Judges (Written)

Judges 7:21-25
(Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VII)

(Typed 11 December 2023) So far, Judges has detailed an amazing journey through much of redemptive history. It started and has led to when Israel will enter the tribulation period. That is made explicit in Scripture, but it is also carefully detailed in typology.

The reason Israel even exists as a nation is because God covenanted with them. Unlike the other nations of the earth, the Lord specifically stated that Israel will always remain before Him as a people. This is grace.

Israel has consistently violated the covenant the Lord made with them. And yet, because of His faithfulness, He has kept it as a nation. Israel will enter the tribulation period for exactly the same reason: because God has covenanted with them.

Rather than destroying them along with much of the world, He will bring them through the tribulation, purify them, and they will again be His people. His attention and focus will be directly upon them, and He will dwell among them.

It’s hard to see how people don’t get this, but it completely escapes a large portion of people in the church. And not all of them are dummies. Many have degrees, reading their Bibles for their entire lives, but yet, it escapes them.

Text Verse: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6

In today’s passage, Zeeb is one of the guys who will have his head taken off. Hence, I chose Isaiah 11:6 as our text verse. Please trust that when the Lord promises something to Israel in the Old Testament, it means that the Lord will fulfill those promises to Israel.

The promises are not abrogated through the work of Christ, they are not transferred to the church, and they are not taken away because of Israel’s unfaithfulness. All of these are propositions set forth by various unsound doctrines, and yet none of them align with Scripture.

Hold fast to the truth that God is faithful to His word. If He is not for Israel, He will not be for you either. Where is grace in that? Where is hope in that? Where is confidence in that? God’s word will never fail.

Such great truths as this are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Oreb and Zeeb (verses 21-25)

In the previous sermon, the narrative left off with Gideon and his three hundred men coming to the outskirts of the camp, blowing their trumpets, and breaking their pitchers. With that, they cried out, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” Now, this most magnificently marvelous action continues as the camp erupts into total chaos…

²¹ And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.

The verbs being imperfect give the sense of ongoing action: vayaamdu ish takhtav saviv lamakhaneh vayarats kal ha’makhaneh vayariu vayanisu – “And standing man his under around to the camp, and running all the camp, and shouting, and fleeing.” The meaning of “his under” is that the place where he stands does not change. The same ground remains under the standing man.

One can see the contrast between the two camps. While Gideon and his men were standing firm, those in the camp were running. While he and his men were blasting the trumpets, those in the camp were shouting. While Gideon’s company was shattering pitchers, those in the camp were fleeing.

It is reminiscent of the chaos that took place at the Battle of Jericho. There was the blowing of trumpets and a great shout, the walls falling down, and then the rush of every man running straight ahead. Here, however, there was no rush by Gideon and his men. The chaos alone would bring about the enemy’s destruction.

The wording is so exact and purposeful that the contrast is stunning –

vayaamdu / vayarats – and standing / and running
vayitqu / vayariu – and blasting / and shouting
vayishbru / vayanisu – and shattering / and fleeing

Hooray!

²² When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp;

The words return to the narrative in verse 20. This isn’t a second blasting of the trumpets, but a second description of the same action: vayitqu sh’losh meoth ha’shopharoth vayasem Yehovah eth kherev ish b’reehu u-b’kal ha’makhaneh – “And blasting three hundred in the shophars, and set Yehovah sword: man in his friend and in all the camp.”

Setting verses 20 and 22 side by side, the different aspects are more clearly seen –

“And blasting three the companies in the shophars … And crying, ‘Sword to Yehovah and to Gideon.”
“And blasting three hundred in the shophars, and set Yehovah sword: man in his friend and in all the camp.”

There is the call by Israel, and then there is the response by the Lord.

The scene is one of utter chaos. There was no light and no way to turn on a light. Every soldier’s instinct was to fight his way out solely for the sake of self-preservation. Thus, everyone simply plunged his sword into whoever was nearest. Anyone who wasn’t killed took off and headed for the hills, or rather…

^{22 (con’t)} and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

Much more precisely: va’yanas ha’makhaneh ad beith ha’shitah tserathah ad sephat avel m’kholah al tabath – “And fled the camp until Beith Ha’Shittah Zererath-ward, until lip Abel Meholah upon Tabbath.” Those who could flee put their tails between their legs and took off. The movement of the flight became united and the camp rushed toward these named places.

Beith Ha’Shittah means House the Acacias. The shittah, or acacia, comes from shotet, a scourge because of the scourging thorns.

Tsererah (Tsererath), or Zererah, is found only here in Scripture. It is debated where the root comes from. Three possibilities are tsar, a hard pebble or flint, or an unused root meaning to pierce or puncture, or a word meaning bound. Abarim says, “…to a Hebrew audience it would probably have sounded like Bound. The word צררת [tsarar] occurs with that precise meaning in Exodus 12:34.”

Abel Meholah means Meadow of Dancing or Stream of Dancing.

Tabbath means either Extension, Renowned, or Perpetual.

²³ And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

Rather: vayitsaaq ish Yisrael min naphtali u-min asher u-min kal m’nasheh vayirdphu akhare midyan – “And cried man Israel from Naphtali, and from Asher, and from all Manasseh. And pursued after Midian.” The meaning is that now that the advantage has been gained, a general cry of alarm went out for the men of these tribes to come and assist in the battle.

The people responded, and Israel chased Midian. It is the same groups, minus Zebulun, who were called in Judges 6 –

“And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.” Judges 6:35

Therefore, it may be that these men had been dismissed from the battle but had simply not left yet, waiting to watch what happened. It said they returned to their tents in verse 7:8, so that is likely.

As for Zebulun, their tribal inheritance was not far away and so they may have headed home due to its close proximity. Even if Zebulun had people represented, it may simply be that their name, Glorious Dwelling Place, does not fit the typology and so they are omitted from the narrative.

Naphtali means My Wrestlings.

Asher means Happy or Blessed.

Manasseh means To Forget and From a Debt.

²⁴ Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim,

u-malakhim shalakh gidon b’kal har ephrayim – “And messengers sent Gideon in all Mount Ephraim.” Until this point, there was no call for Ephraim to join in the battle. However, with the enemy fleeing, there was a need for them to be cut off as they fled. Saying Mount Ephraim either indicates the mountains of Ephraim in general, or the name Mount Ephraim stands for the tribe.

The name Ephraim means Twice Fruitful and Ashes.

As for the call, the messengers were…

^{24 (con’t)} saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.”

lemor r’du liqrath midyan v’likhdu lahem eth ha’mayim ad beith barah v’eth ha’yarden – “to say, ‘Descend to meet Midian and seize to them the waters until Beth Barah and the Jordan.’” The meaning of “the waters” is unsure. Ellicott thinks it is “the watershed of the hills of Ephraim into the Jordan.” Some think it is a wadi that flows into the Jordan. It could mean that it is saying something like “the Jordan as far as Beth Barah.”

No matter what, Beth Barah is only mentioned twice in Scripture, both times in this verse. Some believe it is the same as Bethabara found in John 1:28. Abarim states the following about it –

“To a Hebrew audience, the name Beth-barah would have meant something like House of Cleanness or House Of Food or even House Of Covenant Making.

Still, for a meaning of the name Beth-barah, both NOBSE Study Bible Name List and Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names read Place Of The Ford. BDB Theological Dictionary offers its signature prudent question mark, and the equation with the imaginary name בית עברה, which BDB translates with Place Of Ford.”

The Jordan means The Descender.

^{24 (con’t)} Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.

The words confirm Ephraim’s response to the call: vayitsaeq kal ish ephrayim vayilkdu eth ha’yamim ad beith barah va’eth ha’yarden – “And cried all man Ephraim, and seized the waters until Beth Barah and the Jordan.”

²⁵ And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb.

vayilkdu shene sare midyan eth orev v’eth zaev – “And seized two princes Midian, Oreb and Zeev.” As there is no article before princes, it signifies there are other leaders in Midian. They will be identified in Chapter 8. But these two are singled out here in the narrative as they face their demise.

Oreb signifies a raven (orev), coming from the same root as erev, meaning evening. The connection to darkness is obvious. That comes from arav, to become dark, and that is identical to arav to give or take in pledge. Oreb means Raven. The main idea associated with ravens in Scripture, apart from their obvious dark color, is that of eating.

Zeeb means Wolf, coming from an unused root meaning to be yellow. As for the wolf in Scripture, it is a devourer and a scatterer, at least at this time. During the millennium, such will no longer be the case (Isaiah 11:6 & 65:25).

^{25 (con’t)} They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb.

vayahargu eth orev b’tsur orev v’eth zaev har’gu b’yeqev zaev – “And killed Oreb in Rock Oreb, and Zeeb killed in Wine-vat Zeeb.” The names are derived from the event. There doesn’t seem to be any need to say that these guys were seized, taken somewhere else, and killed. Rather, by saying they were killed in the rock and in the wine vat, it appears that they were hiding in those places, they were seized, and they were killed. Lastly, we read…

*^25 (fin) They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

v’yirdphu el midyan v’rosh orev u-zaev heviru el gidon meever layarden – “And pursued unto Midian and head Oreb and Zeeb brought unto Gideon from side to the Jordan.” This would explain why they cut their heads off. The men found them, executed them, and continued to pursue the enemy unto the land of Midian, which is across the Jordan, starting down around the area of the Dead Sea.

Carrying heads would be much less cumbersome than dead bodies. The heads would be sufficient to confirm they had died in battle. Once they had completed their campaign, they then returned from that side of the Jordan to where Gideon was.

Who is fearful and afraid
Whose heart is failing at the sight
The word of the Lord has not been obeyed
He asks you to trust, no matter what the plight

Let us trust in this and go forth confidently
That our destiny is secure through what He has done
Innumerable people gathered around the glassy sea
Forgiven and redeemed through the work of the Son

The forces arrayed against us
Will all be swept away
Through our faith in Jesus
We are again right with God; oh, Glorious Day

II. Pictures of Christ

Judges 7 continues the pattern of showing the inferiority of the law and its inability to save. Rather, it is a detriment to a right and proper relationship with God. Obviously, the law was given to Israel as a means of establishing a relationship between the Lord and His people.

However, that was only so far as it pointed to their need for the coming of their Messiah. Ultimately, the law never brought Israel into a proper relationship with the Lord. Rather, it only highlights sin in fallen man.

The account in Judges 7, once again typologically points to the great work of Jesus Christ, fulfilling the law and bringing about restoration through His completed work.

Verse 1 began by naming Jerubbaal, Let Baal Strive. It is Jesus who strove against the law and prevailed. By stating the name in this manner at the outset, it gives prominence to this point. It is from that starting point that the narrative then continues. It immediately identified Jerubbaal as Gideon, Cutter.

Gideon comes from gada, to cut off. As was previously seen, just as Deborah anticipated the New Testament, coming from diathéké, a covenant or testament, which is a feminine noun, Gideon anticipates the euaggelion, or Gospel, meaning the Good News.

As noted, Jesus is the one who strove with the law. Jesus is also the ultimate meaning behind the gospel –

“I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3, and 4

He, meaning His work which defines Him as the Messiah, is the gospel. Jerubbaal (Gideon) and those with him then encamped above the Spring Harod, Trembling. Their location meant that the camp of Midian (Place of Judgment) was north of them by “hill the Moreh.”

The north, tsaphon, is the hidden side because the north receives less light in the northern hemisphere during the fall and winter. As we have seen, the hill (givah) finds its typological fulfillment in Gabbatha, being etymologically connected to it.

It is where Jesus placed Himself under the rule of Rome, submitting to their authority, which led to His cross. Hill the Moreh has a dual meaning, Hill the Teacher and Hill the Early Rain. Christ is the Teacher of God’s law as well as the Fulfiller of it. The significance is that the law is hidden in Him so that He has authority in the place of judgment.

Along with this is Hill of the Early Rain. As was seen in Part V, James ties the coming of the early and latter rains to the coming of the Lord. Thus, this passage is anticipating events yet ahead in the redemptive narrative when the Lord returns to judge the world.

Verse 2 mentions that there were too many men that had come for battle. Thus, the number needed to be paired down lest Israel assume that they had won the battle. Therefore, those who were fearful and trembling were told to depart.

The word translated as trembling was the source of naming it Spring Harod. Those who were trembly were told while using a jussive (a sort of indirect command), “He shall depart and flit from Mount Gilead.” Mount Gilead (har gilad) signifies a large but centralized group of people (har) of The Perpetual Fountain.

Gilead has consistently represented the eternal presence of the Spirit. This is perfectly reflected in the words of Hebrews 10 concerning those who are not of faith and who turn back –

“For yet a little while,
And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.
³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith;
But if anyone draws back,
My soul has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:37, 38

Remembering that Hebrews is an epistle particularly directed to the end times Jews, after the church age, the symbolism is perfectly clear. The use of the jussive is as an indirect command: “If you are not of faith, you shall depart and flit from the Perpetual Fountain.”

The next words of Hebrews 10 give a sense of their state. The author is speaking to believers but then contrasts it with unbelievers –

“But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:39

Interestingly, the number who are not of faith are said to be twenty-two thousand, roughly two-thirds of the number of men prepared for battle. Without being dogmatic, it certainly appears that this is pointing to the Jews who will perish (without the Perpetual Fountain) during the tribulation period –

“’And it shall come to pass in all the land,’
Says the Lord,
‘That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
⁹ I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, “This is My people”;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” Zechariah 13:8, 9

Of those that remained (verses 3 & 4), the Lord noted that there were still too many for the battle. Thus, they were to go down to the water and be refined. It is the same word, tsaraph, just used to describe those who are refined in Zechariah 13:9.

Verse 5 brought in the interesting words about lapping like a dog. Unlike every other commentary on this verse, I explained that the focus is not on how the lapping is conducted but on which animal did the lapping, the dog. The dog consistently anticipates Gentiles in Scripture.

Those who are like the Gentiles during the church age will lap up the water (the word, Christ, the Spirit, etc.), meaning by faith, they are those who will engage in the battle.  The others who crouched were to be excluded.

The excluded ones anticipate those who haven’t departed, but they are not those who are fully committed. Unlike the Gentiles and those like them, these may be further refined, but they will not engage in the battle.

As a side note: If you have restrained from owning a dog to this point, you must by now see every reason to go adopt one, or ten.

Verses 6 & 7 noted that three hundred men lapped water and that they would save Gideon and prevail over Midian. Three hundred is a multiple of 3 and 10. Ten signifies that nothing is wanting and the whole cycle is complete. Three signifies Divine Perfection. But more, as noted, Bullinger says of 3 –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid.”

The numbers perfectly fit with what one would expect in the final spiritual battle being played out during the tribulation period. Further, the Greek letter Tau, a cross, represents the number 300. It is a clear New Testament note that Christ’s cross, which is the basis of the gospel, is what is being pictured here.

From the cross comes salvation and prevailing over the Place of Judgment. The gospel (Gideon) and the three hundred (the cross/Christ’s work) will win the battle.

Remember that the odds between the two sides were four hundred fifty to one. The number is derived from 5, 9, and 10. Five is the number of grace. Nine is the number of finality or judgment. Ten signifies that nothing is wanting and the whole cycle is complete. It is a perfect match to what will transpire.

Verses 9 & 10 noted the victory was won, but if Gideon wasn’t convinced, he should go down with Purah his servant. Purah means either Fruitful or Branch, but in the sense of Honor, Beauty, Glory, etc.

