Gideon and the Signs
Judges 6The children of Israel did that which was evil in YHWH’s sight, so YHWH delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds. Whenever Israel planted crops, the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. They encamped against them, and destroyed the produce of the earth as far as Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number, and they came into the land to destroy it. Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the children of Israel cried to YHWH.
When the children of Israel cried to YHWH because of Midian, YHWH sent a prophet to the children of Israel, and he said to them, “YHWH, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought y’all up from Egypt, and brought y’all out of the house of bondage. I delivered y’all out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed y’all, and drove them out from before y’all, and gave y’all their land. I said to y’all, “I am YHWH y’all’s God. Y’all must not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land y’all dwell.” But y’all have not listened to my voice.’”
The Angel of YHWH came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The Angel of YHWH appeared to him, and said to him, “YHWH is with you, valiant warrior!”
Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if YHWH is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t YHWH bring us up from Egypt?’ But now YHWH has cast us off and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
YHWH looked at him, and said, “Go in your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”
He said to him, “O Lord, how can I save Israel? Look, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
YHWH said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one man.”
He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. Please don’t go away until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it before you.”
He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah+6:19 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”
He did so. Then the Angel of YHWH stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then the Angel of YHWH departed out of his sight.
Gideon saw that he was the Angel of YHWH, and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord YHWH! Because I have seen the Angel of YHWH face to face!”
YHWH said to him, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid. You will not die.”
Then Gideon built an altar there to YHWH, and called it “YHWH is Peace.”+6:24 or, YHWH Shalom To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
That same night, YHWH said to him, “Take your father’s bull and the second bull that is seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it. Then build an altar to YHWH your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down.”
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as YHWH had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.
When the men of the city arose early in the morning, he saw that the altar of Baal had been demolished, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built. They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?”
When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.” Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are y’all going to plead Baal’s cause? Are y’all going to save him? Whoever pleads his cause, will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar!” Therefore on that day he named him Jerub-Baal,+6:32 “Jerub-Baal” means “Let Baal contend”. saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.”
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of YHWH came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they also were gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
Gideon said to God, “If you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, look, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I’ll know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.”
And that is what happened. He rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger be kindled against me. I will speak but once more. Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
God did so that night. Only the fleece was dry, and there was dew on all the ground.