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Judges Chapter
Six
Judges 6
Chapter Contents
Israel oppressed by Midianites. (1-6) Israel rebuked by a
prophet. (7-10) Gideon set to deliver Israel. (11-24) Gideon destroys Baal's
altar. (25-32) Signs given him. (33-40)
Commentary on Judges 6:1-6
(Read Judges 6:1-6)
Israel's sin was renewed, and Israel's troubles were
repeated. Let all that sin expect to suffer. The Israelites hid themselves in
dens and caves; such was the effect of a guilty conscience. Sin dispirits men.
The invaders left no food for Israel, except what was taken into the caves.
They prepared that for Baal with which God should have been served, now God
justly sends an enemy to take it away in the season thereof.
Commentary on Judges 6:7-10
(Read Judges 6:7-10)
They cried to God for a deliverer, and he sent them a
prophet to teach them. When God furnishes a land with faithful ministers, it is
a token that he has mercy in store for it. He charges them with rebellion
against the Lord; he intends to bring them to repentance. Repentance is real when
the sinfulness of sin, as disobedience to God, is chiefly lamented.
Commentary on Judges 6:11-24
(Read Judges 6:11-24)
Gideon was a man of a brave, active spirit, yet in
obscurity through the times: he is here stirred up to undertake something
great. It was very sure that the Lord was with him, when his Angel was with
him. Gideon was weak in faith, which made it hard to reconcile the assurances
of the presence of God with the distress to which Israel was brought. The Angel
answered his objections. He told him to appear and act as Israel's deliverer,
there needed no more. Bishop Hall says, While God calls Gideon valiant, he
makes him so. God delights to advance the humble. Gideon desires to have his
faith confirmed. Now, under the influences of the Spirit, we are not to expect
signs before our eyes such as Gideon here desired, but must earnestly pray to
God, that if we have found grace in his sight, he would show us a sign in our heart,
by the powerful working of his Spirit there, The Angel turned the meat into an
offering made by fire; showing that he was not a man who needed meat, but the
Son of God, who was to be served and honoured by sacrifice, and who in the
fulness of time was to make himself a sacrifice. Hereby a sign was given to
Gideon, that he had found grace in God's sight. Ever since man has by sin
exposed himself to God's wrath and curse, a message from heaven has been a
terror to him, as he scarcely dares to expect good tidings thence. In this
world, it is very awful to have any converse with that world of spirits to
which we are so much strangers. Gideon's courage failed him. But God spoke
peace to him.
Commentary on Judges 6:25-32
(Read Judges 6:25-32)
See the power of God's grace, that he could raise up a
reformer; and the kindness of his grace, that he would raise up a deliverer,
out of the family of a leader in idolatry. Gideon must not think it enough not
to worship at that altar; he must throw it down, and offer sacrifice on
another. It was needful he should make peace with God, before he made war on
Midian. Till sin be pardoned through the great Sacrifice, no good is to be
expected. God, who has all hearts in his hands, influenced Joash to appear for
his son against the advocates for Baal, though he had joined formerly in the
worship of Baal. Let us do our duty, and trust God with our safety. Here is a
challenge to Baal, to do either good or evil; the result convinced his
worshippers of their folly, in praying to one to help them that could not
avenge himself.
Commentary on Judges 6:33-40
(Read Judges 6:33-40)
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. Is Gideon desirous that the dew of Divine grace
might come down upon himself in particular? He sees the fleece wet with dew to
assure him of it. Does he desire that God will be as the dew to all Israel?
Behold, all the ground is wet. What cause we sinners of the Gentiles have, to
bless the Lord that the dew of heavenly blessings, once confined to Israel, is
now sent to all the inhabitants of the earth! Yet still the means of grace are
in different measures, according to the purposes of God. In the same
congregation, one man's soul is like Gideon's moistened fleece, another like
the dry ground.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Judges》
Judges 6
Verse 1
[1] And
the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD
delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
Of Midian —
For although the generality of the Midianites had been cut off by Moses about
two hundred years ago, yet many of them doubtless fled into the neighbouring
countries, whence afterwards they returned into their own land, and in that
time might easily grow to be a very great number; especially, when God furthered
their increase, that they might be a scourge for Israel when they transgressed.
Let all that sin, expect to suffer: let all that turn to folly, expect to
return to misery.
Verse 3
[3] And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the
Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
Children of the east — That is, the Arabians, who are commonly called the children of the east.
Not all the Arabians; but the eastern part of them.
Verse 4
[4] And
they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou
come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor
ass.
Unto Gaza —
That is, from the east, on which side they entered, to the well, where Gaza
was, near the sea: so they destroyed the whole land.
Verse 5
[5] For
they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers
for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they
entered into the land to destroy it.
Without number —
That is, so many that it was not easy to number them. And not in a regular army
to engage, but in a confused swarm, to plunder the country. Yet Israel, being
forsaken of God, had not spirit to make head against them; God fighting against
them with those very terrors, with which otherwise he would have fought for
them.
Verse 8
[8] That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto
them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and
brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
A prophet — We
have reason to hope, God is designing mercy for us, if we find he is by his
grace preparing us for it.
Verse 10
[10] And
I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in
whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
Not obeyed my voice — He
intends to bring them to repentance. And our repentance is then genuine, when
he sinfulness of sin, as disobedience to God, is that in it which we chiefly
lament.
Verse 11
[11] And
there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that
pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the
winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
In Ophrah — In
Manasseh: there was another Ophrah in Benjamin, Joshua 18:23.
The Abi-ezrite — Of
the posterity of Abiezer.
Threshed —
Not with oxen, as the manner was, Deuteronomy 25:4, but with a staff to prevent
discovery.
Wine-press — In
the place where the wine-press stood, not in the common floor.
Verse 12
[12] And
the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with
thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Is with thee —
That is, will assist thee against thine enemies.
Man of valour — To
whom I have given strength and courage for this end.
Verse 13
[13] And
Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this
befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of,
saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken
us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
With us —
The angel had said, Peace be with Thee: but he expostulates for All: herding
himself with all Israel, and admitting no comfort, but what they might be
sharers in.
Verse 14
[14] And
the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save
Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
Looked —
With a settled and pleasant countenance, as a testimony of his favour, and
readiness to help him.
Go — Or, go now, in thy
might: in the strength which thou hast already received, and dost now farther
receive from me.
Have not I sent thee — I do hereby give thee command and commission for this work. God's
fitting men for his work, is a sure evidence of his calling them to it.
Verse 15
[15] And
he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family
is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
My family —
Heb. my thousand: for the tribes were distributed into several thousands,
whereof each thousand had his peculiar governor.
Is poor —
That is, weak and contemptible.
The least —
Either for age, or fitness for so great a work.
Verse 16
[16] And
the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the
Midianites as one man.
As one man — As
easily, as if they were all but one man.
Verse 17
[17] And
he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign
that thou talkest with me.
That thou —
That it is thou, an angel or messenger sent from God, that appears to me, and
discourseth with me. Or, a sign of that which thou talkest with me; that is,
that thou wilt by me smite the Midianites.
Verse 18
[18]
Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my
present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come
again.
My present — A
repast for the angel, whom he thought to be a man.
Set it —
That thou mayest eat and refresh thyself.
Verse 19
[19] And
Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of
flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought
it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
An ephah —
The choicest part of a whole ephah; as also he brought to him the best part of
a kid dressed; for a whole ephah, and a whole kid had been superfluous, and
improper to provide for one man.
Verse 21
[21] Then
the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and
touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the
rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the
LORD departed out of his sight.
Consumed the flesh — By
which, he shewed himself to be no man that needed such provisions, but the Son
of God; and by this instance of his omnipotency, gave him assurance, that he
both could, and would consume the Midianites.
Verse 22
[22] And
when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O
Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
Alas — I
am an undone man: I must die, and that speedily; for that he feared, verse 23, according to the common opinion in that
case.
Verse 23
[23] And
the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
Said unto him —
Perhaps by an audible voice.
Peace be to thee —
Thou shalt receive no hurt by this vision; but only peace, that is, all the
blessings needful for thy own happiness, and for the present work.
Verse 24
[24] Then
Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto
this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
There — On
the top of the rock, as is evident from verse 26, where that which is here expressed only in
general, is more particularly described.
Jehovah-shalom —
That is, the Lord's peace; the sign or witness of God's speaking peace to me,
and to his people: or the place where he spake peace to me, when I expected
nothing but destruction.
Verse 25
[25] And
it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's
young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the
altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
The second bullock — He
was to offer one for himself, the other for the sins of the people, whom he was
to deliver. 'Till sin be pardoned thro' the great sacrifice, no good is to be
expected.
Thy father hath —
Which thy father built in his own ground, tho' for the common use of the city.
The grove —
Planted by the altar for idolatrous uses, as the manner of idolaters was. This
action might seem injurious to his father's authority; but God's command was a
sufficient warrant, and Gideon was now called to be the supreme magistrate,
whereby he was made his father's superior, and was authorized to root out all
idolatry, and the instruments thereof.
Verse 26
[26] And
build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered
place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood
of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
Of this rock —
Heb. of this strong hold: for in that calamitous time the Israelites retreated
to such rocks, and hid and fortified themselves in them.
Ordered place —
That is, in a plain and smooth part of the rock, where an altar may be
conveniently built.
And offer —
Gideon was no priest, nor was this the appointed place of sacrifice; but God
can dispense with his own institutions, though we may not; and his call gave
Gideon sufficient authority.
Verse 27
[27] Then
Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and
so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city,
that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
Ten men —
Whom doubtless he had acquainted with his design, and the assurance of success
in it, whereby they were easily induced to assist him.
He feared —
Not so much, lest he should suffer for it, as lest he should be prevented from
doing it.
Verse 28
[28] And
when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal
was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second
bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
Was offered —
Not upon Baal's altar, for which it was designed; but upon an altar erected in
contempt of Baal.
Verse 30
[30] Then
the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die:
because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the
grove that was by it.
They said —
Probably some of the persons employed in it.
Verse 31
[31] And
Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye
save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet
morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down
his altar.
Will ye plead —
Why are you so zealous in pleading for that Baal, for the worship whereof you
suffer such grievous calamities at this day? It is plain, that Joash had been a
worshipper of Baal: but probably he was now convinced by Gideon.
He that will plead — He
that shall farther plead for such a god as this, deserves to die for his folly
and impiety. It is not probable, that this was all which he said for his son:
but it is usual in scripture to give only short hints of things which were more
largely discoursed.
While it is morning —
That is, instantly, without delay.
Let him plead — As
the God of Israel hath often done when any indignity or injury hath been done
him. But Baal hath now shewed, that he is neither able to help you, nor
himself; and therefore is not worthy to be served any longer. This resolute
answer was necessary to stop the torrent of the peoples fury; and it was drawn
from him, by the sense of his son's extreme danger; and by the confidence he
had, that God would plead his son's cause, and use him for the rescue of his people.
Verse 32
[32]
Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against
him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
He called —
Joash called Gideon so, chap. 8:29, in remembrance of this noble exploit, and
to put a brand upon Baal.
Jerub-baal —
That is, Let Baal plead. It is a probable conjecture, that that Jerombalus,
whom Sanchoniathon, (one of the most ancient of all the Heathen writers) speaks
of as a priest of Jao, (a corruption of Jehovah) and to whom he was indebted
for a great deal of knowledge, was this Jerub-baal.
Verse 33
[33] Then
all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were
gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
Of Jezreel —
Not Jezreel in Judah, but another in the borders of Manasseh and Issachar,
which was not far distant from Ophrah, where Gideon dwelt.
Verse 34
[34] But
the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was
gathered after him.
The spirit came —
Inspiring him with extraordinary wisdom, and courage, and zeal to vindicate
God's honour, and his country's liberty. The Hebrew is, The Spirit of the Lord
clothed Gideon; clothed him as a robe, to put honour upon him; clothed him as a
coat of mail to put a defence upon him. Those are well clad that are thus
clothed.
Abiezer —
That is, the Abiezrites, his kindred, and their servants, and others; who
finding no harm coming to him for destroying Baal, but rather a blessing from
God, in giving him strength and courage for so great an attempt, changed their
minds, and followed him as the person by whose hands God would deliver them.