Actually, either definition can reflect what the New Testament says about the gospel. It is both Fruitful (Romans 7:4, etc.) and Glorious (2 Corinthians 4:4, etc.). The close etymological connection between the words is probably purposeful. It asks us to consider both the fruitfulness and glory of the gospel’s effect in the end times.

Once Gideon and his troops were near the camp, it made a note about Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east lying in the valley. Midian, Place of Judgment, is the main force. It speaks of the tribulation period that Israel will someday endure.

Amalek, the People Who Wring Off, are those disconnected from the body (meaning the body among whom God is present) and who strive to disconnect the body.

The b’ne qedem, or “sons East,” signifies those who continue to cling to the law, annulled in the past through Christ’s work, simply because they cannot let go of it. Being as numerous as locusts means that they seemed endless in number. This is then set in contrast to the cross and the gospel. There is an actual battle ahead for Israel, but there is a spiritual battle that must be won for them to prevail as well.

Also, the number of camels was noted as being an incredible number, even beyond counting. The word comes from the verb gamal, to deal fully or adequately with. Thus, it can mean to wean, repay, require, reward, ripen, and so forth. It speaks of the treatment the world will receive due to its rejection of Christ.

Verse 13 detailed the dream of the man in the camp of Midian. A round loaf or cake of barley bread turned through the camp of Midian, destroying it. As noted, barley is the lesser, or more inconsequential, grain. It is also the grain of hairy ears. Hair signifies an awareness, especially that of sin.

The gospel is considered inconsequential to those who do not accept it. It is also that which properly identifies and deals with the awareness of sin. The law only highlights sin, but apart from Christ, it cannot deal with it.

The connection of the word haphak, turn, between the turning of the barley bread and the turning of the sword (kherev, the law) in Genesis 3:24 was noted, and it is not without significance. The law is what keeps man from returning to fellowship with God. The gospel is what terminates the law and allows man to return to that marvelous state –

“So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword [ha’kherev: the sword / the law] which turned [ha’mithhapekheth: the turning] every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24

Verse 14 directly equated the turning barley bread (zoth bilti: this except) to the kherev, sword, of Gideon. Again, it is a perfect representation of Christ’s fulfillment of the law, which establishes the gospel (Gideon).

Think of Genesis 3:24! Think of Christ’s work! Consider the marvel of what is being pictured! Think of those who reject the gospel. They will be destroyed through their rejection of Jesus. It is all about Jesus!

Verse 15, a marvelous verse, includes anyone who is dissecting the typology of this passage right in its words. “And was according to hearing Gideon account the dream and its fracture, and he worshiped.”

The word shavar signifies a breaking, a fracture, a crushing, etc. In this case, the dream was given, but its meaning was closed up. We have been included in the telling of the dream. However, the other man was able to cause a fracture in the words, thus exposing the meaning. Hence, it signifies a solution or interpretation of the dream.

But, as we have seen, the dream has more than the surface meaning. Therefore, we are included in the fracture of the dream. Someday, Israel will pay heed, and they too will understand what is being said.

Verse 16 noted the shophars, pitchers, and torches. The shophar is for the call to battle. The pitchers, normally used for water, were to conceal the torches. The torches were to reveal the light. The three could not be more exactingly described than what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4. Listen and think of this passage from Judges –

“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. ⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord [the blowing of the shophars], and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ [the torches].
⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels [the pitchers], that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-7

In Gideon (the gospel) and his three hundred (the cross/Christ’s work) deploying these three things, the enemy will find its destruction. At the time they are employed, it says in verse 19 that it was “head the watch, the middle.”

It would have been at the time that Midian was least prepared for such a battle. This clearly speaks of the world during the tribulation period. The division into three companies, which was stated several times, refers to the Divine Perfection of the event and the Divine Fulness of the Spirit in causing the work of Christ to be realized, as noted by Bullinger earlier.

As for the employment of the shophars and torches, it was specific, “And strengthened in hand left in the torches, and in hand their right the shophars to blowing.” It could have simply said, “They held the torches and blew the trumpets.” But it didn’t in order to specifically reveal typology.

The left side refers to the north, or darker side, in Scripture. The word semol, or left, comes from simlah, a wrapper or mantle. Hence, the left is the hidden side. It is like saying, “And strengthened in the hidden hand, the torches.” Thus, the focus is on the torches.

The left hand pictures Christ in His humanity covering His deity. The light of the gospel is seen in the Person of Christ. As Paul noted earlier, “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The right is the position of power. The blasting of the shophar, the heralding of the gospel, is what is seen. With that also came the cry, “Sword to Yehovah and to Gideon.” The meaning of “to” is “of.” The call is of Lord’s sword, meaning the fulfillment of the law by Christ and the gospel. The two are united as one, just as 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 proclaims.

Verse 21, which opened our verses today, showed the contrast between the army of Gideon and that of Midian: and standing / and running, and blasting / and shouting, and shattering / and fleeing.

Despite the seeming odds, with the Lord behind the gospel, the world cannot prevail but will find absolute defeat, even to the point where it will destroy itself. This is seen in Yehovah’s setting a sword (kherev: the law] between a man and his friend within the camp. Without Jesus, the law can only bring death.

As for the names of the locations that were fled to, each of them is either used only once or this is the first time it is seen in Scripture. Therefore, it is probable that they were named based on these events.

Thus, in an attempt to explain the typology, I submit House of Acacias (meaning House of Scourges) describes the effects rendered upon the enemy. Toward Zererah (Bound) signifies the coming state of those who reject the gospel. At the final judgment, they will be bound forever in the Lake of Fire.

The border of Meadow (or Stream) of Dancing signifies the state of those victorious in the battle. Dances are used to describe joy, most often after a battle. Being by Tabbath (Perpetual) is the eternal state where either side will find itself.

Verse 23 mentioned the crying out and pursuing of Israel (He Strives with God) by Naphtali (My Wrestlings and signifying the work of Christ to secure salvation), Asher (Blessed because of the work of Christ), and Manasseh (To Forget/From a Debt signifying Christ who forgets sins, having paid the sin debt).

These went forth pursuing Midian, Place of Judgment, having been declared not guilty because of Christ. As we saw, Zebulun was notably missing. Those of Israel who survive the tribulation will enter into the millennium. They will not be translated directly to heaven.

Verse 24 detailed the call of Ephraim (Twice Fruitful/Ashes). It speaks of the continued salvation of both Jews and Gentiles during the tribulation because of the afflictions of Christ. They pursued Midian until Beth Barah (House of Covenant) and the Jordan (the Descender).

Whether this is referring to the negative effects of Midian rejecting Christ or the positive effects of Israel accepting Christ, the result is the same. There is one New Covenant and one Jesus. Those who are in Him will be saved, and those who reject Him will be lost. As it is Israel seizing the waters, I would go with the latter.

It speaks of the coming destruction of all who reject Jesus. That would follow with the words of verse 25. The two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, were captured and killed. Being two, they provide a contrast and yet a confirmation. Oreb, Raven, ultimately comes from arav, to take in pledge. Zeev, Wolf, signifies those who devour.

It speaks of those who have tried to obtain the pledge of the Spirit without Christ and those who devour the flock. They contrast, and yet they confirm the totality of those who are separated from God. These were able to overcome such through their faith in Christ, just as Revelation says will come about.

Being killed at the rock of Oreb is set in contrast to having life in the Rock of Christ. One is a false hope. The other is the true Hope. Being killed at the winepress of Zeeb also provides a contrast. There is the overflowing vat given by the Lord (Proverbs 3:10) or the vat of punishment for rejecting Him (Joel 3:13).

The final words of the chapter noted the heads being carried back to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan. It is a note of the victory over these two as seen elsewhere in Scripture. The enemy is defeated, and the battle is complete.

Judges 7 is not the end of Gideon’s time as the judge of Israel. Chapter 8 is long and detailed. But Judges 7 is an integral part of what is typologically anticipated in the future. In studying and understanding typology, many errors in theology, such as Israel’s covenant relationship with God, are cleared up.

The Lord’s promises to Israel are absolutely sure to come about. This includes being brought into the New Covenant and enjoying all the blessings and privileges promised to them in the prophets. That time is ahead, but probably not far ahead.

The world is primed for self-destruction. But what good is knowing this if the word cannot be trusted? If God’s word is not eternal and decided once and for all time, there is absolutely no point in trusting Him or bothering with His word.

What a sad state to be in. “Jesus saved me! Hooray! But He might take it back. Therefore, my salvation is up to me.” That is where Israel is right now. They don’t trust the Lord and they don’t trust His word. Thus, they are stuck in a place where there is no faith, no hope, and no confidence except in themselves.

Let us learn the lesson of Scripture by understanding the lesson of Israel. God has been, and He will be, faithful to His unfaithful people. That includes you. Look to Israel and be confident that He will (not maybe!) carry you through to a good end. Thank God for His faithfulness in the giving of His Son. Yes, thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord.

Closing Verse: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.” Isaiah 65:25

Next Week: Judges 8:1-12 More battling to be done, so the word does tell, but the outcome will be great… (Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VIII) (25^th Judges sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

(Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VII)

And every man all around the camp in his place stood
And the whole army ran and cried out and fled. Sayonara
———-for good.

When the three hundred blew the trumpets
The LORD set every man’s sword against his companion
———-throughout the whole camp, felicity was shot
And the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah
As far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath

And the men of Israel gathered together, not just to see the sights
From Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued
———-the Midianites

Then Gideon sent messengers
Throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying
“Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them
———-the watering places
As far as Beth Barah and the Jordan, so he was conveying

Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized
The watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan
———- doing as Gideon pleased

And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb
They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at
———-Zeeb’s winepress
They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb
To Gideon on the other side of the Jordan, to show off their success

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

²¹ And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. ²² When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

²³ And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

²⁴ Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. ²⁵ And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

 

 

 

 

 

12

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 7:9-20
(Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VI)

(Typed 4 December 2023) Extra-biblical claims of revelation from God are not necessary for any part of our salvation or a walk with the Lord. They add nothing to what God has detailed in His word, and following such supposed revelations will only distract us from study and contemplation of His word.

There are accounts of such things detailed in Scripture. Today’s account will tell us of one such event. At the time, the people of the world did not yet have the fully revealed word of God. This obviously means that God was still revealing it to the world.

Therefore, it is not unexpected that there would be prophets, visions, divinely directed dreams, and the like. These things were used by God to direct His plan of redemption, to reveal coming aspects of what He would do as are later recorded in the word, and to show later generations how such things came about.

Is any of that necessary now? I say no. The word is given and it is fully sufficient to teach us everything we now need to know.

Text Verse: “For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds.” Job 33:14,15

In our verses today, there are a few astonishing aspects of the dream recorded here. Such things, once thought through, are like the lightbulb above the head memes. The light comes on and suddenly one can see the logic.

The word, as it is given, is so filled with interesting insights that we can read it innumerable times and still miss obvious truths it is revealing. Keep reading the word! Keep thinking on what it is telling you. It is God’s marvelous gift to the people of the world.

This is especially so because in it is revealed God’s greatest Gift of all, our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything points to Him and His coming. Let us remember this and seek Him out in every detail. He is there, waiting to be discovered.

Such great things as finding Jesus throughout every story are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. I Have Had a Dream (verses 9-14)

⁹ It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him,

v’hi ba’laylah ha’hu vayomer elav Yehovah – “And was in the night, the it, and say unto him, Yehovah…” This is the same night in which the selection of who would fight in the battle was made –

“Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.’ ⁸ So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.” Judges 7:7, 8

Before the battle is engaged, the Lord will have something for Gideon to do that will ease the minds of the soldiers with him. The odds are so great against them that only absolute trust in the Lord’s guiding hand could mollify their unease. However, the Lord first says…

^{9 (con’t)} “Arise, go down against the camp,

qum red ba’makhaneh – “Arise! Descend in the camp.” Gideon is told to get up in order to go down. It is night, so the soldiers were probably laying around campfires. Maybe some were slumbering. But, the Lord said the night is the time to engage the battle. This is a command for the entire camp to now descend and get going…

^{9 (con’t)} for I have delivered it into your hand.

ki n’thativ b’yadekha – “for I have given it in your hand.” The aspect of the verb is perfect. The matter is settled and accomplished in the Lord’s mind. He promises victory over the vast horde scattered across the valley. However, to ensure the men are confident, He has a sign to help them mentally prepare…

¹⁰ But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,

v’im yare atah la’redeth red atah u-phurah naarkha el ha’makhaneh – “And if fearing – you – to descend, descend – you and Purah your servant – unto the camp.” The Lord knew the heart of Gideon. He was leading three hundred men into battle against one hundred and thirty-five thousand. There would naturally be reticence concerning such an endeavor.

Therefore, He directs Gideon with emphatic and precisely stated words. First, in the previous verse he was told to descend in the camp. That command was to go to battle. Here, it says unto the camp. It is not a direction for fighting but for another purpose.

Also, the Lord could have said, “Take one of your men and go…” Or, He could have said, “Take a servant and go…” Instead, He expressly identifies by name who Gideon should take, Purah. Purah is his naar. The word means a youth, but in this case, it is referring to his attendant, probably his armor bearer.

This is a young person who is not yet a warrior. Such a person would carry the implements of war for the warrior and would follow along after, killing any who were wounded by the hand of his master but were not yet dead.

The name Purah may come from one of two separate but related sources. The first is the verb parah, to bear fruit or be fruitful. The other is the noun porah, a branch. However, that in turn comes from paar, to beautify or glorify. The branch is what beautifies a vine. This is seen, for example, in Ezekiel 31 –

“All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs;
Under its branches [porah] all the beasts of the field brought forth their young;
And in its shadow all great nations made their home.
⁷ ‘Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches,
Because its roots reached to abundant waters.
⁸ The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it;
The fir trees were not like its boughs,
And the chestnut trees were not like its branches [porah];
No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.” Ezekiel 31:6-8

Therefore, the name Purah means Fruitful or Branch. However, if Branch, it carries with it the sense of honor, beauty, glory, etc.

¹¹ and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.”

Rather, and more precisely: v’shamta mah y’daberu v’akhar tekhezaqnah yadekha v’yaradta ba’makhaneh – “And hear what they speak. And after, shall be strengthened your hand. And go down in the camp.” The meaning is that in hearing what the Lord has spoken, the hand of Gideon will no longer be limp from fear. He will be encouraged and confident to enter into the battle. Again, as in verse 9, it says “in the camp,” meaning to attack it.

^{11  (con’t)} Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.

The words bear an emphasis: vayered hu u-phurah naaro el qetseh ha’khamushim asher ba’makhaneh – “And descended, he, and Purah his servant, unto extremity the fiftied who in the camp.” Gideon, the Cutter, is highlighted. He, along with Purah did as directed and went to the outskirts of the khamushim.

It is a verb, the meaning of which is highly debated. Outpost, though, is incorrect. It may mean “the arrayed” or something similar. However, other than later vowel pointing, it is spelled identically to the plural of fifty. Therefore, it is likely that it signifies a battle array of units of fifty men. Today we would say, “by platoon” to indicate units of fifty men.

These two descended and came up close to the fifties. There would be two thousand seven hundred fifties in a camp of one hundred and thirty-five thousand. By the Lord’s providence, they will come to the extremity where a particular fifty was situated.

¹² Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts;

Rather: u-midyan va’amaleq v’kal b’ne qedem nophlim ba’emeq ka’arbeh la’rov – “And Midian and Amalek and all sons East lying in the valley according to the locust to the multitude.” The words take us back to the opening of the previous chapter –

“So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. … For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.” Judges 6:3, 5

Midian means Place of Judgment.

