What is the meaning of Judges 6:20? And the angel of God said to him • Scripture treats this “angel” as a visible manifestation of God Himself (see v. 14; also Exodus 3:2–6; Judges 13:21–22). • The initiative is God’s; He meets Gideon in fear and calls him to faith, just as He did Moses (Exodus 3:10-12). • The authoritative word shows that deliverance begins with listening to God’s voice (Romans 10:17). Take the meat and the unleavened bread • Gideon had prepared “a young goat and an ephah of flour” (Judges 6:19), a substantial, costly gift during a famine caused by Midianite oppression. • Unleavened bread recalls Israel’s first deliverance at Passover—“They are to eat the meat that night… with unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:8). God links past salvation to present need. • Meat and bread together picture complete sustenance, hinting ahead to Christ who feeds multitudes (Mark 6:41) and calls Himself “the bread of life” (John 6:35). Lay them on this rock • The rock becomes an impromptu altar, a place of meeting between heaven and earth (compare Genesis 28:18; Judges 6:24). • Rock imagery throughout Scripture points to God’s strength and permanence—“The LORD is my rock” (Psalm 18:2) and ultimately to Christ, “the spiritual Rock that accompanied them” (1 Corinthians 10:4). • By placing the offering on the rock, Gideon acknowledges God as the foundation of Israel’s hope. and pour out the broth • Pouring liquid on a sacrifice renders human fire-lighting impossible; acceptance must come supernaturally. Elijah later does the same at Carmel (1 Kings 18:33-35). • A poured-out offering foreshadows drink offerings prescribed in the Law (Numbers 15:5-10) and anticipates Paul’s testimony, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering” (2 Timothy 4:6). • The act symbolizes surrender—nothing held back, everything yielded to God’s consuming presence. And Gideon did so • Immediate obedience turns Gideon from fearful to faithful. James 1:22 urges, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only”. • Obedience precedes revelation; fire falls in the next verse (Judges 6:21), confirming that the messenger truly is of God. • Gideon’s simple compliance models the attitude Jesus commends: “Blessed… are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). summary Judges 6:20 records a divine directive and Gideon’s prompt response. God Himself instructs the offering, ties it to Israel’s redemption history, sets it upon a rock of refuge, drenches it to exclude human effort, and receives it when Gideon obeys. The verse teaches that deliverance starts with hearing God’s voice and acting in wholehearted trust, resting on the Rock who secures every sacrifice we bring. |
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