Who is Gideon in this passage and what is he doing?

Gideon is a man from the family of Joash in the tribe of Manasseh. When we first see him, he is threshing wheat in a hidden place near a winepress. He is doing this in secret to keep the grain from being taken by the Midianites, who are oppressing Israel. This shows how hard life is for Israel and also shows Gideon’s fear and carefulness. He does not look like a brave hero here, yet God chooses him in this low and frightened state.

What does “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour” mean?

When the angel calls Gideon a “mighty man of valour,” Gideon does not look brave at all. He is hiding from the Midianites. This greeting shows how God sees Gideon, not just as he is, but as he will be when God is with him. “The Lord is with thee” is the real reason he can be brave. God is saying, in effect, “You will be able to do what I ask because I am with you,” not because Gideon is strong in himself.

Why does Gideon question God about Israel’s suffering?

Gideon hears the words, “The Lord is with thee,” but looks around and sees Israel suffering under Midian. So he asks, “If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us, and where are all his miracles?” This shows the struggle many people feel when pain and trouble do not seem to match God’s promises. Gideon remembers the stories of God bringing Israel out of Egypt and wonders why he does not see the same power now. His questions are honest doubts, which God answers not by rebuking him, but by calling and helping him.

What is the meaning of God’s words, “Surely I will be with thee”?

When Gideon says he is from a poor family and is the least in his father’s house, he is saying he feels too small and weak to save Israel. God answers, “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.” This means the main thing that matters is not Gideon’s status or strength, but God’s presence. God’s promise to be with him is the ground of his courage and success. It teaches that God often uses weak people and that his presence is what turns weakness into strength.

Why did Gideon ask for a sign from the angel of the Lord?

Gideon is unsure that he is really speaking with the Lord and that this message is truly from God. So he asks for a sign and offers a meal of meat, bread, and broth. He wants something he can see to settle his doubts. God kindly agrees and waits while Gideon prepares it. Then the angel tells him to place it on a rock, touches it with his staff, and fire comes up from the rock and burns it. This sign shows that God has accepted Gideon and his offering and confirms that the call is real.

What is the significance of the fire consuming Gideon’s offering?

The fire that rises from the rock and consumes the meat and bread is a clear sign that God is present and has accepted Gideon’s gift. Gideon did not bring this as a formal temple sacrifice but as a gift of honor and hospitality. By turning the rock into an altar and sending fire without any human help, God shows that he is the one speaking to Gideon and that Gideon’s service is accepted. It reassures Gideon that he is not just imagining this call but truly being sent by the Lord.

Why was Gideon afraid after realizing he had seen an angel of the Lord?

After the fire sign and the angel’s departure, Gideon realizes that he has seen an angel of the Lord face to face. He cries out in fear, thinking he will die. Many in Israel believed that seeing God or his holy angel this directly meant death, because of God’s holiness and human sin. Gideon feels that weight and is terrified. But the Lord speaks peace to him, saying, “Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” God meets his fear with mercy and calms his heart with a direct promise of life.

What does the altar name “Jehovah shalom” (The Lord is peace) mean?

After hearing God say, “Peace be unto thee; fear not,” Gideon builds an altar to the Lord at that place and calls it “Jehovah shalom,” which means “The Lord is peace.” This name marks what he has just experienced. He was full of fear, both of Midian and of dying after seeing the angel, but God spoke peace to him and did not destroy him. The altar is a memorial that God brings peace where there was fear and that his presence, though holy, is meant to bring peace to his people, not their ruin.

How can this story of Gideon’s call help believers today?

This story helps people who feel small, weak, or full of questions. Gideon is hiding, doubting, and thinking of himself as the least in his family, yet God comes to him, calls him, and stays with him. God does not wait for Gideon to become fearless first but gives him promises and even a sign to help his shaky faith. For readers today, it shows that God can use those who feel unqualified and that it is not strange to wrestle with doubts. God’s presence and peace are what carry his people through their tasks.

Judg.6.11

Judges 6:11

KJV

¶ 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.

The Call of Gideon

Gideon Is Visited

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.

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

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.

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?

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.

And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

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.

¶ 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.

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.

¶ 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.

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.

And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Cross References

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