Amalek is derived from the word am, or people, and malaq which means to nip or wring off the head of a bird with or without severing it from the body. Thus, they are The People Who Wring Off. They are those who are disconnected from the body and strive to disconnect the body.

The b’ne qedem or “sons East” would be the various people groups including Arab tribes, Ishmaelites, etc.

Saying these were numbered like locusts is a way of saying that just as the locust moves around, making it impossible to count them, so was this hoard of invaders gathered in the valley. There were so many of them that they seemed endless in number. This is set in contrast to the mere three hundred men with Gideon.

^{12 (con’t)} and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

v’ligmalehem ein mispar ka’khol se’al s’phath ha’yam la’rov – “And to their camels not number, according to the sand upon her lip – the sea – to the multitude.” It is a hugely whopping and great superlative seen previously in Joshua 11:4 when Israel met the enemies gathered at the waters of Merom. The idea is almost an infinite number of them.

The word sand, khol, comes from the verb khul, to whirl or writhe. The idea is that of sand whirling in the wind. Hence, it would be impossible to count the sand as the wind blew over it.

As for the gamal, or camel, that comes from the verb gamal, to deal fully or adequately with. Thus, it can mean to wean, repay, require, reward, ripen, and so forth. As such, it refers to the treatment, either well or ill, that a person will receive.

Camels were not found in abundance in Canaan. They were brought in by the invaders, demonstrating the enormous amount of provision the marauding invaders possessed and the profusely plump piles of plunder they had taken each year as they stormed over the land. This is set in contrast to the limited supplies of Gideon’s men which was carried on foot rather than by camel.

¹³ And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion.

vayavo gidon v’hineh ish m’saper l’reehu khalom – “And came Gideon, and behold, man recounting to his friend dream.” This is what the Jewish sages call the bath kol, daughter of a voice. They say there are four ways of receiving a divine word: prophets, dream, the Urim, and the bath kol. It is a voice of guidance or the first words one hears after looking out for them. For example –

Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” ¹² Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”
Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” 1 Samuel 14:8-12

This is not a sound interpretation of Scripture. First, there are other means of receiving a divine word, such as the appearance of an angel, a vision, etc. Second, the Lord is instructing Gideon to a specific place to hear a specific word. That word is based on a dream.

Charismatics and the superstitious accept this type of thing as a divine message, “If this, then this.” It is a sloppy way of handling theology. It leads directly to the “Open the Bible, turn to a random page, point, and make your decision” approach to life. As for what Gideon hears…

^{13 (con’t)} He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian;

vayomer hineh khalom khalamti v’hineh tselol lekhem s’orim mithhapekh b’makhaneh midyan – “And said, ‘Behold dream dreamt. And behold, loaf bread barley turning in camp Midian.” There is a word found only here in Scripture, tselul (or tselil).

It is highly debated what the word means and many suggestions have been made. It may signify a round (or flattened but round) cake of bread. Strong’s identifies the word as coming from tsalal, to sink. As something sinks, it generally wafts downward through the water in a rolling motion. Thus, it may be a flat round cake, or a roll or loaf.

Barley is considered a lesser grain compared to wheat. The bread is thus inconsequential in both size and quality. Therefore, it is emblematic of the camp of Gideon in relation to the camp of Midian, low and contemptible in contrast to exalted and mighty.

Barley is also known as the crop of hairy ears because of its appearance on the stalk. Hence it is named seorah, coming from sear, hair. Hair in the Bible signifies an awareness, especially an awareness of sin, as in the saiyr, or hairy goat sin offering.

The motion of the bread is haphak, to turn or turn over. It is the same word in the same construct used to describe the turning sword held by the cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden.

“So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned [ha’mithhapekheth: the turning] every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24

If it is flattened bread, then it is on its side like a wheel turning. If a loaf, it is simply rolling along. Either way, it has come into the camp of Midian, Place of Judgment…

^{13 (con’t)} it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”

The words are chaotic and filled with motion: vayavo ad ha’ohel vayakehu vayipol vayahaphkhehu l’malah v’naphal ha’ohel – “And came until the tent and struck it, and falling, and turning it to her upward, and fallen the tent.” Saying “the tent” has several possibilities. It may be the main tent of the highest-ranking person, but that seems dubious and forced.

It could be the dreamer’s own tent, making it personal – it was his own tent, not just an arbitrary tent. Or it may be that the word tent stands for the camp as a whole. It is the camp (sg.) of Midian (sg.), so this is the tent of Midian. That is not out of the question. It even seems likely based on the interpretation of the dream by his friend.

Either way, this is what Gideon needed to hear. Out of one hundred and thirty-five thousand people, in two thousand seven hundred platoons, and probably twenty-five tents per platoon (figuring two people per tent), Gideon walked up to the one tent where this dream had occurred. He also walked up at the time that the man conveyed his dream to his friend.

The probability of coming to the right tent would be approximately 67,500 to 1. Coming at the exact time the conversation was going on would increase the odds further. Sergio figured the probability based on a thirty-minute conversation and it is a bit more than one in a million odds. A five-minute conversation would take it to about one in ten million chance of coming upon the right tent at the right moment. And more, a further verification that this was the Lord’s doing is next seen…

¹⁴ Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel!

va’yaan reehu vayomer ein zoth bilti im kherev gidon ben yoash ish Yisrael – “And answered his friend and said, ‘Not this except if sword Gideon son Joash, man Israel.” However those in the camp became aware of Gideon and his men, it was understood that they were a teeny, insignificant force. And yet, this dream clearly indicated that they would come into the camp of Midian and level it.

This again raises the odds previously mentioned. The dream interpreter could have said, “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep, dreamer.” Also, he was able to correctly interpret the dream as Gideon listened. He directly equated the turning loaf of bread (zoth bilti: this except) to the kherev, sword, of Gideon.

Everything about the account is provided to assure Gideon that he will, in fact, prevail over Midian, just as the Lord said.

The name Joash means Yehovah Has Bestowed. Israel means He Strives with God. That has bearing on the next words…

^{14 (con’t)} Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

natan ha’Elohim b’yado eth midyan v’eth kal ha’makhaneh – “Given the God in his hand Midian and all the camp.” As in verse 9, the aspect of the verb is perfect. Just as the Lord said, so this man has confirmed. And more, he uses the term “the God.”

The article is expressive and refers to the one true God in relation to man. But more especially, it is in relation to those who are in a right relationship with Him, or it is used to contrast those who are not in a right relationship with Him.

In this case, Gideon, who is of Israel (He Strives with God), is striving in a proper relationship with the God. This man understands that Gideon is chosen by the God, Yehovah, to destroy Midian and all the camp. The words are convincing…

The Lord alone will gain the victory
We simply trust in what He has done
He has set forth everything splendidly
In the giving of Christ, His only begotten Son 

Let us trust in this and go forth confidently
Our destiny is secure through what He has done
Innumerable people gathered around the glassy sea
Forgiven and redeemed through the work of the Son

Hallelujah to our God!
Behold the great things He has done
Forever and ever we shall applaud
The glory of the Lord’s cross, God’s only begotten Son

II. orches and Trumpets (verses 15-20)

¹⁵ And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped.

v’hi kishmoa gidon eth mispar ha’khalom v’eth shivro vayishtakhu – “And was according to hearing Gideon account the dream and its fracture, and he worshiped.” The word shavar signifies a breaking, a fracture, a crushing, etc.

In this case, it is as if the dream was given, but it was closed up. However, the interpreter was able to cause a fracture in the words, thus exposing the meaning. Hence, it signifies a solution or interpretation of the dream.

This, in itself, was as miraculous as the giving of the dream. Gideon, like all of Israel, would have known the words of Joseph to Pharaoh, hearing them year after year as the stories of their forefathers were recounted from generation to generation –

“And they said to him, ‘We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.’ So Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.’” Genesis 40:8

Every detail of their time while at the camp of Midian was carefully orchestrated by the Lord to fully convince Gideon that victory was assured. Therefore, he took time to worship the Lord in grateful confidence that they would prevail.

^{15 (con’t)} He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”

vayashav el makhaneh Yisrael vayomer qumu ki nathan Yehovah b’yedkhem eth makhaneh Midyan – “And returned unto camp Israel and said, ‘Arise! For given Yehovah in your hand camp Midian.’” As the Lord previously said, and as the interpreter of the dream repeated, so Gideon speaks using the word “give” in the perfect aspect. It is a done deal.

Midian is already destroyed in the Lord’s mind and in the mind of the interpreter. Now it is in Gideon’s mind as well. Therefore, he instructs the men to arise. It is time to engage the enemy…

¹⁶ Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies,

This division was to give the illusion of a much larger attacking force, coming at the enemy from various directions. It will later be employed by Saul and David. Three bands of raiders are also mentioned in Job –

“While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” Job 1:17

Once divided…

^{16 (con’t)} and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.

vayiten shopharoth b’yad kulam v’khadim reqim v’lapidim b’thok ha’kadim – “And gave shophars in hand all them, and pitchers empty, and torches in midst the pitchers.” The shophar is used to call troops to or into battle. In this case, it is into battle. When they are arrayed and ready, the shophar is blown and the attack begins.

This would lead the enemy to suppose that the battle was coming from every direction with each shophar mustering an entire force of men. This could mean thirty thousand or more ready men running into a camp filled with sleeping men. It would bring immediate terror and confusion to the entire camp.

The kad, or pitcher, was an earthenware jar often used for carrying water from a well, such as that used by Rebekah in Genesis 24. In this case, the pitchers are empty, and a torch was inserted. The jar was to conceal the light until it was time for it to shine forth.

The word lapid describes a torch or lamp. In this case, it is a torch that would not be easily extinguished and which would increase in brightness as it was waved to and fro. The lights would be used by the head of a company to direct those behind him where he was going in the dark. Again, it gives the illusion of many people following leaders into battle.

¹⁷ And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise;

The words are short and to the point: vayomer alehem mimeni tiru v’ken taasu – “And said unto them, ‘From me look and thus do.” He would lead the attack when all the men were set and ready. From wherever he was stationed, the rest would have stealthily encircled the camp, keeping their eyes on Gideon’s position as he approached the camp. Therefore…

^{17 (con’t)} watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:

There is a strong, emphatic nature to his words: v’hineh anokhi ba biqtseh ha’makhaneh v’hayah ka’asher eeseh ken taasun – “And behold, I come in extremity the camp, and it is according to which I doing, so shall you (certainly) do.”

Moving to the edge of the camp rather than remaining at a distance was to make the Midianites think that an entire attacking force was directly upon them. It would throw them into utter confusion and absolute panic. This is the point of the careful repetition and detailed, emphatic instruction by Gideon. Therefore…

¹⁸ When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me,

Again, it is emphatic: v’taqati ba’shofar anoki v’kal iti – “And I blast in the shophar, I, and all who with me.” Gideon would initiate the process and almost simultaneously he would be accompanied by his one hundred. This would initiate the battle.

Those inside the camp would hear it and understand a battle was beginning. Any mentally alert Midianites would direct their eyes and ears in the direction of Gideon. But within just another second or two, confusion would break out in their minds…

^{18 (con’t)} then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’”

It is again emphatic: uth’qatem ba’shopharoth gam atem sivoth kal ha’makhaneh v’amartem l’Yehovah u-l’gidon – “and you blast in the shophars also – you around all the camp – and say, ‘to Yehovah and to Gideon.’” The inserted words “The sword of” are a part of the call as indicated in verse 20, but they are not a part of this verse.

It is a rallying cry for Gideon’s forces to remember the Lord and to acknowledge the leadership of Gideon under the Lord. Calling out the name of the Lord, a name that would be known to the Midianites, as well as the name of Gideon, was to let them know that they were being attacked under the authority of their God and with a capable military leader heading the army.

¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch,

vayavo gidon u-meah ish asher ito biqtseh ha’makhaneh rosh ha’ashmoreth ha’tikonah – “And Gideon and hundred man who with him in extremity the camp, head the watch, the middle.” The timing is purposely selected to be when the sentinels were least likely to be ready for any alarm.

It is generally believed that there were three designated watches in the night during this time in history. As night went from six to six, it would be about 10pm. If there were four watches, then it could be as late as 12am. Either way, most in the camp would be falling into deep sleep. Waking up suddenly causes the brain to be foggy and unprepared.

^{19 (con’t)} just as they had posted the watch;

The words are a verb fest: akh haqem heqimu eth ha’shomrim – “surely, arising arisen the watchers.” The meaning is that the new watch had just gotten up. They were just being posted, probably still bleary eyed. The others were mind-numbed from their posting and ready to sleep. Just at this carefully selected moment, it says…

^{19 (con’t)} and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.

vayitq’u ba’shopharoth v’napots ha’kadim asher beyadam – “And blasting in the shophars, and shattering the pitchers which in their hands.” The verb shattering is structured to indicate that the blasting and the shattering occurred simultaneously.

At one moment, there would be the sound of the battle call, the crash of some unknown but destructive sound, and the sudden flashing of lights very close to the camp. Each detail is given to elicit the maximum terror in the newly posted watchers. Those going off duty would be likewise horrified that the enemy had encircled them while they were on duty.

Those asleep would wake up completely confused, astonished, and terrified. The entire camp would be unprepared for the sudden event that had fallen upon them. Just as Gideon had acted, and as instructed, it then says…

²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—

Vayitqu sh’loshet harashim ba’shopharoth vayishbru ha’kadim – “And blasting three the companies in the shophars, and shattering the pitchers.” The fact that it already said that the three hundred did these things in verse 19 has caused a lot of unnecessary speculation in many different directions.

Verse 19 referred to Gideon and the company with him. This speaks of the other two companies doing it. Gideon had instructed them to follow after him. They have done exactly that. They immediately followed suit, so that it was as if the attack was from all sides at once. The text is simply affirming that all three companies obediently accomplished what they were charged to do.

^{20 (con’t)} they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing

vayakhaziqu b’yad sh’molam ba’lapidim u-b’yad y’minam ha’shopharoth litqoa – “And strengthened in hand left in the torches, and in hand their right the shophars to blowing.” It could have simply said, “They held the torches and blew the trumpets.” However, the text is asking us to consider why the particular hands are specified.

The left side refers to the north, or darker side, in Scripture. The word semol, or left, comes from simlah, a wrapper or mantle. Hence, the left is the hidden side. It is like saying, “And strengthened in the hidden hand, the torches.” Thus, the focus is on the torches.

The right is the south side in Scripture. It is the side of strength and authority. Understanding this…

*^20 (fin) —and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

vayiqreu kherev l’Yehovah u-l’gidon – “And crying, ‘Sword to Yehovah and to Gideon.” The meaning of “to” is “of.” This is to be inferred from the previous clause. The three hundred men stood completely unarmed as far as their hands were concerned.

One hand held the torch and the other the shophar. They cannot do any killing like that! Therefore, any destruction that occurs is because the Lord directed it to be so and Gideon, the Cutter, is the Lord’s designated leader who organized the non-fighting battle on behalf of the Lord.

Any cutting down of the enemy must be credited solely to the Lord who directed every step and to Gideon who acted on the Lord’s direction.

And this is a truth that carries over to our own spiritual lives as well. Every aspect of what is needed to accomplish the victory has been wrought by the Lord. There can be no boasting in what we have done. Scripture makes this perfectly clear, and as our closing verse will reveal.

The thought is central to what is going on in the redemption of man. The Bible notes that we are saved by grace through faith and that is not of ourselves. Rather, Ephesians 2 says it is the gift of God. A gift is something unearned, and grace is unmerited favor.

