Judges 6:1–40

First of all, we are reminded that the unfaithfulness of God's people is what puts power into any enemy's hand. No might of Midian could have prevailed if the Lord had not permitted it. And He would not have permitted it if Israel's condition had not made it necessary. Those who will not learn in communion with God, must do so in the hands of the enemy. "Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God." (Jer. 2:19.)

The Midianites did not know that the LORD had delivered Israel into their hands. In reality they were only the rod with which it pleased Him to punish His people. As with the Assyrian (Isa. 10): "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!" When He has finished with His rod, He can break it or burn it. "Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?" Satan himself is very often the rod used by God for the discipline of His children.

What a humiliating picture! What a reverse for the Israel of God! What a contrast to the conquering army that had crossed the Jordan and walked across the ruins of Jericho! How sad, how humbling, to think of Israel hiding in the dens and caves of the mountains, in terror of the Midianites!

Israel's power and glory consisted simply in having the presence of God with them. Without that, they were as water spilled on the ground… But they could not enjoy God's presence while they allowed evil among them. So when Israel forgot their Lord and wandered away from Him into the forbidden paths of idolatry, He had to bring them to their senses by stretching out His governmental rod.

Midian was a near relative of Israel. He descended from Abraham through Keturah, his second wife, and again and again the Midianites cross paths with the chosen people. In the wilderness the LORD spoke to Moses — who had married Zipporah, daughter of the priest of Midian — and said, "Harass the Midianites and strike them down, for they have harassed you with their wiles." (Num. 25:16-18; Num. 31:1-12.) But now they are in the land itself, though they had never followed the ark across the Jordan… How solemn the warning!

Midian stands for the world, as its history has shown it. The name matches this: it means "strife." "The corruption that is in the world" is "because of sinful desire" (2 Peter 1:4). And "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" (James 4:1.)… These Midianites were Arab raiders. They wandered and plundered, devouring like locusts what they had no will to produce, as the story here shows. This is what the world is when the professing church lets it in: it has no shared interest with the church, but the reverse, and the effect is simply desolation.

Under Jabin, Israel had no weapons (Judges 5:8). Under the yoke of Midian he was starving. This is what our unfaithfulness costs us, and we always suffer it when we seek our portion with the world. It drags us down and takes away our weapons. Our strength leaves us, and we lose every means of resisting… We notice it by the barrenness that invades the soul when, in our folly, we leave the rich food of the house of God for harvests that are only a mirage of the desert.

Israel's power and glory consisted simply in having the presence of God with them. Without that, they were like water spilled on the ground, like the autumn leaf before the wind. But they could not enjoy God's presence while they allowed evil among them. So when Israel forgot their Lord and wandered into the forbidden paths of idolatry, He had to bring them back to their senses. He stretched out His governmental rod and made them feel the crushing power of one or another of the nations around them.

This was not because the Midianites were more powerful than the children of Israel. When God was among them and fighting for them, the size of the enemy did not matter. The battle was already decided... The reason for their condition was their own unfaithfulness. They disobeyed God's plain, clear word: have nothing to do with idolatry, and give Him the place in your affections.

What a humiliating picture! What a contrast to the conquering army that had crossed the Jordan and walked across the ruins of Jericho! How sad to think of Israel crouching and hiding in the dens and caves of the mountains, in terror of the pagan Midianites!

They had never sunk so low. To live like wanderers and fugitives in the land of God, in their own land, was a burning disgrace to Israel... Gideon felt this, and he felt it all the more because he knew their slavery under Midian was the Lord's doing. Israel's moral state left Him no choice but to reduce His people to such a shameful condition. What must God have felt, to deal so with those He loved!

In short, they hid themselves in the earth. God had set them in that land to be a witness for Himself. If they had walked in His ways, their light would have kept shining, and other nations would have learnt how good it was to have Israel's God. But they were no witness for God while they hid in the dens and caves of the earth. It is the same today. God's people whose souls are under the power of earthly things shine no light for Him. Their light is hidden instead of set on the lampstand for all to see.

Midian means "strife," a fitting name for that spirit of the world which brings the strife of desires into the soul... Look at that happy young Christian: the things of God are his delight, and fellowship with the people of God his only pleasure. But he wanders in heart, and the world finds an entrance. It will not take some blatantly immoral form. He indulges some "harmless pleasure" or forms some "agreeable companionship". Mark the results. Strife with divine things follows.

The food set before the saints is strife and sorrow and backbiting and misrepresentation and cruelties of different kinds. No one can grow spiritually on this food. This was the condition Israel was in. There was no family life, the business life of the nation broke down, and food supply ran very low. In that condition the people were very distressed. It is a very good thing when people do get distressed and cry aloud to God.

Their enemies ruled over them for a complete period, because they had rebelled against the rule of God. So God teaches them, in the land of blessing and privilege, the contrast between His rule and the rule of man. We are always ruled by someone or something. If not by God, then by that power which is hostile to God and His people. We are often brought under that power so that we may learn how much better God's rule is. Under Him our passions are controlled; under the other our very nature is worn out and harassed. This is a discipline that all God's people can come under.

Those were very dark days in Israel. The land was suffering badly because of the evil of God's people. They sowed their grain, but reaped no harvest. The Midianites came up at harvest time with their cattle and tents, as many as grasshoppers, and destroyed the produce of the land.

One of the ancient peoples who held the land promised to Abraham, Genesis 15:19. Probably the same as bene-Kedem, "children of the east." Judges 6:3.

"And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel." Nothing could have prevailed against them, had they been faithful to the Lord.

The name Midian means "strife" or "contention"… How often we have seen normal conditions in assembly life disrupted among the people of God because of strife and contention. People seek their own way. Strong-willed people make demands about things that ought never to be considered among the people of God… There is very little worship of the Father and the Son. There is very little testimony to the Lord or to the unconverted. And there is precious little food supply.

When crops had been sown, the Midianites would come. Amalekites and others from the east came with them, destroying the produce of the earth (vv. 3-4). Amalek speaks of the lusts of the flesh, which we may always expect to accompany an attitude of strife (Midian). The result of such an attack will also always be to destroy all spiritual growth and prosperity.

Now the things of earth are not necessarily bad and grossly sinful. They are things which may be right and proper when kept in their right place, and they may include God's temporal mercies to us. But if they become our object in life they crowd out the things of Christ and heaven. As a result the sunshine leaves the life, the song leaves the lips, and soul prosperity is at an end.

Midian devours or destroys all the fruits of the earth. Canaan was famous, as parts of it still are today, for its wonderful fertility. God could call it "the glory of all lands," and He promised them they should eat their bread without scarcity. How many of the Lord's people have to complain of their leanness. They find so little food, the Bible is a closed book to them, their souls are suffering a famine. The world has devoured the food. You cannot enjoy the world and enjoy Christ. It is impossible.

How often had their fathers sown for others to reap! How often had the enemy invaded the land and carried off the produce of the soil! (Judges 6:3, 11.) Their affairs will prosper. God's blessing will be known in their families… "The Lord will bless you out of Zion. May you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. May you see your children's children, and peace upon Israel."

"And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel." Nothing could have prevailed against them, had they been faithful to the Lord.

But now they are in the land itself, though they had never followed the ark across the Jordan; "and Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites." How solemn the warning!

These Midianites — some think "Midian" is really connected with the modern word "Bedouin" — were Arab raiders, wandering pillagers, devouring like locusts what they had no will to produce, as the story here shows. This is what the world is when it is let into the professing church: it has no shared interest with it, but the opposite; the effect is simply desolation.

Notice, too, the connection with the Philistines, whose name we have seen means "wanderers"… "As far as Gaza" is no mere geographical limit. "In those days, as in later times, Gaza was the great market for stolen goods, brought there by the Bedouins from their raids." It would be natural for Philistines to join Israel's enemies.

The name Midian means 'strife' or 'contention'… How often we have seen strife and contention disrupt normal life among God's people, with people seeking their own way… There is very little worship of the Father and the Son, very little testimony to the Lord or to the unconverted, and precious little food supply. What the saints are asked to feed on is strife and sorrow and backbiting and misrepresentation and cruelties of different kinds. No spiritual growth is possible on this food.

Under the yoke of Midian, Israel went hungry — the result of our unfaithfulness, which we always suffer from when we seek our portion with the world. It drags us down and takes away our weapons. Our strength leaves us, and we lose every means of standing firm. Even the sources of life are missing, for the world never feeds anyone. We see it in the barrenness that invades the soul. In our folly we leave the richness of the house of God for harvests that are only a mirage of the desert. This was Israel's experience; Midian "left no sustenance" for him (v. 4).

Canaan was known for its wonderful fertility, as parts of it still are today. God could call it "the most glorious of all lands," and He promised them they would eat their bread without scarcity. How many of the Lord's people have to complain of their leanness! They find so little food, the Bible is a closed book to them, their souls are suffering a famine. The world has devoured the food. You cannot enjoy the world and enjoy Christ. It is impossible.

The people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD… First, the Lord sent a prophet to bring their sin home to their conscience, and then He sent an angel to raise up a deliverer. He finds Gideon threshing wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

Midian was a close relative of Israel, descended from Abraham through Keturah, his second wife. Again and again they come into contact with the chosen people. In the wilderness the Lord spoke to Moses. Moses had married Zipporah, daughter of the priest of Midian. The Lord said, "Harass the Midianites and strike them down, for they have harassed you with their wiles." (Num. 25:16-18; Num. 31:1-12.) But now they are in the land itself, though they had never followed the ark across the Jordan. "And Israel was brought very low because of Midian." How solemn the warning!

The name Midian means "strife" or "contention." How often we have seen normal conditions among God's people disrupted by strife and contention. People seek their own way. Strong-willed people make demands about things that ought never to be considered among God's people. There are personal or family animosities, parties forming, and strife among the saints of God. There is very little worship of the Father and the Son, very little testimony to the Lord or to the unconverted, and certainly precious little food supply.

"And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel." Nothing could have prevailed against them, had they been faithful to the Lord.

