J
U D G E S
CHAP. VI.
Nothing
that occurred in the quiet and peaceable times of
Israel
is recorded; the forty years'
rest after the conquest of Jabin is passed over in silence; and here begins
the story of another distress and another deliverance, by Gideon, the fourth
of the judges. Here is, I. The calamitous condition of Israel, by the inroads of the
Midianites, ver. 1-6. II. The message God sent them by a prophet, by
convincing them of sin, to prepare them for deliverance, ver. 7-10. III. The
raising up of Gideon to be their deliverer. 1. A commission which God sent him
by the hand of an angel, and confirmed by a sign, ver. 11-24. 2. The
first-fruits of his government in the reform of his father's house, ver.
25-32. 3. The preparations he made for a war with the Midianites, and the
encouragement given him by a sign, ver. 33-40.
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The
Inroads of the Midianites.
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B.
C. 1249.
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1 And the children of
Israel
did evil in the sight of the LORD:
and the LORD
delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand
of Midian prevailed against
Israel
: and because of the
Midianites the children of
Israel
made them the dens which are
in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. 3 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. 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.
6 And
Israel
was greatly impoverished
because of the Midianites; and the children of
Israel
cried unto the LORD.
We have here, I. Israel's sin renewed: They did evil in the sight of the
Lord, v. 1. The burnt child dreads the fire; yet this perverse
unthinking people, that had so often smarted sorely for their idolatry, upon a
little respite of God's judgments return to it again. This people hath a
revolting rebellious heart, not kept in awe by the terror of God's
judgments, nor engaged in honour and gratitude by the great things he had done
for them to keep themselves in his love. The providence of God will not change
the hearts and lives of sinners.
II. Israel's troubles repeated. This would follow of course; let all that sin
expect to suffer; let all that return to folly expect to return to misery. With
the froward God will show himself froward (Ps. xviii. 26), and will walk
contrary to those that walk contrary to him, Lev. xxvi. 21, 24. Now as to this
trouble, 1. It arose from a very despicable enemy. God delivered them into the
hand of Midian (v. 1), not Midian in the south where Jethro lived, but
Midian in the east that joined to Moab (Num. xxii. 4), a people that all men
despised as uncultivated and unintelligent; hence we read not here of any
king, lord, or general, that they had, but the force with which they destroyed
Israel was an undisciplined mob; and, which made it the more grievous, they
were a people that Israel had formerly subdued, and in a manner destroyed (see
Num. xxxi. 7), and yet by this time (nearly 200 years after) the poor remains
of them were so multiplied, and so magnified, that they were capable of being
made a very severe scourge to Israel. Thus God moved them to jealousy with
those who were not a people, even a foolish nation, Deut. xxxii. 21. The
meanest creature will serve to chastise those that have made the great Creator
their enemy. And, when those we are authorized to rule prove rebellious and
disobedient to us, it concerns us to enquire whether we have not been so to
our sovereign Ruler. 2. It arose to a very formidable height (v. 2): The
hand of Midian prevailed, purely by their multitude. God had promised to
increase
Israel
as the sand on the sea shore;
but their sin stopped their growth and diminished them, and then their
enemies, though otherwise every way inferior to them, overpowered them with
numbers. They came upon them as grasshoppers for multitude (v.
5), not in a regular army to engage them in the field, but in a confused swarm
to plunder the country, quarter themselves upon it, and enrich themselves with
its spoils--bands of robbers, and no better. And sinful
Israel
, being separated by sin from
God, had not spirit to make head against them. Observe the wretched havoc that
these Midianites made with their bands of plunderers in
Israel
. Here we have, (1.) The
Israelites imprisoned, or rather imprisoning themselves, in dens and caves, v.
2. This was owing purely to their own timorousness and faint-heartedness, that
they would rather fly than fight; it was the effect of a guilty conscience,
which made them tremble at the shaking of a leaf, and the just punishment of
their apostasy from God, who thus fought against them with those very terrors
with which he would otherwise have fought for them. Had it not been for this,
we cannot but think
Israel
a match for the Midianites, and
able enough to make head against them; but the heart that departs from God is
lost, not only to that which is good, but to that which is great. Sin
dispirits men, and makes them sneak into dens and caves. The day will come
when chief captains and mighty men will call in vain to rocks and mountains to
hide them. (2.) The Israelites impoverished, greatly impoverished, v.
6. The Midianites and the other children of the east that joined with them to
live by spoil and rapine (as long before the Sabeans and Chaldeans did that
plundered Job, free-booters) made frequent incursions into the
land
of
Canaan
. This fruitful land was a great
temptation to them; and the sloth and luxury into which the Israelites had
sunk by forty years' rest made them and their substance an easy prey to them.
They came up against them (v. 3), pitched their camps among them (v.
4), and brought their cattle with them, particularly camels innumerable (v.
5), not a flying party to make a sally upon them and be gone presently, but
they resolved to force their way, and penetrated through the heart of the
country as far as Gaza on the western side, v. 4. They let the
Israelites alone to sow their ground, but towards harvest they came and seized
all, and ate up and destroyed it, both grass and corn, and when they went away
took with them the sheep and oxen, so that in short they left no sustenance
for Israel, except what was privately taken by the rightful owners into the
dens and caves. Now here we may see, [1.] The justice of God in the punishment
of their sin. They had neglected to honour God with their substance in tithes
and offerings, and had prepared that for Baal with which God should have been
served, and now God justly sends an enemy to take it away in the season
thereof, Hos. ii. 8, 9. [2.] The consequence of God's departure from a
people; when he goes all good goes and all mischiefs break in. When
Israel
kept in with God, they reaped
what others sowed (Josh. xxiv. 13; Ps. cv. 44); but now that God had forsaken
them others reaped what they sowed. Let us take occasion from this to bless
God for our national peace and tranquillity, that we eat the labour of our
hands.
