his small stature took the big God out of the estimation. It is amazing how easily we can lose sight of the capabilities of the Lord. It is not surprising that Gideon lost confidence when he focussed on himself. Knowing the truth about ourselves is only half the story. We also need to keep in mind the truth about God.

Nevertheless it is the case that Gideon here is showing the qualities of leadership that God is looking for. Later on, through Isaiah, the Lord was to describe the kind of man he wanted: ‘But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word’ (Isa. 66:2). So the Lord reassured Gideon about the reality of the divine presence and of a compressive victory over the enemies. The Lord shows his grace in many ways, and one way is when he combines patience and reassurance in his dealings with us.

The ceremony of confirmation

Gideon wanted evidence that it was truly God he was speaking with. After all, if the angel had come in human form, he would look like a man, and perhaps the thought had come to Gideon that he should receive more confirmation about the One speaking to him and promising the divine presence. After all, if the Visitor were only a man, his promises would be meaningless.

The appropriate action in the presence of God is to engage in worship, which is what Gideon did when he offered a young goat and various items of food. If the Visitor were not able to do something with them it would be proof that he was not divine. So Gideon was asking God to act like God, we could say. In a moment, that was all that it took to convince Gideon, the Lord showed his power by using a staff he was carrying as the means of setting the sacrifice on fire – he had the power to create out of nothing. The fire burnt up all the sacrifice, a sign that God accepted the offering. Of course, Gideon also was given further evidence of the ability of the Visitor when he disappeared from Gideon’s sight. One moment, he was there, the next he was gone. And I suspect the ability to disappear is more impressive that the power to create.

Was it right for Gideon to ask for a sign? I suppose one way to answer this question is to consider what his options were. Gideon could have responded to the divine message with strong faith or with weak faith or by disobedience. His request for a sign on this occasion was neither strong faith nor disobedience. Instead it was an expression of his weak faith that needed strengthening. We should not be surprised that his faith would need some supports at the commencement of his time of service, and indeed he was to ask for more signs shortly. Yet we would not expect him to ask for signs of God’s presence in the future, and even if he did he would not get them probably. Eventually in a believer’s life the request for a sign will become an expression of unbelief rather than of weak faith, and the individual will rely on the sign rather than on God.

There is another way to consider the disappearance of the Angel and that is to ask if he was testing Gideon to see whether or not he would live by faith rather than by what he could see. After all, the sign of fire only lasted for a moment and would only be a hallowed memory. It is also the case that although the Angel had disappeared he was still there because he continues to speak to Gideon.

The response of Gideon

Gideon’s first response was one of sanctified dread, which is how we should expect a person who has met God to react. This is how Isaiah responded to his vision of God (Isa. 6:5), how Peter responded to the miracle of Jesus when he provided a great catch of fish (Luke 5:8), and how John responded to the appearance of the exalted Saviour (Rev. 1:17).

Connected to that aspect of response of dread, there was also a response of sanctified deduction because in those few moments Gideon had realised that he had met a divine person called the angel of the Lord. We can note that this response indicates that there was an awareness in Israel of the identity of this divine person, and what the consequences could be of meeting with him. It is intriguing that our ability to think rationally does not evaporate when we are in the presence of the God who made us. Instead we begin to see things very clearly. Isaiah saw his sin, as did Peter; John saw his nothingness, and Gideon realised he had been in the presence of the perfect.

Yet this sense of authentic dread, as opposed to meaningless dread, led to the reception of divine comfort. Gideon was reminded by the now unseen Visitor that he was called to peace. Although the Visitor was so awesome, he was also very gracious, and he desired to give the atmosphere of heaven to his apprehensive servant. Is this not what Jesus said often to his apostles, and is it not how Paul usually begins his letters? Peace is the environment of godliness.

Gideon’s response climaxed in an act of personal dedication as he erected an altar. He had discovered something great that morning, which was that in the circumstances of fear and defeat the peace of God could be known. And God calls us to enjoy the peace he has provided through the gospel of peace.