Scripture describes the oppression in great detail. This helps us see clearly who these Midianites are spiritually. For fear of them the children of Israel are driven to dig dens and caves for shelter. They settled down on the land. With them came the Amalekites and a mixed crowd of eastern tribes. Like a plague of locusts, they destroyed all food and provision. Unlike the Moabites, they did not settle on the borders of the land at Jericho. They swept like a destructive plague over the whole territory, "as far as Gaza," the stronghold of the Philistines.

These Midianites were Arab raiders and wandering plunderers. Some think the name "Midian" is really connected with the modern word "Bedouin." Like locusts, they devoured what they had no will to produce, as the story here shows. This is what the world is when it is let into the professing church. It has no shared interest there, but the opposite. The effect is simply desolation.

There is an energy in these hordes that marks an enemy constantly on the move. He is always looking for new points of attack. We hardly need reminding how active Satan is to bring people under the power of the world. Before we know it, some small opening has made a way, and the enemy has come in like a flood. Let us not think of the spirit of worldliness as something slow-moving. It is cunning and active, and its name is legion.

Oh, it is pitiful! This is the sad case of thousands of once-flourishing Christians. They have been overcome not by gross sinfulness, nor even by worldliness, but by the "things of earth"! "The family, the business, the things of this life must be attended to," they say. So they neglect the things of Christ, which are their true and proper portion as God's people. Note carefully the threefold result: (1) No fruit for God. (2) No light for others. (3) No provision for themselves.

The sin of the church has brought it into desolation. Yet little real cry has gone up to the Lord; and why? We are not aware of how far we have departed from our original standing. We have gained so much of the world's dignity, influence and riches! These things, though they do not hide us from God or from Satan, are hiding our real poverty from ourselves. If we only knew our destitution, if we only cried to the Lord, He would deliver and raise up, "when He sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free." Whether for Israel, for one person, or for the church, the lesson to be learned is the same: its own poverty and destitution. No matter how poor we are, if we are aware of our poverty; for there is all fullness in Christ.

When Israel finally cried out to the LORD (v. 7), they cried simply because of their misery. So the Lord did not relieve them at once. He sent a prophet to press on Israel that their own guilt was responsible for these troubles.

Notice the twofold process of the Lord. He sends first a prophet, then an angel. The prophet brings their sin home to their conscience. The angel raises up a deliverer. He loves to rescue His people from the wretched consequences of their failure, but He will have the evil owned first.

The people suffer bitter oppression, and they cry to God. But instead of sending relief at once, He deepens in their souls the sense of the evil of their course. Our first thought is to escape the consequences of our folly and disobedience. God wants us to judge fully what led us into it. His patience and His pity combine in divine proportions, so that we may get the profit of the lesson. Let us not rush to pull His people out of an awkward position. Let us first see that they have been to the bottom of the matter with God.

God answered their cry by working a fresh revival, in which He sought to probe the conscience of this poor people more deeply than in the past. "The LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel." His name is not given, and it does not matter. This man simply carried the word of God, to bring the people into His presence. God has a means by which to bless us: His word, which meets every requirement and ought to be quite enough for us.

God had been faithful to Israel, but Israel had not been faithful to God. This was the point of the prophet's testimony. He always proves His own conduct right: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself." If we walked as He wants us to walk, nothing could prevail against us — not the world, not the flesh, not the devil. Whenever we find ourselves under the power of our enemies, we must be sure to charge the fault on ourselves, and not on God.

Not a word about how they might be delivered; He did not yet open the way for their return to Him. The prophet disappeared, leaving them under the weight of their responsibility in the presence of grace. God had carried them in His arms and on His heart; He had fought for them. "Have I failed you in any way?" He asks. "But what have you done?" This silence would touch their conscience far more than any reproach. They were impressed, if not convicted. But the word of grace did not yet give the unfaithful people what they needed, and Israel remained powerless before the enemy.

When Israel at last cried out to the Lord (v. 7), they cried only because of their misery. So the Lord did not relieve them at once. He sent a prophet to press home to Israel that their own guilt was to blame for these troubles.

Notice the Lord's twofold way of working. He sends first a prophet, then an angel. The prophet brings their sin home to their conscience; the angel raises up a deliverer. He loves to rescue His people from the miserable results of their failure, but He will have the evil owned first.

So a prophet does not only mean someone who can predict future events. The messenger of God who rebuked Israel in the days of Gideon (Judges 6:8) was a prophet.

They could not have been poorer than they were. But when they felt that poverty and cried to the Lord in their distress, He met them — and He met them as the God of deliverances. He carried their thoughts back to what He had done for them in the past. He had brought them out of their captivity by a great deliverance... and had planted them in a rich inheritance, driving out all their enemies before them. He wanted them to know that He was the same God He had always been. They had changed, but He remained the everlasting God, whose strength cannot fade or fail.

The fact is that redemption, even when it is only a picture of the greater redemption to come, is a stronger motive to obedience than creation itself... If the aim of all this part of Deuteronomy is to press obedience, then nothing keeps obedience alive like redemption. And if that was true when the deliverance was only an outward one, how much more when it is eternal?

He first shows them their sin, as He did when they could not take the city of Ai. That is where the secret of their poverty comes to light. "You are crying to me now," He says in effect, "because you feel how poor you are. But the real cause of your poverty is this — you have sinned against me." They had no one to blame but themselves.

God had been faithful to Israel, but Israel had not been faithful to God. This was the point of the prophet's testimony... Whenever we find ourselves under the power of our enemies, we must be careful to lay the blame on ourselves, and not on God.

Mark the twofold process of the Lord. He sends first a prophet, then an angel; the one to bring their sin home to their conscience, the other to raise up a deliverer. He loves to rescue His people from the wretched consequences of their failure, but He will have the evil owned first.

What holy wisdom we have here. The people are bitterly oppressed, and they cry to God, but instead of sending relief at once, He deepens in their souls the sense of the evil of their course. Our first thought is to get out of the consequences of our folly and disobedience: God's desire is that we should thoroughly judge what led us into it. His patience and His pity combine in divine proportions, so that we may get the profit of the lesson. Let us not be too eager to deliver His people from an awkward position, but rather to see that they have been to the bottom of the matter with God.

He first of all shows them their sin, as He did when they could not take Ai. There the secret of their impoverishment is found out. He in effect says: "You are crying to Me now because you feel your impoverishment. But the real cause of your impoverishment is this — you have sinned against Me." They had none to blame but themselves.

God is a faithful God and He sends a nameless prophet, and he tells the people the reason why they are in this condition. As we have said in previous lectures, this was not because the Midianites were more powerful than Israel. When Israel had God among them, and God fighting for them, it did not matter how great the enemy was. The battle was a foregone conclusion. God was with His people helping them.

God had been faithful to Israel, but Israel had not been faithful to God. This was the point of the prophet's testimony. He always vindicates His own conduct: "if we are faithless, He remains faithful — for He cannot deny Himself." If we were walking as He would have us, neither the world, nor the flesh, nor the devil could prevail against us. Whenever we find ourselves under the power of our enemies, we must be sure to charge the fault on ourselves, and not on God.

He goes back, as He always does, to the redemption from Egypt — the pledge and the power for all other deliverances — and recalls to them what He had done. He had brought them into this land, had driven the enemy out of it, and told His people not to fear the false gods that the Amorites had served. How simple all this was. How impossible, we might say, ever to fear the powers of evil which had been overthrown. Yet they — and are they alone? — had not obeyed His voice.

As He had done many times before, He reminded them through the prophet that He had brought Israel up from Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He brought them to their present land and drove out their enemies before them. The amazing wonder of all this had failed to impress Israel enough to make them cling firmly to the Lord... How little effect God's Word had in their hearts: they did not obey His voice. This message should certainly have brought them down in repentant confession of their guilt, and it may have been so in some measure, for it was this that God was seeking.

In a way full of grace, God applied His word to the conscience of the Israelites. He told them all that He had done for them. He led them out, gave them deliverance and victory, and brought them in. Then, having spread out all His goodness before them, He adds one word: "But you have not obeyed My voice." He said nothing about how He would deliver them. He did not yet open the way for their return to Him. The prophet disappeared. He left them under the weight of their responsibility, in the presence of grace... "Have I failed you in any way," He says, "but what have you done?" This silence would touch their conscience far more than any reproach could.

He goes back, as He always does, to the redemption from Egypt. That rescue is the pledge and the power for every other deliverance. He reminds them of what He had done. He had brought them into this land and driven the enemy out of it. He told His people not to fear the false gods that the Amorites had served. How simple all this was. How impossible, we might say, ever to fear powers of evil that God had already overthrown. Yet they — and are they the only ones? — had not obeyed His voice.

The deliverer has not yet come on the scene. First the Lord answers that cry. Through the mouth of a prophet He shows the people how they had departed from Him. The first great dealing of the Lord with the soul is to show it its failure and its abandonment of Him. The word of God pierces to the division of soul and of spirit, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Its great work is to reveal to the soul its own condition. In the earlier age, the prophets did what the word does now.

The reason for their condition was their own unfaithfulness. They had disobeyed God's plain and clear word: have nothing to do with idolatry, and keep Him enshrined in their affections. The last word of John's first letter is, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." That is not a negative statement. It is a very positive one. It simply means, "I want the affections of My people for Myself; I do not want interference from any other source."

God had been faithful to Israel, but Israel had not been faithful to God. That was the point of the prophet's testimony. He always vindicates His own conduct. "If we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself." If we walked as He would have us walk, the world, the flesh and the devil could not prevail against us. Whenever we find ourselves under the power of our enemies, we must charge the fault to ourselves, not to God... Nothing can weaken our hands but sin; "he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

But notice the solemn words at the end of verse 10: "But you have not obeyed my voice." Here lies the secret of the poverty and distress that had overwhelmed Israel, and here lies the secret of every difficulty and defeat, of all lack of spiritual prosperity and power. If we have to mourn today the poverty of the church generally, or the lack of freshness and blessing in our own souls, we may trace that condition back to disobedience to the Word of God.