III. Israel's sense of God's hand revived at last. Seven years, year after
year, did the Midianites make these inroads upon them, each we may suppose
worse than the other (v. 1), until at last, all other succours failing,
Israel cried unto the Lord (v. 6), for crying to Baal ruined
them, and would not help them. When God judges he will overcome; and sinners
shall be made either to bend or break before him.
7 And it came to pass,
when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD
because of the Midianites, 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; 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out
from before you, and gave you their land; 10 And I said unto you,
I am the LORD
your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye
have not obeyed my voice.
Observe here, I. The cognizance God took of the cries of
Israel
, when at length they were
directed towards him. Though in their prosperity they had neglected him and
made court to his rivals, and though they never looked towards him until they
were driven to it by extremity, yet, upon their complain and prayer, he
intended relief for them. Thus would he show how ready he is to forgive, how
swift he is to show mercy, and how inclinable to hear prayer, that sinners may
be encouraged to return and repent, Ps. cxxx. 4.
II. The method God took of working deliverance for them.
1. Before he sent an angel to raise them up a saviour he sent a prophet to
reprove them for sin, and to bring them to repentance, v. 8. This
prophet is not named, but he was a man, a prophet, not an angel, as ch.
ii. 1. Whether this prophet took an opportunity of delivering his message to
the children of Israel when they had met together in a general assembly, at
some solemn feast or other great occasion, or whether he went from city to
city and from tribe to tribe, preaching to this purport, is not certain; but
his errand was to convince them of sin, that, in their crying to the Lord,
they might confess that with sorrow and shame, and not spend their breath in
only complaining of their trouble. They cried to God for a deliverer, and God
sent them a prophet to instruct them, and to make them ready for deliverance.
Note, (1.) We have reason to hope God is designing mercy for us if we find he
is by his grace preparing us for it. If to those that are sick he sends a
messenger, an interpreter, by whom he shows unto man his uprightness, then
he is gracious, and grants a recovery, Job xxxiii. 23, 24. (2.) The
sending of prophets to a people, and the furnishing of a land with faithful
ministers, is a token for good, and an evidence that God has mercy in store
for them. He thus turns us to him, and then causes his face to shine, Ps. lxxx.
19.
2. We have here the heads of the message which this prophet delivered in to
Israel
, in the name of the Lord.
(1.) He sets before them the great things God had done for them (v. 8,
9): Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; they had worshipped the gods
of the nations, as if they had had no God of their own to worship and
therefore might choose whom they pleased; but they are here reminded of one
whom they had forgotten, who was known by the title of the God of Israel,
and to him they must return. They had turned to other gods, as if their own
had been either incapable or unwilling to protect them, and therefore they are
told what he did for their fathers, in whose loins they were, the benefit of
which descended and still remained to this their ungrateful seed. [1.] He
brought them out of
Egypt
, where otherwise they would
have continued in perpetual poverty and slavery. [2.] He delivered them out
of the hands of all that oppressed them; this is mentioned to intimate
that the reason why they were not now delivered out of the hands of the
oppressing Midianites was not for want of any power or good-will in God, but
because by their iniquity they had sold themselves, and God would not redeem
them until they by repentance revoked the bargain. [3.] He put them in quiet
possession of this good land; this not only aggravated their sin, and affixed
the brand of base ingratitude to it, but it justified God, and cleared him
from blame upon account of the trouble they were now in. They could not say he
was unkind, for he had given all possible proofs of his designing well for
them; if ill befel them notwithstanding, they must thank themselves.
(2.) He shows the easiness and equity of God's demands and expectations from
them (v. 10): "I am the Lord your God, to whom you lie
under the highest obligations, fear not the gods of the Amorites,"
that is, "do not worship them, nor show any respect to them; do not
worship them for fear of their doing you any hurt, for what hurt can they do
you while I am your God? Fear God, and you need not fear them."
(3.) He charges them with rebellion against God, who had laid this injunction
upon them: But you have not obeyed my voice. The charge is short, but
very comprehensive; this was the malignity of all their sin, it was
disobedience to God; and therefore it was this that brought those calamities
upon them under which they were now groaning, pursuant to the threatenings
annexed to his commands. He intends hereby to bring them to repentance; and
our repentance is then right and genuine when the sinfulness of sin, as
disobedience to God, is that in it which we chiefly lament.
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The
Call of Gideon.
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B.
C. 1249.
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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. 12 And the angel of the LORD
appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD
is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said
unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD
be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his
miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD
bring us up from
Egypt
? but now the LORD
hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD
looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save
Israel
from the hand of the Midianites:
have not I sent thee? 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.
16 And the LORD
said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites
as one man. 17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in
thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me. 18
Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my
present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou
come again. 19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and
unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he
put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and
presented it. 20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take
the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and
pour out the broth. And he did so. 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. 22 And when Gideon perceived that he was
an angel of the LORD,
Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD!
for because I have seen an angel of the LORD
face to face. 23 And the LORD
said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD,
and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the
Abi-ezrites.
It is not said what effect the prophet's sermon had upon the people, but we
may hope it had a good effect, and that some of them at least repented and
reformed upon it; for here, immediately after, we have the dawning of the day
of their deliverance, by the effectual calling of Gideon to take upon him the
command of their forces against the Midianites.
I. The person to be commissioned for this service was Gideon, the son of Joash,
v. 14. The father was now living, but he was passed by, and this honour
put upon the son, for the father kept up in his own family the worship of Baal
(v. 25), which we may suppose this son, as far as was in his power,
witnessed against. He was of the half tribe of Manasseh that lay in
Canaan
, of the family of Abiezer; the
eldest house of that tribe, Josh. xvii. 2. Hitherto the judges were raised up
out of that tribe which suffered most by the oppression, and probably it was
so here.