Understanding this, and remembering that we are to never mar grace by assuming that we must accomplish works in order to merit salvation, or that if we fail the Lord in some particular way we cannot be saved or we might become unsaved.

That is a chief lie of the devil. In essence it says that we either participate in our own salvation or we accomplish it apart from God’s grace. Rather, let us trust in what God has done. That is what faith is! It is accepting His work and being persuaded that it is sufficient.

Next week, we will go through the final verses and see what the contents of Chapter 7 are pointing to. But from our final verse of the passage today, we can know that acknowledging that the battle is the Lord’s is a key part of what is being conveyed.

For the Christian, that came about by faith. Let us hold fast to that, not getting pulled away from it by cunning deception. The gospel is clear and simple. Let me explain it to you…

Closing Verse: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” Romans 3:27

Next Week: Judges 7:21-25 Fun a ton! It’s so swell – and close to heaven… (Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VII) (24^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VI

It happened on the same night
That the LORD said to Gideon in a command
“Arise, go down against the camp
For I have delivered it into your hand

But if you are afraid to go down
Go down to the camp with Purah your servant
And you shall hear what they say
And afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down
———-against the camp, so be observant

Then he went down with Purah his servant
Together they did scamp
To the outpost of the armed men
Who were in the camp

Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East
Were in the valley as numerous as locusts. No, the size
———-is not skewed
And their camels were without number
As the sand by the seashore in multitude

And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream
———-to his companion
He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise of this event
A loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian
It came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and
———-collapsed the tent

Then his companion answered and said
“This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, Israel’s champ
The son of Joash, a man of Israel!
Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp

And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling
Of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. So grand!

He returned to the camp of Israel, and said
“Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian
———-into your hand

Then he divided the three hundred men
Into three companies, so he did divide
And he put a trumpet into every man’s hand
With empty pitchers, and with torches inside

And he said to them
“Look at me and likewise do
Watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp
You shall do as I do too

When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me
Then you also blow the trumpets on every side, so you shall do
Of the whole camp, and say
‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon too

So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him
Came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the
———-middle watch, according to the plans
Just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets
And broke the pitchers that were in their hands

Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers
They held the torches in their left hands as things had begun
And the trumpets in their right hands for blowing
And they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

⁹ It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. ¹⁰ But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, ¹¹ and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. ¹² Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

¹³ And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”

¹⁴ Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

¹⁵ And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” ¹⁶ Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: ¹⁸ When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’”

¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. ²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 7:1-8
(Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part V)

(Typed 27 November 2023) In 480 BC, the Battle of Thermopylae occurred. It is noteworthy because of the bravery and fighting prowess of the three hundred Spartan hoplites who so valiantly fought in the battle.

Their deeds are legendary, and their bravery was seemingly unmatched in ancient history. But their battle wasn’t as remarkable as the one recorded in Judges 7.

What occurs in Judges 7 is carefully detailed for us in Scripture, but to imagine the thoughts of the men who were asked to engage the battle is beyond our ability.

They had a view from the top of a hill that allowed them to look out over the entire army they would face. It would have seemed utterly impossible for three hundred men to last even a few minutes against this massive army, much less prevail over them.

But the Lord called them to the task, and He personally made the selection concerning who would fight and who was excused from the contingent that had originally assembled. Truly, only trusting in the hand of the Lord to prevail explains how anyone would go forward to meet such a vast and terrifying force.

Text Verse: “The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6

In Christ, not being afraid takes on a completely new meaning. Not only can we trust that the Lord will save us in this life according to His will, but we can trust that He will also forever deliver us from death.

It is one thing to be promised, “You won’t die in the battle today,” and it is an entirely different thing to be told, “If you trust in Me, death has no power over you, forever.” Unless the rapture happens, all of us will die, but that is not the end of the story for believers.

Because Jesus prevailed over death for those who trust Him, they too have prevailed over death. What happens to our earthly selves is not consequential in the bigger scheme of things.

Unlike whatever was on the mind of the soldiers under Gideon, we can trust that whatever comes upon us will be a temporary blip in our continued stream of existence. This is the marvelous hope we possess. Cling to it and be confident in it.

Such great truths as eternal life are proclaimed for believers in Jesus in God’s superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Who Is Fearful and Afraid (verses 1-3)

The sign of the fleece ended Chapter 6. However, chronologically, the passage here follows after Judges 6:35, prior to the ending of the chapter –

“Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. ³⁵ And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.” Judges 6:33-35

Now that Gideon has been apprised of the Lord’s intent concerning the law vs. grace in the sign of the fleece, the words of Chapter 7 follow in a logical way, beginning with…

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early

The order is jumbled by the NKJV, thus tarnishing the emphatic nature of the words. This should read as two separate clauses: vayashkem yerubaal hu gidon v’kal ha’am asher ito – “And rose early Jerubbaal, he Gideon, and all the people who with him.”

Here, the name Jerubbaal, Let Baal Strive, is given prominence. It was introduced in verse 6:32 as an honorary title to Gideon, Cutter, because of his actions taken against the altar of the baal, upon which rested the image of Asherah.

It is Jerubbaal who is said to have risen early. Along with him were those who were willing to engage in the battle directed by the Lord. After having arisen, they set out for the battle…

^1 (con’t) and encamped beside the well of Harod,

Rather: vayakhanu al ein kharod – “and encamped above Spring Harod.” The name Ein Kharod means Spring of Trembling or Spring of Fear, coming from kharad, to shake or tremble with fear. The name is certainly derived from the events now taking place. This will be seen in verse 3.

Rather than encamping beside the well, the men encamp above it, on a hilltop that overlooks the entire valley below.

Today, this spring is found in Ma’ayan Harod National Park. To see it in a modern video, go to the YouTube channel Sergio and Rhoda in Israel and find the video entitled “Gideon’s Cave and the Spring of Harod.”

In it, these two intrepid YouTube trekkers discuss the details of the very battle that is outlined in Judges 7. Also, one can get a sense of what the layout of the land is like.

^1 (con’t) so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

Without checking, the translator followed the same error as the KJV. As Jerubbaal is the leader, the words focus on him alone speaking in the first-person singular: u-makhaneh midyan hayah lo mitsaphon migivath ha’moreh ba’emeq – “And camp Midian was to him from north from hill the Moreh in the valley.”

The Hill of Moreh was north of Gideon’s location, with the camp of the Midianites lying in the valley.

Midian means Place of Judgment.

As seen in previous sermons, the word tsaphon, north, signifies that which is hidden or treasured away because the north receives less light in the northern hemisphere.

The givah, hill, carries various connotations in Scripture, but the main connection in typology is that it is etymologically connected to Gabbatha in the New Testament.

Givath ha’Moreh, Hill the Moreh, means Hill of the Teacher. Moreh comes from yarah, to throw or shoot. One throws to hit a target. Thus, it is like instruction, where one teaches with a particular goal in mind.

However, the word is identical to the noun moreh, the early rain. That is found only in Psalm 84:6 and twice in Joel 2:23, a passage that refers to the end times –

“Be glad then, you children of Zion,
And rejoice in the Lord your God;
For He has given you the former rain [moreh] faithfully,
And He will cause the rain to come down for you—
The former rain [moreh],
And the latter rain in the first month.”

Another cognate word is also used for the early rains, yoreh. That is found in several Old Testament passages. Both words, moreh and yoreh, are derived from the same root, yarah. Thus, both carry the idea of instruction.

The name Givath ha’Moreh has a secondary meaning of Hill of the Early Rain.

It cannot go unnoted that James, an epistle directed to the end times Jews following the church age, refers to the rain cycle and directly associates it with the coming of the Lord –

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7, 8

Finally, the emeq, or valley, refers to a deep, broad valley, a depth. With the layout described, the Lord has a word for Gideon…

² And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands,

vayomer Yehovah el gidon rav ha’am asher itakh mititi eth midyan b’yadam – “And said Yehovah unto Gideon, ‘Many the people whom with you for giving Midian in their hand.”

As will be seen in the next verse, there are 32,0000 with Gideon. However, the Midianites are said to be as numerous as locusts (7:12) and comprise a combined force of 135,000 (8:10). Thus, it is greater than four to one in total number.

Gideon must have sarcastically thought, “Yeah, right. I get that.” But the Lord next explains to him why they were too many…

^{2 (con’t)} lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

pen yith’paer alay Yisrael l’mor yadi hovoshiah – “Lest, over me Israel to say, ‘My hand saved to me.’” Of these words, the Pulpit Commentary rightly states –

“It must be remembered that this whole movement was essentially a religious one. It began with prayer (Judges 6:6, 7), it was followed up by repentance (Judges 6:27, 28), and the great purpose of it was to turn the hearts of the nation back to the God of their fathers. The Lord himself, therefore, graciously forwarded this end by making it plain that the deliverance from their oppression was his work, and his only.”

Had the entire force of 32,000 that came with Gideon gone to the battle, they could justify the victory as coming from their own hands and not the providential hand of Yehovah. Not only is this likely, but it is the normal conclusion of those who engage in such a battle.

But the people had cried out to the Lord (Judges 6:6). Therefore, his response was intended to get them to realize that He alone could provide the victory they had failed to secure up until then. In their crying out, God would respond, but only in such a way that His hand, not Israel’s, unmistakably provided for their salvation.

³ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid,

v’atah qera na b’azene ha’am l’mor mi yare v’khared – “And now, proclaim, I pray, in ears the people to say, ‘Who fearful and trembling.” This is where the spring received its name Kharod, coming from kharad, to tremble with fear. Here, the adjective form, khared, is used.

The Lord first weeds out any who were originally willing to fight but who were now afraid to do so. After seeing the humongous force scattered over the countryside, their initial bravado was seriously lacking. Thus, they trembled at the prospect of the battle that lay ahead. Therefore, the Lord says…

^3 (con’t) let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’”

The first verb is a jussive: yashov v’yitspor mehar ha’gilad – “He shall depart and flit from Mount Gilead.” The Lord gives an implied command to have any fearful warriors return home. It is similar to the injunction given through Moses in Deuteronomy –

“The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘What man is there who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.” Deuteronomy 20:8

In the words of this verse in Judges, there is a verb found only here in Scripture: tsaphar. Of this word, Strong’s says, “perhaps depart.” The BDB Lexicon says, “dubious.” In other words, its meaning escapes them. However, it is rather apparent when considering its root, a primitive word signifying to skip about.

From there, the word is cognate to tsippar, a bird, ts’phardea, a frog, as well as other similar words. Hence, it means something like flit, leap, hop, skip, dart, etc. Today, we might say, “He shall turn and skedaddle out of there.” To keep it close to the thought of the bird, which is spelled identically, I translate it as flit.

As always, a har, or mount, is a lot of something gathered. It is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. The Gilead means The Perpetual Fountain.

There is a seemingly insurmountable problem with the words “from Mount Gilead.” Mount Gilead is on the other side of the Jordan. Because of this, some say it is an error in the text. Ellicott, ever ready to help, provides several possibilities –

“This expression has caused great difficulty, but the Hebrew cannot mean “to mount Gilead,” nor yet ‘beyond mount Gilead.’ The only tenable solution of the difficulty is, (1) to alter the text into “mount Gilboa” (Clericus), or from meehar, “from mount,” to maheer, “speedily” (Michaelis); or (2) to suppose that ‘mount Gilead’ was a rallying-cry of the Manassites in general, for Gilead was a son of Abiezer (Numbers 26:30, where Jeezer is merely an error); and hence was derived the name ‘Gilead’ of the trans-Jordanic district which fell to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17:5-6). If this be a true conjecture, the phrase ‘let him depart from mount Gilead’ means ‘let him leave the camp of Manasseh.’ One more conjecture is that Gilead is an ancient name for Gilboa (Schwarz).”

As such an obvious blunder in the text would be incomprehensible, Ellicott’s submission that this is a call to leave the camp of Manasseh brilliantly and correctly identifies the intent. In Judges 6:15, Gideon was identified with the tribe of Manasseh. In Judges 6:35, it said –

“And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him.”

Manasseh is the main tribe by which the army is identified. Mount Gilead is being used as a metonym to represent Manasseh. With his directive heard by the people, it next says…

^3 (con’t) And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

More than two-thirds of those who heeded the original call could not bear up under the prospects of what lay ahead. Therefore, the Lord graciously instructed them to hightail it out of there. However, more will need to depart to further whittle down the numbers…

Who is fearful and afraid
Whose heart is failing at the sight
The word of the Lord, you have not obeyed
He asks you to trust, no matter the plight

The Lord is our Helper; let us not fear
He is with us through day and night
He is ever-present and always near
He asks you to trust, no matter the plight

The forces arrayed against us
Will all be swept away
Through our faith in Jesus
We are again right with God; oh, Glorious Day

II. As a Dog Laps (verses 4-8)

⁴ But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many;

vayomer Yehovah el gidon od ha’am rav – “And said Yehovah unto Gideon, ‘Still the people many.’” The fact is that 10,000 brave warriors can do much more without any fearful men than 32,000 most of whom are fearful. That was seen in Moses’ words from Deuteronomy 20:8, “lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart.”

Cowardice breeds cowards, and bravery breeds heroes. This would be a powerful group of men who would later boast in their prowess. Therefore…

^4 (con’t) bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.

hored otam el ha’mayim v’etsr’penu lekha sham – “Descend them unto the waters and I will refine them to you there.” The Lord introduces a new word to Scripture, tsaraph. It signifies to smelt. Thus, it means to refine, purify, or purge.

The Lord will personally refine those remaining brave warriors into a single, unified, and lethal fighting force, but one too small to accomplish what they are called to do without His guiding hand.

Being fearful or trembly does not necessarily mean one is cautious, responsible, or physically/mentally prepared for a task. Thus, the Lord will refine them to suit His purposes…

^4 (con’t) Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.”

The decision was not left for Gideon to make. Rather, the Lord will determine who goes. The constant stream of discourse from the Lord to Gideon implies that the Lord is actively speaking in his ear. Whether this was audible or otherwise, step-by-step instruction is being conveyed, which Gideon understood to be from the Lord. Having heard these words, it next says…

⁵ So he brought the people down to the water.

vayored eth ha’am el ha’mayim – “And he descended the people unto the waters.” The army was “above” the spring, as noted in verse 1. Now, they have descended to the waters to be tested. From this vantage point, they could not see the entire valley where Midian was situated…

^{5 (con’t)} And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself;

vayomer Yehovah el gidon kol asher yaloq bilshono min ha’mayim ka’asher yaloq ha’kelev tasig oto l’bad – “And said Yehovah unto Gideon, ‘All who laps in his tongue from the water according to laps the dog, you shall set to separation.” The Lord introduces another new word, laqaq. It is an onomatopoeia, meaning to lap.

If you are fortunate enough to have a dog, or two, or seven, you can readily hear the sound when they come to a bowl to drink, lqlqlqlqlq. Anyone of those who laqaqs the water is to be set apart. Also…

^{5 (con’t)} likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”

v’kol asher yikra al birkav lishtoth – “And all whom crouches upon his knees to drink.” Those who crouch down to the water, resting on their knees to drink, are to likewise be separated.

There is a ton of conjecture on what is being conveyed here. Josephus and others think those who lap are the fainthearted. Others take the opposite view and say those who kneel are fainthearted or even foolhardy, not paying attention to the possibility of an attack. Rashi stupidly says that those who went to their knees were secret idolators who had “bowed the knee to Baal.”

