⚔️ Summary of Judges 6–8: ๐ A precise record of Israel’s betrayal of God before and after the time of Gideon
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Judges 3: After Othniel died, the Israelites again did evil in the eyes of the Lord (vv. 11–12).
Judges 4: After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the eyes of the Lord (v. 1).
⚔️ Key Points of Judges 6
Judges 6 begins with the same pattern once again:
The Israelites “again did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
Therefore, the Lord gave them into the hands of the Midianites for seven years.
➡️ Israel became severely impoverished because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.
๐ The Calling of Gideon
The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, from the tribe of Manasseh, and said:
“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Gideon answered:
“Pardon me, my lord, but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (v. 13)
๐ At first, Gideon did not realize that the man before him was the messenger of God.
Only after the offering Gideon presented was consumed by fire and the messenger disappeared did Gideon realize that he had been speaking with the angel of the Lord.
Judging from the kind of offering Gideon presented, it is possible that he initially thought the man was someone connected with priestly or Levitical service.
๐ God’s Command: Offer a Burnt Offering and Destroy the Idol Altar
God commanded Gideon to:
take his father’s second bull, seven years old;
tear down his father’s altar to Baal;
cut down the Asherah pole beside it;
build an altar to the Lord at the top of the stronghold, according to the proper regulations;
and offer the second bull as a burnt offering, using the wood of the Asherah pole he had cut down.
๐ God knew exactly what animals were in Gideon’s father’s household. ๐
Among them, God specifically requested the second bull, seven years old.
This seems to have an interesting connection with the seven years of suffering Israel had experienced under the Midianites.
The Bible often specifies animals of one year old for certain offerings, but here the text specifically mentions a bull that was seven years old. ๐
๐ God also commanded Gideon to build the altar at the top of the stronghold, in a place where it could be seen.
➡️ Gideon was afraid, so he carried out the command at night.
➡️ The next morning, the men of the city became furious.
But Joash, Gideon’s father, defended him, saying:
“If Baal really is a god, let him contend for himself.”
➡️ On that day, Gideon was given the name Jerub-Baal.
➡️ And at that very time, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other peoples from the East crossed the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel (v. 33).
→ The situation became so urgent that there was no time even for an argument.
๐ The Spirit of the Lord and the Signs of the Fleece
After this, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon (v. 34).
Even then, Gideon still seemed uncertain.
He asked God for two signs using a fleece of wool:
first, that only the fleece would be wet while the ground remained dry;
then, that only the fleece would remain dry while the ground became wet.
➡️ God allowed both requests and gave Gideon the confirmation he had asked for.
⚔️ Key Points of Judges 7
๐ The 300 Men and the Defeat of Midian
The Lord said to Gideon:
“There are too many men with you for Me to give Midian into their hands. Israel would boast against Me, saying, ‘My own strength has saved me.’” (v. 2)
➡️ God then began reducing the army.
32,000 men
→ 10,000 men
→ finally, only 300 men, selected according to the way they drank water.
๐ God also wanted to remove Gideon’s fear and strengthen his confidence.
He told Gideon to secretly go down to the Midianite camp and listen to what they were saying.
Gideon heard one soldier describing a dream:
a loaf of barley bread came rolling into the Midianite camp and struck a tent, causing it to collapse.
Another soldier interpreted the dream as a sign that God had given Midian into Gideon’s hands.
➡️ After hearing this, Gideon gained courage.
๐ The Battle Was Not Won by the Sword
The 300 men were divided into three groups.
Each man received:
a trumpet;
an empty jar;
and a torch hidden inside the jar.
During the night, they blew the trumpets, broke the jars, raised the torches, and shouted:
“A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
➡️ And at that very moment, the Lord caused the men throughout the entire camp to turn against one another with their own swords.
The Midianites panicked, fought among themselves, destroyed one another, and fled.
➡️ The Israelites then pursued the Midianites and achieved a great victory.
→ Israel’s battle was not really won by the strength of the 300 men. God Himself accomplished the victory. ๐
AI-generated image ⚔️ Key Points of Judges 8
๐ Conflict After the Victory and the Fate of Those Who Refused to Help
The conflict with Ephraim:
The tribe of Ephraim complained because they had been called only after the battle had already begun.
Gideon answered:
“What have I accomplished compared with you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?”
➡️ By praising Ephraim, Gideon calmed their anger.
๐ The Punishment of Succoth and Peniel
When Gideon and his 300 men were pursuing the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, his soldiers were exhausted.
Gideon asked the men of Succoth for bread to feed his soldiers, but they refused.
The men of Peniel also refused to help.
➡️ Gideon continued the pursuit, captured the two kings, and then returned.
➡️ As he had promised, he punished the men of Succoth with desert thorns and tore down the tower of Peniel, killing the men of the city.
๐ And even in this pursuit, only the 300 men were used — something clearly recorded in verse 4. ๐
➡️ This makes the event even more remarkable.
The remaining Midianite forces numbered about 15,000 men.
That means approximately 50 enemies for every one of Gideon’s 300 men.
๐ At the beginning, when Gideon faced the 135,000-man army, the ratio was an astonishing 450 to 1.
๐ Most people remember only the episode of the broken jars and torches.
But this pursuit of 15,000 men with only 300 soldiers may actually be an even more remarkable event! ๐
๐ Gideon Refuses the Kingdom but Makes an Ephod
After the victory, the Israelites said to Gideon:
“Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson.”
Gideon answered:
“I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”
➡️ Gideon refused to become king.
However, with the gold received from the spoils of war, he made an ephod and placed it in his city, Ophrah.
➡️ This ephod became a snare to Gideon and his family and eventually became an object of idolatry for Israel.
๐ The Death of Gideon
While Gideon lived, the land had peace for 40 years.
Gideon had many wives and 70 sons.
He also had a son named Abimelech through his concubine in Shechem.
➡️ After Gideon died, the Israelites again turned to the Baals.
➡️ They did not remember the Lord, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies.
➡️ Nor did they show gratitude to the family of Jerub-Baal, that is, Gideon.
๐ Conclusion — 1
After Gideon died, the Bible records that the Israelites prostituted themselves again to the Baals (v. 33).
They did not remember the Lord, who had delivered them from the hands of their enemies (v. 34).
And they failed to show kindness to the household of Jerub-Baal, that is, Gideon (v. 35).
In Korea, Brazil, and many other countries, we remember those who saved the nation and protected the people.
In Korea, for example, we remember Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the patriots who gave their lives during the Japanese colonial period, those who fought in the Korean War, and also those who fought in the Vietnam War in defense of national interests.
This is because we recognize that the Korea of today exists in part because of those who fought and sacrificed themselves in the past.
When we think about this, the Israelites seem truly different from many other peoples.
๐ It is almost as if they had a kind of “eraser in their heads”! ใ ใ
๐ Without an eraser, how could they forget so quickly, abandon God, and betray Him again and again? ใ ใ
๐ Conclusion — 2
Judges 6:1: When the story of Gideon begins,
➡️ “The Israelites did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
The end of Judges 8:
➡️ When Gideon died, Israel again turned to the Baals.
✔️ Before Gideon’s time and after Gideon’s death, the Bible records the same reality with precision: Israel continued to abandon and betray the Lord. ๐
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