II. The person that gave him the commission was an angel of the Lord;
it should seem not a created angel, but the Son of God himself, the eternal
Word, the Lord of the angels, who then appeared upon some great occasions in
human shape, as a prelude (says the learned bishop Patrick) to what he
intended in the fulness of time, when he would take our nature upon him, as we
say, for good and all. This angel is here called Jehovah, the
incommunicable name of God (v. 14, 16), and he said, I will be with
thee.
1. This divine person appeared here to Gideon, and it is observable how he
found him, (1.) Retired--all alone. God often manifests himself to his people
when they are out of the noise and hurry of this world. Silence and solitude
befriend our communion with God. (2.) Employed in threshing wheat, with a staff
or rod (so the word signifies), such as they used in beating out
fitches and cummin (Isa. xxviii. 27), but now used for wheat, probably because
he had but little to thresh, he needed not the oxen to tread it out. It was
not then looked upon as any diminution to him, though he was a person of some
account and a mighty man of valour, to lay his hand to the business of
the husbandman. He had many servants (v. 27), and yet would not himself
live in idleness. We put ourselves in the way of divine visits when we employ
ourselves in honest business. Tidings of Christ's birth were brought to the
shepherds when they were keeping their flocks. The work he was about was an
emblem of that greater work to which he was now to be called, as the
disciples' fishing was. From threshing corn he is fetched to thresh the
Midianites, Isa. xli. 15. (3.) Distressed; he was threshing his wheat, not in
the threshing-floor, the proper place, but by the wine-press, in some
private unsuspected corner, for fear of the Midianites. He himself shared in
the common calamity, and now the angel came to animate him against Midian when
he himself could speak so feelingly of the heaviness of their yoke. The day of
the greatest distress is God's time to appear for his people's relief.
2. Let us now see what passed between the angel and Gideon, who knew not with
certainty, till after he was gone, that he was an angel, but supposed he was a
prophet.
(1.) The angel accosted him with respect, and assured him of the presence of
God with him, v. 12. He calls him a mighty man of valour,
perhaps because he observed how he threshed his corn with all his might; and
seest thou a man diligent in his business? whatever his business is, he shall stand
before kings. He that is faithful in a few things shall be ruler over
many. Gideon was a man of a brave active spirit, and yet buried alive in
obscurity, through the iniquity of the times; but he is here animated to
undertake something great, like himself, with that word, The Lord is with
thee, or, as the Chaldee reads it, the Word of the Lord is thy help.
It was very sure that the Lord was with him when this angel was with him. By
this word, [1.] He gives him his commission. If we have God's presence with
us, this will justify us and bear us out in our undertakings. [2.] He inspires
him with all necessary qualifications for the execution of his commission.
"The Lord is with thee to guide and strengthen thee, to animate and
support thee." [3.] He assures him of success; for, if God be for us,
who can prevail against us? If he be with us, nothing can be
wanting to us. The presence of God with us is all in all to our prosperity,
whatever we do. Gideon was a mighty man of valour, and yet he could bring
nothing to pass without the presence of God, and that presence is enough to
make any man mighty in valour and to give a man courage at any time.
(2.) Gideon gave a very melancholy answer to this joyful salutation (v.
13): O my Lord! if the Lord be with us (which the Chaldee reads, Is
the Shechinah of the Lord our help? making that the same with the Word
of the Lord) why then has all this befallen us? "all this trouble and
distress from the Midianites' incursions, which force me to thresh wheat here
by the wine-press--all this loss, and grief, and fright; and where are all
the miracles which our fathers told us of?" Observe, In his reply he
regards not the praise of his own valour, nor does this in the least elevate
him or give him any encouragement, though it is probable the angel adapted
what he said to that which Gideon was at the same time thinking of; while his
labouring hands were employed about his wheat, his working head and daring
heart were meditating Israel's rescue and Midian's ruin, with which thought he
that knows the heart seasonably sets in, calls him a man of valour for his
brave projects, and open him a way to put them in execution; yet Gideon, as if
not conscious to himself of any thing great or encouraging in his own spirit,
fastens only on the assurance the angel had given him of God's presence, as
that by which they held all their comfort. Observe, The angel spoke in
particular to him: The Lord is with thee; but he expostulates for all: If
the Lord be with us, herding himself with the thousands of Israel, and
admitting no comfort but what they might be sharers in, so far is he from the
thoughts of monopolizing it, though he had so fair an occasion given him.
Note, Public spirits reckon that only an honour and joy to themselves which
puts them in a capacity of serving the common interests of God's church.
Gideon was a mighty man of valour, but as yet weak in faith, which makes it
hard to him to reconcile to the assurances now given him of the presence of
God, [1.] The distress to which
Israel
was reduced: Why has all
this (and all this was no little) befallen us? Note, It is
sometimes hard, but never impossible, to reconcile cross providences with the
presence of God and his favour. [2.] The delay of their deliverance: "Where
are all the miracles which our fathers told us of? Why does not the same
power which delivered our fathers from the yoke of the Egyptians deliver us
out of the hands of the Midianites?" As if because God did not
immediately work miracles for their deliverance, though they had by their sins
forfeited his favour and help, it must be questioned whether ever he had
wrought the miracles which their fathers told them of, or, if he had, whether
he had now the same wisdom, and power, and good-will to his people, that he
had had formerly. This was his weakness. We must not expect that the miracles
which were wrought when a church was in the forming, and some great truth in
the settling, should be continued and repeated when the formation and
settlement are completed: no, nor that the mercies God showed to our fathers
that served him, and kept close to him, should be renewed to us, if we
degenerate and revolt from him. Gideon ought not to have said either, First,
That God had delivered them into the hands of the Midianites, for by
their iniquities they had sold themselves, or, Secondly, That now they
were in their hands he had forsaken them, for he had lately sent them a
prophet (v. 8), which was a certain indication that he had not forsaken
them.