Actually, none of these gets the point. The fainthearted have already been winnowed out. All have been called by Gideon, who was specifically named Jerubbaal. Thus, they already know that Gideon has taken the side of the Lord.

It may be true that those who got down on their knees were not mentally attentive to any dangers, while those who brought water in their hands to their mouths to lap were being cautious. But even that is conjecture. Plus, with 10,000 men, it hardly mattered because they would be drinking at different times, so there would always be people observing the area.

Rather, the Lord is making a point in the use of His words. Dogs lap, felines lap, and ruminants (cattle, sheep, antelopes, etc.) lap. All are mentioned in Scripture. However, He has specifically identified “the dog.” It is obviously a great choice for those who love dogs, but that is beside the point.

The dog has consistently pictured Gentiles. The typology follows the Gentile church age in chronology. Israel had rejected the gospel while the Gentiles drank it in copiously and carefully. The sense, then, is that those who drink are doing so like Gentiles. Those warriors who lap like the dog are next identified…

⁶ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men;

v’hi mispar ha’malaqim b’yadam el pihem sh’losh meoth ish – “And was number the lappers in their hand unto their mouth three hundred men.” To conclude that these were the most cowardly, bravest, most alert, etc., because of lapping is to insert too much into the text.

In order to get water to lap, they would first have had to either crouch down and then stand back up, remain down on their haunches, kneel down (which it says they did not), or lie down facing the water and pull the water to their mouths with their hands (which actually seems to be the most likely option).

The words do not tell us which was the case. If standing as opposed to kneeling was what defined them, which many claim, then there would be no need to say they lapped like dogs. The words depend on the description in relation to the animal.

Therefore, the only distinction that can be made is that some lapped like the dog and some knelt. Lapping like the dog is what defines them, nothing more. As for the others…

^6 (con’t) but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.

v’kol yeter ha’am karu al birkhehem lishtoth mayim – “And all remainder the people crouched upon their knees to drink water.” The meaning is probably that they got to the water, got down on their knees, and plowed their faces directly into the water without using their hands.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Gideon,

vayomer Yehovah el gidon – “And said Yehovah unto Gideon.” Again, it can be seen that the Lord is speaking to Gideon, probably directly rather than by a prophet. It was something that occurred immediately as well. Just as the Lord spoke to Deborah, so He is conveying His word to Gideon. An example of this is found in Isaiah 20 –

“And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁵ “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.” Isaiah 20:4, 5

^7 (con’t) “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand.

bishlosh meoth ha’ish ha’malaqim ovoshia etkhem v’nathati eth midyan b’yadekha – “In three hundred the man, the lappers, I will save you and give Midian in your hand.”

The whole point of the process has been to get to this place. The numbers are now 450 Midianites to one Israelite. Those with the trait of the lapping dog are set apart from the rest. It is these otherwise impossible odds that will reveal the power of the Lord.

Three hundred is a multiple of three and ten. Three signifies Divine Perfection. Expanding on that, Bullinger says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid.”

Of the number ten, Bullinger says –

“Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

As for the number 450, which is certainly intentional concerning the odds, it is derived from 5, 9, and 10. Ten was just explained.

Five is the number of grace.

Nine is the number of finality or judgment.

With these incredible odds set before Gideon, the Lord next instructs…

^7 (con’t) Let all the other people go, every man to his place.”

v’kal ha’am yelkhu ish limqomo – “and all the people let go man to his place.” The others are not even given the choice of joining. Instead, they are directed to depart. There was to be no diluting the intentions of the Lord through some brave or reckless souls.

Instead, He has set forth the parameters. Gideon is the one to lead the minuscule force onward to the Lord’s victory.

⁸ So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent,

The words are difficult due to the change of person and some unusual verbiage: vayiqhu eth tsedah ha’am b’yadam v’eth shophrotehem v’eth kal ish Yisrael shilakh ish l’ohalav – “And they took provision the people in their hand and their shophars. And all man Israel he sent, man to his tent.”

Scholars get upset with the wording and amend it in various ways. Some have even written pages of commentary about the words, as if they are completely indiscernible.

Such is unnecessary. The meaning is, “And they (the 300) took provision (sg.) the people (of all the army) in their hand, and their (all the army) shophars. And all man Israel (other than the 300) he (the Lord through Gideon) sent, man (the 9700) to his tent.”

There was the general provision of the army, which had been brought by all the people. The Lord directed those going to battle to take from that general supply what they needed for what lay ahead.

Even though the original is sparsely and somewhat cumbersomely worded, it is clear enough that it should not cause one to lose sleep. From there, the rest of the army was told to depart to their tents. As for the others…

^8 (con’t) and retained those three hundred men.

u-bish’losh meoth ha’ish hekheziq – “And three hundred the man strengthened.” The Lord strengthened the three hundred men for the challenge ahead either directly or through Gideon. This statement is probably anticipatory of what it will say in verse 11. Even though the words of verse 11 are all in the singular, Gideon represents the whole –

“But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, ¹¹ and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Judges 7:10, 11

With that noted, it next says…

*^8 (fin) Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

v’makhaneh midyan hayah lo mitakhath ba’emeq – “And camp Midian was to him below in the valley.” The camp of Midian is set in relation to Gideon.

The 300 went back up to the top of the hill above the spring, where they were encamped. It is from that location that the valley is clearly seen. The entire army of Midian, resting within that valley, would be visible.

This would explain the reason for needing to be strengthened. Once the 300 had again ascended the hill, seeing the vast army loaded with supplies spread out as far as the eye could see, they might have begun to question the sanity of remaining to engage the battle.

Unlike in the battle of Thermopylae, the army was in an open valley where there was no protective or narrowed place to form a defense. It would be like a single battle tank going onto an open field against 450 battle tanks. Without the Lord, it would be utterly impossible to engage and prevail in such a situation.

As for the contents of the entire battle, there is the rest of this chapter and 21 verses from the next to find out the details, but we are already beginning to see the story come alive in regard to typology.

The Lord is using interesting nuances within His word to tell us not only what really happened in the past but why He directed things to occur as they did. The selection of particular words, actions, phrases, and so forth are all begging us to ask, “Why?”

If He had said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a lion laps, you shall set apart by himself,” the story would have taken on a completely different aspect. The same is true if He has used a sheep or an ox as His example.

And instead of saying Mount Gilboa, which is right there in the vicinity of the Spring of Harod, He included the name of a mount that lay a significant distance from the area in a completely different land grant.

Instead of calling the text into question and accusing the copyists of error, they are to be complimented for not changing the text to what would – on the surface – seem to be a much more logical translation.

God is painting stories of other things with the brush of His words on a canvas of time and location to tell us wonderful details about what He is doing in the history of redemption. Through this approach, we can weed out all kinds of theological error and more firmly establish why we believe what we believe.

The adjective used in verse 3, khared, trembling, is only used six times in the Bible. Two of them are found in Isaiah 66. Its first use says –

“Thus says the Lord:
‘Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
² For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,’
Says the Lord.
‘But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles [khared] at My word.’” Isaiah 66:1, 2

Instead of doubting the word, calling it into question, dismissing it as a book filled with error or corruption of the text, we should ask why it says what it says. God has painstakingly and meticulously laid it out for us. He has carefully watched over it for thousands of years.

Don’t trifle with the word. Instead, cherish it. We are being told wonderful stories of great things.

Closing Verse: “Hear the word of the Lord,
You who tremble [khared] at His word:
‘Your brethren who hated you,
Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said,
“Let the Lord be glorified,
That we may see your joy.”
But they shall be ashamed.’” Isaiah 66:5

Next Week: Judges 7:9-20 Isn’t it fun? Such a story to tell… we’ll see new tricks… (Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part VI) (23^rd Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part V

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon)
And all the people who were with him, a whole load
Rose early and encamped
Beside the well of Harod

So that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them
(there they did rally)
By the hill of Moreh in the valley

And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you
Are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, see?
Lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me
Saying, ‘My own hand has saved me

Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying
‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart, so I
———-have proclaimed
At once from Mount Gilead
And twenty-two thousand of the people returned
———-and ten thousand remained

But the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many
Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there
Then it will be, that of whom I say to you
‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you
———-if he dare

And of whomever I say to you, ‘No
‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go

So he brought the people down to the water
And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who from the water laps
With his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself
Likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink
———-all of those chaps.

And the number of those who lapped
Putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men
But all the rest of the people
Got down on their knees to drink water, and so it was then…

The LORD said to Gideon
“By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you
And deliver the Midianites into your hand
Let all the other people go, every man to his place, so you shall do

So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands
And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent
———-back home to his Naomi or Sally
And retained those three hundred men
Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

² And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ ³ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

⁴ But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” ⁵ So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” ⁶ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. ⁷ Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” ⁸ So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

 

Judges 6:33-40
Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part IV

(Typed 20 November 2023) Adam Clarke’s commentary often has interesting insights into what is going on in the surface text. At times, he provides his own thoughts on what a passage is typologically presenting. At other times, however, he will openly dismiss the idea of any passage, even hinting at typology.

What this shows is that he thinks there is an overall picture of something, but that is all it is. The details are irrelevant to the overall picture. If that is his approach, it is a rather sloppy way of looking at things.

What would be the point of giving such minute details of things that are otherwise completely unnecessary to a particular story unless the Lord is telling us precious details of typology?

Maybe Clarke just couldn’t figure out what was being conveyed and so he found fault in those who thought they could. Of this passage from Judges 6, he cites the work of the church father, Origen –

“On the miracle of the fleece, dew, and dry ground, Origen, in his eighth homily on the book of Judges, has many curious and interesting thoughts, I shall insert the substance of the whole: The fleece is the Jewish nation. The fleece covered with dew, while all around is dry, the Jewish nation favored with the law and the prophets. The fleece dry, the Jewish nation cast off for rejecting the Gospel. All around watered, the Gospel preached to the Gentiles. and they converted to God. The fleece on the threshing-floor, the Jewish people in the land of Judea, winnowed, purged, and fanned by the Gospel. The dew wrung out into the bowl, the doctrines of Christianity, extracted from the Jewish writings, shadowed forth by Christ’s pouring water into a basin, and washing the disciples’ feet.”

Origen’s thoughts are interesting and insightful, but there are problems with them that cannot be overcome. Finding proper typology reveals exactly why God chose some stories from history and completely ignores innumerable others.

Improperly analyzing typology will lead people down odd paths of thought that have no real bearing on what is being portrayed. In Origen’s case, he lived so long ago that much of what we now know concerning history could not have been deduced.

Thus, there is an excuse if he missed the mark on what was being conveyed. We are further along in history, and we can more clearly see what God is doing. Jesus is the key, but there are key points that are linked to the picture, such as Israel, the law, etc.

Text Verse: “Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud
And like the early dew that passes away,
Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor
And like smoke from a chimney.” Hosea 13:3

Of the dew on the fleece, John Lange sees it as the advent of Christ, saying, “…his miraculous sign became the type of the highest and most wonderful miracle known to the church, the birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary. Origen already speaks of the advent of the Son of God as the fall of the divine dew.”

The thought is poetic, but it does not match the rest of the typology being presented here. Either everything fits or it doesn’t. In this case, it doesn’t. And yet, what the dew pictures is based on Christ’s work and what results from it. As for Clarke, he finished his commentary on Origen and Chapter 6 of Judges saying –

“All this to some will doubtless appear trifling; but it is not too much to say that scarcely any pious mind can consider the homily of this excellent man without drinking into a measure of the same spirit, so much sincerity, deep piety, and unction, appear throughout the whole: yet as I do not follow such practices, I cannot recommend them.”

His words concerning Origen are kind, even gracious. But his thoughts about Origen’s finding typology in a passage such as this are dismissive. Hence, he would not appreciate my approach to Scripture. Typology is what explains what is otherwise inexplicable, and it is exactly what God is dealing in.

As for my conclusions concerning today’s passage, they are how I read what is going on. Origen’s thoughts are not entirely out of the ballpark, but they do land a bit far out in left field. God is telling us a story through typology. And it is a great story indeed because it is about what He has done in and through Jesus Christ.

Yes, it’s all to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Fleece of Wool in the Threshing Floor (verses 33-40)

³³ Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together;

The people groups are singular: v’kal midyan va’amaleq u-b’ne qedem neesphu yakhdav – “And all Midian and Amalek and sons East gathered together.” The words take us back to the beginning of the chapter –

“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years, ² and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. ³ So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. ⁴ Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.” Judges 6:1-4

The raiders would come annually to steal away whatever produce had arisen from the labors of the land. It is the reason why Gideon was said to thresh wheat in the winepress, hiding from those who might spot him and raid what he had gathered.

Midian is the main group afflicting Israel. The name comes from madon, strife or contention. That is derived from din, to judge. Thus, it means Strife or Place of Judgment.

Amalek was the first of Israel’s enemies soon after leaving Egypt. The Lord declared war upon them from generation to generation (Exodus 17). Amalek is derived from am, people, and malaq, to nip or wring off the head of a bird with or without severing it from the body. Thus, they are The People Who Wring Off. They are those who are disconnected from the body and strive to disconnect the body.

The b’ne qedem or “sons East” would be the various people groups, including Arab tribes, Ishmaelites, etc. It is a way of saying anyone and everyone in the surrounding area gathered together. As for the word qedem, east, it means not only east in direction, but before in time, or that which has already been.

This would be a great sized force that has gathered…

^{33 (con’t)} and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

va’yaavru va’yakhanu b’emeq yizr’el – “And crossed over and encamped in valley Jezreel.” This is the area referred to in Hosea 1, where the Lord uses naming Hosea’s children as object lessons to Israel. In Romans 9, Paul picks up on the words of Hosea’s prophecy and applies them to Israel during her time of rejection while the church is the focus of God’s attention.

In his first epistle, Peter then uses the words of Hosea 2 to reveal that Israel of the future, after the Gentile-led church age, will again be the people of God.

Jezreel means God Sows. Being prefixed with emeq, or valley, it would be the Depth of God Sows, the emeq being a deep, broad valley. One can see the similarity between the two names, Israel and Jezreel, when put side by side –

יזרעאל
ישראל

Israel, He Strives with God, has received judgment for striving against God. Now, that time is over, and God will strive with Israel, meaning for Israel, in the valley where God Judges.

³⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon;

v’ruakh Yehovah lavshah eth Gidon – “And Spirit Yehovah clothed Gideon.” The word lavash, to clothe, comes from a primitive root meaning to wrap around. One can imagine the Spirit enfolding around Gideon like a garment. The thought is not unlike that of Galatians 3:27 –

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on [enduo: clothed] Christ.”

Gideon was selected as the judge of Israel. The Lord clothed him with His Spirit readying him for the challenges ahead…

^{34 (con’t)} then he blew the trumpet,

vayitqa ba’shophar – “and blew in the shophar.” The act is a call to arms for warfare. It was seen, for example, in Judges 3 –

“But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them.” Judges 3:26, 27

Gideon performed according to the word of the Lord by destroying the altar of the baal, upon which was the image of Asherah. After that, the Spirit of the Lord clothed him. Now, he is readied for the main part of his calling –

“Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’” Judges 6:14

Upon hearing those words, Gideon responded –

“So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’” Judges 6:15

If you remember, theology was being developed in the exchange as Gideon was made to realize that the One he was speaking to was the Lord (YHVH), not merely a man. With that, the Lord responded –

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’” Judges 6:16

The Lord promised to be with him, and he is clothed with the Spirit of the Lord. Thus, he is suitably prepared for the battle against Midian.