Verse 35
[35] And
he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him:
and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and
they came up to meet them.
All Manasseh — On
Both sides of Jordan.
Unto Asher, … —
Because these tribes were nearest, and so could soonest join with him; and were
nearest the enemy also, verse 33, and therefore were most sensible of the
calamity, and would in all reason be most forward to rescue themselves from it.
Verse 36
[36] And
Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
Gideon said — In
a way of humble supplication, for the strengthening his own faith, and for the
greater encouragement of his soldiers in this great attempt.
Verse 37
[37]
Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the
fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that
thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
On all the earth —
That is, upon all that spot of ground which encompasses the fleece.
Verse 39
[39] And
Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak
but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it
now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
On the ground —
Which was more preternatural than the former instance, because if there be any
moisture, such bodies as fleeces of wool are likely to drink it up.
Verse 40
[40] And
God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew
on all the ground.
And God did so —
See how tender God is, even of the weak; and how ready to condescend to their
infirmities! These signs were very expressive. They are going to engage the
Midianites. Could God distinguish between a small fleece of Israel, and the
vast floor of Midian? Yes, by this token it appears that he can. Is Gideon
desirous, that the dew of divine grace might descend on himself in particular?
He sees the fleece wet with dew, to assure him of it. Does he desire, that God
will be as the dew to all Israel? Behold all the ground is wet!
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Judges》
Call of Gideon
When
called by God, Gideon was—
1.
Employed—threshing wheat (v.11)
2.
Encouraged—might man of valor (v.12)
3.
Embarrassed—the least in my father’s house (v.15)
4.
Empowered—Surely, I will be with thee (v.16)
5.
Energized—threw down the altar of Baal (v.25, 27)
06 Chapter 6
Verses 1-10
Because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the
dens . . . and caves and strongholds.
Divine punishment through natural means
Thus God gets at men through various means. The Midianites came
out and spoiled
the fields of the Israelites. The camels of the Midianites were without number;
they entered the land to destroy it. Wheresoever they laid their hand they
crushed the hope of Israel. Has God a way into our life, then, through corn and
grass? Has He a way to chastise us through the medium of our business? Can He
turn a client away and send a customer in another direction, and blind a man
whilst he is counting his money? and can He so arrange things that prosperity
shall crumble into adversity and a dense darkness shall settle upon the
brightness of prosperity? This is God’s way of doing. He gets at men through
their skin; He smites them with leprosy that they may learn to pray; He curses
their bread that they may cry out about the better life; He drops poison into
their water that they may learn that they have committed two evils--they have
forsaken Him, the fountain of living water, and have hewn out unto themselves
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. These things should bring us
to study, to reflection, to inquiry. “Why has this adversity come upon me? why
do men actually pine and die? Is there not a cause?” (J. Parker, D. D.)
Divine retribution
The famished, terror-stricken fugitives, are they indeed the sons
of the men of old before whom the elders of Moab and of Midian trembled, and
against whom the prince of sorcerers confessed that no enchantments could
prevail? These crouching slaves that timidly peep from behind projecting rocks,
or shiver in the damp darkness of caverns, are they indeed the sons of the men who
vanquished Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan? Where are the old
traditions of victory? Where is the national character--the energy of the race?
National character, ancestral traditions, energy of race! Yes; such things
exist; they have potency and value. But there is one law higher, wider, deeper
than all these, and which modifies and controls them all. It is the everlasting
law of right and wrong; the law of conscience; the law of retribution. Israel
had forsaken Jehovah and had fallen into the licentious practices of the
heathen, therefore they became an easy prey to the spoiler, whose audacity
increased, while Israel’s strength diminished year by year of that calamitous
seven. The same laws are still in force, for the whole world is a theocracy. If
we act as the Israelites acted, we shall suffer as they suffered. Spoilers will
come upon us--spoilers in the form of tumultuous passions; spoilers in the form
of mighty lusts; spoilers in the form of wretched, remorseful thoughts, which
will devour our happiness, and make us ready to skulk away into the farthest
corner of the darkest cave, to avoid the light of the sun. This irruption of
the Midianites into the fruitful vales of Palestine was no accident. The world
is not governed by chance. Israel had bowed to the gods of the heathen,
therefore they must bow to the tyranny of the heathen. (L. H. Wiseman, M. A.)
The Midianite spoilers
The narrative of the sacred historian, though brief, gives
a vivid picture of the ravages of the Midianites, and of the pitiable distress
to which Israel was reduced. They chose the spring when the seed had been sown,
and came up with all the accompaniments of Bedouin life, “with their cattle,
their tents, and their camels.” They ranged over the entire plain, beginning at
the bank of the Jordan, and proceeding farther and farther westward “until thou
come to Gaza,” on the low-lying sandy shore of the Mediterranean. They carried
their plundering incursions far up into the hills of Manasseh, of Zebulun, and
of Naphtali. They arranged no regular campaign, but pitched their tents
wherever they pleased; roaming in armed parties over the whole country, and
spreading terror in every direction. The farmers, instead of combining in
self-defence, fled to the hills or sheltered themselves in caves; leaving their
produce to the robbers, who “destroyed the increase of the earth,” carried off
the cattle, and ”left neither sheep, nor ex, nor ass,” nor any kind of
sustenance for Israel. After they had plundered all, they withdrew till the
following season, when they again came up from the desert, after the seed had
been sown, to renew their depredations. For seven successive years were these
ravages committed--ravages more terrible than those of war--until the
Israelitish people had become not only “greatly impoverished,” but utterly
disheartened. (L. H. Wiseman, M. A.)
The Lord sent a prophet.
Divine reproof
“Thus saith the Lord . . . ye have not obeyed My voice.”
Awful words, but not unmixed with mercy. If the wounds of a friend are
faithful--if it be a kindness when the righteous smite us--how much more when
our heavenly Father is pleased to reprove! Severe and unsympathising as the
utterances of this prophet might sound in the ears of a crushed and dejected
people, they were necessary preparation for the coming deliverance. Before the
Lord sent them a deliverer, He sent to them a prophet to preach repentance; to
remind them that their own disobedience had been the real cause of all their
miseries; to prepare them for salvation by piercing them with a sense of sin.
It is a mercy if the silence of the skies is broken, even though it be by the
voice of correction. If that word which is like a two-edged sword be humbly and
dutifully received, the word which heals and restores will presently follow.
Thus it was in Gideon’s time; a messenger of reproof prepared the way for a
messenger of victory. (L. H. Wiseman, M. A.)
The result of disobedience to God’s voice
God reads the book of history, and says, “See what I did for you,
where I found you, how I delivered you, how I interposed for you in the hour of
extremity; see how, by a mighty hand and outstretched arm, I wrought out this
whole salvation for you, and no sooner did I recover you to life and to hope,
than you turned your backs upon Me and stopped your ears with your fingers, and
your hearts went astray from My throne.” There is, then, a moral explanation of
this whole thing that we call difficulty, or pain, or discipline,
disappointment, sorrow, and death: “Ye obeyed not My voice.” That is the
explanation of it all. The explanation of death, pain, poverty, homelessness,
friendlessness, sorrow of every degree, is to be found in the fact “that we
have disobeyed the voice of God.” There has been the moral lapse, the great
spiritual slip, the heart has not retained its integrity, and we have got wrong
at the centre, and having become disorganised there, all the outwardness of
life has gone off into confusion and riot and darkness, and God has justly
vindicated Himself by a multitude of pains and penalties, keen distresses and
intolerable agonies, all of which are the servants of His righteous and
gracious will. How long can God set Himself against the cries of the heart of
His people? Not long. Israel cried unto the Lord! Did the Lord remove Himself
ten thousand miles further into the depth of the great solitude that is above?
No. He is full of compassion, He is tender in mercy, He is gentle in spirit.
When Israel cried, God came. Though He might have said, “No,” yet He came--for
God is love. “He knoweth our frame, He remembereth that we are dust.” (J.
Parker, D.D.)
Verses 11-24
There came an Angel of the Lord . . . Gideon threshed
wheat.
Gideon’s angelic visitor
I. That a man,
when actively and unostentatiously doing his duty, is best fitted for the
reception of heavenly visitants.
II. That, however
unconscious of the fact a man may be, God is really quickening him when he is
on the path of duty.
III. That
afflictions are not always proofs of the divine displeasure, but are frequently
sent as incentives to increased exertion on our part.
IV. That God’s
thoughts are not as our thoughts.
V. That we should
not foolishly and profanely call on God to show us fresh individual signs.
VI. That we should
offer of our best to God.
VII. That our
earthly offerings are cleansed by their consecration to God’s service.
VIII. That the first
step in righteousness is to purify the heart from its false idols, and that the
second step is to set up in it an altar to the true God.
IX. That our
earliest efforts towards goodness wilt, probably meet with opposition from our
companions.
X. That when we
are attacked by the scorners, help rises often from the most unexpected
quarters.
XI. That religion
should not be a hindrance to the performance of our duty, or to the
enjoyment of any innocent pleasure, but an incentive to both duty and pleasure.
XII. That the first
result of an angelic visitant to the soul of man, in whatever way through the
Holy Spirit’s action that visitant may come, is fear; the second result is
peace; and the third is immortality.(R. Young, M. A.)
Gideon’s interview with the angel
Amongst the various important lessons which the history of
Israel sets before us, none are more plainly marked than this, viz.
I. Sin carries its
own punishment. Seven years did this bondage and misery continue. In all that
time we do not hear one cry of repentance, nor see one act of faith in the true
God, on the part of Israel. They hardened their heart under the sore
affliction, and stiffened their neck under the galling yoke. Their sustenance
was gone, their enemies held them in cruel subjection, and yet the cause of all
the calamity was fostered and maintained; Israel worshipped Baal instead of
Jehovah. Oh, how hard the heart becomes when it is in Satan’s keeping! But at
last, being convinced that no other means would bring relief, “they cried unto
the Lord.”
II. As the first
verse of this chapter connects the sin with the punishment, so the seventh
verse connects the prayer with the answer: “It came to pass, when Israel cried
unto the Lord because of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet.” He might
have said by the voice of that prophet, “It is now too late to cry for
deliverance. The door of mercy has been standing open during the seven years of
your captivity, and ye would not enter; now it is shut, and ye cannot.” But
Israel’s God was a God “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and of great
goodness.” And now whose history is this? Is it the history of the perverse and
rebellious Israelites only? No, it is your history and mine. It is the history
of that sin-distressed soul who is now perhaps weeping to hear it told. “Yes,”
says the penitent man, “it is the account of my past life: I served other gods,
I went astray, I did very wickedly year after year; I hardened myself even
against His chastening hand; and it was of His mercy that I was not then
consumed. But He let me alone, one year after another; till at length I began
to think that for all these things God would bring me into judgment; I cried
unto the Lord, and He heard me. He might have frowned me from His presence; He
might have upbraided me for my long rebellion; but like the tender father of
the prodigal son, He welcomed me back.” But when God had heard the cry of
penitent Israel, and had determined to come down to deliver them, what were the
means taken for this purpose? It is a national concern: shall not the chief men
of the nation receive the first intimation of it? It is a matter of general
importance: shall not immediate publicity be given to it? No, the Lord’s way is
not as ours; He is pleased to do it in a manner which shall show that He can
raise up any instrument, and work by any means, in order that the pride of man
may be abased, that the glory of the deliverance may be all His own, and that
He alone may be exalted. He comes to a poor humble individual; and the
beginning of the mighty work which He was about to perform is told us in these
simple words: “There came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak that was
in Ophrah.” We mark next some points in Gideon’s character.
1. His consistency and decision. Notwithstanding his retired
situation, he had testified, it seems, against the prevailing idolatry; and
even in his father’s house had kept himself from his father’s sins. Let it
comfort those who are serving God alone in their families to think of Gideon
and God’s favour towards him. You are not alone; and “greater is He that is
with you than they that are against you.”