(3.) The angel gave him a very effectual answer to his objections, by giving
him a commission to deliver
Israel
out of the hands of the
Midianites, and assuring him of success therein, v. 14. Now the angel
is called Jehovah, for he speaks as one having authority, and not as a
messenger. [1.] There was something extraordinary in the look he now gave to
Gideon; it was a gracious favourable look, which revived his spirits that
dropped, and silenced his fears, such a look as that with which God's countenance
beholds the upright, Ps. xi. 7. He looked upon him, and smiled at the
objections he made, which he gave him no direct answer to, but girded and
clothed him with such power as would shortly enable him to answer them
himself, and make him ashamed that ever he had made them. It was a speaking
look, like Christ's upon Peter (Luke xxii. 61), a powerful look, a look that
strangely darted new light and life into Gideon's breast, and inspired him
with a generous heat, far above what he felt before. [2.] But there was much
more in what he said to him. First, He commissioned him to appear and
act as Israel's deliverer. Such a one the few thinking people in the nation,
and Gideon among the rest, were now expecting to be raised up, according to
God's former method, in answer to the cries of oppressed Israel; and now
Gideon is told, "Thou art the man: Go in this thy might, this
might wherewith thou art now threshing wheat; go and employ it to a nobler
purpose; I will make thee a thresher of men." Or, rather,
"this might wherewith thou art now endued by this look." God gave
him his commission by giving him all the qualifications that were necessary
for the execution of it, which is more than the mightiest prince and potentate
on earth can do for those to whom he gives commissions. God's fitting men for
work is a sure and constant evidence of his calling them to it. "Go, not
in thy might, that which is natural, and of thyself, depend not on thy own
valour; but go in this thy might, this which thou hast now received, go
in the strength of the Lord God, that is, the strength with which thou
must strengthen thyself." Secondly, He assured him of success.
This was enough to put courage into him; he might be confident he should not
miscarry in the attempt; it should not turn either to his own disgrace or the
damage of his people (as baffled enterprises do), but to his honour and their
happiness: Thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites, and
so shalt not only be an eye-witness, but a glorious instrument, of such
wonders as thy fathers told thee of. Gideon, we may suppose, looked as
one astonished at this strange and surprising power conferred upon him, and
questions whether he may depend upon what he hears: the angel ratifies his
commission with a teste meipso--an appeal to his own authority;
there needed no more. "Have not I commanded thee--I that have all
power in heaven and earth, and particular authority here as Israel's King,
giving commissions immediately--I who am that I am, the same
that sent Moses?" Exod. iii. 14.
(4.) Gideon made a very modest objection against this commission (v.
15): O my Lord! wherewith shall I save Israel? This question bespeaks
him either, [1.] Distrustful of God and his power, as if, though God should be
with him, yet it were impossible for him to save Israel. True faith is often
weak, yet it shall not be rejected, but encouraged and strengthened. Or, [2.]
Inquisitive concerning the methods he must take: "Lord, I labour under
all imaginable disadvantages for it; if I must do it, thou must put me in the
way." Note, Those who receive commissions from God must expect and seek
for instructions from him. Or rather, [3.] Humble, self-diffident, and
self-denying. The angel had honoured him, but see how meanly he speaks of
himself: "My family is comparatively poor in Manasseh"
(impoverished, it may be, more than other families by the Midianites),
"and I am the least, that have the least honour and interest, in my
father's house; what can I pretend to do? I am utterly unfit for the
service, and unworthy of the honour." Note, God often chooses to do great
things by those that are little, especially that are so in their own eyes. God
delights to advance the humble.
(5.) This objection was soon answered by a repetition of the promise that God
would be with him, v. 16. "Object not thy poverty and meanness;
such things have indeed often hindered men in great enterprises, but what are
they to a man that has the presence of God with him, which will make up all
the deficiencies of honour and estate. Surely I will be with thee, to
direct and strengthen thee, and put such a reputation upon thee that, how weak
soever thy personal interest is, thou shalt have soldiers enough to follow
thee, and be assured thou shalt smite the Midianites as one men, as
easily as if they were but one man and as effectually. All the thousands of
Midian shall be as if they had but one neck, and thou shalt have the cutting
of it off."
(6.) Gideon desires to have his faith confirmed touching this commission; for
he would not be over-credulous of that which tended so much to his own praise,
would not venture upon an undertaking so far above him, and in which he must
engage many more, but he would be well satisfied himself of his authority, and
would be able to give satisfaction to others as to him who gave him that
authority. He therefore humbly begs of this divine person, whoever he was,
[1.] That he would give him a sign, v. 17. And, the commission being
given him out of the common road of providence, he might reasonably expect it
should be confirmed by some act of God out of the common course of nature:
"Show me a sign to assure me of the truth of this concerning which thou
talkest with me, that it is something more than talk, and that thou art in
earnest." Now, under the dispensation of the Spirit, we are not to expect
signs before our eyes, such as Gideon here desired, but must earnestly pray to
God that, if we have found grace in his sight, he would show us a sign
in our heart, by the powerful operations of his Spirit there, fulfilling
the work of faith, and perfecting what is lacking in it. [2.] In order
hereunto, that he would accept of a treat, and so give him a further and
longer opportunity of conversation with him, v. 18. Those who know what
it is to have communion with God desire the continuance of it, and are loth to
part, praying with Gideon, Depart not hence, I pray thee. That which
Gideon desired in courting his stay was that he might bring out some provision
of meat for this stranger. He did not take him into the house to entertain him
there, perhaps because his father's house were not well affected to him and
his friends, or because he desired still to be in private with this stranger,
and to converse with him alone (therefore he calls not for a servant to bring
the provision, but fetches it himself), or because thus his father Abraham
entertained angels unawares, not in his tent, but under a tree, Gen. xviii. 8.
