Topical Bible: Call: To Special Religious Duty: Gideon

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Introduction:
Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal, is a prominent figure in the Book of Judges, chapters 6 to 8, in the Old Testament. He is called by God to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Midianites. Gideon's account is a testament to God's power and faithfulness, as well as the importance of obedience and faith in divine calling.

Background:
During the time of Gideon, the Israelites were suffering under the harsh oppression of the Midianites. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, would invade Israel, destroy crops, and leave the land impoverished (Judges 6:3-6). The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, and God responded by raising up Gideon as a judge and deliverer.

The Call of Gideon:
Gideon's call to special religious duty begins with a divine encounter. The Angel of the Lord appears to him while he is threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The Angel addresses him with the words, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior" (Judges 6:12). Despite his initial doubts and feelings of inadequacy, Gideon is assured by God that he is chosen to save Israel.

Gideon questions the Angel, expressing his doubts about his own ability and the Lord's presence, saying, "Please, my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house" (Judges 6:15). The Lord reassures him, "Surely I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man" (Judges 6:16).

Signs and Confirmation:
Gideon seeks confirmation of his call through signs. He prepares an offering, and the Angel of the Lord miraculously consumes it with fire (Judges 6:21). Later, Gideon requests further signs involving a fleece of wool to confirm God's promise of victory (Judges 6:36-40). These signs serve to strengthen Gideon's faith and resolve.

Gideon's Obedience and Leadership:
In obedience to God's command, Gideon tears down his father's altar to Baal and cuts down the Asherah pole beside it, building an altar to the Lord in its place (Judges 6:25-27). This act of defiance against idolatry earns him the name Jerubbaal, meaning "Let Baal contend against him."

Gideon's leadership is further demonstrated as he gathers an army to confront the Midianites. However, God instructs him to reduce the number of his troops to ensure that the victory is attributed to divine intervention rather than human strength. Ultimately, Gideon leads a small force of 300 men to a miraculous victory over the Midianites, using unconventional tactics as directed by God (Judges 7:7).

Impact and Legacy:
Gideon's call to special religious duty results in the deliverance of Israel from Midianite oppression. His account highlights the themes of faith, obedience, and reliance on God's power. Despite his initial hesitations, Gideon's journey from doubt to faith serves as an example of how God can use ordinary individuals to accomplish extraordinary purposes.

Gideon's legacy is marked by a period of peace in Israel, lasting forty years during his lifetime (Judges 8:28). However, his later actions, including the creation of an ephod that becomes a snare to Israel, remind readers of the complexities and challenges of leadership and faithfulness to God.

Nave's Topical Index

Judges 6:11-16
And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites.
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Library

General Conference of 1824
... approaching assembly may be under the special guidance and ... or, that the General
Conference call a convention ... the very beginning of our religious institutions as ...
/.../chapter 7 general conference of.htm

Subjects of Study. Home Education in Israel; Female Education. ...
... Special care was to be bestowed on the choice of ... later writers, or, as we might
euphemistically call it, been ... Hence the religious care connected with education ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 8 subjects of study.htm

God's Gentle Power
... converted during the times of earnest religious excitement ... abide in thy house." The
personal call did it ... thou, Elijah?" And there are some special persons whose ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/gods gentle power.htm

Disestablishment
... had set aside the conviction, by a special Superior Court ... as constitutional the right
to call to account ... to, any congregation, church, or religious association ...
/.../chapter xv disestablishment.htm

Concerning the Sacrament of Baptism
... so that there is a real (as they call it) and ... of life, and have guided them by the
special working of His ... men was saved by his vows or his religious order, but ...
/.../first principles of the reformation/concerning the sacrament of baptism.htm

Carey's College
... He was the special care of their grandmother, a woman ... over their work to disputes
upon religious subjects ... Missions before they would recognise his call and send ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter i careys college.htm

The General Conference of 1828
... in moral discipline, or in religious practice. ... the minority cannot control them,
cannot call them to an ... men for foreign countries, on special occasions, church ...
/.../chapter 9 the general conference.htm

Political Parties in Connecticut at the Beginning of the ...
... edited by R. Huntington, with special reference to the ... thirteen states have already
granted religious liberty, and ... political note of warning and call to battle ...
/.../chapter xiv political parties in.htm

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the Gospels.
... Luke, typify complete, [1142]259, [1143]364; duty of constant ... 1202]276, [1203]277,
but of special bread to the ... of Christ, [1266]366; seemingly a call to labour ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of.htm

Trials of the Christian
... such fruit to those whose trials call them into ... In Picart's Religious Ceremonies,
it is stated that the ... found to come over again without special license from ...
/.../bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xiv trials of the christian.htm