2. Mark, next, Gideon’s ardent patriotism. He does not distinguish
himself from the rest of Israel, though God does. He identifies himself with
his country. His thoughts were bent upon the welfare of Israel, as his prayers
were offered up for it. It would be well if we were to endeavour, in our
individual capacity, while walking humbly with our God, to serve the land in
which we live. We may not be called to fight her battles, but we can pray for
the peace of our Jerusalem. We may not be called to high public situations in
life, but we may do private good, both temporal and spiritual. We have all a
talent to exercise and to account for. Oh, see to it, that by your means your
country is in some measure benefited.
3. Lastly, we are told from whence Gideon’s might and valour were
derived: “The Lord looked on him,” and said, “Go in this thy might, and I will
be with thee; and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.” “The Lord looked
on him.” Oh! what a look was that! what a smile of encouragement cast on Gideon
by his God! what a token of love! what a communication of strength and faith!
“Go in this thy might,” says the angel, “I will be with thee.” Gideon need not
any longer doubt or hesitate, after such encouragement as this. It is the word
of the Lord; and Gideon has only to cast himself upon it in simple faith, and
to act according to its precepts. May we be as sensible of our own
insufficiency as Gideon was of his: and, at the same time, as “strong” as he
was“ in the Lord, and in the power of His might,” and may the Lord look upon
you as He did upon Gideon, in mercy! (F. Elwin.)
Gideon’s triumph
I. the distress of
God’s people is caused by their own sin. God turns His forces against those who
forget Him, and makes use of those who are His own foes to punish His own
people.
II. God can always
raise up instruments to accomplish his purposes when he needs.
III. The utility and
the strength depend on the call of God.
IV. Humility is the
distinguishing mark of the brave. How seldom do men deprecate their own
importance! To form a low estimate of our own abilities not only keeps us from
the danger of pride with its attendant snares, but is a test of character. It
is not the learned who are proud, nor the skilful, nor the wise. The empty
head, like the empty drum, makes the most noise.
V. The service of
God demands unrestricted devotion to His cause.
VI. however
valuable the services of the agent may be, God claims, as His just due, the
glory of the transaction.
VII. We cannot doubt
of success when God takes a matter in hand, and gives His promise of aid. (Homilist.)
Gideon’s call to service
This ancient history carries us back to a period when God’s Israel
was in poverty and want. It was not the action of laws passed in the interests
of landowners which led to their misery; it came through the oppression of a
foreign foe, whose merciless treatment of the people scarcely left them the
means of life. “They did evil in the sight of the Lord” may be written across
the history of most suffering and sadness. This is the tap-root of much of our
suffering and inconvenience. This is the poison which destroys our life.
I. the text says
it was an angel which came to call Gideon.
II. Notice how the
angel found Gideon engaged when he came to call him. The angel found Gideon at
work. Work is honourable. God has often put honour upon the lowly worker. Let
no man say that work is degrading, that work is low; to be an idler, to be a
drone, is to be dishonoured.
III. See the angel’s
estimate of Gideon. The angel addressed Gideon as “thou mighty man of valour.”
What! A man in apparent poverty; a man threshing a bit of wheat with his own
strength; a man having to prepare his very food in secret, lest it should be
stolen; that man called by the angel a mighty man of valour! Poor, yet valiant!
“Ah,” but you say, “that belongs to an old world time. We have altered all this
now.” Yes, indeed, we have made some changes, and changes which have not always
been for the better. We call men noble now who are often ignoble. It is about
time that we recognised to the full that poor men may be valiant men, and that
lowly men may be noble men. ‘Tis only noble to be good. Thousands of people,
like Gideon, toil in secret, and are not known to fame, but are among the
valiant and the mighty. Earth’s scroll has no page for their names in golden
writing, but the angels of God have written them down in the Lamb’s book of
life in heaven.
IV. Gideon’s
complaint to the angel. I suppose we all find it easy to thank God and see God
with us when all goes well. But wait until the lark sinks songless to his nest,
and the path of life becomes a wearisome journey, filled with stones and
thorns; wait until sickness, sorrow, and bereavement enter the dwelling; wait
until the man stands in the darkness of a foggy night of pain, loss, and
despair; how does he act then? How did you act when you were in this condition?
Were you any better than Gideon? Could you see the Lord in it? And yet few
things are more true in the experience of good men than the presence of God and
the love of God in the loss and pain. (C. Leach, D. D.)
The Lord is with thee,
thou mighty man of valour.--
The man of valour
1. That valour does not despise lowly but necessary occupations.
2. That valour is not incompatible with caution.
3. That valour may have its misgivings.
4. That valour may walk in the darkness of the Divine hidings.
I. Valour is a
Divine gift.
II. Valour is
developed by the Divine presence.
III. Valour is more
enlarged by the Divine vision.
IV. Valour feels a
sublime awe. Fear God in order to be delivered from all false human fear.
V. Valour is
prompt to obey. Moral hindrances must be removed before material success can be
secured.
VI. Valour braves
the consequences. Duty is ours, results are God’s. (W. Burrows, B. A.)
Invisible might
I. Valour unknown.
Gideon was pronounced by the angel who appeared unto him as “a mighty man of
valour.” But did Gideon know his own might? It would seem that, as a valorous
man, he was as much unknown to himself as he was unknown to Israel or to his
enemies. His valour was real, but untried. His valour was living, but dormant.
His valour was mighty, but un-exercised. Oft, too, is valorous faith unknown
until it is tried. Great occasions make great men. Great trials make great
believers. Faith as a grain of mustard-seed is as strong in its principle as is
the faith which moves a mountain. But it needs growth and development.
Unconscious strength is often the most potent. You cannot cast him down who is
already low. You cannot rend him from the Rock of Ages who is resting on Christ
as “the chief of sinners.” There is unspeakable comfort in the fact that this
“man of valour” was unconscious of his might until the angel revealed to him
his secret power. Many a faint-hearted believer is “overcoming the world” (1 John 5:4-5) unconsciously to
himself. His might is hidden, but it is no less real.
II. Valour’s
weakness. The sun is often under a cloud. So is faith. The cloud, however, does
not change the nature of the sun. Nor do beclouding dispensations, which chill
the soul, affect the true nature of its faith. The Christian is often a paradox
to himself. He is weak and strong at the same moment. “When I am weak, then am
I strong,” said one of the greatest believers. “It is the nature of faith, not
the quantity, which determines the character,” said an eminent divine; and he
added, “Samson was a riddle to me till I unriddled myself. He was an
inconsistent believer.” Gideon is named with Samson among the mighty believers
in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. We shall now see his inconsistent weakness.
The causes of it are laid open before us.
1. He was now walking by sight, and not by faith. He could see no
tokens of the Lord’s presence; and therefore, in reply to the salutation, “The
Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour,” he said, in the weakness of
unbelief, “Oh! my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen
us?” Once suffer doubt to hint
at the bare possibility that it may not be exactly true in all cases, at all
times, that “God is not a man, that He should lie,” and faith will lose its
foothold, and stumble.
2. Gideon overlooked God’s justice and man’s sin. “Why then is all
this befallen us?” The reason was patent. Surely Gideon could not have closed
his eyes to all the idolatry in the land! The chastisement of the Lord’s people
may often be traced up to the same cause. Does the afflicted child of God ask,
“Why is all this befallen me? “He need not question the cause. It is not
because the Lord is not with him. Far from it. It is the true vine that is
purged. The barren fig-tree is plucked up by the roots and cast away. But there
is some evil permitted, some idol worshipped, some idolatrous altar erected.
3. Hard thoughts of God were mixed with Gideon’s faith. “Now the Lord
hath forsaken us,” he murmured. Was this true? The Lord had just sent a prophet
to them, in answer to their prayer (verses 7, 8). Israel had forsaken the Lord,
but the Lord had not forsaken Israel. His rod over them proved that He had not
given them over to their sins.
4. False humility was another ingredient in the weak faith of Gideon.
“Thou shalt save Israel,” said the Lord: “have not I sent thee?” This twofold
promise should have been enough for any emergency. What could a creature need
more? But Gideon, instead of fixing his eye of faith upon the Lord alone, began
to think of himself. And he said, in reply, “0 Lord, wherewith shall I save
Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my
father’s house” (verse 15). Wherein would his confidence have been placed had
his family been the richest in Manasseh and he the greatest in his father’s
house? There was a leaning to the arm of flesh in all this. “Proud humility” is
a fearful bane of the soul. It apes the most retiring and modest graces of the
Spirit; but it usurps the throne and sovereignty of Jehovah. Under its mask
Satan robs believers of their comfort and the Church of their zeal. Were the
creature made nothing, and Jehovah everything, what Goliath could resist the
sling and the stone of the veriest stripling?
III. But now we turn
and behold valour’s might. Gideon was “a mighty man of valour” notwithstanding
all the weakness of his faith. We naturally ask, wherein was his might? What
was its source? In himself he was as weak as a babe.
1. The Lord’s presence was one great source of valour’s might. “The
Lord is with thee.” “Surely I will be with thee.” Here was might irresistible.
No enemy can withstand the presence of the Lord.
2. The Lord’s look was another source of valour’s might. “The Lord
looked upon Gideon, and said, Go in this thy might.” The Lord’s look of grace
and love imparts strength to the soul.
3. The Lord’s promise was one chief source of valour’s might. Faith
lives upon promise. It is its food and daily sustenance. It is the very sinew
of its might. “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites
as one man.” “Thou shalt save Israel.” These were the promises with which
Gideon was to wage war and overcome. Promise is to faith what the rope is to
the drowning man. Faith begins to rise from despair to hope by promise.
Promise, descending into the heart of faith, rises like water to its own level,
and upbears the reposing soul to the very throne and bosom of God. Promise,
like light issuing from the sun, cannot be polluted by earth’s contamination.
It is pure in whatever degree it shineth. It cometh from one source, and
tendeth to one end.
4. The command of the Lord, no less than promise, was the warrant of
faith, and a chief source of valour’s might. “Go,” saith the Lord. “Have not I
sent thee?” The Captain of our salvation speaks as one having authority. Who
can resist His will? Does He say, “Go”? Who, then, shall be able to let, or
hinder, the servant in doing his Master’s behest? Does he say, “Go,” without
providing “grace and strength” equal to the need of going? True faith is an
obedient grace. Let but the Lord issue His command, and faith will answer,
“Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” (G. A. Rogers, M. A.)
If the Lord be with us,
why then is all this befallen us?--
Gideon’s attitude partly right and partly wrong
He was right in refusing to believe God was present if things went
on just as if He were not present, but he was wrong in not seeing what it was
that prevented God from being present. He was right in arguing, “What God was,
He is; why then does He not do for us what He did for our fathers?” He was
right in debating with himself, and asking “Is this what it means to be God’s
people? What is the use of living at this price? “But he was wrong in thinking
that the fault lay with God, and not with himself; wrong in not seeing his very
obvious duty, which, until he performed, God could not be expected to work for
Israel. Just so we are right in refusing to accept a religion which makes no
practical difference upon us; right in impatiently throwing aside the mere
traditional assurances whereby men soothe sinners and promise them deliverance;
right in looking straight at the facts of our own experience, and testing
religion by its power on ourselves; but we often add to this the mistake of
Gideon, and fall out with God for not interfering more powerfully in our
behalf, when it is we ourselves who are preventing Him from so interfering. You
wait for God to do something, while He is waiting for you. If you are not able
to use God’s strength, if you might as well be heathen for all the moral help
you get from God, then depend upon it there is something wrong in your conduct
towards God, some plain duty you are neglecting. (Marcus Dods, D. D.)
Gideon’s lament
Can we not catch some echoes of Gideon’s complaint in the thoughts
that are cherished among ourselves? That God wrought wonders once, that He
raised up men to open new views of His truth and of His will and thus renewed
the Church’s strength, and sent her forth conquering and to conquer--all this
we hold, of course. We call the man who doubts it an infidel or a heretic. But
the man who believes that similar things may take place in our day, who believes,
for instance, that God makes His will as plain in ways suited to our time as He
did in other ways at former times--does not such a man run great risk of being
called an enthusiast or a fool? That any man now may be guided in actual fact,
and guided unerringly, by God in common life, or that things going on among us
may be as important and as Divine as what was done in any former age, is an
assertion that few would dare to make. If we are sensible of the strange
contradiction implied in our thus demanding credence for such things in the
past as we deny the very possibility of in the present, we shall the better
understand Gideon’s state of mind when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. (W.
