Chapter 6
Judges 6:3-4 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; (4) And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
Wow that’s pretty mean. To destroy someone’s work has got to be one of the lowest deeds on earth. Very troubling when kids destroy other kids art work or whatever creation.
Judges 6:5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
Now that’s a real threatening picture: War Camels! Actually camels are pretty fast. Grasshoppers? At Kadesh grasshoppers were the losers. This time around grasshoppers are the winners. Maybe I’m not understanding this.
Judges 6:8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
Moses was called a prophet. “There arose not a prophet like unto Moses…” There is law regarding prophets. Aaron was Moses’ prophet. But this is a mystery prophet. Who was this prophet? He said, “Ye have not obeyed my voice…”
Judges 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Hiding wheat by the winepress? Why wouldn’t the Midianites find that? The bible says that they destroyed the increase of the earth and left not sustenance, no sheep, nor ox, nor ass. Why wouldn’t they destroy the fruit of the vine? Wine is spoil. Don’t destroy the wine.
Maybe Gideon knew that the Midianites would preserve the wine and the means of production. A diversion. That’s clever. Wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
Judges 6:15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
What a great example. This is who God is looking for. Someone who know that there is no power in them save the power of God. Blessed are the poor. The least shall be the greatest. Not many noble…
Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
Awesome! Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Altar fire. I wish I can do a study on the fire from the altar. I’ve been fascinated with the idea that Jesus’ baptism of fire is not hell fire, but rather altar fire, purging fire, power fire, consuming fire. Read The Tongue of Fire; Or, The True Power of Christianity by William Arthur
Judges 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
Don’t worry you won’t die. It might hurt. Your life might be totally turned upside down from here on out. You’re going judge Israel for 40 years (not sure on that). You’re going to do battle against the Midianites. But don’t worry, thou shalt not die.
Judges 6:31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
Good for you dad!
Judges 6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
That’s what happens when you’re filled with the Spirit. You blow a trumpet. PuPurrrrrr!!!! Is that not what Jesus has asked of us? To blow the trumpet of warning. There’s a great day coming by and by. To blow the trumpet of war. Jesus will come with 10,000 of his saints.
This may have gone real well in the Things of the Spirit, Carried away in the Spirit. Carried away into battle for the Lord.
Chapter 7
Judges 7:8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
Down in the valley with my Savior I will go….
Yea thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…
Food and trumpets. French fries and French horns. Crumpets and Trumpets.
300 men? It doesn’t take much to make a difference.
Judges 7:13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
His fellow answered “This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon!” A cake of barley bread is the sword of Gideon? I’m not making the connection.
Here’s the connection. Gideon was poor. Barley bread was the bread of the poor. The wheat was usually for animals. Remember Gideon was hiding his threshing of wheat. The Midianites had destroyed the crops. So his wheat had to be a crop that he could grow secretly. Barley is a fool hardy crop and easy to grow. So it’s very likely that barley is what Gideon was threshing.
Well, what a picture for a cake of barley to come tumbling down the hill and smite the tents of the Midians. Glory to God! God really spoke to Gideon through that dream. The bible says that after he heard the interpretation of the dream, he went and worshipped and then returned to the 300 men and said, “Arise, for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian!” Great stuff.
Benson Commentary – A weak and contemptible thing, and in itself as unable to overthrow a tent as to remove a mountain; but, being thrown by a divine hand, it bore down all before it.
“Little is much when God is in it!”
Judges 7:18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
Good typology here. This the same manner in which we meet our enemies on the battle field. We go in the strength of God, and in the power of his Holy Word. This also ought to be our battle cry. Can’t help but recognize the similarity to Joshua and Jericho. Joshua and Gideon were very similar in faith and humility.
Chapter 8
Judges 8:1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.
What a bunch of jealous jerky children! This is one of my biggest beefs! I see this everywhere. Nobody wants responsibility. Why does Ephraim have to wait for Gideon to fight the Midianites? Why didn’t the go and fight and ask Gideon to help? Why must we be told to do everything. And then on top of that, they get mad because they weren’t included.
You got some people that just get offended at things like this. They get mad because they weren’t invited. They get mad because they were invited. They get mad when people don’t jump at their invitations. And then people do go, they find something to be mad about that too like being late or something.
Judges 8:3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
So yeah, after the Midianites were on the run, Gideon called for Ephraim to go get ’em. And they did. The got the two princes and sent their heads to Gideon. So they were made because Gideon didn’t call them in the first place, but they did reap some of the spoil. So Gideon is taking one for the team and essentially saying that their victory over the two princes and the land they took than anything Gideon did. He saying. You want the glory? You got the glory? You the man. I might have started it, but you guys finished it.
Judges 8:6-7 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? (7) And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.
Why do people have to be mean?
Judges 8:16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
He schooled them. He beat down the tower of Penuel and slew the men of the city.
Judges 8:18-21 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. (19) And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. (20) And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. (21) Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
So Gideon had a beef with Zebah and Zalmunna. What happened at Tabor. I’ll find out later.
Psalms 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
Judges 8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.
These guys were rich. Mr. T Camel
Judges 8:27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
Why did he do that?
Judges 8:33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.
Nombre forget it.
Chapter 9
Judges 9:5 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
We’re talking about Abimelech. Jerubbaal is Gideon. That’s totally wicked to kill all your family. We see things like this happen in our land today and think “Things are getting real bad.” But it’s nothing new. Read on in the book of Judges and it gets sicker and sicker.
Judges 9:6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
Here’s some advice: Don’t make a king out of someone that just killed his entire family. That’s probably not a good idea.
Judges 9:7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
<——SPEECH—->
Judges 9:20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
Awesome speech. I like Jotham. Everything he said came to pass.
Judges 9:24 That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
God shall not be mocked. You reap what you sow.
Judges 9:27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
There you go. I heard one time, pastor advice “The first ones to praise you will be the first ones to turn on you.” Very true sometimes. “Quick to shout is sometimes quick to pout.”
Judges 9:28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
He sounds like these malcontents protesting the presidential inauguration. Gaal was unsuccessful. But read on to the tower of Thebez. Some woman drops a millstone on his head. That is funny.
Chapter 10
Judges 10:13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
That’s pretty plain. Falling asleep.
Judges 10:14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
That’s no good. You don’t want to hear God say that. Patty bought a soap cutter that I could have easily made with the waterjet. But she wanted me to take it to the shop and clean it and take off some burrs. Not. i said, “Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation!”
Judges 10:16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
Misery. That’s what it is. Misery for the child of God that wants out from under his Father’s authority.