Judges 7 — Gideon’s Three Hundred Men and His Defeat of Midian
Judges 8:1-28 — Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna
Judges 8:29-35 — The Death of Gideon
Creative Space for Wanderers
Creative Space for Wanderers
Judges 7 — Gideon’s Three Hundred Men and His Defeat of Midian
Judges 8:1-28 — Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna
Judges 8:29-35 — The Death of Gideon
The story of Gideon testing God is one that brings back great memories. In my journey of faith, I read the passage in Judges 6:36-40 (the fleece test) and tested God myself. I was only 11 at the time, so this seemed like a good thing to do. That Sunday the pastor preached on this very scripture and revealed my sin. I fully accepted Christ at that point.
Gideon’s character is interesting, to say the least. He’s greeted by an angel of the Lord, but only after asking for proof. Given the proof, he does what was requested without denial (though in the cover of darkness, Judges 6:27-32). Given his approach, asking God for definitive signs for validation make sense in this context. As the story concludes, we see that Gideon, the successful warrior, does not want to be their leader (Judges 8:23); rather, he points them back to the Lord.
Though Gideon is listed among the heroes in Hebrews 11:32, his actions were far from perfect. There was peace in the land while Gideon was alive, but it’s troubling to read, “All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family” (Judges 8:27).
Gideon’s story invites me to see how God will use weakness to show his strength, that’s the part I want to remember from this narrative.