Upon the angel's promise to stay to dinner with him, he hastened to bring out
a kid, which, it is likely, was ready boiled for his own dinner, so that in
making it ready he had nothing to do but to put it in the basket (for here was
no sauce to serve it up in, nor the dish garnished) and the broth in a vessel,
and so he presented it, v. 19. Hereby he intended, First, To
testify his grateful and generous respects to this stranger, and, in him, to
God who sent him, as one that studied what he should render. He had pleaded
the poverty of his family (v. 15) to excuse himself from being a
general, but not here to excuse himself from being hospitable. Out of the
little which the Midianites had left him he would gladly spare enough to
entertain a friend, especially a messenger from heaven. Secondly, To
try who and what this extraordinary person was. What he brought out is called
his present, v. 18. It is the same word that is used for a
meat-offering, and perhaps that word is used which signifies both because
Gideon intended to leave it to this divine person to determine which it should
be when he had it before him: whether a feast or a meat-offering, and
accordingly he would be able to judge concerning him: if he ate of it as
common meat, he would suppose him to be a man, a prophet; if otherwise, as it
proved, he should know him to be an angel.
(7.) The angel gives him a sign in and by that which he had kindly prepared
for his entertainment. For what we offer to God for his glory, and in token of
our gratitude to him, will be made by the grace of God to turn to our own
comfort and satisfaction. The angel ordered him to take the flesh and bread
out of the basket, and lay it upon a hard and cold rock, and to pour out the
broth upon it, which, if he brought it hot, would soon be cold there; and Gideon
did so (v. 20), believing that the angel appointed it, not in
contempt of his courtesy, but with an intention to give him a sign, which he
did, abundantly to his satisfaction. For, [1.] He turned the meat into an
offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto himself, showing hereby that
he was not a man who needed meat, but the Son of God who was to be served and
honoured by sacrifice, and who in the fulness of time was to make himself a
sacrifice. [2.] He brought fire out of the rock, to consume this
sacrifice, summoning it, not by striking the rock, as we strike fire out of a
flint, but by a gentle touch given to the offering with the end of his staff, v.
21. Hereby he gave him a sign that he had found grace in his sight, for
God testified his acceptance of sacrifices by kindling them, if public, with
fire from heaven, as those of Moses and Elias, if private, as this, with fire
out of the earth, which was equivalent: both were the effect of divine power;
and this acceptance of his sacrifice evidenced the acceptance of his person,
confirmed his commission, and perhaps was intended to signify his success in
the execution of it, that he and his army should be a surprising terror and
consumption to the Midianites, like this fire out of the rock. [3.] He departed
out of his sight immediately, did not walk off as a man, but vanished and
disappeared as a spirit. Here was as much of a sign as he could wish.
(8.) Gideon, though no doubt he was confirmed in his faith by the indications
given of the divinity of the person who had spoken to him, yet for the present
was put into a great fright by it, till God graciously pacified him and
removed his fears. [1.] Gideon speaks peril to himself (v. 22): When
he perceived that he was an angel (which was not till he had departed, as
the two disciples knew not it was Jesus they had been talking with till he was
going, Luke xxiv. 31), then he cried out, Alas! O Lord God! be merciful
to me, I am undone, for I have seen an angel, as Jacob, who wondered
that his life was preserved when he had seen God, Gen. xxxii. 30. Ever since
man has by sin exposed himself to God's wrath and curse an express from heaven
has been a terror to him, as he scarcely dares to expect good tidings thence;
at least, in this world of sense, it is a very awful thing to have any
sensible conversation with that world of spirits to which we are so much
strangers. Gideon's courage failed him now. [2.] God speaks peace to him, v.
23. It might have been fatal to him, but he assures him it should not. The
Lord had departed out of his sight, v. 21. But though he must no
longer walk by sight he might still live by faith, that faith which comes by
hearing; for the Lord said to him, with an audible voice (as bishop Patrick
thinks) these encouraging words, "Peace be unto thee, all is well,
and be thou satisfied that it is so. Fear not; he that came to employ thee did
not intend to slay thee; thou shalt not die." See how ready God is
to revive the hearts of those that tremble at his word and presence, and to
give those that stand in awe of his majesty assurances of his mercy.
3. The memorial of this vision which Gideon set up was a monument in form of
an altar, the rather because it was by a kind of sacrifice upon a rock,
without the solemnity of an altar, that the angel manifested his acceptance of
him; then an altar was unnecessary (the angel's staff was sufficient to
sanctify the gift without an altar), but now it was of use to preserve the
remembrance of the vision, which was done by the name Gideon gave to this
memorial, Jehovah-shalom (v. 24)--The Lord peace. This
is, (1.) The title of the Lord that spoke to him. Compare Gen. xvi. 13. The
same that is the Lord our righteousness is our peace (Eph. ii.
14), our reconciler and so our Saviour. Or, (2.) The substance of what he said
to him: "The Lord spoke peace, and created that fruit of the lips,
bade me be easy when I was in that agitation." Or, (3.) A prayer grounded
upon what he had said, so the margin understands it: The Lord send peace,
that is, rest from the present trouble, for still the public welfare lay
nearest his heart.