First, the Lord sent a prophet to bring their sin home to their conscience. Then He sent an angel to raise up a deliverer. And He finds Gideon threshing wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

Joshua could place his foot on the necks of the kings of Canaan. Gideon had to thresh his wheat in a corner to hide it from the Midianites. The day of Joshua was marked by splendid victories; the day of Gideon was a day of small things. But the day of small things for man is the day of great things for God. So Gideon found it... His was a day of barley cakes and broken pitchers, not of astounding miracles and brilliant achievements. But God was with him; and this was enough.

The angel of the Lord, who is the Lord Himself, came to the home of Gideon the son of Joash. He sat down and appeared to Gideon as he was threshing wheat by the winepress. There he could stay hidden from the Midianites (v.11). Gideon's threshing wheat is a picture of one studying the Word of God, separating the chaff of one's own ideas from the pure seed of the truth of God.

We may name this first qualification — feeding on Christ in secret. Wheat is surely a figure of Christ (see John 12:24; John 6:35). It was a time of great difficulty. Idols had taken the place of the Lord. So those who stayed faithful while everything fell apart could only worship the Lord alone and in private. It was the same with Gideon. Baal had an altar in his father's house. But this "mighty man of valor" threshed wheat alone to find food, despite the watchful eye of the Midianites. Alone in his family, and alone in threshing wheat, he gathered strength from communion with the Lord.

The winepress reminds us of the blood of the grape, and of His blood which cleanses from all sin. It may well then suggest the cross, the winepress for Him. And the cross is a real shelter and hiding place for faith from all the power of the world. We take our place by the cross, and no Midianite dare dispute our position.

His father was Joash, the son of Abiezer — "despairing," the son of "my father is help." The one who despairs of any other help, and knows his own weakness, will turn to the Father. In Him alone our help is found.

Nothing could have been more wretched than Gideon's condition here. He was threshing wheat in secret, for fear of the Midianites, to feed his family! But here is one whom the Spirit of God delights to mention; whose name, unrecorded by men, is thought worthy to be recorded by Him (Hebrews 11:32-34). The Spirit of God writes to magnify the grace of God, not to exalt man. He would have us remember small incidents like this one in the history of the soldiers of faith. Then we may see by what weak and insignificant instruments God works. His mightiest victories have always been won by such, and not by those who had resources in themselves.

An angel of the LORD (Jehovah) appeared to Gideon. He was a young man threshing wheat by the winepress, hiding it from the raiding Midianites. The Angel of the LORD, Jehovah Himself, astonished the young man by saying, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour." At once He commissioned him to be the deliverer of Israel from the yoke of Midian.

Joshua could put his foot on the necks of the kings of Canaan. Gideon had to thresh his wheat in a corner to hide it from the Midianites. The day of Joshua was marked by splendid victories; the day of Gideon was a day of small things. But the day of small things for man is the day of great things for God. So Gideon found it... His was a day of barley cakes and broken pitchers, not of astonishing miracles and brilliant achievements. But God was with him; and this was enough.

At first sight he might seem like anything but a man of valour. He is in hiding. A man of valour would be facing the enemy, leading the people against them, and driving them from the land. But God does not see as man sees. He sees the valour in that determination to get the wheat at any cost. He knows the purposes of heart that are forming, even if Gideon himself does not know it. And He sees that it is all bound up with that lowly work of beating out the wheat.

What a remarkable greeting! Secretly threshing wheat to hide it from the enemy did not look like valour! To the human eye everything about him showed a crushed spirit. But God's "mighty men" have always been complete cowards in themselves, men who distrusted their own strength and wisdom in facing the enemy — "out of weakness made strong." Nobody is a "mighty man of valour" except those to whom it has been said, "The Lord is with you." When God calls a person by a name, He makes that person what the name means; but He takes the lowest man of a lowly tribe to make him His "mighty man of valour."

"You mighty man of valour!" How hard it was for Gideon to take such astonishing words in! How difficult to apply them to himself! Where was the might, or where was the valour? Certainly not in himself or in his surroundings. Where then? In the living God; exactly where Joshua found his might and his valour.

Gideon's family might be the poorest in Manasseh, and he himself the least in his father's house. But what did Gideon's poverty or his weakness matter, if the Lord, who is rich and mighty, was for him and with him?

Gideon said to him, "Oh my Lord, if Jehovah is with us" — that is where he takes his stand. He says "if Jehovah is with us", not just "with me". He ties the people to the name of Jehovah, not just to himself. That is always the mark of true faith and love.

And yet Gideon was slow to make these words his own — slow to grasp them with that lovely appropriating power of faith which so delights the heart of God... We are prone to reason about ourselves and our situation, instead of believing God. We fail to rest quietly in His perfect love and unfailing faithfulness.

Here Gideon reasons from his surroundings. That is where the "if" comes from — that little word of unbelief. His surroundings were of the gloomiest kind. But one bright ray shone in on his depressed spirit. It came from the very heart of God, carried in one short but complete sentence: "The LORD is with you." There was no "if" in this — no doubt, no difficulty, no reserve, no condition. It needed only one thing to become a spring of joy, strength and victory in Gideon's soul: Gideon had to mix it with faith. But "if" is not faith. True faith never answers God with ifs, for the simplest of reasons: it looks only at God, and there are no ifs with Him.

If Gideon had looked back over his nation's history, he might have found plenty of reason for the sad and humbling state he was in. Those stained pages would have given a full answer to his question, "Why then has all this happened to us?" But had Israel's behaviour dimmed the brightness of the LORD's mighty wonders? Not in the sight of faith. God had done great and glorious things for His people, and the record of those deeds lay always under the eye of faith to sustain the soul. Israel had failed — failed shamefully — and the record of that failure lay under the eye of faith too. Faith recognises God's government as well as His grace. It bows in awe before every stroke of His governing rod.

Gideon said to him, "Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us" — for on that he takes his stand — "if the LORD is with us" — not merely "with me." He binds the people together with the name of the LORD, and not merely with himself — the unfailing mark of true faith and love. "But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." Both were true. It was the LORD who had blessed them. It was the LORD who had handed them over to Midian. That very fact, overwhelming as it is, is exactly what gives confidence. If the Midianites had simply got the better of Israel, that would be nothing for faith.

He has a deep sense of Israel's condition on his soul, though he has no power to help them. He has been comparing that condition with the LORD's title and power. This is the way of faith. It is not for us to compare ourselves with each other; we should compare our condition with the LORD's title and will to bless.

Gideon had much to learn. His faith was very weak, for he did not count on the goodness of God. Humble, no doubt, but looking at himself, he decided what God must be towards him from what he himself was. "Now," he said, "the LORD has forsaken us." The situation is hopeless, because it is the result of our unfaithfulness. That was Gideon's reasoning — but did God reason like that? "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour." How little he knew what was in the heart of God, and how many there are who reason like Gideon.

What was Gideon's might? It was his awareness that things were not what they ought to be. Things were different from what they used to be, and he wanted in his heart to do something to put them right. Suppose we see that things in our own lives, and in the shared testimony, are not as good as they used to be. That will make us ask why. Once we know, we will be very concerned, and we will spend prayer and energy to make it better. But if we go along quite comfortably saying, "Well, everything is all right," and are not much concerned, I do not think things will get better.

Here we have the true secret of strength: "The Lord looked upon him." There was divine power in this look, if Gideon could only have taken it in. But sadly, he was still full of questions.

Gideon sees the Lord's hand upon His people, and that it is because of sin. But he identifies himself with the people... The Lord looked upon him. That is the first thing. The man who is really strong and mighty is the one who has come into the secret of Israel's poverty in this way. The Lord has looked upon him. The Lord has identified Himself with him, and shown His heart to be towards him. There is no limit to the might of such a man.

It is such a man that God can use as His instrument to deliver Israel. Notice, He does not give him fresh might, but counts the might he had already shown as enough to deliver Israel... God emphasizes the courage of a faith that gets its own food at all hazards.

Gideon, whose name means "a great warrior" (an overcomer), seeks to preserve the wheat from the enemy... The exercises of the threshing floor are plain to see. Self-importance, self-confidence and self-seeking have gone. His faith in what God has done and can do is clear. His "might" (v.14) is not connected with what he is in himself, but with his faith in God, and his obedience to God's command.

His family is poor in Manasseh, and like David, he is the least in his father's house. Yet, what of all this? "Have not I sent you?" withers up all such thoughts, and places a living reality before the soul.

Unbelief turns the eye in upon self, or out upon our surroundings. It leads us to compare our visible resources with the work God is calling us to... It made very plain that the might he would deliver Israel with was not in himself or in his father's house. It was in the God of Israel. It mattered little whether his family was rich or poor; whether he was little or great. It was God who was about to use him. What was wealth or greatness to Him? He could use a barley cake or a broken pitcher.

So it always is with the soldiers of faith. They have never felt their own weakness so much as when they are called to be God's mighty men of valour... People often say, "I want to feel that I am strong." What we need is to feel that we are weak; this brings in Omnipotence. We shall have a life of feeling later on in the glory. Now we are called to live a life of faith.

Gideon might well wonder what might the Lord was speaking of, for Gideon only felt weakness. But Gideon had strength he was not aware of. He had a heart of true concern for his people, even while he felt his own helplessness. In God's eyes that was strength. Paul later learned this valuable lesson — "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).

He himself was even weaker than his people. He had no confidence in front of the enemy, for he was "beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites" (v. 11). He had no resources among his relatives, for his family was the poorest in Manasseh. He had no power in himself, for he was the least in his father's house (v. 15). That was the man God visited and chose as His servant — a man who knew how utterly weak he was... When it comes to the work of God in this world, we meet a first great principle: God never asks what man can offer Him.

Here we get another very important qualification — a sense of his own nothingness... And all the Lord's servants must learn this lesson sooner or later. There is nothing in themselves, in their position, or in their circumstances that God can use. In a word, all our resources and all our strength lie outside of ourselves, in Him. Our sufficiency is of God. It is then no longer a question of what the Midianites are, but of what God is, for we go to meet them in His strength.