Miller, M. A.)
How to treat doubters
“God be with you!” said the stranger. Gideon flung down his flail.
“God be with us? Don’t talk nonsense, man! Would I be skulking in this wine
press, would we Hebrews be cowering before those pagan Midianites, if God were
with us? They say God was with us when we came out of Egypt, and that He did
great miracles when Joshua conquered this land. Ah! if that is true, then He
has gone away and left us now. Don’t talk to me about God, when facts prove
that there is no God with us.” How do you think a modern minister of the
orthodox type would have treated a man who had spoken in that fashion about
God? Not as the angel treated Gideon. I fear the modern minister would have
said, “Here is a most dangerous, blasphemous sceptic, all wrong in his views,
full of heretical, unsettling, dangerous feelings and ideas”; and he would have
sought to argue with him and to put him right. What did the angel? He looked at
him, knew he was wrong in blaming God in that fashion, but also that he was
right to refuse to accept a religion that had lost all its nobility and
bravery, that had no backbone in it. The angel said: “Go in this thy might, thy
spirit that cannot tolerate this degradation of God’s people, that rises
against this wrong; go thou, and be the leader in Jehovah’s name, and set
things right.” The Church would be a good deal wiser if it always took care to
distinguish between the doubt of corruption and worldliness, the cold, callous,
sneering doubt, and the doubt of a brave young heart that doubts because
religion is so poor an affair, that doubts because of the great wrongs in the
world, because of the deeds of evil that sin works, that doubts precisely
because it is crying for the reality. We should go to every such man and say:
“My brother, you are not an infidel; you are called to be a religious man
beyond the common. You are not an atheist. God has hold of you, and wants you
for Himself. Go and do something heroic, and show that God’s religion is the
mightiest force. Go and demand the reality, and win a victory for God and His
kingdom such as the world has never seen yet.” (Prof. G. A Smith.)
Brotherhood illustrated by Gideon’s reply
There is here an example of largeness in heart and mind which we
ought not to miss, especially because it sets before us a principle often
unrecognised. Iris clear enough that Gideon could not enjoy freedom unless his
country was free, for no man can be safe in an enslaved land; but many fail to
see that spiritual redemption in like manner cannot be enjoyed by one unless
others are moving towards the light. Truly salvation is personal at first and
personal at last; but it is never an individual affair only. Each for himself
must hear and answer the Divine call to repentance; each as a moral unit must
enter the strait gate, press along the narrow way of life, agonise and
overcome. But the redemption of one soul is part of a vast redeeming purpose,
and the fibres of each life are interwoven with those of other lives far and
wide. Spiritual brotherhood is a fact but faintly typified by the brotherhood
of the Hebrews, and the struggling soul to-day, like Gideon’s long ago, must
know God as the Saviour of all men before a personal hope can be enjoyed worth
the having. As Gideon showed himself to have the Lord with him by a question
charged not with individual anxiety but with keen interest in the nation, so a
man now is seen to have the Spirit of God as he exhibits a passion for the
regeneration of the world. Salvation is enlargement of soul, devotion to God,
and to man for the sake of God. If any one thinks he is saved while he bears no
burdens for others, makes no steady effort to liberate souls from the tyranny
of the false and the vile, he is in fatal error. The salvation of Christ plants
always in men and women His mind, His law of life, who is the Brother and
Friend of all. (R. A. Watson, M. A.)
Providence not to be judged from a narrow point of view
Crossing the great deep at night, lying sleeplessly and perhaps
painfully in your berth, longing for the light without much hope that it will
bring you comfort, what hear you? The surge of the water, the moan of the wind,
and the tinkle of a bell. That bell has no sooner told its tale of time than a
voice in a sing-song tone says, “All’s well, all’s well! “ It is the man on the
look-out. You say: “How can all be well when I am not sleeping? How can all be
well when I am sick and in pain? How can all be well when I am not at home, and
the children are longing for me?” There is a higher law than your
sleeplessness, your pain, and your child’s desire for your presence. Within those
limits you are right--all is not well--but in the higher sphere, that takes in
a larger area and commands a wider outlook, alls well, all’s well. So it is
with this marvellous mystery, this strange providence. “I am sick, and tired,
and heart-broken, misunderstood, and belied, and slandered, and ill-fed, and
battered down,” saith the Christian man, but the angel on the look-out says,
“All’s well, all’s well!” The vessel has her face straight home, and the sea is
yielding to give her passageway. “Alls well, all’s well.” (J. Parker, D. D.)
The Lord looked upon
him.--
The look of God
I. The chief
features of such looks.
1. An implied promise (Jeremiah 24:6).
2. An implied encouragement.
3. An implied help.
II. The chief
conditions for their bestowal.
1. Cultivation of various graces--love and obedience, contrition and
reverence, godliness, hope, and uprightness.
2. Attitude of expectancy. If God is looking down to bless us, we
must look up to meet His gaze. Our attitude must be, “As the eyes,” etc. Our
determination must be, “In the morning will I,” etc. Then our history
will be, “They looked unto Him,” etc.
III. The chief
purpose of these looks--accompanied by a command: “Go.” Do you ask, where? Go
anew and daily in faith and penitence, to a Father’s footstool, and as by faith
you know He is looking graciously on you in Christ, go to the discharge of your
daily duties in the might of His strengthening grace, and the Lord will go
before you. Go through the obstacles which have hitherto impeded you. (Homilist.)
A look, a word, and a question
I. What a look was
that which the Lord gave to Gideon! He looked him out of his discouragements
into a holy bravery. If our look to the Lord saves us, what will not His look
at us do? Lord, look on me this day, and nerve me for its duties and conflicts.
II. What a word was
this which Jehovah spake to Gideon! “Go.” He must not hesitate. He might have
answered, “What, go in all this weakness?” But the Lord put that word out of
court by saying, “Go in this thy might.” The Lord had looked might into him,
and he had now nothing to do but to use it, and save Israel by smiting the
Midianites. It may be that the Lord has more to do by me than I ever dreamed
of. If He has looked upon me He has made me strong. Let me by faith exercise
the power with which He has entrusted me. He never bids me “idle away my time
in this my might.” Far from it. I must “go,” because He strengthens me.
III. What a question
is that which the Lord puts to me, even as He put it to Gideon! “Have not I
sent thee?” Yes, Lord, Thou hast sent me, and I will go in Thy strength. At Thy
command I go, and, going, I am assured that Thou wilt conquer by me. (C. H.
Spurgeon.)
Go in this thy might . . . have not I sent thee?--
Gideon’s commission
I. The sanction
given: “The Lord looked upon him.” Oh, what a mercy ! His father might have
looked upon him long enough, and surnamed him Jerubbaal or what he pleased, but
it would have been no use unless the Lord had looked upon him. But there are
many senses in which the Lord looks upon His people, and upon His enemies too.
He looked upon the affliction of His people in Egypt: “I have looked upon them,
and have come down to deliver them.” He looked upon David in all his
affliction. Then, again, you will remember how the Lord looked upon Peter. What
a significant and expressive look! But, to put these matters a little more into
form, mark, first of all, that Gideon seemed as if he would avoid all
lookers-on. He was withdrawn from observation. Some of the sweetest seasons in
which God looks upon His people are when they are retired. And hence the
direction given by our blessed Lord, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into
thy closet,” etc. Now just look again at this great sanction from above. While
Jehovah looks from His high throne upon the objects of His love to inspire them
for His special work and for the great objects to which He has appointed them,
He withdraws their affections from other objects and leads them forth with an
ardent desire to glorify God in His work.
II. The command:
“Go in this thy might.” Why, I do not know that Gideon had confessed to possess
any might; on the contrary, he had concealed himself from time to time from all
those very enemies he was about to vanquish. He said unto the Lord, “ Wherewith
shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least
in my father’s house.” Well, now, if I first of all view this as typical of
Christ, did not He spring from a poor family? Yet He was the “Captain of the
Lord’s host.” But--mark this--all glory to His name, it was His own essential
might. I beseech you, lose not sight of this all-important fact, to which, I
think, Gideon’s history points typically--that Christ had the whole matter with
regard to the salvation of His Church entrusted to His care; therefore is it
written, that He hath “laid help upon one that is mighty and exalted--one
chosen out of the people.” I come to the secondary view--I mean the sending of
God’s own servants; because, while I allow no efficiency whatever to be
ascribed to them, yet are they instrumentally employed for the express purpose
of saving Israel out of the hands of the Midianites. Now, have you not
Omnipotence pledged in your personal experience? If you have not you have got
no experience at all. It was Omnipotence that broke your hearts, and subdued
you at the feet of Jesus. God humbles the sinner thus; He lays us low, strips
us of all confidence, makes us deeply conscious of creature-weakness and
insufficiency, so as not to be sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of
ourselves; and then we get the pledge of Omnipotence on our side. We may well
go forth thus to the war armed with strength--“Go in this thy might.” Well, but
how could it be said to be his? Why, what is freer than a gift? It was given
him--it was his might--“in this thy might.” No man is strong but he who is
strong in Jehovah’s might.
III. The promise of
success: “And thou shalt save Israel from the hands of the Midianites”--cruel
and vexatious, always to be wanting the territories of Israel. I must here
refer you back again to the commandment of God at an earlier period than this
with regard to these Midianites. After Balaam had instructed Balak how to
seduce God’s Israel, the commandment came from the Lord, “Vex the
Midianites and smite them, for they vex you with their wiles.” Here we might
include in this vast multitude, “like grasshoppers for number,” all the
opposers of God’s gospel, all the enemies of His Cross. But to bring this
matter nearer home. The Midianites that every Christian has to contend with he
finds in his own camp, in his own tent, within his own heart. Now mark the
simple process of the war. I do not read that there was a weapon of war in any
of their hands, but they were to go forth under the simple direction of Gideon.
Now look at their weapons. Each man was to have a trumpet, a pitcher and a lamp
inside. Pretty things to go to war with, truly! Well, then, but while we glance
at the simplicity of the means thus employed, and the cry that went forth, “The
sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” mark that the Midianites all fled. (J.
Irons.)
Gideon’s might
In Gideon’s attitude of mind a human observer would have seen
nothing but weakness, and yet God saw “might.” The Divine eye penetrated to the
very depths of Gideon’s spirit and character, and saw in his seeming weakness
the very qualities out of which spiritual heroes are made. For in spiritual
achievements a man is mighty in proportion to his capacity to receive Divine
help, just as a steam-engine is mighty in proportion to its capacity to receive
and utilise the largest possible amount of steam. Gideon’s might, then,
consisted--
1. In his whole-hearted loyalty to God. He was evidently among the
few who remained true to Jehovah. And his first act was to strike a blow at the
idolatry of the land. The first condition of spiritual strength and success is
to give our hearts to God in profound loyalty. There is an idolatry of the
spirit which must be put away before we can do any work for God.
2. In his humble dependence upon God. Gideon’s touching confession of
his own insufficiency reminds us that this spirit is characteristic of the
great men of the Bible--Moses (Exodus 3:11), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-7), Paul (Ephesians 3:8). Out of conscious weakness
these men were made strong for the work to which they had been called. God has
often chosen “the weak things of the world to confound the things which are
mighty.”
3. In his profound faith in God. Gideon is mentioned in Hebrews 11:1-40 as one of those who
“through faith . . . out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” God tenderly nourished it by giving
signs of encouragement--sacrifice consumed, wet and dry fleece, visit to the
Midianites’ camp--until it was strong enough to venture on the perilous
enterprise with the little band of three hundred men.
4. In his consciousness of a Divine mission. “Have not I sent thee?”
(verse 14). This is God’s answer to human weakness shrinking from a difficult
and dangerous task. When a man realises this he possesses a might not his own (John 17:18). There was not only a Divine
commission, but also a promise of the Divine presence: “Surely I will be with
thee” (verse 16). But still something more was needed, and that was the touch
of the Spirit. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon.” (J. T. Hamly.)