As for the shophar, it is a ram’s horn. The name is derived from shaphar, to be beautiful or comely. That comes from a root signifying to shine. Strong’s notes the connection between the two thoughts is the clear sound. As something beautiful shines, so the beautiful sound shines forth from the shophar. Upon blowing in the shophar, it next says…

^{34 (con’t)} and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

vayizaeq aviezer akharav – “And cried Abiezer after him.” It is the same word, zaaq, used at the beginning of the chapter to signify the distress of Israel in their affliction –

“So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried [zaaq] out to the Lord.” Judges 6:6

The NKJV saying, “gathered behind” is more of a paraphrase. The idea is that Gideon has sounded the trumpet, and Abiezer has cried out, as in a war cry, after him. One can think of the famous rebel yell of the Confederate South.

As for Abiezer, the spelling is different than in verses 11 and 24. There it said avi ha’ezri, My Father, the Ezrite or Father of the Ezrite. Here, it reads aviezer, My Father is Help or Father of Help. The entire clan of Abiezer is collectively named in the singular, but it refers to all who descended from him, be it hundreds or thousands. Along with them…

³⁵ And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him.

The words concerning Manasseh, Gideon’s tribe, are emphatic: u-malakhim shalakh b’kal m’nasheh vayizaeq gam hu akharav – “and messengers sent in all Manasseh, and cried also, HE, after him.” The word translated as messengers means exactly that. But it is the same word, malakh, ascribed to the Lord seven times in verses 6:11-22.

Manasseh means To Forget and also From a Debt.

In hearing of Gideon’s support from Abiezer, the rest of the tribe coalesced around Gideon as well, crying after him. And more…

^{35 (con’t)} He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

u-malkhim shalakh b’asher u-bizvulun u-b’naphtali vayaalu liqratam – “And messengers sent in Asher, and in Zebulun, and in Naphtali. And ascended to meet them.” Asher failed to come forward for battle at the time of Barak’s engaging Sisera, as was noted in Judges 5. However, they are listed first here, indicating a willingness to join with Gideon and his men.

Zebulun and Naphtali, however, willingly joined both battles –

“Asher continued at the seashore,
And stayed by his inlets.
¹⁸ Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.” Judges 5:17, 18

Asher means both Blessed and Happy. Zebulun means Glorious Dwelling Place. Naphtali means My Wrestlings.

³⁶ So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—

It is a pregnant verse, filled with things to contemplate: vayomer gidon el ha’elohim im yeshkha movoshia b’yadi eth Yisrael kaasher dibarta – “And said Gideon unto the God, ‘If you are Savior – in my hand – Israel, according to which have spoken.’”

Rather than “God,” it says, “the God.” As always, the article is expressive. It is used when referring to the one true God in relation to man. But more especially, it is in relation to those who are in a right relationship with Him, or it is used to contrast those who are not in a right relationship with Him.

In this case, it is directly in relation to Gideon. Inserting the words “in my hand” between Savior and Israel speaks of this intimate relationship.

Also, rather than “as you have said,” it says, “as you have spoken.” It is an authoritative word of the Lord that expects no response or participation. Despite that, Gideon fails to accept the spoken word of “the God.”

However, Adam Clarke says, “Gideon was very bold, and God was very condescending. But probably the request itself was suggested by the Divine Spirit.”

And why not? Gideon is clothed with the Spirit of Yehovah. It would thus appear that the Spirit of the Lord is using Gideon and his request as an object lesson for both the immediate context as well as for typological anticipations of the future…

³⁷ look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor;

hineh anokhi matsig eth gizath ha’tsemer ba’goren – “Behold, I placing fleece the wool in the threshing floor.” Rather than the common word sum, to set, Gideon uses the word yatsag. The BDB says, “a vivid and forcible synonym of שָׂם [sam].” The word comes from a primitive root signifying to place permanently.

Next, the gizah, or fleece, is found seven times in Scripture, all in Judges 6. It is a feminine word, coming from gazaz, to shear. That comes from a primitive root signifying to cut off.

That is followed by the goren, or threshing floor. This is the only time it is seen in Judges. It is a place of separation and, thus, judgment. The chaff of the grain is separated from the kernel. It was referred to in the text verse from Hosea. This is also referred to by John the Baptist –

“Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, ¹⁶ John answered, saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.’” Luke 3:15-17

Next, Gideon continues…

^{37 (con’t)} if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground,

im tal yihyeh al ha’gizah l’baddah v’al kal ha’aretz khorev – “If dew become upon the fleece, to her separation, and upon all the earth dryness…” The word tal, or dew, comes from talal, to cover. The idea is that dew covers the vegetation each day. However, dew is something transitory and fleeting. That was seen in our text verse where it said, “And like the early dew that passes away.”

The words speak for themselves. Gideon is asking for a sign concerning the challenge of the battle that is set before him. As for the word khorev, or dryness, it is the same spelling as Horeb, the mount where the law was received. Both the word and the name come from the verb kharav, to be dry or dried up. For Gideon, if he receives his request…

^{37 (con’t)} then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

Again, it says spoken, not said: vayadati ki tovoshia b’yadi eth Yisrael ka’asher dibarta – “And I shall know for saving – in my hand – Israel.” Gideon again places himself between the idea of saving and Israel. The significance is that the Lord is the One saving, but he is using Gideon to be the instrument of that salvation. And again, he uses the word davar, to speak. The Lord has spoken, and He will accomplish.

³⁸ And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together,

vayhi ken vayashkem mimakhorath vayazar eth ha’gizah – “And is thus. And rising early from morrow, and pressing the fleece.” Just as Gideon requested, so it was. Here is a new and rare word, zur. It signifies to press down and out. To get the sense, the Lord says to Job –

“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
¹⁴ For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
¹⁵ She forgets that a foot may crush [zur] them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.” Job 39:13-15

Upon pressing the fleece…

^{38 (con’t)} he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.

vayimets tal min ha’gizah melo ha’sephel mayim – “and drained dew from the fleece: fullness the bowl water.” In pressing the fleece, the water drained out, and not just a bit. The word bowl is sephel. This is the second and last use of it in the Bible. The first was in Judges 5:25, where Jael gave Sisera a majestic bowl of curd. The word comes from an unused root meaning to depress. Thus, it is a deep bowl.

³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me,

Gideon’s words of the verse are filled with cohortatives, jussives, interjections, anthropomorphisms, etc. Here, he uses a jussive, an implied command: vayomer gidon el ha’ elohim al yikhar apekha bi – “And said Gideon unto the God, ‘Not do burn Your nostril in me.’”

Gideon can see that he might get the Lord upset enough to have fire and smoke pour out of his nose and catch him on fire. Hence, he uses this jussive, do burn. Next, he says…

^{39 (con’t)} but let me speak just once more:

The verb is cohortative: vaadaberah akh ha’paam – “and let speak, surely the once.” The word paam signifies a beat, as if pounding out on an anvil. In this case, he has spoken, but he wants to speak again. It is a request for another beat upon the anvil.

^{39 (con’t)} Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece;

Again, the verb is cohortative: anaseh na raq ha’paam ba’gizah – “Let, I pray, only the once, in the fleece.” It is as if he is begging for the event to take place. If Clarke was right in suggesting that it was by the Spirit that Gideon was asking for a sign in the fleece, it is surely now only Gideon who is asking.

The Spirit provided a confirmation of “the God’s” intention for what was to take place. However, Gideon suddenly realizes, “Maybe there was dew everywhere, and it evaporated off the ground first.” This should not be unexpected. Charles Ellicott, citing Lord Bacon (mmmm, bacon), notes –

“Sailors have used every night to hang fleeces of wool on the sides of their ships towards the water, and they have crushed fresh water out of them in the morning.”

The fleece, then, is like an absorbent sponge. Gideon would have known this and begs for another, clearer, sign…

^{39 (con’t)} let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”

The first verb is a jussive: yehi na khorev el ha’gizah l’badah v’al kal ha’arets yihyeh tal – “Let there be, I pray, dryness unto the fleece, to her separation, and upon all the earth, become dew.” Gideon knows this is impossible apart from the supernatural hand of the Lord. It is something that could not be otherwise…

⁴⁰ And God did so that night.

Instead of “the God,” it now simply says, “God.” vayaas elohim ken balaylah ha’hu – “And did Elohim thus in the night, the it.” The God whom Gideon stood in a right relationship with is the Powers over creation, the one true God. He accomplished the sign Gideon requested and gave a memorial for future redemptive history…

*^40 (fin) It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

vayhi khorev el ha’gizah l’badah v’al kal ha’arets hayah tal – “And is dryness unto the fleece, to her separation. And upon all the earth was dew.” The miracle occurred as proposed. The fleece is being used as a metaphor for the small army of Israel, while the surrounding area depicts the vast army of Midian. As Matthew Henry rightly states –

“These signs are truly miraculous, and very significant. Gideon and his men were going to fight the Midianites; could God distinguish between a small fleece of Israel, and the vast floor of Midian? Gideon is made to know that God could do so.”

This is the immediate signification of the details in the story. Gideon has been given assurances that God has made a firm and complete distinction between Israel and the Midianites. However, one must ask, “What is it that separates Israel from the other nations?” In determining that, one can then perceive the typology being pictured.

A fleece to show what God is doing
Phases in a process going since time began
In what happens to the fleece, we are viewing
Steps He is taking in a wondrous plan

He was working in one way in the past
Revealing the heart found in man
What was found there could not last
But He knew that since before time began

One step leading to another along the way
Revealing what we need most of all
Christ Jesus put that on full display
Are you yet ready to heed the call?

II. The Law or Grace

In the introduction today, Adam Clarke summed up Origen’s thoughts about this passage. He said, “The fleece is the Jewish nation.” Though that may be the surface intent, as Matthew Henry stated, and it may be insightful in regard to typology, there is a fatal problem with that analogy. The Lord regularly uses gender in typology, and He does so consistently.

In fact, He actually fills the Old Testament with gender discords to ensure proper typology is maintained. We saw one of those in the account of Jael and Sisera where the text used a masculine imperative when it should have been a feminine imperative –

vayomer eleha amod petakh ha’ohel – “And said unto her, ‘Stand (ms.imp.) door the tent.”

In the book of Ruth, there are nine instances of gender discord in Chapter 1 and seven of them are spoken by Naomi. Other gender peculiarities are found elsewhere in the book. Unless one understands that the Lord is working through typology in such instances, these discords make no sense.

The problem with Origen’s analysis is that the word nation, the name Israel, the word people, etc., are all masculine nouns. Therefore, his analysis cannot be correct, even if it is both insightful and mentally surprising. Giving credit where credit is due, he was not that far off from what is being pictured.

The question just proposed as we closed out the mechanical analysis of the verses needs to be evaluated, “What is it that separates Israel from the other nations?” It is true that the Jewish nation is separate from the other nations, but this was because of their calling. And that calling, as a nation, was based on the Torah, the Law, a feminine noun.

Verse 33 took us back to the fact that Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the East had come against the land, just as was noted at the beginning of Chapter 6. Midian, Place of Judgment, is the main force. It speaks of the tribulation period that Israel will someday endure.

Amalek, the People Who Wring Off, are those disconnected from the body (meaning the body among whom God is present) and who strive to disconnect the body. This has been consistent since their first appearance of coming against Israel in Exodus 17.

That chapter ended with the words, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16). They are a true enemy, but they anticipate anyone who would attempt to nip the people of God off from the main body of His redeemed.

As noted, the word qedem, or east, also means beforehand or past times. For example –

“You will give truth to Jacob
And mercy to Abraham,
Which You have sworn to our fathers
From days of old [qedem].” Micah 7:20

The b’ne qedem, or “sons East,” refers to those who continue to cling to the law, annulled in the past through Christ’s work, simply because they cannot let go of it. Such a thought is carefully detailed in the book of Hebrews, such as –

“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29

It next noted that these enemies “crossed over and encamped in valley Jezreel.” The words mean the “depth of God Sows.” It signifies Israel’s false ways and God sowing just due into their lives –

“It shall come to pass in that day
That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” Hosea 1:5

Like most prophecies, Hosea’s has an immediate fulfillment and a future one. First, Hosea prophesies of the casting off of Israel, “You are not my people,” (Hosea 1 / Romans 9). He then prophesies of the calling again of Israel, “You are my people,” (Hosea 2 / 1 Peter 2) –

“Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ Then God said:
‘Call his name Lo-Ammi,
For you are not My people,
And I will not be your God.’” Hosea 1:8, 9

“As He says also in Hosea:
‘I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.’” Romans 9:25

///

“Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth,
And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy;
Then I will say to those who were not My people,
‘You are My people!’
And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’” Hosea 2:23

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9, 10

In verse 34, the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon (the gospel, as seen in previous sermons). The meaning was seen in citing Galatians 3 where acceptance of the gospel means being clothed in Christ. It is the gospel that makes that come about.

At that time, Gideon blew the trumpet. It is the calling of the gospel, resounding out. The seven-year treaty Israel made with the Antichrist will be annulled.

As noted, saving Israel from the Place of Judgment (Midian) is the main part of Gideon’s calling. This came after the first objective, tearing down the altar of Baal, was taken care of. The truth is that the Messenger of the Lord is, in fact, the Lord incarnate, Jesus. He is not merely a man who is the Messiah of Israel, but the God/Man. This is key and central in understanding the true gospel.

It next noted, “And cried Abiezer after him.” It is an anticipation of the approval and help of the Father (Father of Help) upon those who accept the gospel message –

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26

At the same time, verse 35, said, “and messengers sent in all Manasseh, and cried also, HE, after him.” As always, the name Manasseh (To Forget/From a Debt) anticipates Christ, who forgets our sins, having paid our sin debt.

Likewise, it also noted, “And messengers sent in Asher, and in Zebulun, and in Naphtali. And ascended to meet them.” It is like a smorgasbord of theology. The state of the people upon reception of the gospel is Blessed, they are given an eternal inheritance (Glorious Dwelling Place), and these are a result of the work of Christ alone (My Wrestlings), apart from works or personal merit.

This will be the state of Israel in the future. However, in anticipation of that, and to be certain that this is what is being conveyed, Gideon goes through the account of the fleece. Thus, the account is personal, using the term “the God” that demonstrates a right standing with the Lord –

“And said Gideon unto the God, ‘If you are Savior – in my hand – Israel, according to which have spoken.’”

Think of the typology, “If you are the Savior, in my (the gospel’s) hand, Israel.” Gideon is clothed with the Spirit, and it was inferred that this was the Spirit confirming His word through Gideon. Is the gospel truly Israel’s salvation? The sign of the fleece will show it is so.

Verse 37 then opened with, “Behold, I placing fleece the wool in the threshing floor.” The test of the gospel is to place a fleece (from a word signifying “to cut off”) in the threshing floor, the place of judgment.

Then Gideon used a less common word, translated as “set,” concerning the fleece. The word comes from a primitive root signifying to place permanently. The fleece, the cutting off, is being forcefully and permanently set out.

Previously, sin was dealt with under the law through the day of atonement. That is signified by the wool –

“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’
Says the Lord,
‘Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.’” Isaiah 1:18

The idea is whiteness and purity. Sin was cut off through the law. The first test was, “If dew become upon the fleece to her separation, and upon all the earth dryness…” That was the time of the law for Israel. The Law alone covered (tal/dew) with life, symbolized by the water pressed out of the fleece. The rest of the world remained apart from God’s redemptive plans.