When God is about to use a man, He makes that man keenly aware that he is nothing in himself. If He delivers by Gideon's hand, He must have the glory, not Gideon. The strength must be His, not Gideon's. Strong in the Lord, we are weakest in ourselves. Can we not nearly always trace our failures back to self-confidence?

Unbelief turns the eye in on self, or out on our surroundings. It leads us to compare the resources we can see with the work God is calling us to... God's word left no room for Gideon's "how?" It made it very plain that the might he was to deliver Israel with was not in himself or in his father's house, but in the God of Israel. It mattered little whether his family was rich or poor, whether he was small or great. It was God who was about to use him.

But Gideon, like Moses and many another servant of God, has to come right to the end of himself. He must be done with his humility as well as his pride... He speaks of the poverty of his family, and of how small he is in his father's house. But what have these to do with the living God?

First, we have God's commission, wrapped up in those weighty words, "Do not I send you?" Second, we have the assurance of God's presence, set out in these encouraging words, "But I will be with you."

Gideon's family might be the poorest in Manasseh, and he himself the least in his father's house. But what did Gideon's poverty or his weakness matter, if the Lord, who is rich and mighty, was for him and with him? So, in a later day, Jonathan and his armour-bearer could face a huge army in the might of the Lord. As Jonathan said, "nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few" (1 Samuel 14:6).

As with David in another fight of faith, there was no sword in Gideon's hand, nothing at all to go against the Midianites with. But what does that matter? "If God is for us, who can be against us?" He does not go out unarmed. "Surely I will be with you [and as a consequence of that], you shall strike the Midianites as one man."

The Lord allows Gideon no excuse. He has called Gideon and Gideon must obey. But He encourages Gideon by His Word.

He was now in the place where God's power could come upon and use him. The same was true of the apostle Paul. The thorn in the flesh searched his heart. It brought him face to face with his own complete powerlessness, and with his lack of any natural fitness for the Lord's service. Only then could the Lord say to him, "My grace is sufficient for you." Every servant of the Lord must learn this lesson sooner or later. There is nothing in ourselves, in our position, or in our circumstances that God can use. In a word, all our resources and strength lie outside ourselves, in Himself.

There is a great difference between owning that all power belongs to God, and seeing that power act on our behalf. Often the first conviction only makes us feel our own powerlessness more. And unless we can rest on God acting for us and through us, that feeling will produce despondency. Gideon cannot see how a link can be formed between God and man, so that a man carries out God's power and will. So he pleads how small and unfit he is. To form this link in his soul, the Lord gives him a promise.

See with what grace God rebukes this bit of humble pride in Gideon. It clearly was not deep-seated: one word was enough to displace it. "Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." After all, the enemy is, for faith, but a single one. He is a whole army when he oppresses and terrifies. But the moment faith asserts itself, there is only one man, as when David met the giant.

The humbler the instrument, the more we see the power of God. What difference does it make to the Almighty God whether His instrument is left-handed or right-handed — a man or a woman — a dwarf or a giant? The instrument is nothing. God is all in all... Let us remember these things, so that we may walk humbly and lean always and only on the mighty arm of the living God. This keeps the soul well balanced. It is free from self-confidence and the excitement of the flesh on one side, and from gloom and depression on the other. If we can do nothing, self-confidence is the height of presumption. If God can do everything, despondency is the height of folly.

There is weakness here, no doubt; he should have had simple confidence and not needed a sign. Still, all he really cares for is having the Lord with him.

Unbelief then draws its plea from the Lord. It assumes, as it were, that there was something unclear in the revelation God has just given. "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Gideon was in this frame of mind in Judges 6:17; and John the Baptist, in his measure, in Matthew 11:3.

He asks for a sign, it is true; and the Lord answers. I am far from denying that there was weakness in Gideon's faith. Nor am I saying there was no drawback here, as with all the others we have looked at. But even allowing all this, we must admit what followed. After the Lord stooped in grace to his weakness, we find the power of God at work in his heart and in his ways.

His faith was very weak, because he did not count on the goodness of God. He was humble, no doubt, but he looked at himself, and from what he was he decided what God must be to him. Even with his humility, there had not yet been true self-judgment. He wanted to offer something, to "bring forth his present" to the Lord (v. 18). He was not trying to do something great for God. He thought that all would be well if God accepted his gift.

We have already seen that Gideon wanted to offer something to the Lord, but He can accept nothing from man as such. "Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes," He said, "and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth" (v. 20). The only offering God can accept is Christ. If He did not receive what Gideon offered Him, He accepted what represented Christ in it.

All is put on the rock, another figure of Christ, and fire carries it all up to God. So we might say he brought nothing but Christ, whom God always accepts. What better sign could he, or we, want than that? Suppose we have nothing but Christ, His work and His person. Then God's acceptance of Him is our fullest assurance and pledge that we shall be "more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Gideon cried "alas!" and the Lord answered, "Peace; do not fear." Then he was ready to begin. The Lord had brought him face to face with the angel of God. There he learned that his family was poor in Manasseh and that he was the least in his father's house. He learned more than that: in himself he had no power at all, and all his resources must come from the living God.

From the Lord he gets a further qualification for service: a soul at liberty, at peace before God... Everyone will understand that there can be no true or effective service for the Lord while the soul is taken up with its own condition. It must first be free and at home in God's presence.

There is weakness here, no doubt; he should have had simple confidence, and not have needed a sign. Still, all he really cares about is having Jehovah with him.

Great as this promise was, Gideon could not yet take it as his own. However wonderful and fitting it was, he could not embrace it. First he had to feel in his own soul the link between himself and God, and know that God accepted him... He had asked for a sign so that his soul could trust the help God promised — in a word, so that he might depend on Him in the great service given to him.

Moreover, despite his humility, he had not yet truly judged himself. He wanted to offer something, to "bring out his present" to Jehovah (v. 18). It was surely not with the idea of doing something great for God, but with the thought that all would be well if God accepted his present.

But Gideon wants more confirmation, as though he needed it once God had given him His word! Yet the Lord graciously answered Gideon's request and stayed until Gideon brought an offering (v. 18). To Gideon's credit, the offering was very fitting. The young goat is a picture of Christ as the Substitute for the sinner — and Gideon knew he needed a Substitute.

We have already seen that Gideon wanted to offer something to Jehovah, but He can accept nothing from man as man. "Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes," He said, "and lay them on this rock, and pour the broth over them" (v. 20). The only offering God can accept is Christ. He did not receive what Gideon offered Him, but He accepted what represented Christ in it.

More than that, Gideon wants to bring an offering; he will be a worshipper. So he brings a young goat, flour and unleavened cakes. All these speak of Christ... It is all put on the rock, another figure of Christ, and fire carries it all up to God. So we might say he brought nothing but Christ, whom God always accepts. What better sign could he — or we — want than that? If we have nothing but Christ, His work and His person, we may be sure that God's acceptance of Him is the fullest assurance and pledge that we shall be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

His "Alas!" was followed by the Lord's "Peace; do not fear," and then he was ready to begin. He had been brought face to face with the angel of God. There he learned that his family was poor in Manasseh and he the least in his father's house. He also learned that in himself he was completely powerless, and that he must find all his resources in the living God.

Gideon would prove, then, his visitor with an offering, and significantly brings him Abraham's offering of an ephah — that is, three measures — of flour; but Abraham's gift is of fine flour; and instead of Abraham's calf he brings a kid. Though less full a type than that in Genesis, Gideon's offering still speaks of Christ.

Yet despite his humility, he had not yet truly judged himself. He wanted to offer something, to bring out his present to the LORD (v. 18). He did not mean to do some great thing for God. He was thinking, no doubt, that all would be well if God accepted his present.

More than that, Gideon wants to bring an offering. He will be a worshiper. So he brings the familiar sacrifice — a kid, an ephah of flour and unleavened cakes. All these speak of Christ. The kid here seems to be a peace-offering, yet it also brings sin to mind, since it was the animal most often used for sin in the offerings of the law. It reminds us of Christ made sin for us, and also of the One who is fully acceptable to God. The unleavened cakes and the fine flour belong with the kid. They recall the spotless person of Christ, as the kid pictured His work... If we have nothing but Christ, His work and His person, we can be sure that God's acceptance of Him is the fullest pledge that we shall be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Three measures is the same amount as an ephah. Only three other passages in Scripture speak of this quantity of flour, and in every one it is without leaven. Abraham offered cakes of this quantity to the three visitors at his tent door, and he recognised one of them to be his Lord. Gideon did the same when the Angel of the LORD appeared to him as he threshed wheat. Hannah brought this much flour as her offering when she presented Samuel to the Lord at the tabernacle at Shiloh (Gen. 18:1–8; Jdg. 6:19; 1 Sam. 1:24).

This man of God understood very little of the value of the sacrifices the LORD had commanded Israel. The broth in the pot showed how little he knew. But God saw what was real underneath this feeble faith, and accepted the offering when Gideon laid it on the rock.

To Gideon's credit, the offering was very fitting. The young goat is typical of Christ as the Substitute for the sinner, and Gideon knew that he needed a Substitute. The broth seems to show how much the offerer valued the sacrifice, since broth is easy to take in.

We have already seen that Gideon wished to offer something to the LORD, but He can accept nothing from man as such. "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them," He said (v. 20). The only offering which God can accept is Christ. If He did not receive what Gideon offered Him, He accepted what represented Christ in it. The fire of judgment rose up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. The proof of God's interest in him was, in figure, the judgment that fell on Christ.

God had revealed Himself to His servant, and the effect was terror. But the terror passed away when the LORD spoke peace to him. We need not say more about this, since it is the story of every soul that God brings into His presence... While the soul is taken up with its own condition, there can be no true or effective service for the Lord. That service comes only when the soul is set free and at home in God's presence.

We have already seen that Gideon wanted to offer something to the LORD, but He can accept nothing that comes from man himself. "Take," He said, "the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth" (v. 20). The only offering God can accept is Christ. He did not receive what Gideon offered Him, but He accepted what represented Christ in it.