God’s call, and the response to it
It is the call of God that ripens a life into power, resolve,
fruitfulness--the call and the response to it. Continually the Bible urges upon
us this great truth, that through the keen sense of a close personal relation
to God and of duty owing to Him the soul grows and comes to its own. Our human
personality is created in that way, and in no other. There are, indeed, lives
which are not so inspired and yet appear strong; an ingenious, resolute
selfishness gives them momentum. But this individuality is akin to that of ape
or tiger; it is a part of the earth force, in yielding to which a man forfeits
his proper being and dignity. Look at Napoleon, the supreme example in history
of this failure. A great genius, a striking character! Only in the carnal
region, for human personality is moral, spiritual, and the most triumphant
cunning does not make a man; while on the other hand from a very moderate
endowment put to the glorious usury of God’s service will grow a soul clear,
brave, and firm, precious in the ranks of life. Let a human being, however
ignorant and low, hear and answer the Divine summons, and in that place a man
appears, one who stands related to the source of strength and light. And when a
man, roused by such a call, feels responsibility for his country, for religion,
the hero is astir. Something will be done for which mankind waits. (R. A.
Watson, M. A.)
Gideon’s obedience to God’s call
Gideon, observe, was not unwilling to go forward in the cause of
God and God’s people; on the contrary, he was most ready to do so; but without
an outward call he never would have taken the lead. Nevertheless, when the call
was repeated and so made plain, no account was made of difficulties. In full
view of them Gideon determined to obey. Now he evidently had no suspicion yet
of the supernatural character of his visitor. It was not, therefore, any sign
from heaven that compelled him to crush down his hesitation. It was the inward
voice of conscience, awakened by what he believed to be an ordinary communication
from God, that led him on. He asked, indeed, for a sign from heaven, but it was
to strengthen him to keep his resolution, not to enable him to form it. Here
was the true spirit of faith. Here was the root of the success that came so
gloriously afterwards. Submission, consent when once God’s will is known;
resolution to do that will in spite of difficulties--that is the spirit to
which signs are given; that is the spirit by which success is won. The man or
the Church that makes visible success, or signs of any kind, a condition of
bending all their energy to the doing of God’s will, is not among those by whom
deliverance is wrought or the families of the earth blessed. To those who
yield, like Gideon, to the will of God so soon as it is made clear, signs of
acceptance and encouragement come thereafter, and often come with but small
delay. (W. Miller, M. A.)
Surely I will be with
thee.--
The Divine afflatus
Whatever ground there was for taking exception to Gideon’s faith
in God, this, at all events, there seems to be every reason to believe, that he
had learned to refer all success to the presence and blessing of the Lord. The
language he employs (Judges 6:13) necessarily implies this.
But still much required to be done before he should be qualified to act the
distinguished part for which he was destined; and accordingly we are informed (Judges 6:14) that by some method here
unexplained--some secret and mysterious afflatus of the Spirit imparted on that
occasion--it pleased the Lord to make up what was wanting in his faith, and in
whatever else was still manifestly defective. The Lord looked upon him! Ah! who
knows what was in that look! It was not a look of anger or displeasure. It was
not a mere look of compassion, nor of benevolence and favour. There seems to
have been something above nature in it, not unlike that memorable glance with
which Jesus smote Peter to the heart, so that he rushed out of the house and
wept bitterly; the influence which accompanied the “look” which the Lord cast
on Gideon was of a different character, indeed, but it was not less potential.
It was Gideon’s commission. Along with it seems to have come all the wisdom,
all the might, all the valour, all the strategic skill which he needed in order
to fit him for the grand expedition in which he was soon to act so prominent a
part. Let us learn the following important practical lessons:--
1. The Lord often anticipates the desires of His people, and grants
them what they need even before they ask it. Indeed, in every case He may be
said, in one sense, to give before we ask, because if He did not by His Holy
Spirit vouchsafe unto us grace to pray, which of us would ever pray for grace?
But if He is so ready to grant before we ask, how much more is He ready to
grant when we do ask in faith all things whatsoever we require.
2. A lowly sense of our own deserts is at once a sign that exaltation
is at hand, the way to it, and the occasion of it. Diffidence, humility,
modesty, unobtrusiveness, are among the highest recommendations in the sight of
God. He “resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” “Before honour
is humility, and pride goeth before a fall.”
3. If we be indeed of the true Israel of God, we may rest assured
that the Lord will be with us, and cause us to triumph over all our foes.
4. It is unbecoming the Christian to be too anxious or too careful
about the designs of God concerning him. To Gideon’s question, “Wherewith shall
I save Israel?” no explicit answer, it will be remembered, was vouchsafed. His
curiosity was rebuked as a sign of remaining unbelief. Let us repose like
little children in the bosom of the Father’s promise. (W. W. Duncan, M. A.)
Thou shalt smite the
Midianites as one man.--
War
What shall we say as to the moral character of this transaction?
We must not let our affection or veneration for old traditions blind us to the difficulty of the
question. But common sense has suggested to me one or two considerations. First
of all, our judgment is apt to be prejudiced here, because men in our time, we
English people in particular, have come to think rather falsely about war. A
profounder apprehension of the lovely Christlike spirit of our religion,
coupled with a good many less worthy influences, such as the peaceableness and
security of our sea-girt life in these isles, have all combined to give us a
great horror of war; not because of the sin and iniquity of it, but because it
means wounds and bloodshed, and robbery of our property and death. Now
indubitably every rational man will say that, were our world free from
selfishness and sin, war could not exist in it. Therefore it has its roots in
iniquity. Nevertheless, like many other things that are evils in themselves,
war may be used, under God’s providential government of the world, to cure
worse evils, acting remedially like the surgeon’s knife, and bringing renewed
life to the nation and the individual. In the second place, I wish to add
another consideration. I venture to say that all of us, in our historical
judgment and in our ethical and religious teaching, probably have fallen into
error, in that we overvalue mere physical human life. If anything is manifest
in this world, it is that the material life counts for very little in God’s
sight; that the material life is mere scaffolding, the machinery by which or
the platform on which the mental, moral, and ethical life is to be built up.
Over and over again, in the pathological history of our human race, we find
that God has sacrificed millions of lives to compel men to be pure and
dignified in their bodily and moral habits. Apply this to war. Though it be a
scourge and an exterminator, it has nevertheless a wonderful potential force in
it to produce bravery, courage, ability of every description. War may thus be
used to elevate the moral and mental worth of our race. I fear it is our
tendency in the present day to make too much of physical comfort and physical
life. On that account we recoil unduly when God has wrought out benefit for our
race as a whole through terrible trial, affliction, discipline, suffering, and
self-sacrifice; as, for example, by wars in which cruel despotisms, tyrannous,
inferior, and sanguinary races have succumbed before superior moral or mental
worth. I am afraid, too, we do not deal out fair measure to our predecessors.
We are ready to censure these Hebrews for the cruel treatment they often meted
out to prisoners of war. We are apt to say that the men who did such things
could not, along with such a low moral character, have possessed a lofty, pure
revelation of God or a knowledge of His character. But that is too hasty a
judgment. Similarly we take a socialist book, describing life in the last generation,
or in the present generation, in our England; we read the history of the
horrors that produced the Factory Acts--how the wealthy capitalist lived in
luxury, and grudged a diminution of his income that would have made the
condition of workshops and the hours of labour such as would have averted the
premature death of their operatives, of men, women, and children, until
Parliament stepped in. We say those men who occupied the position of
capitalists were fiends. But they were nothing of the kind; some of them were
even eminent Christians. But Christianity had got into cursed blindness and
ignorance on these points, and they belonged to their day and generation. At
present, are we so very far above them? Is it not the fact that constantly you
have great outbreaks of small-pox or scarlet fever spreading death in a hundred
households which are due solely to carelessly scamped work? Have we not the
horrors of the East End, and the City, and so on? But are we therefore all bad men? Not
so. We are Christians in process of growing. These are evils we are only waking
up to discover, the sins we have inherited, the Canaanites we have to destroy.
If we apply the same measure to the Hebrews, we see that there was a real
progress, a real working for good in a society that, in certain moral aspects,
was low and degraded. Then again, as a matter of fact, the God that made our
world has made this law, that wherever sin of a certain type and degree has
come in, the retribution of moral obliquity and degradation has come in also,
in the shape of annihilation at the hands of a superior race. That seems a
cruel, hard thing; but nevertheless so it is. Moreover, to make it more
mysterious, the conquering race is not always a superior race in the perfect
sense. But we have not that complication here, for all old history testifies
that the most blighting curse of false religion and the vilest sensuality of
our world in these days lay in the religion of those Canaanites. Even classic,
pagan writers say that blank atheism would have been better than that. Wherever
Phoenicians established their colonies and their places of worship they
introduced nameless vices and uncleannesses, and dignified them with the name
of religion. And where these things were introduced they spread, so much so
that the end of the great Roman empire was hastened, its old martial strength
was rooted out, by the corruption that came in a direct line from that old
Canaanitish religion. To justify what was done, therefore, we do not need to
say that the conquerors were perfect and immaculate. All we need to be able to
say is, that it was a deserved retribution, and that it was better for our
world that Canaan should pass into the hands of the Hebrew nation, which has
done the grandest moral and religious work for the world. (Prof. G. A.
Smith.)
Shew me a sign that Thou
talkest with me.--
The sign
When the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, and first appeared to
His disciples, “they believed not for joy, and wondered.” Their doubts,
however, were soon removed by the sign which the Lord afforded them (Luke 24:41-43). We may well imagine that
the feelings of Gideon were not altogether dissimilar to those of the disciples
of our Lord, when the angel “looked upon him and said, Go in this thy might,
and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent
thee?” These tidings were so welcome, and yet so marvellous, that Gideon’s
faith staggered. He “believed not for joy, and wondered.” And then he sought “a
sign,” to satisfy himself that he was in a waking state, that his senses were
not deceiving him, and that the angel was not a mere phantom called up by a
heated imagination. “Shew me a sign that Thou talkest with me.” Now, the sign
which was given to Gideon was not altogether unlike in character to the sign
which our blessed Lord gave to His disciples on His resurrection-morn. In both
cases the emblems of peace and friendship were presented. In both cases the
offering was accepted. In both cases it was consumed. Now, do not we need some
sign that the Lord talketh with us, and hath come down to “save us from the
hand of our enemies”? Our enemies are many and powerful. We need not now some
audible voice, nor midnight dream, nor open vision, to assure us of pardon and
salvation. Jesus Himself has given us a sign. We see it on Calvary’s hill. Let
us draw near and see this great sight.
I. Mark that this
sign which Gideon received, was an appeal to the senses. Man is a compound being.
God deals with him as such. There is not a faculty nor a gift with which man is
endowed to which God does not appeal in the great matter of salvation. This is
an important consideration. We are too apt to regard the atonement as a mere
matter of faith. We believe it is something more; something greater, and
something less. Gideon wished for a sign which his own hands could handle and
his own eyes could see. God granted him this sign--a sign, be it remembered, of
greater things promised. Now it is just this sign, or this appeal to the
senses, which appears in the atonement of our Lord. One voice throughout the
whole life and death and resurrection of Jesus seems to say, “Behold My hands
and My feet, that it is I Myself” (Luke 24:39). It is true that our own
individual eyes have not seen Him, nor have our own ears heard Him speak, nor
have our own hands handled His pierced side, but our fathers have had all these
their senses satisfied--they saw, they heard, they handled, they believed, and
they were saved. And is not this enough? “Blessed are they who have not seen,
and yet have believed.” Do we not receive the testimony of credible witnesses
upon other matters of bygone fact? Through the senses of others, who lived ages
ago, we embrace the facts recorded of ancient sages, of conquerors, of
emperors. The great and the noble dead live over again in our minds. We should
be held incredulous and inexcusable were we to throw aside all credible history
because our own eyes could not test its accuracy. And what excuse shall we find
in heaven if we reject or slight the testimony of others on the matter of
salvation? But if, on the contrary, we embrace the sign which God has given us,
and rely upon the wondrous facts of which they are signs, we then set to our
seal that God is true. This is believing. This is acting faith in God. We trust
God. We honour God. Our senses harmonise with the faculties of our soul.
