Chronological Bible Reading Judges 6 to 7

31 March 2020, Chronological Bible Reading, Judges 6 to 7.

My wife, Lori, and I are reading through the Bible in chronological order, which is the order in which the events happened. Her blog on this can be found here. This is not intended to be a lesson or a sermon. It is my thoughts and notes as I read through the text and as I sometimes look things up. Today we read Judges 6 to 7.

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Judges 6

Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and He gave them into the hands of Midian for seven years. When the sons of Israel cried to the Lord on account of Midian, the Lord sent a prophet to tell them who God was and what God had done, and how Israel had disobeyed God.

The angel of the Lord visited Gideon and said to him, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” Gideon complained he was the youngest of the smallest family of Mannaseh. God said He would be with Gideon and Gideon would defeat Midian. Gideon asked for a sign it was God. Gideon offered an offering which God accepted. Once Gideon realized he had been talking to God, God told Gideon to pull down the altar of Baal which belonged to his father, and cut down the Asherah beside it. The men of the city discovered who had cut it down and wanted Joash, Gideon’s father to hand him over to be killed. Instead Joash stood for his son and said to the men to let Baal contend for himself, if he is really god. Joash named Gideon Jerubbaal, “Let Baal contend against him.”

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east came against Israel. Gideon gathered the men of Abiezrites, Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. Then Gideon asked God for a sign that God would deliver Israel through him. This is where Gideon asked God to make there be dew on the fleece only, and the ground around it be dry, so Gideon would know God would do as He had said He would. When God gave him the sign, the Gideon asked for another sign, this time Gideon asked God to let it be dry only on the fleece, and dew on the ground.

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Judges 7

The Lord told Gideon that there were so many Israelites gathered that if God were to give Midian into their hands, Israel would boast that they had won on their own power. So God had Gideon let any who were were afraid to return home. 22,000 people left, leaving 10,000 men. There was still too many, so God had Gideon have the men drink from the water. God had Gideon separate the ones who lapped like a dog from the ones who kneeled to drink. God had the men who kneeled return to their homes, leaving Gideon 300 men with which to battle the Midians.

God had Gideon take his servant and sneak down to the camp of the Midians to have him hear someone share a dream and someone else interpret it as God had given Midian into the hands of Gideon. This comforted Gideon greatly. Then Gideon told the men God had given the Midians into their hands. Gideon gave trumpets and empty pitchers with torches inside the pitchers to the 300. The men followed Gideons lead and blew their trumpets and broke their pitchers in their left hands while surrounding the camp of the Midians, and cried “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” When the 300 blew their trumpets all the Midian army ran, crying out as they fled , and the Lord set the whole Midian army against each other. Gideon summoned the men of Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh, and Ephraim to attack Midian. They captured and beheaded he two leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and took their heads across the Jordan to Gideon.