The kid here seems to be a peace offering, but it also suggests sin, since that is what it was most often used for in Israel's sacrifices. So it reminds us of Christ made sin for us, and also of the One who is perfectly acceptable to God. The unleavened cakes and the fine flour belong with the kid, and recall the spotless person of Christ, as the kid recalled His work. It all goes on the rock, another figure of Christ, and fire carries it all up to God. So we might say he brought nothing but Christ, whom God always accepts. What better sign could he, or we, want than that?

This man of God understood very little of the value of the sacrifices the LORD had commanded Israel. "The broth in the pot" showed his ignorance. But God saw what was real under this weak faith, and He accepted the offering when Gideon laid it "on the rock." The fire of judgment rose up out of the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. The proof that God cared for him was, in picture, the judgment that fell on Christ.

Gideon's offering is a less full picture than the one in Genesis, but it still speaks of Christ. The angel holds back more here than there, but there is still acceptance. At his direction Gideon places the offering on the rock. The angel touches it with his staff, and it goes up in fire as an accepted offering. Then the angel himself leaves. There is no power here for lasting communion, as there was with Abraham. Yet Christ, as Representative of His people, accepted in sacrifice on the cross, is declared the ground on which God can be with them to deliver them. And this is the true assurance of ability for the Gideons of any generation.

Great as this promise was, Gideon could not yet make it his own. He could not take hold of it until he felt in his own soul the link between himself and God, and was sure of his own acceptance. So the Lord accepts the offering, has it consumed by a miracle, and disappears from Gideon's sight. In this way He gives him unquestionable proof not only of His own presence and power, but also of His servant's acceptance with Him.

Faith has something to bring to God that He can accept. Whatever our own failure, Jesus is the same, and the value of His work is unchanged... God never says to a soul, "Peace be to you, fear not," because of service. We are in danger of putting service in the place of the burnt offering.

It troubled Gideon to realise how great this person was whom he had seen — the Angel of the Lord, not just "an angel" (v. 22). For God had said to Moses, "man shall not see me and live" (Ex. 33:20). It is true that God's glory is too great for us to take in. But the Angel (the Lord Jesus) had appeared to Gideon in the form of a man. So Gideon did not see the greatness of God's glory, but only a very limited showing of God.

Gideon does not seem to realise that he has been face to face with the angel of the Lord until He has departed. Then he is overwhelmed with the solemn fact, and dreads the consequences. But grace quickly reassures him, and he builds an altar to the Lord — Jehovah-Shalom, "Jehovah is Peace."

The presence of God withered him up, and he knew it. That is the usual effect, seen again and again in the Old Testament, of meeting the one called there the angel of Jehovah. The very thing that passed the sentence of death on his nature also strengthened him. So Gideon builds an altar, trusting the word given to him... This is the prime necessity — peace, then work; but no service is safe until the person is secure and at peace.

This is another mark of weakness. We do not see this fear in Abraham, in similar circumstances. But Jehovah will give Gideon the confidence to stand before Him.

He is now certain that he has seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. That very certainty makes him afraid, until His word calms him: he will not die. For us too, whenever we grasp that the Lord is present, we also feel the sentence passed on the flesh. This is where the power to walk rightly comes from, and the energy for the warfare we are called to. "Now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself." Christ crucified confirms this sentence, and He is also our deliverance from ourselves. So, "crucified with Christ," we may still live — no longer we, but Christ living in us.

Gideon had spoken to Him with a secret sense that it was Jehovah. Now he knows for certain: he has seen the angel of Jehovah, of God, face to face. It was a real revelation. It was enough to reduce him to nothing in himself, and that is what it did. But it was also enough to make him strong in his walk among others, who had not known Jehovah in the same way.

Gideon was troubled when he realised the greatness of the person he had seen. It was the Angel of the Lord, not simply "an angel" (v. 22). For God had said to Moses, "man shall not see me and live" (Ex. 33:20). It is true that God's glory is so great that we cannot take it in. But the Angel (the Lord Jesus) had appeared to Gideon in the form of a man. So Gideon did not see the greatness of God's glory, but only a very limited showing of God.

Now Gideon knows that he had seen an angel of the Lord face to face, and he is filled with fear. But the Lord said to him, "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die." So he receives from the Lord a further qualification for service — a soul at liberty, at peace before God. God had revealed Himself to His servant, and the effect was terror. But the terror passed away when the Lord spoke peace. We need not enlarge on this, as it is the history of every soul brought into the presence of God (see Isa. 6; Job 42; Luke 5).

The fire of judgment consumed the offering, and the result for Gideon was peace. To be a servant of God, you must know the work of Christ for yourself, and the peace that flows from it. You must be sure that peace has been made, because of what has passed between God and Christ. You must be sure of what God, and not Gideon, thought of the sacrifice. Such is the foundation of all Christian service — how much it has been forgotten! If we have not peace ourselves, how can we proclaim it to others?

Whatever our own failure, Jesus is still the same, and the value of His work is unchanged. God never says to a soul, "Peace be to you. Do not fear," because of service. We are in danger of putting service in the place of the burnt offering.

Here we have the answer that produces peace, and, with peace, worship. It is the same with the risen Jesus. After suffering death, He reveals Himself to His disciples with the same words God uses here, and lays the foundation of the Church gathered together in worship. In Luke 7 we find the same experiences in the woman who was a sinner. She believed in the person of Jesus. His grace had made Him her all; but she did not yet know that someone like her was pardoned and saved, and might go in peace.

It was a real revelation. It was enough to reduce him to nothing in himself, and it did. But it was also enough to strengthen him greatly in his walk among others who had not known the Lord in the same way. God may not use visions like this now, but it is always like this when He raises up a special instrument to deliver His people.

The very thing that put the sentence of death on his nature made Gideon strong. He builds an altar, trusting the word given him, and calls it Jehovah-shalom. So he lays hold of the word of peace and acts on it at once… There is no ground for deliverance in God's way. There is no proper basis for His intervention, except the removal of all barriers between God and our souls. This is the prime necessity — peace, then work; no service is safe until the person himself is settled and at peace.

Gideon, therefore, builds an altar, and calls it Jehovah-shalom — "Jehovah is peace." It is not just that there is peace with God. That would not even be the way to say it, since Jehovah is already the covenant name. No; Jehovah is peace. Peace is found in Him. He has produced it and given it. Whatever the fear, the soul takes shelter in Him. And since this is so, the altar itself is now a challenge to the idols. Jehovah's altar cannot stand beside Baal's, and Israel cannot be delivered with a divided faith.

A man who is humbled by the presence of God receives strength from God, if that presence is in blessing. Gideon recognises and lays hold of this for himself: Jehovah is with him in peace and in blessing. The word Shalom, translated "Peace be to you," is the same as that used in the name of the altar.

Then he built an altar and called it "Jehovah-shalom" — the LORD is peace. All is full of meaning. The offering he brought typifies Christ; so does the rock upon which it was brought. The fire consumed it all, carried it upward to God. And upon that the assurance of peace is given. Even so He is our peace... So we need not fear, for He has made peace through the blood of His cross, and He is our peace.

The immediate consequence in Gideon's case was — and this gives us a further qualification — that he became a worshipper. He worships God in the character in which He had revealed Himself — as Jehovah who had spoken peace to his soul. The sequence is very instructive. First peace, then worship. The lesson is that only those who have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ can worship... The true servant must first be a worshipper. To go out in service before we are worshippers is to go out knowing nothing of the character of the One we claim to serve.

The first result of what Gideon had just learned was not to press him into service, but to make him a worshipper. Christians today have completely lost sight of this fact... The believer should enter the presence of God as a worshipper before engaging in service.

Gideon does not seem to realise that he has been face to face with the angel of the LORD until He has departed. Then he is overwhelmed with the solemn fact, and dreads the consequences. But grace quickly reassures him, and he builds an altar to the LORD — Jehovah-Shalom, "Jehovah is Peace." Tumult raged all around him, and dreadful conflicts were soon to come. Yet there was one place where all was perfect peace, one Person with whom there was no conflict — Jehovah Himself.

He felt the ruin and the weakness of all around him. He felt the fallen and humiliating condition of his beloved people. He felt his own littleness, yes, his own emptiness and nothingness. How could he come forward? How could he strike the Midianites? How could he save Israel?

Here we see that Gideon had to begin at home. God called him to raise the flag of testimony in the very heart of his family — in the very centre of his father's house. This is intensely interesting and deeply practical. Testimony must begin at home. It will never do to rush out into public work while our private and domestic ways are anything but what they ought to be. It is useless to set about throwing down the altar of Baal in public while the very same altar remains standing at home.

The word "grove" naturally suggests a row of trees. But that cannot be the meaning, since people set groves up "under every green tree." Manasseh put a carved image of the grove that he had made in the temple. Josiah later removed it, burnt it, and ground it to powder. That image was no doubt made of metal. But the groves were of wood, as we learn from the fact that people cut them down and burned them. One passage speaks of planting groves, another of making them, and another of building them. They always go together with idols and images.

The altar itself is now a challenge to the idols. The Lord's altar cannot stay in the company of Baal's, and Israel cannot be delivered while its faith is divided. So on the same night — the night of the day when the Lord had appeared — the Lord told him to throw down Baal's altar and cut down the asherah. The asherah was a pillar of wood, the symbol of the Ashtaroth worship that went with Baal's. Then Gideon was to build an altar to the Lord on top of the stronghold where Israel used to retreat from the Midianites, and to offer on it his father's second bull, with the wood of the asherah he had cut down.

God will not share His glory with Baal. One altar or the other must be thrown down. Gideon is to make good his name, "the cutter down," and to show the vigour of his faith and the reality of his obedience.

There judgment begins. We must "cease to do evil" before we "learn to do good." The Lord comes to us as "the God of peace." Still the call is, "Down with the idols in your father's house." … And what is more, if God says, "Pull down the altar of Baal," He will give strength to do it.