II. We notice that
this sign which the Lord gave unto Gideon was a confirmation of promises. The
promises made to this mighty man of valour were of a twofold nature, as
emphatically expressed in the fourteenth verse, “The Lord said unto him, Surely
I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.” The
Lord’s presence and the Lord’s deliverance were united. They always are so.
They are inseparable. If the Lord be not with us, in vain shall we go forth
against the Midianites. But “if the Lord be” with us, “none can prevail against
us.” Salvation, both present and eternal, is included in the promise, “I will
be with thee.” It is just this promise and blessing which are embodied in the
name Jesus which bears the same interpretation as “Immanuel,” “God with us.”
III. The sign vouchsafed
to Gideon was also an evidence of things not seen. It was an appeal to sense to
strengthen faith. It proved to him that He who appeared as a man “under the oak
which was in Ophrah” was none other than the Angel of the Lord--even the Angel
of the everlasting covenant! It proved, moreover, that Gideon was called of God
to deliver Israel. Oh, that he might succeed in the attempt! He had no riches,
no name, no influence, no soldiers; but no matter, the Lord was indeed “with
him,” and that was enough. He would now act up to the title which the Lord had
given him, as a “mighty man of valour,” and Israel shall be delivered by “the
sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” Now it is just this faith in an unseen
presence and in an unfelt power which saves the soul from spiritual Midianites.
Divine power alone is equal to cope with Satanic might. The sinner who wars
against his sins, his lusts, his evil passions, his corrupt nature, in his own
strength, soon proves his folly and his weakness. As regards all spiritual conquests,
one word should at once check the vain conceit of the sinner, and strengthen
the faith of the child of God: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,
saith the Lord of hosts.” Look you, then, for any sign that the Lord is with
you--that He will deliver you, and make you victorious over all your enemies?
Behold that sign upon the hard rock of Calvary! Behold it in that mysterious
fire which arose therefrom! Behold it in the utter consumption of the
sacrifice! Behold it in the ascent of the Lord Himself from off the altar to
His throne of glory! What further sign can you need? (G. A. Rogers,
M. A.)
Gideon’s sacrifice accepted
“Give me a sign that Thou talkest with me.” It may be said that
this hesitation was Gideon’s infirmity. Connecting it, however, with the
circumstance of its being himself that was called forth to the mighty work of
Israel’s deliverance, I cannot but consider it as an evidence of his humility.
Would to God that all our scruples with regard to engaging in the service of
God arose from the same cause! What is the reason that, when we ask the
co-operation of many in some labours of the Lord’s vineyard, they all, with one
accord, begin to make excuse? Is it a humbling sense of their own unfitness for
the work? If it were, we have an encouraging text in the Word of God, with
which we might do away the difficulty: “I can do all things through Christ who
strengtheneth me.” But when one goes to his farm, and another to his
merchandise--in short, when “men seek their own, and not the things which are
Jesus Christ’s”--how opposed are their characters to Gideon’s, whose only
scruple about the work of God was, “What am I, that I should deliver Israel?”
And would to God that when humility does appear to be the source of objections
to the engaging in the promotion of the cause of religion, that humility were,
like Gideon’s, real genuine humility, and not the cloak of hypocrisy, not a
covering to conceal idleness and indifference.
I. On the
circumstance which forms the text we may make two observations, viz., the
manner in which the angel tried Gideon’s faith, and the manner in which he
displayed his own power and Godhead.
1. We notice the manner in which the angel tried Gideon’s faith. “He
said, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes and lay them upon this rock; and
pour out the broth.” This was intended to make way for a miracle; that Gideon’s
faith in the God who wrought it might, after this trial, become strong,
according to the work which he was shortly to undertake. It will be remembered that
Elijah made way for the miracle which God was about to work for the confusion
of Baal’s prophets, by placing the sacrifice in the most unlikely state for
consumption by fire. It seems to have been for the same purpose that the angel
commanded Gideon to lay the flesh upon the cold rock, and to pour out the
broth. All suspicion and all possibility of the comnmnication of fire were to
be done away. Gideon obeys, looking for the “sign,” and wondering how it shall
be given,
2. The manner in which the angel displays his great power and
Godhead. He does not offer up prayer for fire from heaven on the sacrifice, as
Elijah did. He himself communicates the fire, and makes the sacrifice. How
sweet the thought, that when the Christian presents his sacrifice of praise,
and prayer, and thanksgiving, there is one who, as his Mediator, can make it
acceptable; one who “ever liveth to make intercession,” even “Jesus Christ, the
same yesterday, to-day, and for ever!”
II. Having made
these remarks on the circumstance, let us observe the effect which it had upon
Gideon’s mind and conduct. The effect which it had upon his mind was this: he
said, “Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to
face.” There was so much of the majesty of the Godhead in the miracle which the
angel had wrought, that the Divinity beamed, as it were, through the appearance
of His manhood. Gideon was afraid. It was a received opinion among the Jews
that any vision of the Divine glory would be fatal, in consequence of what God
had declared to Moses. When Moses said unto the Lord, “I beseech Thee shew me
Thy glory,” the Lord said unto him, “Thou canst not see My face; for there
shall no man see Me and live.” But it may be asked, “How was it that Gideon
survived the sight?” If it had been said to Moses, “No man shall see My face
and live,” how did Gideon live? The answer will open to us some precious gospel
truths. Gideon saw the glory of God, indeed, but it was “in the face of Jesus
Christ.” “No man,” says St. John, “hath seen God at any time. The only begotten
Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” In other words,
whenever there has been a manifestation of Jehovah to His creatures, it has
been by Jesus Christ, the second person in the ever-blessed Trinity; and it is
by His having tabernacled in our flesh that the awful majesty of Jehovah has
been softened into mildness and peace and love. The believer’s rejoicing is
that Jesus is “the brightness of the Father’s glory “; and therefore he can
look upon it and live; yea, live by looking upon it, and because he looks upon
it. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, O all ye ends of the earth.” Mark here the
answer of God to Gideon. The Lord said unto him, “Peace be unto thee; fear not;
thou shalt not die.” We do not now wonder at this gracious answer, after taking into
consideration the character of the angel from whom it came. Was it not from Him
who “made peace by the blood of His Cross,” who is called “our peace” and “the
Prince of Peace”? Yes, it was an answer that fitted His priestly and His
mediatorial character. But does the impenitent sinner see nothing in this
passage which is calculated to affect his mind? Let him think of this--that he
shall one day see the “Angel” before whom Gideon trembled; shall see Him as Gideon
saw Him, “face to face”; but mark, not veiled, as He was then, in the
appearance of a man; not disguised in the garb of lowly human nature, but in
the glory which He had before the world was. And mark His character then. He
shall come, not to touch a sacrifice, not to work a miracle, not to confirm the
faith of an individual, as in the case of Gideon; but “to be glorified in His
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.” He shall come to be our
Judge. We come now to show, in the last place, the effect which this
circumstance had upon Gideon’s conduct. “Then Gideon built an altar unto the
Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom.” This he did to commemorate the event. It
was a day much to be remembered by Gideon, both on his own account and
Israel’s; and therefore he built this altar. The name which he gave it is
beautifully descriptive of the circumstance: “The Lord is my peace”; taking
that comfortable assurance which God gave him for the motto to inscribe on it,
“Peace be unto thee!” It is remarkable that holy men in former times seem to
have been uniformly careful to record their mercies. We may take shame to
ourselves for want of a closer imitation. Does the God of battles bless our
arms and give us victory? We build a monument to the glory of the conqueror,
whom God has honoured as the instrument; but where are the hearts in which an
altar of praise is built unto the Lord, and on which is written, “The Lord is
my banner”? Does God restore a dear child from the brink of the grave and give
him, like Isaac, to his parent’s arms again? The parent clasps him to his
breast, and says, “This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found”; but how seldom does he remember the mercy by a commemoration of it,
like Abraham’s “Jehovah-jireh,” Does God, “give and preserve to our use the
kindly-fruits of the earth, so as in due time we may enjoy them”? We begin to
pull down our barns and build greater; and to say to our souls, “We have much
goods laid up for many years; eat, drink, and be merry! But how few, from Dan
to Beersheba, from one end of the country to the other, how few look upon
“fields white unto the harvest,” and count the sheaves which God has ripened
for them, with thankful hearts, and say, “We will raise an Ebenezer, for
hitherto the Lord hath helped us!“ But there is one character who does record
His mercies, and that is the man whose mercies have been of a nature which have
effected a change in his heart; melting and subduing what was before hardness,
and impenitency, and unbelief, into contrition and gratitude and love. To such
a soul this commemorative word of Gideon is a cordial: “Jehovah-shalom: the
Lord is my peace.” (F. Elwin.)
The Christian’s peculiar state
I. The Christian’s
privilege. It is to “find grace in the sight of the Lord.”
1. A partaking of the Divine nature. Those who have found grace in
God’s sight have received His grace in their heart. If we are accepted of God
we are united to Him by faith in His Son. We become one with Him--are created
anew--conformed to the Divine image and bear the image of the heavenly.
2. A reception of the Divine fulness. He is emphatically called the
God of all grace. He has all the treasures of grace we stand in need of; so
that if we find favour with Him--if we are interested in His love--He will
communicate to us every blessing we require. What are all the treasures of the
world compared with the durable riches and righteousness which He has to
bestow?
3. The enjoyment of the Divine presence: “In Thy sight.” There
is no grace to be found but here. We may find favour with men, but only
grace--free favour--with God. We have free access into His presence. We
approach His very throne, and He bids us come near.
II. The Christian’s
doubts: “If now I have found grace in Thy sight.” There are seasons when the
most eminent saints have been led to doubt of their interest in God. “Happy is
the man that feareth alway.” Let us refer to some of those things that occasion
the believer’s doubts.
1. The greatness of the privilege. When we take a review of the vast
privileges enjoyed by our finding grace in His sight, and think of our
depravity and vileness under a sense of our unworthiness, we exclaim, “Surely
such mercy cannot be for me!”
2. The imperfection of our graces. If I have found grace in Thy
sight, why do I not more closely follow them who through faith and patience
inherit the promises? Why am I not more fervent in prayer? Why not more
delighted in God’s house? Why do I so little prize the privilege of communion
with Him?
3. The withdrawings of God’s countenance. There are seasons when the
believer is called to walk in darkness, and God hides His face. Without God’s
presence, the Word is a dead letter, ordinances are a blank, all the means we
may use are insipid.
4. The apostasy of false professors. Then the thought occurs in the
mind--perhaps after all I am deceiving myself with the profession of godliness,
while I have never felt its power, and I mistake the excitement of natural
feelings for the operation of a Divine principle--perhaps, after in outward
appearance reaching the very gate of heaven, I shall be thrust down to hell.
But is there no way of ascertaining the fact?
III. The Christian’s
desire. Gideon asked a sign. “Show me a sign that Thou talkest with me.” And
God gave it him. Christians have a sign beyond all visions, tokens, voices, or
any outward manifestation. There are three ways in which God shows His people a
sign--
1. By the workings of His providence.
2. By the communications of His grace. Thus He speaks peace to the
soul--calms the spirit--gives us a sense of pardoning mercy.
3. By the witness of His Spirit (Romans 8:16). There are many ways in
which this sign is given by the Spirit. It is done by sealing home pardon to
the soul--by more deeply impressing on our souls the Divine likeness--by
pouring out a spirit of prayer--by implanting divine principles--by giving
filial dispositions and tempers--inspiring heavenly desires and
affections--conferring the graces of the Spirit, and making us bring forth the
fruits of the Spirit--causing the Spirit to dwell in us as in a temple, and
assuring us of God’s favour.
Conclusion:
1. Let those who have not found grace seek the possession of it. Seek
to be good rather than great--the grace of God more than the favour of
man.
2. Let those who have found grace seek the assurance of it. It is
attainable--the way is open. And remember, though you may be as safe, you
cannot be as happy without it. (E. Temple.)
