Study of Gideon

Who was Gideon?

Gideon is one of the judges of Israel. His story fills Judges 6-8 and is one of the longest in the book. He is the son of Joash, from the tribe of Manasseh, and the Bible introduces him threshing wheat in a winepress, hiding from Midianite raiders. For how wheat was processed in his day, see sifting wheat in Bible times. He is also called Jerubbaal (Judges 6:32).

Hebrews 11:32 lists Gideon among people of faith, so the New Testament remembers him positively, even though his story contains doubt and a sad ending.

Background: Israel in the days of the judges

Judges follows a repeated pattern: Israel does evil, is oppressed by a neighbor, cries out to the LORD, and God raises up a deliverer. For seven years Midian and its allies raided Israel’s crops and livestock, leaving the people in dens and caves (Judges 6:1-6). Gideon’s story begins with Israel’s desperation.

Judges 6: the meaning of the chapter

Judges 6 is mostly about call and doubt. A few movements are worth noting:

• The prophet’s rebuke (6:7-10). Before a deliverer appears, God sends a prophet reminding Israel that he rescued them and that they did not listen to him. Rescue comes after confession, not before.
• The angel’s greeting (6:11-12). The angel of the LORD calls Gideon a “mighty man of valour” (KJV) while he is hiding. The greeting names what God will do, not what Gideon feels.
• Gideon’s honest objection (6:13-15). If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened? Gideon calls his clan the weakest and himself the least. God’s answer is simple: “Surely I will be with thee” (6:16, KJV).
• A sign and an altar (6:17-24). Gideon asks for a sign, and fire consumes his offering. He builds an altar called “The LORD is peace.”
• Tearing down the altar of Baal (6:25-32). God’s first assignment is at home. Gideon obeys, though at night, because he fears his family and the townspeople.
• The Spirit comes (6:34). The Spirit of the LORD clothes himself with Gideon, and Gideon summons the tribes.

So the meaning of the chapter is that God calls a frightened and doubting man, goes with him, and begins by dealing with idolatry in his own household.

Gideon’s fleece and how to read it

In Judges 6:36-40 Gideon asks for a sign: a wool fleece wet with dew while the ground is dry, and the next night the reverse. God does both.

Christians read this in different ways:

• A model for seeking guidance. Some use “putting out a fleece” as a way of asking God for a sign when making a decision.
• A sign of weak faith. Others note that God had already given Gideon a promise, so asking for more signs reveals his hesitation. On this reading, God is gracious despite it and does not set it up as a pattern.
• God’s patience. Many stress God’s kindness in meeting Gideon where he is.

Key lessons commonly drawn from the fleece are that God is patient with honest doubt, that God’s promise is more solid than a sign, and that Christians now are generally pointed to Scripture, prayer, wise counsel and the Spirit for guidance. If you are facing a big decision, talk it through with a trusted pastor or mentor rather than relying on a single sign.

Judges 7: 300 men

Gideon gathers about 32,000 men, and God says that is too many, lest Israel boast that its own hand saved it. After announcing that the fearful may go home, 22,000 leave. A test at the water brings the army down to 300. Before the battle, God offers Gideon the chance to overhear a Midianite soldier’s dream, which strengthens him (7:9-15).

The victory comes with trumpets, empty jars and torches, and the cry “The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon” (7:20, KJV). The Midianites turn on one another and flee. The point of the story is clear: salvation belongs to the LORD.

Judges 8 and the troubling end

Chapter 8 shows a more complicated Gideon. He deals harshly with the towns of Succoth and Penuel, who refused to help him, and he avenges his brothers by killing the Midianite kings. He refuses to be king, saying the LORD will rule over Israel (8:23). Then he asks for gold earrings and makes an ephod, and “all Israel went thither a whoring after it” (8:27, KJV), which became a snare to Gideon and his house. After his death, Israel returned to Baal worship (8:33).

Many readers conclude that the story shows both God’s power through a weak man and the way success can lead to spiritual drift.

Key lessons

1. God sees potential others miss. He names Gideon by who he will become with God’s help.
2. God is with the weak. Gideon’s weakness is real and is never denied; strength comes from God’s presence.
3. Honest doubt can be brought to God. Gideon asks and God answers, though the text does not make doubt a virtue. See our Bible verses about doubting God for more.
4. God gets the credit. The shrinking army keeps the focus on him.
5. Obedience starts at home. The first task was tearing down the family altar.
6. Success needs vigilance. Gideon’s later choices warn against turning blessings into idols.

Was Gideon a prophet?

The Bible does not call Gideon a prophet. He is a judge and military deliverer. The Spirit of the LORD empowers him, and God speaks to him, but the prophet in Judges 6:8 is a different, unnamed person. Judges were leaders, not prophets in the technical sense.

The Gideon Bible and the Gideons International

The Bibles you see in hotel rooms are placed by the Gideons International, a Christian association founded in the United States in 1899 by businessmen. It takes its name from Gideon, because of his willingness to serve with few resources. Gideon Bibles are Protestant Christian Bibles, typically the New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs or the full Bible, and no particular religion “reads the Gideon Bible” beyond that Christian origin. Anyone may read them.

Discussion questions

1. Where do you feel like Gideon in the winepress, small and hiding?
2. How does the angel’s greeting change how Gideon is seen, and what does that say about God’s view of us?
3. What is your “altar of Baal at home,” something God may be asking you to address first?
4. How do you think about asking God for signs?
5. Why might God have wanted the army reduced?
6. What does Gideon’s ending teach about handling success?

If you are studying the generation of leaders before the judges, the study of Joshua gives the background.