The positive duty of anyone who would be a testimony for God is, before everything else, to cast down his idols. Why are there so few true servants among Christians, walking in the power of a testimony for Christ? It is because they have not the two altars. And why have they not the second? Because they have not provided themselves wood for the sacrifice. The idols are the wood. Let us overthrow them; let nothing of them remain. Let us begin in the innermost circle of the family. If we do not do this, where will our testimony be? The overthrowing of the idols is the secret of power. The Spirit of the Lord only came upon Gideon when he had done this. We do not now have Baals of stone and groves of wood, as he did, but we have many other idols. Unlike him, we often prefer them to the power of a faithful walk with God.

Gideon obeys, but he does it by night, fearing to do it by day. Here nature breaks in. His faith was not yet strong enough to let him testify openly and boldly; but what his faith did enable him to do, that he did.

Here we see that Gideon had to begin at home. He was called to unfurl the banner of testimony in the very heart of his family — in the very centre of his father's house... Testimony must begin at home. It will never do to rush out into public work while our private and family ways are anything but what they ought to be. It is useless to set about throwing down the altar of Baal in public, while that same altar remains standing at home.

Does he worship and obey God for himself? Then that same obedience must be claimed for the whole circle of his responsibilities. Is a man going to be a deliverer for all Israel, while his own family is in bondage?... How many are tempted to invert this order. They may be jealous enough for God's altar for all Israel, and yet have never set it up in their own homes.

He is to cast down his father's altar of Baal, cut down the wooden image, or column, and offer a bull on an altar to the LORD. After all, this is only the natural enlargement of the worship he had just enjoyed. God will not share His glory with Baal. One altar or the other must be thrown down. Gideon is to make good his name, "the cutter down," and to show the vigour of his faith and the reality of his obedience.

The positive duty of anyone who would be a testimony for God is, before anything else, to cast down his idols. Why are there so few true servants among Christians, walking in the power of a testimony for Christ? It is because they have not the two altars. And why do they not have the second? Because they have not provided themselves with wood for the sacrifice. The idols are the wood (v. 26). Let us overthrow them, and let nothing of them remain. Let us begin in the innermost circle of the family... The overthrowing of the idols is the secret of power; the Spirit of the LORD only came upon Gideon when he had done this.

It is of the essence of self-will to say, "I have a right to worship God how I like." Obedience to God is the saint's rule and liberty. No power in the world has any right to interfere with this. And what is more, if God says, "Pull down the altar of Baal," He will give strength to do it.

Gideon worshipped according to a new revelation of God, despite Shiloh and the tabernacle. His rock became the ordered place, or the anointed altar, only because of this revelation and command of God.

Gideon was associated with evil in his father's house. As another has said, "faithfulness within comes before outward strength: evil must be put away from Israel before the enemy can be driven out. Obedience first, and then strength: this is God's order."

Though the flesh may hinder testimony, it cannot prevent obedience, if there is faith... The stirrings of the flesh are no excuse for failing to obey what we have faith to do. So it was with Gideon. From the start he learned how hostile his own people were to faithfulness for the truth. The world does not realise that its opposition always draws out of God's witness more than enough power to crush it.

Now the Lord calls Gideon to act; but he must first begin at home… Here we get obedience. Gideon was linked with evil in his father's house. As someone else has said, "faithfulness at home comes before strength outside: evil must go from Israel before the enemy can be driven out. Obedience first, and then strength: this is God's order."… So with Gideon: God could not send him to strike the Midianites until he had pulled down the idol in his father's house… Satan is helpless in the presence of an obedient man. The devil resisted in obedience is the devil defeated.

Gideon obeyed, taking ten men who were his servants to do this serious work. They did it at night, because Gideon feared what the men of the city would think. There was timidity in his faith, but faith still acted. True courage does not mean having no fear. It shows itself in doing right despite fear.

Even where a person receives and obeys the word of God, the testimony often falls short. Many a true soul is not ready to speak out as openly as he might. It is better when obedience and testimony go together. The flesh may hold back testimony, but it cannot stop obedience, if there is faith… The feelings of the flesh are no excuse for not obeying what we have faith to do. Because of them we may give up the higher place of testimony, but nothing must stop obedience to God's word.

This is what we may call striking at the very root of the matter. The worship of Baal is completely overturned. This was no small thing. We have little idea what it cost the son of Joash to do this; but by the grace of God, he did it. True, it may have been with fear and trembling — still he did it… No half measures would have worked. There was no use picking a stone out of the idol's altar here and there. The whole structure had to come down from its very foundation.

Gideon obeyed at once, without compromise or holding back. For him the idols were nothing compared with the God he knew. This "mighty man of valour" had been short of courage. Fear of the enemy (v. 11), fear of God (v. 23), fear of his father's house (v. 27) were some of his marks. He did his work at night, afraid to do it by day. He still did it, because God had commanded him. Only in the morning did the people of the city see what had been done. The One who knew Gideon's character had not told him: Do this work by day. Let us too, weak as we are, destroy our idols quietly, when no eye is watching… The world will soon see that we have a new altar it does not know, and that the grove is worth nothing to us except as wood to burn.

We can imagine how anxiously Gideon may have waited for the next day. Or how calmly, if he simply had God before him… Has anyone been trembling and hesitating to take some plain step of faith? Let them learn from Gideon, and take courage. The consequences you dread would fail to happen. The very people whose opposition you fear will approve.

He did his work at night, because he was afraid to do it by day. He did it all the same, for God had commanded him to. Only in the morning did the people of the city see what he had done... Let us, too, weak as we are, destroy our idols in silence, when no one is watching. Let us not talk loudly about it. Let us do this hard work with fear and trembling, looking to God alone, in the silence of the night. The world will soon see that we have a new altar which it does not know.

Faithfulness within comes before outward strength: Israel must put away evil before driving out the enemy. Obedience first, and then strength: this is God's order.

Gideon had nothing but death to expect, if it had not been the will of the Lord; but, come what may, "whoever does the will of God abides forever," and Gideon was content to face whatever followed... It would have been a huge inconsistency for a man to go out and deal with the pagan enemies of Israel while his own father's house worshipped Baal... For nothing wounds people more than something that treats their religion as nothing.

This is what we may call striking at the very root of the matter. The worship of Baal is completely overturned... There would have been no use in picking out a stone here and there from the idol's altar. The whole structure had to be torn down from its very foundation, and the idol itself shamed in front of the very worshippers it had deceived.

The grove might add beauty to the altar of Baal, but God's altar must be set up in its own plain simplicity.

The positive duty of one who would be a testimony for God is, before all else, to cast down his idols. Why is it that there are so few true servants among Christians, walking in the power of a testimony for Christ? It is because they have not the two altars. And why have they not the second? Because they have not provided themselves wood for the sacrifice. The idols are the wood... Let us begin in the innermost circle of the family. If we do not do this, where will our testimony be?

The action of faith always stirs up the flesh. Israel did not know where their strength was; they thought it was in Baal. Gideon had learned that it was in God. These are testing times... How many think the strength of Christians lies in the things they see around them! The soul taught by God knows it is only in Jehovah Jesus.

Is anyone trembling and hesitating to take some plain step of faith? Let them learn from Gideon, and take courage. How all the results you dread would fail to happen! The very people whose opposition you fear will approve. Or if not, what can happen?

Gideon was tied to evil in his father's house. As someone else has said, "faithfulness at home comes before strength outside: evil must be put out of Israel before the enemy can be driven out. Obedience first, and then strength: this is God's order." … So it was with Gideon. Until he had pulled the idol down in his father's house, God could not send him to strike the Midianites. There is plenty here to make all of us search our own hearts. How often have we grieved over our lack of power in the Lord's service, when we could have traced the cause to some lack of obedience?

We have little idea what it cost the son of Joash to do this. But by the grace of God, he did it. True, he may have done it with fear and trembling, but he still did it. He struck one strong blow at the whole system of Baal, and it crumbled to dust under his feet. Half measures would have been no use. Picking out a stone here and there from the idol's altar would have achieved nothing. The whole structure had to come down from its very foundation.

His faith was timid, but faith still acted. True courage does not mean having no fear. It shows itself in doing right despite fear.

It is better when obedience and testimony go together. But though the flesh may hold back our testimony, it cannot stop obedience, if there is faith… The stirrings of the flesh are no excuse for not obeying what we have faith to do… And if we are faithful, even without strong feeling, our acts will speak for themselves. So testimony will follow, even though it did not go with them. That is what happened with Gideon.

Only in the morning did the people of the city see what he had done… Let us, too, weak as we are, destroy our idols in silence, when no eye is watching us… The world will soon see that we have a new altar it does not know, and that the grove is worth nothing to us except as wood to burn. Then the world, which has supported us until now, will hate us. It was the altar of testimony that drew everyone's hatred onto Gideon. Hated — but what did it matter? He was given the name Jerubbaal (let Baal plead), and in front of everyone he became the living witness that the things he had once worshipped were worthless.

The action of faith always stirs up the flesh. Israel did not know where their strength was; they thought it was in Baal. Gideon had learned it was in God. These are sifting times. In the Lord's day everything looked to be in beautiful order. But because He was setting aside men's traditions, everyone was against Him. It is the same now. How many people think the strength of Christians lies in the things they see around them! The soul taught by God knows it is only in Jehovah Jesus.

And from the start, he learns how hostile his own people are to faithfulness for the truth. But how little the world knows that its evil opposition always draws out of God's witness more power than enough to put it down! The people's cry for Gideon's execution is met by Joash's challenge to let Baal plead for himself, if he is a god.

This was very simple reasoning: "If he is a god, let him plead for himself." Gideon's decided course had brought matters to a point. Baal was either a reality or a most complete delusion. If the former, let him plead for himself. If the latter, who would think of pleading for him? Nothing could be simpler. Gideon's action was a complete success. The worship of Baal was overturned, and the worship of Jehovah Elohim set up instead.

It was of no use to argue the case, except to show the people the folly of pleading for Baal. If the things set aside were Baal's, and if Baal was a god, surely he would arise and take their part. It was of no use to debate. And do not let us suppose that all the arguments of all the good men in the world can make that which is evil, good. It is sad indeed to see the arguments that are devised by the wit of men in defence of evil. The binding duty of the saint is to separate from evil, however much long tradition or anything else supports it.