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Gideon
Overturns the Altar of Baal; Gideon Rescued from the Mob.
B. C.
1249.
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25 And it came to pass
the same night, that the LORD
said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of
seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and
cut down the grove that is by it: 26 And build an altar
unto the LORD
thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second
bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou
shalt cut down. 27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and
did as the LORD
had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's
household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day,
that he did it by night. 28 And when the men of the city
arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the
grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered
upon the altar that was built. 29 And they said one to
another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they
said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. 30 Then the
men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because
he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove
that was by it. 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. 32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying,
Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
Here, I. Orders are given to Gideon to begin his government with the
reformation of his father's house, v. 25, 26. A correspondence being
settled between God and Gideon, by the appearance of the angel to him, it was
kept up in another way; the same night after he had seen God, when he was full
of thoughts concerning what had passed, which probably he had not yet
communicated to any, The Lord said unto him in a dream, Do so and
so. Note, God's visits, if gratefully received, shall be graciously
repeated. Bid God welcome, and he will come again. Gideon is appointed, 1. To
throw down Baal's altar, which it seems hi father had, either for his own
house or perhaps for the whole town. See the power of God's grace, that he
could raise up a reformer, and the condescensions of his grace, that he would
raise up a deliverer, out of the family of one that was a ring-leader in
idolatry. But Gideon must not now think it enough not to worship at that
altar, which we charitably hope he had not done, but he must throw it down;
not consecrate the same altar to God (tit is bishop Hall's observation), but
utterly demolish it. God first commands down the monuments of superstition,
and then enjoins his own service. He must likewise cut down the grove that
was by it, the plantation of young trees, designed to beautify the place.
The learned bishop Patrick, by the grove, understands the image in the grove,
probably the image of Ashtaroth (for the word for a grove is Ashereh),
which stood upon or close by the altar. 2. To erect an altar to God, to
Jehovah his God, which probably was to be notified by an inscription upon
the altar to that purport--to Jehovah, Gideon's God, or Israel's. It would
have been an improper thing for him to build an altar, even to the God of
Israel, especially for burnt-offering and sacrifice, and would have been
construed into a contempt of the altar at Shiloh, if God, who has not tied up
himself to his own laws, had not bidden him to do it. But now it was his duty
and honour to be thus employed. God directs him to the place where he should
build it, on the top of the rock, perhaps in the same place in which
the angel had appeared to him, near to the altar he had already built: and he
must not do it in a hurry, but with the decency that became a religious action
(in an orderly manner, as it is in the margin), according to the
ancient law for altars raised on particular occasions, that they must be of
earth not of hewn stone. The word here used for the rock on which the altar
was to be built signifies a fortress, or strong-hold, erected, some think, to
secure them from the Midianites; if so, it was no security while the altar of
Baal was so near it, but it was effectually fortified when an altar to the
Lord was built on the top of it, for that is the best defence upon our glory.
On this altar, (1.) He was to offer sacrifice. Two bullocks he must offer: his
father's young bullock, and the second bullock of seven years old, so
it should rather be read, not even the second as we read it. The
former, we may suppose, he was to offer for himself, the latter for the
sins of the people whom he was to deliver. It was requisite he should thus
make peace with God, before he made war on Midian. Till sin be pardoned
through the great sacrifice, no good is to be expected. These bullocks, it is
supposed, were intended for sacrifices on the altar of Baal, but were now
converted to a better use. Thus, when the strong man armed is overcome
and dispossessed, the stronger than he divides the spoil, seizes that for
himself which was prepared for Baal. Let him come whose right it is,
and give it to him. (2.) Ball's grove, or image, or whatever it was
that was the sanctity or beauty of his altar, must not only be burnt, but must
be used as fuel for God's altar, to signify not only that whatever sets up
itself in opposition to God shall be destroyed, but that the justice of God
will be glorified in its destruction. God ordered Gideon to do this, [1.] To
try his zeal for religion, which it was necessary he should give proofs of
before he took the field, to give proof of his valour there. [2.] That some
steps might hereby to taken towards Israel's reformation, which must prepare
the way for their deliverance. Sin, the cause, must be taken away, else how
should the trouble, which was but the effect, come to an end? And it might be
hoped that this example of Gideon's, who was now shortly to appear so great a
man, would be followed by the rest of the cities and tribes, and the
destruction of this one altar of Baal would be the destruction of many.
II. Gideon was obedient to the heavenly vision, v. 27. He that
was to command the Israel of God must be subject to the God of Israel, without
disputing, and, as a type of Christ, must first save his people from their
sins, and then save them from their enemies. 1. He had servants of his
own, whom he could confide in, who, we may suppose, like him, had kept their
integrity, and had not bowed the knee to Baal, and therefore were
forward to assist him in destroying the altar of Baal. 2. He did not scruple
taking his father's bullock and offering it to God without his father's
consent, because God, who expressly commanded him to do so, had a better title
to it than his father had, and it was the greatest real kindness he could do
to his father to prevent his sin. 3. He expected to incur the displeasure of
his father's household by it, and the ill-will of his neighbours, yet he did
it, remembering how much it was Levi's praise that, in the cause of God, he
said to his father and mother, I have not seen him, Deut. xxxiii. 9. And,
while he was sure of the favour of God, he feared not the anger of men; he
that bade him do it would bear him out. Yet, 4. Though he feared not their
resentment when it was done, to prevent their resistance in the doing of it he
prudently chose to do it by night, that he might not be disturbed in these
sacred actions. And some think it was the same night in which God spoke to him
to do it, and that, as soon as ever he had received the orders, he immediately
applied himself to the execution of them, and finished before morning.
