Topical Bible: Obedience: Gideon

◄ Obedience: Gideon ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal, is a prominent figure in the Book of Judges, chapters 6 to 8, where his account exemplifies the theme of obedience to God. Gideon's narrative is set during a time when the Israelites were oppressed by the Midianites due to their disobedience to God. The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, and God responded by raising Gideon as a deliverer.

Divine Calling and Initial Hesitation

Gideon's journey of obedience 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 as a "mighty warrior" and declares, "The LORD is with you" (Judges 6:12). Despite this assurance, Gideon expresses doubt and questions why the Israelites are suffering if the Lord is with them. He also questions his own ability, citing his family's low status in Manasseh and his own insignificance (Judges 6:15).

God's response to Gideon's hesitation is a promise of divine presence and victory: "Surely I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man" (Judges 6:16). Gideon's initial reluctance is met with reassurance, and he begins to obey by preparing an offering, which the Angel of the Lord miraculously consumes with fire (Judges 6:21).

Acts of Obedience

Gideon's obedience is further tested when God commands him to destroy his father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Despite the potential backlash from his family and community, Gideon obeys, doing so at night to avoid confrontation (Judges 6:25-27). This act of obedience earns him the name Jerubbaal, meaning "Let Baal contend against him," as he had torn down Baal's altar (Judges 6:32).

The Test of Faith and the Fleece

Gideon's obedience is accompanied by a desire for confirmation of God's will. He famously asks for signs involving a fleece of wool to ensure that God will indeed save Israel through him. God graciously grants these signs, first making the fleece wet with dew while the ground remains dry, and then reversing the miracle (Judges 6:36-40). These signs bolster Gideon's faith and resolve to obey God's command to lead Israel against the Midianites.

The Reduction of Gideon's Army

In a remarkable demonstration of obedience, Gideon follows God's instruction to reduce his army from 32,000 men to just 300. God explains that this reduction is necessary to prevent Israel from claiming victory by their own strength rather than acknowledging it as the Lord's deliverance (Judges 7:2). Gideon obeys, and with a mere 300 men, he achieves a miraculous victory over the Midianites, using unconventional tactics involving trumpets, jars, and torches (Judges 7:16-22).

Legacy of Obedience

Gideon's obedience to God's commands leads to forty years of peace for Israel (Judges 8:28). However, his account also serves as a cautionary tale, as his later actions, including the creation of an ephod that becomes a snare to Israel, highlight the complexities of human obedience and the need for continual faithfulness to God (Judges 8:27).

Gideon's life is a testament to the power of obedience, demonstrating that God can use even the most unlikely individuals to accomplish His purposes when they submit to His will. His account encourages believers to trust in God's promises and to act in faith, even when circumstances seem daunting.

Nave's Topical Index

Judges 6:25-28
And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said to him, Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it:
Nave's Topical Index

Library

A Battle Without a Sword
... Gideon has a place in the muster-roll of heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 ... he heard through
the two Midianites, and bowed in thankfulness and submissive obedience. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/a battle without a sword.htm

Faith the Foundation of all Knowledge.
... "For the time would fail me were I to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson ... to become excellent
and good enough, but he must learn it by the exercise of obedience. ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter iv faith the foundation of.htm

The King 'Blessing' his People
... petitions, preceded by praise for national blessings, and followed by exhortation
to national obedience. ... 'Time would fail' him 'to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the king blessing his people.htm

Immanuel
... Thus He gave Gideon a complete victory, not by providing him an army equal to ... And
though their best endeavours fall short, His obedience to it is accepted on ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon v immanuel.htm

"Lo, I am with You Alway. "
... We read in Judges, "The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon." But you know that ... you
answer, Christ the obedient one, Christ whose whole life was obedience, it is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/murray/jesus himself/ii lo i am with.htm

Index.
... and works, 201; as an inner life, 201; and morality, 202; as a realisation of the
unseen, 204; as proof, 204; as obedience, 215; groping ... Gideon's faith, 261. ...
/.../edwards/the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/index 2.htm

A Sermon Made by M. Hugh Latimer, at the Time of the Insurrection ...
... the gospel of peace, not of rebellion, not of insurrection: no, it teacheth obedience,
humility, and ... I think it will come to pass as it did with Gideon, a duke ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon made by m.htm

The Meaning of Faith
... faith Noah, having been told by God about things still unseen, in reverent obedience
built an ... For time would fail me if I tried to tell of Gideon and Barak and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the meaning of faith.htm

Christ is Glorious --Let us Make Him Known
... loving flock; he commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience
of the ... like the state of our Church just now; the story of Gideon, the son of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/christ is gloriouslet us make.htm

Judges and Ruth.
... They lacked moral energy and the spirit of obedience to Jehovah and were constantly
falling into idolatry and then ... (4) From the story of Gideon and Sampson ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter vii judges and ruth.htm