Bring forth my present,
and set it before thee.--
Gideon’s sacrifice
He did not want to be rash and hasty, and do what he might be very
sorry for after wards. He thought strongly that this was an angel, but he was
not sure yet. His thoughts had been so set upon the thing, that he even thought
he might be dreaming. “If now I have found grace in thy sight,” he said, “give
me a sign that thou talkest with me.” Or again, this might be somebody tempting
him and leading him into a trap. So he asked the stranger to stay while he got ready
a present for him, as Abraham had done for the three angels who came to him. If
this is an ordinary man he will give him food in a hospitable fashion as
Easterns do, and then send him on his way--if it is God, he will offer Him a
sacrifice. That is why he put the broth in a pot, he kept it for the libation
or drink offering, if it should really prove that this was the angel of the
Lord. So when the angel said, “Lay the flesh and the cakes on the rock, and
pour out the broth,” it was as much as saying, “Offer me a sacrifice.” Gideon
was satisfied directly. Here was the test he had been looking for and wanting
to know about. So he obeyed: he poured out the broth as a drink-offering, and the angel touched it,
and fire came out of the rock and burnt it up. Then he knew that God was on his
side. Now you will see from this, I think, wherein the excellence of his
character lay. On the one hand he was not rash, ready to throw his life away
for nothing; on the other he was not a laggard, throwing away opportunities
when he got them. Now I think you will see the power of this text. He put his
broth in a pot for two reasons--
Rash men do things in a hurry which they are sorry for afterwards,
but rashness is better than indifference, carelessness, indolence. Sad indeed
it would have been for him if he had turned a cold ear to what the angel had
told him, if he had prepared no sacrifice, had gone on threshing his wheat and
taken no heed to God’s message. He would have lived and died with God’s will
towards him unfulfilled. You and I have all of us God’s work to do; you have
yours, I mine. The world does not know what it is, we do not know ourselves,
except in part. We know present duties, but life is not mapped out in full
before any of us. But happy is that servant who knows Christ’s present will,
who has taken pains to learn it, and not only so, but who is ready to fulfil
it. Duties which conscience tells us are duties, how ready we are to find
excuses to avoid them, and to follow our own pleasure. Gideon had his wheat to
thresh; let greater men than he go forth and fight the Midianites. If he had
said so, would that have been a strange, unusual case? Would it not have been
very like what we have done before now? For the will of God--we must surely
have learned that by this time--is very often quite contrary to our own
inclinations. Duty says one thing, self-indulgence says another. By all means
let us have caution and steadiness, but let not caution be an excuse for doing
nothing. Gideon putting his broth in a pot is an everlasting example to us to
be ready for God’s living sacrifice. (The Weekly Pulpit.)
There rose up fire . . . and consumed the flesh.--
The witness of Divine fire and the altar of Divine peace
I. The
Divinely-ordered offering.
1. What, then, are the offerings that are required? Gideon here
offered “the flesh, the unleavened cakes, and the broth.” These are simply the
sustenance of the natural human life. Taken and assimilated by man, they become
portions of his earthly frame. Nowadays, God expects us to make a spiritual
offering unto Him of all the energies of our life.
2. The man was ordered to make the offering in an especial manner:
“Lay them upon this rock.” There is nothing trivial in the record of God’s
manifestations to man. The offerings of man to God, before they can lead him on
to peace, must be based upon the At-one-ment between man and God.
II. The Divine
acceptance of man’s offering.
1. That fire which came forth out of the cleft of the rock in Ophrah
is still burning in the deep recesses of the Rock of Ages, ready to come forth
in response to the obedient devotion of man. On Calvary, in the self-sacrifice
of the God-man, we behold the eternal law of Divine love fulfilling itself. The
Church has again and again passed through its hours of coldness and darkness.
But in God’s good time the fire of revival has kindled, and she has spoken to
the hearts of men with power. This sign of “fire” is given to the individual
soul no less than to the Church. He who gives himself to God, laying the
devotion of his whole soul upon Christ, offering daily in His name the prayers,
the praises, the alms, the pure feelings, the chastened thoughts, and all the
energies of charity, will find assurance that God talketh with him. He will
find his mind brightened by the light of heavenly thoughts and eternal hopes,
and his heart fired by the impulses of a Divine love.
2. In this passage we may see the purpose and ultimate destiny of
religious forms. The forms of the offering which Gideon made were not
unimportant. The Divine voice recognised their value, and directed the manner
in which they were to be presented. It was not until they had been duly
presented that the fire came forth. When forms of worship, beautiful music, and
august ceremonial express faith and reverence for the majesty of Christ they
are offerings laid upon the rock, and are means of quickening spiritual life.
But in using them let us look beyond the means to the end, until the forms are
in our sight lost to view in the realities of spirit.
III. The impressions
left by the manifestation upon the man’s soul.
1. This vivid manifestation of the Divine presence to the soul was
but for a short time. On earth man cannot bear the brightness of the
supernatural visions of truth, save during brief moments. The overpowering
splendours of the theophanies have in mercy been transient.
2. The angel departs, but he leaves his footprints on the soul. This
spiritual intuition of the Divine presence given to Gideon soon passed away,
but its influence on his heart and mind never died.
IV. its objective
results in his outward action. The vision soon passed away. But it wrought a
mighty change in Gideon’s life and career. That change is briefly but fully
recorded in the announcement that he now built an altar unto the Lord. The
altar implies the sacrifice. In building an altar unto the Lord he pledged
himself to sacrifice henceforth unto the Lord. On what principle did he take
this momentous step? In the name of what truth did he build this altar? He
called it “Jehovah-shalom”; that is, “Jehovah the author of peace.” So in our
own day, the object of the messenger of God is to constrain men to build this
altar of peace. (Henry T. Edwards, M. A.)
Peace be unto thee.--
The assurance of peace vouchsafed to Gideon
Already Gideon had received what ought to have been a sufficient
assurance of the Divine favour, for his offering had been accepted, and of this
he had received the clearest evidence in the issue of fire from the rock. But
the sense of acceptance which this sign was well fitted to inspire was
overborne by the indefinite sense of fear, which prostrated him in the dust.
But mark how tenderly and sympathisingly the Lord, if not now in a bodily form,
at least with audible voice, replies to his cry, and reassures the trembling man.
And may we not here recognise the voice of that very Saviour--the Angel of the
everlasting covenant, the Prince of Peace, who said to the winds and waves of
the sea of Galilee, as they threatened to swallow up His disciples, “Peace be
still,” and who after His resurrection appeared to them again and again saying,
“Peace be unto you”? We may indeed! Never does He allow any one who really
fears the Lord to remain long in so deplorable a state as that in which Gideon
is described to have been. Never does He “break the bruised reed, or quench the
smoking flax.” It gives Him no satisfaction to see any of His creatures
overcome by slavish terror and alarm from whatsoever cause. And when, in any
ease, the soul and the affections are found to yield to constitutional weakness
of that kind, who so ready as He with encouraging assurances such as that which
He addressed to Gideon, “Peace be unto thee; fear not.” He would have us to
reflect that the grand end for which He came into this world was to banish all
terrors from the guilty breast, to restore tranquillity to the most
tempest-tossed bosom. “Fear not,” says He; “thou shalt not die!” Death
temporal, indeed, still holds its stern dominion over all the families of men.
But death eternal has been abolished, and “life and immortality have been
brought to light.” “Thou shalt surely die,” was the doom pronounced on all, in
consequence of the entrance of sin into our world. But listen to the gospel
bells as their sweet, harmonious sounds come softened by distance over the
waters of time. What do they say? “Thou shalt not die; surely thou shalt not
die.” The Angel of the everlasting covenant whispers it amid the silence of the
night, adding, “Because I live, ye shalt live also.” And in His hands are the
keys of life and of death, of death and of hell. (W. W. Duncan, M. A.)
Fear not: thou shalt not
die.--
Death impossible
There is no such thing as death. Change, transition,
promotion--anything, everything, except an end. This is the great law of
Christianity; and the word “eternity” is the logical condensation of the mighty
truth. Nature changes all the time. Nations alter and seemingly disappear. We
ourselves pass on, and up; but nobody, nothing whatever, inevitably disappears.
But, oh, how hard it is for us all to learn this comfortable and sublime
lesson!
1. The little boy or girl grows up to a man or a woman, and we say
complainingly, “We have lost our child!” No! We have not lost our child. The
child is there, with a fresh body and a matured soul. And the man or woman grows
into old age, and all previous life seems to be wiped out and lost. Oh, no! not
wiped out, not lost, but prolonged, ripened, illustrated. We have simply the
boy or girl, or man or woman, further advanced, and acting on the stage of life
with a new costume; but the same actors, after all, are behind the dress. Then
again, these dear ones vanish from our sight, and we say, “They are gone, they
are dead, they are no more: it is an irreparablee loss.” But they are not
gone--no more in the flesh, but alive with God and they are not lost, but
transplanted, glorified, crowned, and it may be right at our side after all,
although unseen by mortal eyes. No more lost than was the boy or girl who
became a man or woman, than was the man or woman in full vigour of life who
became worn out by old age. They have only taken one step more. “Mortals cry, A
man is dead: Angels cry, A child is born.” One way of looking at it, it was
death; but another way of looking at the matter, the Christian way, it was
birth. And so, ever and for ever, not destruction, but creation.
2. Nations alter and seemingly disappear; but are they really gone,
or with us in a newer, better, and holier shape? I believe that there has been
a telephonic, telegraphic, and electric influence, ever since the days of Adam
to the present hour, by which all past history is present life, and every
nation seemingly dead is living again in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America, so
that the races of to-day are but the great-grandchildren of the races of the
past, and you and I have something in our bones and blood of Egypt, Assyria,
Babylonia, Judaea, Phoenicia, India, and Persia, so that nations never really
die, but are changed, transmitted, reorganised, improved, by marriage, by
birth, by intermingling of races, by time, by the grace of God; so that, in a
certain philosophical sense, I am not only an American, but a Roman, a Grecian,
a Persian, a part of everybody and everything that ever has been, and a part,
by transmission, century after century, of everybody and everything that ever
will be; and thus there is an everlasting unity of flesh, and the unity of God
and the unity of humanity are great and mighty and twin realities. Do not
forget the prayer of Jesus--that those who were His might be one with Him, as
He was one with God.
3. Once more, nature changes all the time. Yes; but nature never
dies, Do those leaves that you tread on an October or November day perish? Are
they annihilated? Is their work done, and is our farewell to them a finality?
Oh, no! They will go into the hungry earth, and, through many changes, at last
will fall into your hands in the shape of a luscious peach, or rosy apple, or
juicy pear, or else as a violet or rosebud or japonica will bless your eyes,
cheer your heart, and somehow spiritually say, “We do not die, we have never
perished: we are blessing the world for ever and ever; and like you, O mortals,
we are immortal.”
4. What do our great writers and thinkers say about death? Beecher:
“Dying is life.” Bryant: “Death is a deliverer.” Walter Scott: “Is death the
last sleep? No, it is the last final awakening.” Dr. Adam Clarke: “Death to a
good man is but passing through a dark entry, out of one little dusky room of
his Father’s house into another that is fair and large, light-some and glorious,
and divinely entertaining.” Goethe: “In the death of a good man eternity is
seen looking through time.” But hear the Lord Jesus Christ: Matthew 9:24; John 11:25; John 14:2; Matthew 22:32; Luke 23:43. (C. D. Bradlee.)
Jehovah-shalom.--
Jehovah-shalom: the Lord our peace
The theme presented by this text is, the peace which the gospel
brings. “It is a great mercy to have the gospel of peace, but it is a far
greater mercy to have the peace of the gospel.”