The will of Jehovah was explicitly declared to Gideon. Apart from the will of the Lord, he had nothing but death to expect. But come what may, "he who does the will of God abides forever," and Gideon was content to accept all the consequences… It would have been a glaring inconsistency for a man to go out against the pagan enemies of Israel while Baal was worshipped in his own father's house.

As another has remarked, "Faithfulness within precedes outward strength. Evil must be put away from Israel before the enemy can be driven out. Obedience first and then strength. This is God's order."

Not to be interrupted by the unbelief of those around, he did it by night, and the next morning the challenge to Baal was plain for all to see. So Gideon had to "add virtue" to his faith — the boldness needed by every good soldier of Christ. This boldness is God's means to awaken and embolden others, so that Joash, his father, steps into the ranks.

There is nothing, we repeat, like plain decision — bold, uncompromising faithfulness for Christ, whatever it costs. Had Gideon been less decided, had his line of action been less thorough, his father Joash would not have been so completely won over. It needed just such a way of dealing with Baal to convince a reasonable person that the worship of such a god was a sham and a falsehood.

The name "Jerubbaal" was no defence. On the contrary, it brought up the question whether there was power in Satan now that faith was in exercise.

He answers that the man who pleads for Baal deserves death: it is for Baal himself to avenge the insult. The sarcasm knocks the opposition down at once, and leaves Gideon with the title of idol-challenger, "Let Baal contend!" In the fight that is beginning, the very existence of the man of faith is a sign of victory already won, a pledge of one to come.

Ishbosheth means "man of shame"… We know from Chronicles (1 Chron. 8:33) that his original name was Esh-baal. The same change happened to Jerubbaal, turned into Jerubbesheth (2 Sam. 11:21). In Hosea 9:10 Baal himself is called "that shame." It is hard to doubt that people made these substitutions because they felt how shameful idolatry was.

When we mix with the world, Satan has no reason to disturb us. Let him be alarmed, and up come Midianites, Amalekites, and the rest.

The Midianites, with their allies the Amalekites (a figure of the flesh), came out to fight against Gideon. This was natural, and it is so today. You may be sure of this. If your heart is drawn heavenward, you will have to fight these combined powers. The flesh does not love the things of Christ. It finds its satisfaction in the things of earth.

At first Gideon met hostility from those who bore the name of the people of God. For a time, the sincerity of his testimony held that hostility in check. Midian and Amalek (v. 33), however, were not held back in that way. The men of the city, in their folly, tried to hinder their own deliverance. The world, for its part, made a determined effort to crush the revival that was to free Israel from bondage.

The wide valley or plain around Jezreel, in southern Galilee. It has been called the battlefield of Palestine. Barak won there, and Josiah was defeated there (Judges 5:19; 2 Chronicles 35:22). Megiddo is in the same area. It is also perhaps the place where the great battle of Armageddon will be fought, Revelation 16:16. It is a very fertile plain.

Gideon is now a vessel set apart and fit for the Master's use. So we get the crowning qualification of power… Satan can never get ahead of God. While God is preparing Gideon, the Midianites and the rest stay still; when Gideon is ready, God gathers them together for destruction. They marshal their forces to destroy Israel; but the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon, and now it is God Himself against the Midianites.

God's purpose is to assure the soul of this. Christ has triumphed over every power of evil. Just as surely, every display of evil is a guarantee to us that a far greater power is close at hand. And further, the greater the evil opposition, the plainer the power that overcomes and silences it. In every circumstance of life we should comfort ourselves with this: "when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord raises up a standard against him."

The Midianites come up against Israel. All is ready for the Lord's intervention… This is a new phase in the history; not only faithfulness, but power.

Again let us note, faithfulness does not begin with the Midianites; it begins at home. This is a great principle, whether for an individual soul or for the Church of God. Gideon must attack the evil inside his father's house, and in Israel itself. Only then does the Lord use him to save Israel out of the hands of the Midianites.

The Midianites come up against Israel. All is ready for the Lord's intervention… The power of the Spirit, which sways the minds of men, is with the faith that acknowledges God, that acknowledges Him in His relationship to His people, and faithfully puts away the evil that does not fit that relationship.

The overthrowing of the idols is the secret of power; the Spirit of the LORD only came upon Gideon when he had done this. We do not have, as he did, Baals of stone and groves of wood. But we have many other idols, and, unlike him, we often prefer them to the power of a faithful walk with God.

Unqualified obedience to the word of God is the path of power. At certain periods of our lives power has marked our service, at other times it has been missing. Let us then ask ourselves whether we have rebuilt some idol we had destroyed. All public service for the Christian must begin with faithfulness in the small circle where he is called to live.

In the case of three men (Gideon, for instance: Judges 6:34) the expression is a peculiar one. It means that the Spirit of the Lord clothed Himself with the man. He took full possession of him for a purpose, and until that purpose was achieved.

There were others like Gideon, Amasai and Zechariah, with whom the Spirit clothed Himself for the time being, so that He might witness through them… But in all these cases the Spirit acted upon men from the outside. He used men for His purpose without reference to their inward moral character.

The Spirit of the LORD comes upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet. This is the same Gideon who was threshing wheat to hide it from the Midianites. Now he puts a trumpet to his lips and sounds out defiance in the face of the enemy. In the same way, Peter had trembled before a servant girl. Once the Spirit clothed him with power, he charged the rulers with the sin of crucifying Christ. The apostles too, being filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

They were the voice of God, telling the people His mind on four important occasions. They gave the signal for gathering the people together; for the moving of the camps; for battle; and also for the solemn feasts, or worship… Gideon began where God begins (Num. 10). "He sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him." He carried the voice of God, gathering Israel together again after their own failure had scattered them.

The Spirit of God equips him for special work. In response the men of Abiezer, who had demanded his death not long before, join his standard, and so do Manasseh, Asher and Zebulun. Truly, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God lifts up a standard against him. Let there be the first work of God in a soul, and he will find that others long for freedom from bondage too. They will follow his lead, as he follows Christ.

Satan can never get ahead of God. While Gideon is being prepared, the Midianites and the others stay still. When Gideon is ready, God gathers them together for destruction. They line up their forces to destroy Israel. But the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Gideon, and now it is God Himself against the Midianites. Let us make sure we never move forward against the enemy except in the power of the Spirit of God.

Here is Gideon with his own people against him, and the enemies of Israel gathered and camped in Jezreel. But he has peace with God, and the Lord is (so to speak) bound to appear on his side. How does he act? The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, and he blows the trumpet. Had Gideon been serving Baal, he could not have blown the trumpet like this. But Baal is down, and the altar of God is set up in the ordered place. He sends messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they gather to him too, along with Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. All these gather around the man who is least in his father's house, the poorest of the tribe of Manasseh — the man to whom the Lord has said, "Go in this your might."

Everything is ready for the Lord's intervention. The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon. This is a new phase in the history; not only faithfulness, but power. Gideon blows the trumpet, and those who shortly before would have killed him now follow in his train. He sends messengers to all his tribe, and Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali come up too. The Spirit's power sways the minds of men. It goes with the faith that acknowledges God, and acknowledges Him in His relationship to His people. That faith is faithful to put away the evil that cannot stand with that relationship.

We find the use of the trumpets detailed in Numbers 10:1-10. They were the voice of God, telling His mind to the people on four important occasions. They gave the signal to gather the people together. They gave the signal for the camps to move, for battle, and for the solemn feasts or worship... Most of God's children think that Christianity is only about taking the gospel to people who don't believe. Gideon understood the testimony of faith in another way. He began where God begins. "He blew the trumpet, and Abiezer was gathered after him." He carried God's voice, calling Israel together again after their own failure had scattered them.

In short, there was a thorough awakening. The tide of spiritual energy rose high and carried hundreds and thousands along with it. The work that had begun in Gideon's heart was spreading far and wide, across the whole land. The Spirit of the Lord was displaying His mighty energy, stirring up multitudes to gather round the standard that the hand of faith had raised.

The Spirit of the Lord now clothes Gideon. No mere human wisdom or strength is enough in this fight. We are safe only when we depend on Him. He blows the trumpet, and Abiezer, then all Manasseh, gather behind him. Manasseh's fitness for this place is plain in Gideon, himself a Manassite. The world can only be overcome by the man whose goal lies beyond it, and this is what Manasseh represents. Then Asher, the "happy," Zebulun, the "dweller in relationship," and Naphtali, the "struggler" who overcomes, follow after Manasseh. So Israel's army of victory comes together.

We are very glad to see our friends Zebulun and Naphtali here again. They stood out in the revival in Deborah's and Barak's day. They risked their lives in the high places, ready to die to defend what belonged to God. Here they are in the front line again. This is a very fine thing to see — consistency in the desire to maintain what belongs to the Lord. Now this trumpet call led to this army of 32,000 that was going to meet the Midianites.

Perhaps his spirit was overawed when he saw the huge pagan army massing in front of him. For a moment his courage failed, and his heart longed for a fresh sign from the Lord. "Then Gideon said to God, If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said" — alas, the poor heart can place its unbelieving "if" right in front of the word of God who cannot lie.

The boldness of faith, even when it seems to need confirmatory signs, never offends our gracious God. When He promised all blessing to Abraham, and that he would inherit the land of Canaan, Abraham asks, "How am I to know that I shall possess it?" Is God offended that His word is not enough? Ah, no, but He gives the wonderful night vision of the furnace and the flaming torch.

But oh, the matchless grace of God! His love that never reproaches! His tender thoughtfulness! He graciously meets the weakness of His poor servant... What condescending grace! Instead of harshly rebuking Gideon's unbelieving "if," He confirms his wavering faith with evidence beyond measure.

The fleece in the middle of the ground is the type of Israel in the middle of the nations. The dew is the symbol of divine grace and mercy. It is the Lord who forsakes and who refreshes Israel. Israel today is like the fleece without the dew, while the ground, the Gentiles, have the grace of God. But before long the dew will fall upon Israel again and the time of their blessing and fullness will come.

