Judges
Judges 6-9
1.Life during the oppression.
Gideon grew up in a situation where his country was oppressed by the Midianites. It happened because the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD and because of that the LORD delivered them to the hands of the Midianites for 7 years.
The Midianites oppressed them badly, did not allow the Israelites to reap their harvest, and looted everything they were having including their livestock. In Jud 6 v5 we read “ For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number, and they would enter the land to destroy it.”Because of the Midianites, the Israelites took refuge in the Caves, dens, and Strongholds.
2.Gideon’s call
Because of the Midianites, the Israelites cried to the Lord for help and God sent a prophet to them with a message of hope and deliverance.Then the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of Valor”
I think that Gideon had some courage to thresh the wheat at that time though he has done it near the winepress. While his fellow men took refuge in the caves and Dens Gideon had some courage to come out get his work done.
Then the Lord commissioned him to save Israel from the Midianites – ch 6 v: 14 “Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
3.Gideon’s excuses.
Ch 6 V.15 “So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Gideon felt inadequate to do this task, he says his clan is the weakest in the Manasseh tribe and the least in his father’s house. Then the LORD responded to him saying “ Surely I will be with you and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man”. His insignificance was outweighed by the presence of God. God many times called insignificant people like Moses to do mighty and historic work for Him. His presence with them was sufficient for them to do His mission.
4.” Exhausted but still in pursuit”
When God called Gideon to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites he got 32,000/- men in his army. But God told him “the people are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against me saying”my own hand has saved me”Then after the test and his army’s number reduced to just 300. With these 300 men, Gideon won over the Midianites. I like the commitment the army of Gideon had/ during the war they were exhausted but still in pursuit. Such a committed army!
5. Gideon’s diplomacy.
in Judges Ch 8 – Gideon was subduing his enemies and the men of Israel from other tribes gathered against the Midianites.Gideon sent messages to the tribe of Ephraim also to conquer the Midianites and they were also involved in this battle. Now the men of Ephraim asked Gideon “ Now the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.” then Gideon answered them in a way that quenching their anger
Ch 8.Vs 2- 3 “So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.”
The tribe of Ephraim is considered higher than the Benjamin tribe. They were the leaders of the Benjamin tribe once upon a time. Gideon could have bullied them but he peacefully dealt with this situation.
- Some painful incidents in Gideon’s family.
a.Zeba and Zalmunna the Midianite kings killed Gideons’ brothers. This incident might happened before Gideons’ call to conquer the Midianites.
“After punishing the people of Succoth and Penuel for failing to help him (8:14-17), Gideon put Zebah and Zalmunna to death on the principle of blood revenge because they had killed his own brothers at Tabor (either the mount, or possibly a city). In the process he removed the crescent-shaped jewelry of silver or gold counted as important (see Isa 3:18) and possibly indicative of royalty, worn by the camels and the two kings (Judg 8:18-21).”
b.There were 40 years of rest and peace during Gideon’s rule. Gideon had 70 sons for he had many wives. Gideon died at a good old age. As soon as Gideon died the Israelites again left God and went after other false gods.in Ch 8 vs34 and 35 we read “Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.
The people of Israel were not thankful to God and not showed kindness to Gideon’s family.
c. The most tragic incident – Abimelech – one of Gideon’s sons conspired against the rest of his 69 brothers. He went back to his mother’s place and got the support to become the ruler ignoring the rest of his siblings. He hired some worthless and reckless men with him. Abimelech killed 68 of his siblings. Jotham escaped from it. Abimelech done such a serious crime and got cursed and he was killed by someone shortly. I don’t like to write more about him, he was such a bad and cruel person.
These are some of the bad experiences Gideon’s family faced. But Gideon taught us several lessons to us through his life.