III. He was brought into peril of his life for doing it, v. 28-30. 1.
It was soon discovered what was done. Gideon, when he had gone through with
the business, did not desire the concealment of it, nor could it be hid, for
the men of the city rose early in the morning, as it should seem, to
say their matins at Baal's altar, and so to begin the day with their god, such
a one as he was, a shame to those who say the true God is their God, and yet,
in the morning, direct no prayer to him, nor look up. 2. It was soon
discovered who had done it. Strict enquiry was made. Gideon was known to be
disaffected to the worship of Baal, which brought him into suspicion, and
positive proof immediately came against him: "Gideon, no doubt, has
done this thing." 3. Gideon being found guilty of the fact, to such a
pitch of impiety had these degenerate Israelites arrived that they take it for
law he must die for the same, and require his own father (who, by patronising
their idolatry, had given them too much cause to expect he would comply with
them herein) to deliver him up: Bring out thy son, that he may die. Be
astonished, O heavens! at this, and tremble, O earth! By the law of God the
worshippers of Baal were to die, but these wicked men impiously turn the
penalty upon the worshippers of the God of Israel. How prodigiously mad were
they upon their idols! Was it not enough to offer the choicest of their
bullocks to Baal, but must the bravest youth of their city fall as a sacrifice
to that dunghill-deity, when they pretended he was provoked? How soon will
idolaters become persecutors!
IV. He was rescued out of the hands of his persecutors by his own father, v.
31.
1. There were those that stood against Gideon, that not only appeared at the
first to make a demand, but insisted on it, and would have him put to death.
Notwithstanding the heavy judgments they were at this time under for their
idolatry, yet they hated to be reformed, and walked contrary to God even when
he was walking contrary to them.
2. Yet then Joash stood for him; he was one of the chief men of the
city. Those that have power may do a great deal for the protection of an
honest man and an honest cause, and when they so use their power they are
ministers of God for good.
(1.) This Joash had patronised Baal's altar, yet now protects him that had
destroyed it, [1.] Out of natural affection to his son, and perhaps a
particular esteem for him as a virtuous, valiant, valuable, young man, and
never the worse for not joining with him in the worship of Baal. Many that
have not courage enough to keep their integrity themselves yet have so much
conscience left as makes them love and esteem those that do. If Joash had a
kindness for Baal, yet he had a greater kindness for his son. Or, [2.] Out of
a care for the public peace. The mob grew riotous, and, he feared, would grow
more so, and therefore, as some think, he bestirred himself to repress the
tumult: "Let it be left to the judges; it is not for you to pass sentence
upon any man;" he that offers it, let him be put to death: he
means not as an idolater, but as a disturber of the peace, and the mover of
sedition. Under this same colour Paul was rescued at Ephesus from those that
were as zealous for Diana as these were for Baal, Acts xix. 40. Or, [3.] Out
of a conviction that Gideon had done well. His son, perhaps, had reasoned with
him, or God, who has all hearts in his hands, had secretly and effectually
influenced him to appear thus against the advocates for Baal, though he had
complied with them formerly in the worship of Baal. Note, It is good to appear
for God when we are called to it, though there be few or none to second us,
because God can incline the hearts of those to stand by us from whom we little
expect assistance. Let us do our duty, and then trust God with our safety.
(2.) Two things Joash urges:-- [1.] That it was absurd for them to plead for
Baal. "Will you that are Israelites, the worshippers of the one only
living and true God, plead for Baal, a false god? Will you be so sottish, so
senseless? Those whose fathers' god Baal was, and who never knew any other,
are more excusable in pleading for him than you are, that are in covenant with
Jehovah, and have been trained up in the knowledge of him. You that have
smarted so much for worshipping Baal, and have brought all this mischief and
calamity upon yourselves by it, will you yet plead for Baal?" Note, It is
bad to commit sin, but it is great wickedness indeed to plead for it,
especially to plead for Baal, that idol, whatever it is, which possesses that
room in the heart which God should have. [2.] That it was needless for them to
plead for Baal. If he were not a god, as was pretended, they could have
nothing to say for him; if he were, he was able to plead for himself, as the
God of Israel had often done by fire from heaven, or some other judgment
against those who put contempt upon him. Here is a fair challenge to Baal to do
either good or evil, and the result convinced his worshippers of their
folly in praying to one to help them that could not avenge himself; after this
Gideon remarkably prospered, and thereby it appeared how unable Baal was to
maintain his own cause.
(3.) Gideon's father hereupon gave him a new name (v. 32); he called
him Jerubbaal: "Let Baal plead; let him plead against him if he
can; if he have any thing to say for himself against his destroyer, let him
say it." This name was a standing defiance to Baal: "Now that Gideon
is taking up arms against the Midianites that worship Baal, let him defend his
worshippers if he can." It likewise gave honour to Gideon (a sworn enemy
to that great usurper, and that had carried the day against him), that
encouragement to his soldiers, that they fought under one that fought for God
against this great competitor with him for the throne. It is the probable
conjecture of the learned that that Jerombalus whom Sanchoniathon (one of the
most ancient of all the heathen writers) speaks of as a priest of the god
Jao (a corruption of the name Jehovah), and one to whom he was
indebted for a great deal of knowledge, was this Jerubbaal. He is called Jerubbesheth
(2 Sam. xi. 12), Baal, a lord, being fitly turned into Besheth,
shame.
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Gideon's
Fleece.
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B.
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33 Then all the
Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered
together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. 34
But the Spirit of the LORD
came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after
him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also
was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun,
and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. 36 And Gideon
said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be
on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside,
then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast
said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and
thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full
of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot
against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but
this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon
all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for
it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Here we have, I. The descent which the enemies of Israel made upon them, v.