When the dew is seen upon the floor and not the fleece, it suggests the blessing that has come to the Gentiles during the period of Israel's rejection. We might say the present time.

In Himself He was always that. In God's eyes He was beautiful beyond compare, and every thought, word and action was completely delightful to His Father. He was indeed like the fleece wet with the dew of heaven, in the middle of the barren dryness — the moral desert of Sahara — that ruled on every side.

Are we prepared to say to God, "Let the dew be upon the fleece; let us be saturated, baptised, entirely marked by what the earth does not have"? That is Christ. Only as our hearts and minds feed on Him will we bear the heavenly character and stand out from what belongs to the earth.

But let believers remember that the Spirit of God lives in us. We can depend on God's Word together with the leading of the Spirit. So we need no confirming signs — only real communion with the Lord and faith in His Word.

How remarkable! And yet we need not be surprised if we know anything of our own hearts. Anything for the poor human heart except the bare word of the living God. A sign, a token, something the eye can see. The word of God is not enough for unbelieving nature.

But oh, the matchless grace of God! His love that never scolds! His tender thoughtfulness! He graciously meets the weakness of His poor servant... What grace, that He should stoop so low! He does not rebuke Gideon's unbelieving "if." Instead He confirms his wavering faith with more evidence than Gideon asked for.

The boldness of faith, even when it seems to need confirming signs, never offends our gracious God. God promised Abraham every blessing, and that he would inherit the land of Canaan. Abraham asks, "How am I to know that I shall possess it?" Is God offended that His word is not enough? No — He gives the wonderful night vision of the furnace and the flaming torch.

Dew was the familiar sign of God's favour. It was largely the source of the land's fertility. Without it the land would have been parched and barren. Isaac uses this figure when he pronounces the blessing on Jacob. Moses repeats it in his closing blessing on the tribes. Elijah shows God's judgment on the land by declaring that no dew would fall... All refreshing, for Israel or for the Church, comes by the Holy Spirit. The divine dew is His blessed influence, bringing refreshing and help. Just as the land bears no fruit without dew, nothing grows where the Spirit's work is hindered.

And how the people had been sheared, we might say, by the Midianites, until nothing was left but the fleece, a remnant.

The fleece in the middle of the ground is a picture of Israel in the middle of the nations. The dew is the symbol of divine grace and mercy. It is the Lord who forsakes and who refreshes Israel. Israel today is like the fleece without the dew, while the ground, the Gentiles, has the grace of God. But before long the dew will fall on Israel again, and the time of their blessing and fullness will come.

His first sign was a fleece of wool soaked with dew, while everything around it was dry. Is this not a picture of the Lord Jesus in this world? Everything in this world (apart from God acting by His Spirit) was dry and lifeless as far as God was concerned.

Gideon's request was that the fleece should be soaked with what the earth knew nothing of... Are we prepared to say to God: "Let the dew be on the fleece; let us be soaked, baptized, entirely marked out by what the earth does not have?" That is Christ, surely. Only as our hearts and minds feed on Him will we carry the heavenly character and stand out from what is of the earth... Your own efforts will always be fruitless. You cannot perform a miracle. Only the power of God can bring this about.

Today some Christians use this history as an excuse. They expect a material sign from God about what His will may be in a given matter. But let believers remember that we have the Spirit of God living in us. We can fully depend on God's Word together with the leading of the Spirit. So we need no confirming signs — only genuine communion with the Lord and faith in His Word.

The poor heart can place its unbelieving "if" right in front of the word of God who cannot lie... Anything for the poor human heart but the naked word of the living God. A sign, a token, something that the eye can see. The word of God is not enough for unbelieving nature.

But oh, the matchless grace of God! His love that never scolds! His tender care! He graciously meets the weakness of His poor servant... What grace, that stoops so low! Instead of sharply rebuking Gideon's unbelieving "if," He confirms his wavering faith with overflowing evidence.

To see how fully God answered, he wrung the water out of the fleece and found a bowl full of water! Those of us who have left clothes outside overnight may have found them damp in the morning. But there was never a bowl full of water in them from the dew.

It is one thing to seek a sign in order to believe in God. It is quite another to seek one that confirms us in the rightness of the path we have entered, and in God's support of us in it. The first the Lord will not grant or allow. "No sign will be given to this generation," He says to the Jews... The divine path must be begun and entered in faith, without signs. But the Lord keeps giving evidence to confirm the soul that is in the right path.

The fleece in the midst of the ground is the type of Israel in the midst of the nations. The dew is the symbol of divine grace and mercy. It is the Lord who forsakes and who refreshes Israel. Israel today is like the fleece without the dew, while the ground, the Gentile nations, shares in the grace of God. But before long the dew will fall upon Israel again and the time of their blessing and fulness will come.

His very chastenings are a pledge of future mercy. The Jews are dry now, while blessing has come to the Gentiles. That very dryness is sure proof that God will one day step in for His beloved earthly people.

His first sign was that of a fleece of wool saturated with dew, while all around was dry. Is this not a picture of the Lord Jesus in this world? All in this world (apart from God's acting by His Spirit) was dry and lifeless as far as God was concerned. There was not a drop of refreshing moisture for God in the world.

There He was made a curse when He took our sins upon Himself. There the dew was wrung from Him. He cried out: "I thirst." ... But now the dew is on all the ground. The ground that sin cursed can now receive the blessing of God! Everyone can now receive the "dew of heaven!"

Are we ready to say to God: "Let the dew be on the fleece. Let us be soaked, baptized, completely marked by what the earth does not have"? ... You may tell me that this is your desire, but that all your efforts have been in vain. And let me assure you that your efforts always will be fruitless. You cannot perform a miracle.

And yet all this was not enough. Gideon seeks still further confirmation… Such is the abounding grace and endless patience of the God we have to deal with. Who would not trust Him, and love Him, and serve Him?

God gives another proof of how graciously He stoops to us. He grants a sign to strengthen the weak but real and sincere faith of Gideon. As he repeats his request (v. 39), Gideon feels that God might well discipline him for his lack of faith. Still, the Lord grants what he asks.

All God's orders to Gideon were clear and simple. But when Gideon asked God for signs, everything became unclear and complicated… Having tested God, Gideon now put Him to a test in return. What poor faith! What feeble confidence in Him! But the God of grace patiently did what His servant asked.

The boldness of faith, even when it seems to need confirming signs, never offends our gracious God. When He promised Abraham every blessing, and the land of Canaan, Abraham asked how he could know he would inherit it. Is God offended that His word is not enough? No — He gives him the wonderful night vision of the furnace and the flaming torch.

Dew was the familiar sign of God's favour. Much of the land's fertility came from it, and without it the land would have been parched and barren… And Hosea, describing the restoration of the nation when God will bless them again, describes Him as saying, "I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon."

We know that all refreshing, whether for Israel or the Church, is by the Holy Spirit, and that the divine dew is His blessed influence bringing refreshing and help. Just as without the dew the land would stop being fruitful, so without the Spirit's unhindered work there can be no fruit. Barrenness will be the result.

The fleece of the shorn sheep pictures desolate Israel, which will be filled with the dew of God's blessing while drought lies on the nations around. But the reverse may also be of God: while His mercies refresh the nations around, Israel for her sins may be left dry. Either way, this is no mere natural event… To see His hand in every condition, however opposite, and to own His power and rule everywhere — this is the secret of wisdom, and of strength no less.

The dew on the floor and not on the fleece suggests the blessing that has come to the nations during the time of Israel's rejection. We might say the present time.

This time the fleece of wool was dry, while all around was dew. How movingly this reminds us of the cross of Christ. God forsook Him who was as the dew of the morning, so that the dew of God's grace might rest on the dry and barren waste of humanity.

Seeking a sign to establish belief in God is one thing. Seeking one to confirm that the path we have entered is right, and that God supports us in it, is quite another. The first the Lord will not grant or allow… The divine path must be begun in faith, without signs. But the Lord keeps on giving evidence to confirm the soul that is in the right path.

How remarkable! And yet we need not be surprised if we know anything of our own hearts. Anything for the poor human heart but the plain word of the living God. A sign, a token, something the eye can see. The word of God is not enough for unbelieving nature.

And yet all this was not enough. Gideon seeks still further confirmation... Such is the abounding grace and endless patience of the God we have to deal with. Forever praised be His holy name! Who would not trust Him, and love Him, and serve Him?

It is one thing to seek a sign in order to believe in God. It is a very different thing to seek one that confirms we are on the right path, and that God supports us in it. The first the Lord will not grant or allow. "No sign will be given to you," He says to the Jews, when they asked for a sign as a ground of belief. We must enter God's path by faith, without signs. But the Lord keeps giving evidence to confirm the soul that is on the right path, and that it will succeed there.

When Gideon asks for the dew on the fleece, it speaks of God giving His blessing to His persecuted people. This is true not only of that time, but of the last days, when He will be as the dew to Israel. When the dew appears on the floor and not on the fleece, it suggests the blessing that has come to the Gentiles during the period of Israel's rejection. We might say the present time.

But whether He gives or withholds blessing, God is showing Himself for His people. His very chastenings are a pledge of future mercy. The Jews are dry now, while blessing has come upon the Gentiles. That very dryness is a sure proof that God will one day step in for His beloved earthly people.

And this brings us to Gideon's second sign. This time the fleece of wool was dry, while all around was dew. How movingly this reminds us of the cross of Christ. God forsook Him who was as the dew of the morning, so that the dew of God's grace might rest on the dry and barren waste of humanity... "my strength is dried up like a potsherd." (Ps. 22:15)

God forsook His Son so that His attitude toward this world might be one of grace and blessing, so that the dew of His goodness might rest on it.

Gideon had one more request to make before he took the field; it was that the fleece might be dry and all the earth wet. Here we have the negative side of the matter, which naturally follows the positive. For us it means this: let us be free in heart and character from what soaks the earth. Let its maxims, principles, ways, hopes and ambitions have no place in our lives. They can only spoil our enjoyment of Him.