Gideon, the gospel, knew this. However, he, not the law, is now being asked to lead Israel against the enemy. Therefore, he, through a series of cohortatives, jussives, interjections, anthropomorphisms, and so on, implores to have a more perfect representation of who he is in relation to Israel.

There was the beat of the anvil marking the time of the Law of Moses, but Gideon asks for a second beat, that of the time of the gospel. Maybe the gospel was also effective for those under law and no change is needed? The second test will determine if it is so.

Notice the difference in prepositions for the two propositions:

“If dew become upon the fleece to her separation, and upon all the earth dryness (חרב – the law)…” (verse 37).

“Let there be, I pray, dryness (חרב – the law) unto the fleece to her separation. And upon all the earth, become dew” (verse 39).

Gideon’s words are purposeful. If this is how it is, then the situation will be perfectly evident from a proper response to his plea. The khorev, or dryness/law, upon all the earth is man under sin because of the law given to Adam. Israel was also under law, but it was a law that offered atonement for sin, something lacking outside of Israel.

With that requested, “And did Elohim thus in the night, the it.” It only said Elohim, not “the Elohim.” To be in a right standing with God, one must be in a right standing with what God is doing. First was the time of the law, and then there is the grace that follows. The first must cease for the second to be realized. Therefore –

“And is dryness (חרב – the law) unto the fleece, to her separation. And upon all the earth was dew” (verse 40).

What Gideon has asked for as a confirmation is exactly what God provided. The second beat of the anvil is what God has purposed –

“Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), ⁹ then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. ¹⁰ By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:8-10

Where Israel under the law has no life, the whole world under the gospel (meaning any who accept it) is covered.

What we have seen today is a spiritual reality that is actually working out in the world, even as we live and move in it. Time is moving forward and it will lead to a real tribulation period where real calamity will come upon the entire earth.

But that physical reality is something that is actually being worked out in the spiritual world. First, the rapture will take place before the tribulation begins. Scripture is clear on that. The world that has rejected Jesus will fall under judgment.

This will include Israel. However, God covenanted with them that He would bring them into the New Covenant as a nation. This means that the law, the basis for the Old Covenant, must end. For it to end, Israel must agree to what the New Covenant offers.

This is available to anyone who accepts it at any time. However, Israel as a nation must also nationally accept it. Gideon, the gospel, is the means of that occurring, both for individuals and for national Israel. The account of Gideon and the fleece has been given for us to see this.

Israel will learn the lesson of the fleece someday. However, sadly, many people who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus – both Jews and Gentiles – have never learned it. Instead, they cling to the law to find their justification before God.

Paul argues against such an attitude in the most vehement manner. When we read the words of Revelation 4:2 – 19:10, we read words of disaster on the earth, but they are self-inflicted wounds being worked out on a global scale. All of it will stem from a rejection of what God has offered in Christ.

There is one gospel and one Jesus. Salvation is found in Him and the message that properly speaks of Him. Be sure that the Jesus you are following is the one the Bible proclaims, for there is not another (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Hold fast to the grace of God in Christ. It is the message that God has provided for the redemption of man. God in Christ has done the work. We can now do the praising for what He has done.

Closing Verse: “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:10, 11

Next Week: Judges 7:1-8 We’re not yet done. There’s more to tell, sakes alive… (Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part V) (22^nd Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part IV

Then all the Midianites and Amalekites
The people of the East, so many the word does tell
Gathered together; and they crossed over
And encamped in the Valley of Jezreel

But the Spirit of the LORD
Came upon Gideon
Then he blew the trumpet
And the Abiezrites gathered behind him as one

And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh
Who also gathered behind him
He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali
And they came up to meet them

So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand
———-as You have said—
Look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor
If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground
Then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand
———-as You have said, for shore

And it was so
When he rose early the next morning; his sleep did cease
And squeezed the fleece together
He wrung a bowlful of water of dew out of the fleece

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me
But let me speak just once more to You
Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece
Let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground
———-let there be dew

And God did so that night, the miracle did abound
It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

³³ Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. ³⁵ And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

³⁶ So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— ³⁷ look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” ³⁸ And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” ⁴⁰ And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 6:25-32
Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part III

(Typed 13 November 2023) While clicking through YouTube looking for something to watch as Hideko got dinner ready, a video of N.T. Wright came up. He was being interviewed about his thoughts on the modern state of Israel.

He dismissed it as having any future significance in the redemptive narrative. A very brief analysis of his view is provided by Michael G. Vanlaningham –

“Wright presents four arguments to support his interpretation. First, it is essential, he says, to understand that there is no discrete future for Israel ‘as a whole’ because she has been superseded by Jesus Christ, her Messiah. Wright claims that Paul’s theology begins ‘“with the realization that what the creator/covenant god was supposed to do for Israel at the end of history, this god had done for Jesus in the middle of history.’ God has brought all of His covenant purposes for Israel to fruition in Israel’s representative, the Messiah Jesus.”

1. T. Wright bases his argument on Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:20, which say, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

It is true that Jesus is the fulfillment of Scripture. Therefore, the promises of God which were made to the people of God are realized in Him.

N.T. Wright’s view, however, does not accurately explain the entire panorama of what has happened and what will happen. He committed the fallacy of a category mistake. Just because Jesus did everything necessary for Israel’s salvation, etc., it does not mean that everything concerning Israel’s future in the redemptive narrative is complete.

He also committed a false dilemma fallacy. In essence, he says, “Because Jesus is the Messiah who has fulfilled all the promises of God, there is no longer any need for Israel in the redemptive narrative.” He proposes two options, one of which is fulfilled. Therefore, the other must no longer apply.

His thinking is incorrect. Those are not the only two options on the table. Just because Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the messianic promises of God, it does not mean that the promises to Israel are terminated. Israel was promised a Messiah. Israel was not promised to be the Messiah.

Through his faulty logic, he concludes that the church has replaced Israel and that there is no such thing as the rapture, a millennial rule from Jerusalem, etc. He has failed to understand what God is doing because – among other things – he has failed to understand the binding nature of the Mosaic Covenant upon Israel.

Any reasonable theologian will agree that what came upon Israel in the Roman exile is because of their rejection of Christ. But the Mosaic Covenant is what led to that exile, or there would have been no exile.

Otherwise, all the other nations on earth should have been given the same punishments as Israel, punishments which are spelled out in Leviticus 26, and which presuppose a second exile. But only Israel was given the law, and only Israel receives the punishments detailed in it.

As for our verses today, they will typologically reveal (once again) the incorrect nature of replacement theology. Unless one understands what is being pictured, and it is as obvious as the nose on Jimmy Durante’s face once it is explained, all kinds of aberrant ideas about Israel are sure to arise.

Text Verse: “‘To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?’ says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:25, 26

If Israel was exiled based on the curses of the law, then that exile must – by default – mean that there is still a purpose for Israel. There is no timeframe given in the law, as interpreted by replacement theologians, for this punishment to end. Thus, the nation is otherwise ostensibly set to endure eternal earthly curses.

However, in properly following the dispensational model, the Bible tells us EXACTLY when the curses of the law will end for them. And more, it tells us exactly how that ending will happen. What is revealed in these typological passages simply confirms this.

By properly handling Scripture, including both the clear text and the underlying typology, one thing is for sure: N.T. Wright is proven to be Now Totally Wrong J. A nice British accent may make for a trusty-sounding James Bond. However, it doesn’t make for sound theology.

That has to come through proper study of Scripture. In this, his nifty accent doesn’t help him one iota. For best enjoyment in this area, stick with Bond. He is way more exciting and, unlike N.T. Wright’s theology, you already know that James Bond is just make-believe .

What is coming upon the nation of Israel in the future? It’s all to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. He Did It by Night (verses 25-27)

²⁵ Now it came to pass the same night

vayhi ba’laylah ha’hu – “And it was in the night, the it.” This means on the night that Gideon had built the altar and called it “The Lord is Peace.” With that accomplished, and in the nighttime…

^{25 (con’t)} that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull,

vayomer lo Yehovah qakh eth par ha’shor asher l’avikha – “And said to him, Yehovah, ‘Take bullock the ox which to your father.’” The par, or bullock, comes from parar, to break asunder, cast off, cause to cease, disannul, etc. For example, it can mean to break a covenant, defeat bad counsel, dissolve the earth, etc.

The shor, or ox, comes from shur, to travel or journey. That comes from a primitive root meaning to turn, such as in traveling about as a merchant. It is also connected to shir, to sing. The connection is a strolling minstrelsy. In these words, one can already see typology developing.

^{25 (con’t)} the second bull of seven years old,

u-par ha’sheni sheva shanim – “and ox the second, seven years.” The KJV/NKJV make it sound as if it is speaking of the same bull. To ensure this is understood, the KJV says, “even the second bull.” The NKJV just ignores it and implies that it is the same bull.

They do this because nothing is later said of the first bull. However, there is no need for this. The Hebrew doesn’t give any such qualifier. Further, this bull is specifically referred to again as “the second.” Therefore, it implies two bulls. You can’t have a second without a first.

Thus, it should be translated as if two bulls are being referred to. Without telling why two are selected, we can assume the labor of the first was used to help accomplish the tearing down that is to take place.

There is a second bull belonging to Gideon’s father, that was born seven years earlier that was used in the household. It takes us back to verse 1 –

“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years.”

The bull was born at the beginning of the seven years of affliction that had come upon Israel by the hand of the Lord through Midian. This specific ox is to be used for a particular purpose. For now…

^{25 (con’t)} and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has,

Rather than “of Baal” it says: v’harasta eth mizbakh asher l’avikha – “and break down altar the baal which to your father.” Each time baal is mentioned in this passage, it will be prefixed with the definite article. It is a particular baal that was being served. Possibly the sun, but maybe some other.

Baal signifies a heathen god. It is derived from the noun baal, signifying a master or owner, which is from the verb baal, meaning to marry or lord over. It is as if there is a covenant relationship between the baal and those serving it. They have subordinated themselves to the baal. Gideon has been instructed to destroy the baal, signifying the breaking of this covenant relationship…

^{25 (con’t)} and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;

Rather than beside, it says, upon: v’eth ha’asherah asher alav tikroth – “and the Asherah which upon cut down.” Asherahs are based on a nature goddess companion of Baal found in Phoenicia, Assyria, Canaan, etc. They are represented by large wooden pillars or images set up in honor of Ashteroth. Examples can be seen in Judges 2.

The word translated as cut down is karath, the same word used in the cutting of a covenant. By destroying the altar and cutting down the Asherah, one gets the sense of the cutting off of a covenant that had once been cut.

The name Asherah is probably of foreign origin, but to a Hebrew audience, it is clearly identified with ashar, to go straight, to go on, to advance. That is normally translated, however, as happy or blessed. This is because by going straight, one stays on the proper path.

Israel has not gone straight. Thus, they are not in a happy place but rather the place of judgment. This unfortunate state came about because they failed to heed the word of the Lord through Moses –

“But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.” Deuteronomy 7:5

Instead of doing what they were instructed, Israel joined the pagan practices of the nations, with whom they interacted, and they served gods other than the Lord. Gideon has been commissioned to end this by tearing these things down. In their place…

²⁶ and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock

u-banita mizbeakh l’Yehovah elohekha al rosh ha’maoz ha’zeh: “and build altar to Yehovah your God upon top the strength, the this.” Here is a new word, maoz, a place of safety or protection. It can be a fortress, a force, metaphorically a helmet, the Lord, etc. It is derived from the verb uz, to take or seek refuge, or the verb azaz, to strengthen or be strong. For example –

“For thou hast been a strength [maoz] to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.” Isaiah 25:4 (KJV)

Gideon is replacing the object of idolatry with an altar of strength to the Lord…

^{26 (con’t)} in the proper arrangement,

The words are complicated: ba’maarakha – “in the arrangement.” The word is maarakhah – an arrangement, coming from arak, to arrange or set in order, as in a battle array or setting forth the rows of bread before the Lord in the tabernacle.

This may indicate the proper means of building such an altar as specified by the Lord, or it more likely means arranging what is used for the offering. In other words, the Asherah is cut down, then cut up. Finally. it is arranged for burning. From there, the offering is burnt. Once that is complete…

^{26 (con’t)} and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”

v’laqakhta eth ha’par ha’sheni v’haalita olah ba’atse ha’asherah asher tikroth – “And take the bullock, the second, and ascend whole burnt offering in wood the Asherah which you shall cut down.” Either there is one bull that was originally specified, which means taking the word “and” and changing it to “even,” which is not unheard of, but unlikely, or only the second bull is identified to be used as a whole burnt offering.

Because of the specificity of the wording, the latter surely seems to be the case. Ellicott says –

“The Jews point out the peculiar features of this burnt offering: (1) It was not at Shiloh; (2) it was not offered by a priest; (3) it was offered at night; and (4) the fire was kindled with the unhallowed materials of an idol.”

These things are irrelevant because the Lord has commanded them to be done in this way. As such, His word is justification for what takes place. Therefore…

²⁷ So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him.

Rather than “said,” it says, “spoke”: vayiqakh gidon asarah anashim meavadav vayaas kaasher dibber elav Yehovah – “And took, Gideon, ten men from his servants and does according to which spoke unto him, Yehovah.” The Lord spoke forth His command, and Gideon did according to the spoken word.

Of the number ten, Bullinger says, “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

^{27 (con’t)} But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.

vayhi kaasher yare eth beith aviv v’eth anshe ha’ir measoth yomam vayaas laylah – “And was according to which feared house his father and men the city from doing by day, and did night.”

It is doubtful he feared the consequences of what would take place, but that his efforts would be interrupted or thwarted. The consequences would come sooner or later, once the matter was discovered.

The obvious meaning is that his father’s house, along with the city inhabitants, would be highly peeved at him tearing down their place of worship.

An offering has been made
But it was rejected long ago
Instead, Israel made a trade
Their glory for wind, a passing blow

But despite this, the offering stands
It is there for the people, Israel
It comes through faith, not commands
And it is fully sufficient as well

Nothing more does Israel need
Than to acknowledge their Lord Jesus
To Him alone they will someday plead
And God will respond, as He did for us

II. Shall Strive In Him the Baal (verses 28-32)

²⁸ And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down;

vayashkimu anshe ha’ir ba’boqer v’hineh nuthats mizbakh ha’baal – “And arising men the city in the morning, and behold!, broken down altar the baal.” Though this is speculation, the specific mention of rising early may indicate that the men specifically went to this altar as a form of sun worship. No matter what, the destruction of the idolatrous altar was revealed by the daylight. And more…

^{28 (con’t)} and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built.

v’ha’asherah asher alav korathah v’eth ha’par ha’sheni hoalah al ha’mizbeakh ha’banui – “And the Asherah which upon it was cut down and the bullock, the second, ascended upon the altar that was built.” The words meticulously reveal full compliance with the Lord’s spoken word.

Of the unusual specificity, Cambridge asks, “There must be some special meaning in this description, the second. Can it refer to his place in the team, the young bullock being the leader, the first, and the seven-year-old the wheeler, the second?”

Instead of tearing apart the text as they normally do, they take it that the wording is so curious that it must be original. Therefore, they attempted to stretch their minds for a reason.

Even if their conclusion is given in the form of an interrogative, it is evident that there must be a particular reason for such specificity in the text. Ellicott further notes –

“It has been supposed that Gideon offered both bullocks, the first as a burnt offering for his family, and the second for the nation. Nothing, however, is said of the fate of the young bullock; and, apart from express direction, Gideon may have hesitated to offer to the Lord a sacrifice which may have been devoted to Baal.”