33. A vast number of Midianites, Amalekites, and Arabians, got together, and
came over Jordan, none either caring or daring to guard that important and
advantageous pass against them, and they made their headquarters in the valley
of Jezreel, in the heart of Manasseh's tribe, not far from Gideon's city. Some
think that the notice they had of Gideon's destroying Baal's altar brought
them over, and that they came to plead for Baal and to make that a pretence
for quarrelling with Israel; but it is more likely that it was now
harvest-time, when they had been wont each year to make such a visit as this (v.
3), and that they were expected when Gideon was threshing, v. 11. God
raised up Gideon to be ready against this terrible blow came. Their success so
many years in these incursions, the little opposition they had met with and
the great booty they had carried off, made them now both very eager and very
confident. But it proved that the measure of their iniquity was full
and the year of recompence had come; they must now make an end to spoil
and must be spoiled, and they are gathered as sheaves to the floor
(Mic. iv. 12, 13), for Gideon to thresh.
II. The preparation which Gideon makes to attack them in their camp, v.
34, 35. 1. God by his Spirit put life into Gideon: The Spirit of the Lord
clothes Gideon (so the word is), clothed him as a robe, to put honour upon
him, clothed him as a coat of mail, to put defence upon him. Those are well
clad that are thus clothed. A spirit of fortitude from before the Lord
clothed Gideon; so the Chaldee. He was of himself a mighty man of valour;
yet personal strength and courage, though vigorously exerted, would not
suffice for this great action; he must have the armour of God upon him,
and this is what he must depend upon: The Spirit of the Lord clothed him
in an extraordinary manner. Whom God calls to his work he will qualify and
animate for it. 2. Gideon with his trumpet put life into his neighbours, God
working with him; he blew a trumpet, to call in volunteers, and more
came in than perhaps he expected. (1.) The men of Abiezer, though lately
enraged against him for throwing down the altar of Baal, and though they had
condemned him to death as a criminal, were now convinced of their error,
bravely came in to his assistance, and submitted to him as their general: Abiezer
was gathered after him, v. 34. So suddenly can God turn the hearts
even of idolaters and persecutors. (2.) Distant tribes, even Asher and
Naphtali, which lay most remote, though strangers to him, obeyed his summons,
and sent him in the best of their forces, v. 35. Though they lay
furthest from the danger, yet, considering that if their neighbours were
over-run by the Midianites their own turn would be next, they were forward to
join against a common enemy.
III. The signs which God gratified him with, for the confirming both of his
own faith and that of his followers; and perhaps it was more for their sakes
than for his own that he desired them. Or, perhaps, he desired by these to be
satisfied whether this was the time of his conquering the Midianites, or
whether he was to wait for some other opportunity. Observe, 1. His request for
a sign (v. 36, 37): "Let me by this know that thou wilt save
Israel by my hand, let a fleece of wool, spread in the open air, be
wet with the dew, and let the ground about it be dry." The purport
of this is, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. He found his own
faith weak and wavering, and therefore begged of God by this sign to perfect
what was lacking in it. We may suppose that God, who intended to give him
these signs, for the glorifying of his own power and goodness, put it into his
heart to ask them. Yet, when he repeated his request for a second sign, the
reverse of the former, he did it with a very humble apology, deprecating God's
displeasure, because it looked so like a peevish humoursome distrust of God
and dissatisfaction with the many assurances he had already given him (v.
39): Let not thy anger be hot against me. Though he took the boldness
to ask another sign, yet he did it with such fear and trembling as showed that
the familiarity God had graciously admitted him to did not breed any contempt
of God's glory, nor presumption on God's goodness. Abraham had given him an
example of this, when God gave him leave to be very free with him (Gen. xviii.
30, 32), O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. God's favour
must be sought with great reverence, a due sense of our distance, and a
religious fear of his wrath. 2. God's gracious grant of his request. See how
tender God is of true believers though they be weak, and how ready to
condescend to their infirmities, that the bruised reed may not be broken nor
the smoking flax quenched. Gideon would have the fleece wet and the ground
dry; but then, lest any should object, "It is natural for wool, if
ever so little moisture fall, to drink it in and retain it, and therefore
there was nothing extraordinary in this," though the quantity wrung out
was sufficient to obviate such an objection, yet he desires that next night
the ground might be wet and the fleece dry, and it is done, so willing is God
to give to the heirs of promise strong consolation (Heb. vi. 17, 18),
even by two immutable things. He suffers himself, not only to be prevailed
with by their importunities, but even to be prescribed to by their doubts and
dissatisfactions. These signs were, (1.) Truly miraculous, and therefore
abundantly serving to confirm his commission. It is said of the dew that it is
from the Lord, and tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of
men (Micah v. 7); and yet God here in this matter hearkened to the
voice of a man; as to Joshua, in directing the course of the sun, so to
Gideon in directing that of the dew, by which it appears that it falls not by
chance, but by providence. The latter sign inverted the former, and, to please
Gideon, it was wrought backward and forward, whence Dr. Fuller observes that heaven's
real miracles will endure turning, being inside and outside both alike.
(2.) Very significant. He and his men were going to engage the Midianites;
could God distinguish between a small fleece of Israel and the vast floor of
Midian? Yes, by this he is made to know that he can. Is Gideon desirous that
the dew of divine grace might descend upon himself in particular? He sees the
fleece wet with dew to assure him of it. Does he desire that God will be as
the dew to all Israel? Behold, all the ground is wet. Some make this fleece an
emblem of the Jewish nation, which, when time was, was wet with the dew of
God's word and ordinances, while the rest of the world was dry; but since the
rejection of Christ and his gospel they are dry as the heath in the
wilderness, while the nations about are as a watered garden.
Contents
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