Why anyone would suppose that the first bull was offered is beyond the pale. The wording is so precise that it does not allow for such speculation. However, Ellicott is right that it would be a violation of the spoken word of the Lord to have offered it. It can firmly be concluded that typology is being conveyed.

²⁹ So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?”

vayomer ish el reehu mi asah ha’davar ha’zeh – “And said man unto his fellow, ‘Who did the word, the this?’” The word davar, or word, carries whatever meaning is associated with what is occurring. At this time, it is a matter that is being inquired about.

They see three things: The altar broken down, the Asherah cut down, and a new altar that was used to burn the second bull upon the wood of the Asherah. This is the matter at hand. Therefore, a search is made…

^{29 (con’t)} And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”

The aspect of the verbs implies a search followed by a conclusion: vayidr’shu vaybaqshu vayomru gidon ben yoash asah ha’davar ha’zeh – “And inquiring and seeking, and said, ‘Gideon, son Joash, did the word, the this.”

Gideon, Cutter Off, son of Joash, Yehovah has bestowed, is identified as the culprit. The Cutter lived up to his name. He cut down and destroyed the objects of false worship that arose in place of the Lord. Therefore…

³⁰ Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die,

The words carry a jussive, an implied command: vayomru anshe ha’ir el yoash hotse eth binkha v’yamoth – “And said men the city unto Joash, ‘Bring out your son, and he dies.’” They have proclaimed a death sentence on Gideon because of what he did…

^{30 (con’t)} because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”

ki natats eth mizbakh ha’baal v’ki karath ha’asherah asher alav – “For broken down altar the baal, and for cut down the Asherah which upon it.” This is their justification for executing Gideon! They rejected the Lord, broke the covenant relationship, and turned their backs to Him through false worship.

Gideon stood against this. And yet, they would stand against him and his allegiance to the Lord, having him executed. It is almost impossible to imagine, and yet it is what is happening in both Israel and the church today. The words throughout the next verse are exceptionally strong and emphatic…

³¹ But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal?

Using a paragogic nun as a form of stress, Gideon’s father speaks: vayomer yoash l’kol asher amdu alav ha’atem t’rivun la’baal – “And said Joash to all who stood upon him, ‘The you (surely) striving to the baal?” Imagine the people standing completely over Joash, looking down on him, angrily demanding his son die.

In return, he asks them to think through what they are doing. The absurdity of their actions was more than he could take. Thus, he continues…

^{31 (con’t)} Would you save him?

He again speaks emphatically and uses another paragogic nun: im atem tovoshiun oto – “If YOU would (surely) save him?” Gideon had just broken down the altar. He then used the wood from the Asherah to offer a whole burnt offering to God. And he couldn’t stand on his own?

The obvious difference between the baal and Yehovah is brought forth. In words similar to the text verse today, the Lord, through Isaiah, resoundingly proclaims –

“To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal
And compare Me, that we should be alike?
⁶ They lavish gold out of the bag,
And weigh silver on the scales;
They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god;
They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.
⁷ They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it
And set it in its place, and it stands;
From its place it shall not move.
Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer
Nor save him out of his trouble.” Isaiah 46:5-7

This is why the Lord commanded that no image of Him should be made. He is the incomprehensible God that is not to be compared with anything man could fashion. Therefore, Joash proclaims…

^{31 (con’t)} Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning!

asher yariv lo yumath ad ha’boqer – “Whom strives to him dying until morning!” The person who would strive for the baal would be executed at the rising of the sun, just when he was to be on his knees worshipping his false god, be it the sun or some lesser god derived from sun worship.

This may mean “until this morning” if they are waiting for the actual sunrise, or it may mean “until the next morning” if he is giving the baal a day to avenge itself.

Either way, Joash has set the red line for the people to consider. With it drawn, he turns the thought of striving for the baal on its head, saying…

^{31 (con’t)} If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”

He uses a jussive as a challenge to the baal along with highly emphatic words, certainly as a taunt: im elohim hu yarev lo ki natats eth mizb’kho – “If god HE, shall strive to him, for has broken down his altar.”

The altar of the baal, along with the Asherah which supposedly has power, should wake the baal up and make him angry. In his anger, he can then take the necessary action to defend himself.

If he doesn’t, then he is no god at all. Unlike the temple in Jerusalem, where it was prophesied in advance what would happen to it in each catastrophe it faced, the altar of the baal had no such word. Therefore, it would be assumed that it would either last forever or be avenged by him for any desecration.

The temple of the Lord was different. Instead of merely standing for the Lord, it stood as a testament to either the faithfulness or faithlessness of Israel to the covenant administered there –

“But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, ⁷ then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. ⁸ And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ ⁹ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the Lord has brought all this calamity on them.’” 1 Kings 9:6-9

Without any such word, because the altar to the baal was made by man without any sanction by the false god it deified, Joash insisted that anyone who strove for it should be executed.

³² Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal,

The name is a play on the word yarev, to strive, that Joash thrice pronounced: va’yiqra lo bayom ha’hu yerubaal – “And called to him in day, the it, Jerubbaal.” The verb is impersonal. Thus it means that people in general, not Joash, called Gideon this name on that day. It is like saying, “On that day, he got called Jerubbaal.”

The name is based on the event, Baal Strives or Let Baal Strive. That would be based on another jussive spoken next by Joash…

*^{32 (fin)} saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

lemor yarev bo ha’ baal ki natats eth misb’kho – “saying, ‘shall strive in him the baal, for has broken down his altar.’” The point of the words and the giving of the name is that the baal cannot contend with Gideon. If he could, they would have called Gideon Contender with Baal.

But that would imply that the baal could contend. Gideon broke down the altar, and neither the altar nor the baal could respond. The victory over the baal is complete. The Lord, through Gideon, has prevailed.

The bull is offered to our God
Just as the Lord spoke to us
Through it comes the approval nod
As we call out to Him through Jesus

Seven years of hell on earth
Have come upon us to this day
What we need is the new birth
And to follow in His only Way

Jesus! We have finally seen our need
And so to Him we will bow the knee
No more with the baal shall we plead
Only our Messiah can set us free

III. Pictures of Christ

It would be possible to combine the typology together with what is coming in the rest of the chapter, but there would be too much lost.

What we have in this section began with Gideon being tasked by the Lord the night of the same day as when the Lord appeared to Him and gave him his commission to save Israel from the Midianites. As it said, “And it was in the night, the it; and said to him, Yehovah…”

It was seen previously that Gideon anticipates the gospel. It is now being prepared to be brought to Israel. As we saw, it was validated as the good news and that which establishes the peace of the Lord – Yehovah Shalom.

When will it finally and fully come to Israel? Yes, you, in the 22^nd row. Yes, that is correct, during the tribulation period. And what is that period called by Paul in 1 Thessalonians? Very good. A+. The night –

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2-7

He is told to take the “bullock the ox which to your father.” It is referring to the Law of Moses that Israel repeatedly violated since it was first given. The ox is given to reveal that it is time to disannul that covenant.

That has actually already happened in Christ’s coming, but Israel rejected Him. Thus, they are still bound to the Mosaic Covenant. Only in the future will they realize the disannulment of the law through the work of Christ. –

“In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Hebrews 8:13

The author of Hebrews is writing to the Hebrew people collectively about their future. There is a point in time that the law, which is annulled in Christ, will be obsolete for them, and it will pass away.

That first bull was also called a shor, or ox. As noted, that comes from shur, to travel or journey. The connection is that the Mosaic Covenant has been a journey upon which Israel has traveled, wending its way toward Christ –

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24

There was also a specific reference to a second bull – “and the ox the second, seven years.” This means that this ox came to be at the same time the tribulation period (the oppression of Midian) began. That was seen in Judges 6:2. It is another covenant that Israel placed itself under –

“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.” Daniel 9:27

To fully understand the timeline of the future tribulation period, you can go back and watch the Superior Word 2 Thessalonians 2:8, 9 Bible study entitled And Then… The timeline is clearly laid out concerning the order of the coming end times events.

This covenant is made with the Antichrist. Hence, the focus from this point on concerns this second bull. However, it was logically deduced that the purpose of the first bull was to assist in the tearing down of the altar of the baal.

The law itself anticipates its own ending, as has been seen previously. In the process of it ending, it will be used to bring down the covenant with the Antichrist. In other words, in the ending of the law, Israel will accept the gospel. At that time, the second covenant, the one with the Antichrist, will be ended as well.

Still in verse 25, each time baal is mentioned, it is prefixed by the definite article. It is a specific reference to the idolatry of Israel, believing in their own deeds before God rather than in the gospel of Jesus. Their deeds under the law had become their object of worship. Ultimately, this is “the baal” that must be ended.

In cutting down the Asherah which is upon the altar, it is signifying that Israel, through the gospel, will finally take the straight path that leads to a state of happiness and blessedness (ashar, from which Asherah is derived).

Once the task was happily effected, Gideon was to (verse 26) “build an altar to Yehovah your God upon the strength [maoz], the this.” The altar anticipates Christ, this is seen in a marvelous pun from Isaiah, where the coming of Jesus is hinted at –

“The Lord is their strength,
And He is the saving [yeshuah – salvations] refuge [maoz] of His anointed [mashiakh = Messiah].” Psalm 28:8

Literally: “Yehovah strength to them and Strength salvations His Anointed, HE.”

Still in verse 26, the arranging of the altar is noted. The arrangement anticipates the placing of all of one’s works on the altar of sacrifice before the Lord, who alone provides salvation. Israel is to give up on the errant path and come to Christ.

When that happens, the second bull, the covenant with the Antichrist, will be annulled. Thus, both the Law of Moses and the seven-year covenant end at the same time, exactly as proper dispensationalism has revealed.

The symbolism is seen in the deeds of idolatrous self (the law) being burnt under the seven-year-old bull (the seven-year peace treaty). Listen again to what Ellicott said. It is exactly what lies ahead for Israel –

“The Jews point out the peculiar features of this burnt offering: (1) It was not at Shiloh; (2) it was not offered by a priest; (3) it was offered at night; and (4) the fire was kindled with the unhallowed materials of an idol.”

Rather, it is offered upon Jesus, the true High Priest, during the tribulation period, and it is the ending of Israel’s unhallowed conduct.

Verse 27 saw Gideon, the gospel, taking ten men of his servants. In this, it “implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

Everything necessary for Israel’s salvation is tied up in the transmission and reception of the gospel. And again in verse 27, it said that they did this at night. It is a stress all by itself. Israel will come to Christ during the tribulation period.

The actions were complete by the morning (verse 28). What is true for each person who comes to Christ will also be true for national Israel –

“…each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:13

Verse 28 noted that the work of Gideon was completed and that the people saw the results of it. Therefore, verse 29 referred to the people questioning who had done it. A search was made, “inquiring and seeking,” and the response was, “Gideon, son Joash, did the word, the this.”

The gospel of Christ, son Yehovah has Bestowed, accomplished the word. What a marvelous testimony to the future reception of the gospel by Israel. Christ, the incarnate Word of God, will be seen for who He is in the reception of the Good News that tells of Him.

Obviously, when the leaders of Israel call out to Jesus, it does not mean that all of Israel will have done so. It is the leadership that must receive Him in order for the nation to be saved. Some will hear and protest. Hence the words of verse 30 about bringing out the son (the gospel of Jesus) so that he should die.

They initially buck against what has been done until they too understand the implication of the gospel. That is seen in these verses in the back-and-forth exchange between the people and Joash. The leaders will come back and essentially say what Peter said to the Judaizers two millennia earlier –

“Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:10, 11

The use of emphatics, paragogic nuns, and successive jussives shows the incredible nature of what lies ahead for Israel. “What, are you kidding?” The law has been a weight around the neck of Israel since the beginning. It only brought them trouble. And yet, there will be those who want to cling to it as if it is their salvation.

But Joash, Yehovah has Bestowed, in verse 31 says, “The you (surely) striving to the baal?” In essence, “You would strive for the law instead of the gospel? That’s crazy!” He then said, “If YOU would (surely) save him?” In other words, “Can you perfectly meet the demands of the law? Can you stand righteous before God as Jesus did? Can you become Israel’s Messiah?”

Therefore, still in verse 31, Joash says, “Whom strives to him (meaning for the law) dying until morning.” Stated more clearly, “When the tribulation period is over, judgment is coming. If you want to trust in yourself, good luck, buddy boy.”

He then said, “If god HE, shall strive to him, for has broken down his altar.” If the law is your god, the Lord would defend its continuance. But He has sent Jesus to fulfill and end the law. That is God’s testimony.

The altar of the law stood as a testament to either the faithfulness or faithlessness of Israel to the covenant administered there. In the tribulation period, it will be defiled by the Antichrist. This shows God’s approval was not with the law. Rather, it is with Jesus. The word testifies to this. Israel has simply been blinded to the fact.

With that, verse 32 told that Gideon was called by the name Jerubbaal, Let Baal Strive. The law failed to strive against Jesus. Thus, He prevailed over it. The law has no power against Him because the law is not where the power of God is. Rather, our closing verse will explain where it lies.

As you can see, the analysis of N.T. Wright is proven, once again, to be Now Totally Wrong. The typology presented has clearly shown this.

Even without the typology, Scripture clearly reveals what the typology presented also shows. God is presenting us portions of the history of Israel and is essentially asking us to question why he chose these stories. Each name, each location, and each event is given to lead us to a better understanding of what will come about in the future.

Keep reading the Bible. The more you do, the more it will reveal to you what is on God’s mind. Jesus has, indeed, fulfilled everything necessary for Israel’s salvation. But this does not mean that Israel is out. It means that the promises to them will only be fulfilled when they accept what Jesus has done for them.

One of the errors of replacement theology is that it mistakenly categorizes biblical issues, conflating some things that should not be conflated, and rejecting core principles that should not be ignored.

Hold fast to the understanding that God is not done yet with Israel. His covenant faithfulness towards them tells us that He also will never be done with you when you come to Him through Jesus Christ. This is the faithfulness of God to His people, unfaithful or otherwise. Thank God for His grace and mercy as is revealed in the giving of Jesus. Hallelujah and amen.

Closing Verse: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16, 17

Next Week: Judges 6:33-40 It’s fun. It’s so swell. We get Jay to help some more... (Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part IV) (21^st Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Gideon, Judge of Israel, Part III

Now it came to pass the same night
That the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull
———-the second bull of seven years old
And tear down the altar of Baal that your father has
And cut down the wooden image that is beside it, so you
———-have been told

And build an altar to the LORD your God
On top of this rock, in the proper arrangement too
And take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice
With the wood of the image which you shall cut down
———-so you shall do

So Gideon took ten men from among his servants
And did as the LORD had said to him, doing it just right
But because he feared his father’s household
And the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night

And when the men of the city arose early in the morning
There was the altar of Baal, torn down. No more offerings
———-to it would be proffered
And the wooden image that was beside it was cut down
And on the altar which had been built the second bull
———-was being offered

So they said to one another
“Who has done this thing? This makes our ears ring!
And when they had inquired and asked
They said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing

Then the men of the city said to Joash
“Bring out your son, that he may die, we will not acquit
Because he has torn down the altar of Baal
And because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it

But Joash said to all who stood against him
“Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? I give
———-you this warning…
Let the one who would plead for him
Be put to death by morning!

“If he is a god, let him plead for himself
Because his altar has been torn down!” (I know he will falter)
Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying
“Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

²⁵ Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; ²⁶ and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.” ²⁷ So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.

²⁸ And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. ²⁹ So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” ³⁰ Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”

³¹ But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” ³² Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”