I. The nature of
this peace. We call it in our form of benediction “The peace of God.” It is so
called with great propriety, because it is the peace which God has designed and
provided. It was arranged for in the far-back ages of eternity, when the
stupendous plan of our redemption in Christ Jesus was determined upon. The
peace which Jehovah-Jesus gives is not the peace of exhaustion, nor the peace
of satisfied sensualism, nor the peace of mental torpor and inaction, nor the
peace of apathy, nor the peace of death--no; but it is the peace which attends
pardon, and renewal, and consecration, and activity, and life, in its fullest
and most perfect plan. An incident in Grecian history illustrates the nature of
this peace. Thrasybulus was one of the chief men of Athens about the year 400
B.C. He came to the head of affairs after many political changes, which had
left behind them great bitterness of feeling. To prevent the existence of
heartburnings, and to secure peace among the Athenians, Thrasybulus exerted his
influence to secure the passage of a law, which they called Amnestia, from the
Greek word signifying no recollection, or no memory, and from which our word
amnesty comes. This law provided that all former wrongs should be forgotten,
and the people pledged themselves henceforward to live lovingly and peaceably
towards each other, and as if all the wrongs and offences of the past had never
taken place. Among men, with such infirmities as cling to us, it may be very
easy to make a law like this, but it must be very hard to carry it out. Yet
this is a fair illustration of the peace which the gospel brings to us. It is a
peace founded on an act of amnesty. But this act is fairly and fully carried
out.
II. The foundation
of this peace. This peace rests on the atoning work of Christ, “He made peace,”
says the apostle, “through the blood of His Cross” (Colossians 1:20). And in another place
the same apostle teaches us to connect the thought of this peace with “the
blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20). “There are depths in the
ocean,” we are told, “which no tempest ever stirs; they are beyond the reach of
all the storms which sweep and agitate the surface of the sea. And there are
heights in the blue sky above to which no cloud ever ascends, where no tempest
ever rages, where all is perpetual sunshine, and nothing exists to disturb the
deep serene. Each of these is an emblem of that peace which Jesus imparts to
His people.” “The foundation of God standeth sure,” says the apostle. But we
must have a clear knowledge of what this foundation is, and that we are
certainly built upon it, if we would have the full enjoyment of the Christian’s
peace. A young minister in Wales, having to spend a night in a very exposed
locality, slept at a
farm-house, situated on the highest point of land in that part of the country.
After he had retired to rest, the wind rose suddenly, and blew a tempest. He
thought he felt the house rock, as the tempest beat upon it in its fury, and he
feared it would fall. He could not sleep; so he rose and sat by the fire to be
ready for the
worst. But the morning dawned at last, and the house stood unharmed. When the
family assembled the minister told of his fears, and expressed his wonder that
they could sleep securely amidst the peltings of such a storm. “Why,” said he,
“I was afraid every moment the house would fall.” “Oh,” said the farmer, “I
never have a fear of the house falling--for I know that it is founded upon the
rock.”
III. The influence
exerted by this peace.
1. It is an extensive influence. It sweeps through the whole circle
of our relationships. It is
the peace of God, and peace with God. It is peace with the angels and all holy
beings. It is peace with the providence of God, and all the complicated
mechanism of its far-reaching agency. If I possess this peace, then, go where I
will, I need not fear. A traveller met an aged Christian once, who lived alone
in a cottage, on the top of a mountain, far away from any human habitation.
“Are you not afraid,” said he, “to live in this lonely place?” “What have I to
be afraid of,” was the reply, “when Providence is my next-door neighbour?” And
then the circle of this peace contracts itself to the bosom of every believer.
Its centre is here; its circumference widens out to the farthest boundaries of
the universe. If
I am at peace with God, then I may go forth in the path of duty, anywhere,
without a fear, for all the universe is at peace with me. But are there not evil men and evil
spirits who are at peace with no one? True, there are. May they not work me
ill, through the wrath that is in their hearts? They would, indeed, if they
could. But they are never, for one moment, beyond the clear knowledge and efficient control of
that Providence “whose everlasting purposes control all agencies and accidents,
converting them to good.”
2. It is a protecting influence. The apostle Paul brings out this
view of the matter very clearly when he says, “The peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ” (Philippians 4:7). The word rendered
“keep,” has a military aspect, and denotes to guard or garrison the soul. A garrison is
put into a fortress or citadel for its defence and protection, And this is what
the peace of God is designed to do for our souls. God intends that we shall
find protection in it. Somewhere in the East there is said to be a tree which
is a non-conductor of electricity. The people in that region are aware of the
fact, and when the terrible thunderstorms come, which prevail in those parts,
they flee for safety to this tree, and always find it there. What a beautiful
emblem of that protection vouchsafed to all who seek peace beneath the shadow
of the Cross!
3. And then it is a comforting influence which this peace exerts. It
is the key-note which must be struck in our bosoms before we can know anything
of the joy and comfort of the heavenly world. That quaint old writer, Quarles,
imagines the possibility of our gaining the possession of earth, and air, and
sea, and sky, yea of all things, apart from the presence or the peace of God, using the two terms as
interchangeable, and then winds up his comparison in this impressive way--
“Without
Thy presence earth gives no refection;
Without
Thy presence sea affords no treasure;
Without
Thy presence air’s a rank infection;
Without
Thy presence heaven’s itself no pleasure;
If
not possessed, if not enjoyed in Thee,
What’s
earth, or sea, or air, or heaven to me?”
To have this peace is to have our wills moving in harmony with the
Divine will; it is to have our affections subordinated and controlled by the
holy law of God; it is to have
our desires elevated--our fears of trouble and death subdued--and our hopes of
immortality strong, and bright, and abiding.
4. And then it is a peace that is useful in its influence. Jesus
called attention to this feature of its influence when He said, “Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Those who
really possess this peace will go on their way cultivating the things that make
for peace. The spirit of peace, when properly exercised in the paths of daily
life, has a power to turn evil into good, in a thousand ways more mighty than
any magician with his fabled wand has ever claimed to exercise. If this peace
is ours, let us try to show, in our lives, its elevating and satisfying power.
Let all our aims and influences be in the interests of peace. But, if we are
not Christians, there is no peace for us. No peace with our own consciences--no
peace with God--no peace with the universe. How can we remain another hour in
such a state? It is possible to make peace now: to-morrow it may be too late
for ever. (R. Newton, D. D.)
One war over and another begun
.--
I. Gideon’s sigh
for peace; for he loved not war, but pined for quiet. He called the name of the
altar “Jehovah-shalom,” which the margin reads, “The Lord send peace.” You see,
therefore, that deeper down in his spirit than any desire for warlike honour
there was a yearning after peace. He wanted not the spoils of princes; he only
desired to plough, and sow, and reap in peace.
1. And do you wonder at it, when the ills of war were all around? The
Bedouin styled the valley of Jezreel “the meadows of God”; how grievous to see
those fat pastures trodden down by the feet of the invaders! Ah, little can you
and I imagine of the horrors of war. If we saw battle with our own eyes we
should with burning fervour cry, “Send us peace in our days, good Lord.”
2. Moreover, he had not only seen war, but he sighed for peace
because he was himself feeling the mischief of it. The dread of the conflict
had come to his own mountain farm at Abi-ezer. Let us bow our heads and thank
God that He has long blessed this favoured isle with unbroken peace; and as an
act of thankfulness to God let us set our faces against the war-spirit which so
readily inflames our fellow countrymen.
3. The way of peace was sufficiently well known to Gideon; the
prophet of the Lord had indicated to the people that the only way of peace was
for Israel to return unto Jehovah, her God. Much is gained when we know this,
if our knowledge leads to practical action.
4. While Gideon was meditating and working, an angel appears to him
and gives him the assurance that with him at least God was at peace. We know
how sweet the is assurance
that being justified by faith we have peace with God. It is well with us when
we are assured that the Lord is with us, our helper, our shield, our portion
for ever and ever.
5. But there arose in his mind a grave anxiety. His was a very
careful, thoughtful soul, for he was a man of prudence, large-hearted,
far-seeing, and given to look at things coolly and steadily; and there arose in
his heart a question serious and vital, “Is this the voice of God to me, or am
I deluded? Is God at peace with me, or am I like the rest, plunged in a
horrible warfare against the living God?” Therefore he puts a question, and he
asks a sign that he might make sure of what he was about. In spiritual matters
you and I had
need be sure. If we have peace within our spirit let us make certain that it is
the peace of God; for still are there voices that cry, “Peace, peace,” where
there is no peace. Still do siren songs charm men to ruin with their dulcet
notes; still does the fatal river flow most smoothly as it approaches the dreadful
cataract.
II. From Gideon’s
longing desire to obtain peace with God and then peace for his country we turn
to look a little further into Gideon’s fear which he met with in the way of
peace. “An angel” appeared to him--so saith the text in the Authorised Version;
but in truth it was the angel of Jehovah, and this should have comforted him,
even as it has comforted us. Why was Gideon afraid?
1. Not because he was a coward--you will scarcely meet with a braver
man in all Scripture than this son of Joash--but because even brave men are
alarmed at the
supernatural. He saw something which he had never seen before--an appearance
celestial, mysterious, above what is usually seen of mortal men; therefore, as
he feared God, Gideon was afraid. When the living God draws very near to a
soul, even though it be in the person of Christ Jesus, that soul is struck with
awe, and trembles before the Lord. It cannot well be otherwise.
2. Gideon had been ill-taught by tradition. There was a rumour
abroad, which was derived from truth and yet was false, namely, that no man
could see a heavenly being and live. The tradition was an accretion to the
truth and a corruption of it. We may not see the face of God, but we may see
Jesus; in fact, we live because we see Him. Beware of the moss which grows upon
a truth.
3. Gideon was in a state of mind in which he could be easily cast
down. He was a brave man, but long affliction had cast a tinge of sadness over
him. And you, dear heart, if you are seeking after peace with God, I should not
wonder if fear follows fear, and yet no fear drives you from looking unto the
Lord. It is but natural that you should be overawed, but oh, be not despairing,
for there is the surest reason for hope. Still look to Jesus, and He will
surely in His due time send you a blessed deliverance.
4. Gideon’s greatest fear arose out of a sign which he had himself
asked for. He said, “Show me a sign,” and when he had that sign, namely, God’s
coming to him, then it was that he was afraid. Be very chary how you ask for
signs, for they may work your discouragement rather than your comfort. We cry
aloud, “Show me a token for good,” and when the token is given we are amazed at
being heard, and fall to fearing more sadly than before. Therefore pray for
such boons with bated breath, and say twice over concerning such things,
“Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”
5. Gideon had one truth before him which ought to have prevented all
his fears, for the Lord had spoken to him and said, “Go in this thy might.” How
could he die if he was to deliver Israel?--he must be a live man to do that;
and yet, you see, he forgets to reason for his own comfort, but takes care to
argue for his fears. Have I never seen you doing this? I have often caught
myself at it--refusing to use my logic for the strengthening of my faith, but
perverting reason in order to assist my unbelief. Is not this foolish and
wicked?
III. God’s comfort
of His servant.
1. “The Lord said unto him, Shalom--peace be unto thee; fear not,
thou shalt not die.” The Lord would not have His Gideons disturbed in mind. If
we are to trouble the enemy we must not be troubled ourselves. He wants His
workers to be full of comfort while they labour.
1. Notice the great power of God in speaking home the truth. Suppose
I salute you with “Brethren, peace be to you.” That would be a sweet word; but
when the Lord says it you feel the peace itself.
2. The Lord also cheered him with “Fear not.” Oh, that charming word;
as full as it is short--“Fear not.” It is the death-knell of fear, the life of
hope. If we once hear it as God’s fiat in our soul it makes us leap over a wall
or break through a troop. Doubts and fears flee away like spectres of the night
when the sun arises. Gideon feared himself, feared his own unfitness and
unworthiness, feared in the awful presence of God; but the Lord said, “Fear
not,” and Gideon’s heart grew calm.
3. Then the Lord added, “Thou shalt not die,” thus meeting the
special form of his dread. This is what the Lord says to every poor trembler
who is holding to Him by the desperate grip of faith, “Thou shalt not die. Thou
shalt not die the second death: thou hast no sin to die for, for I have laid
thy transgressions on My only begotten Son; thou shalt not die, for Jesus died.
Thy spiritual life cannot expire, for thy ‘ life is hid with Christ in God,’
and because Jesus lives thou shalt live also.”
IV. Gideon’s
memorial. His fears being banished, and being at perfect peace, Gideon now goes
to work. Are any of you questioning whether you are saved or not? Do not go out
preaching yet, for you may, perhaps, put others into bondage. Are any of you
half afraid that you are not at peace with God? Be careful what you do! Strive
after peace, lest you weaken your testimony. God would have His people be at
peace with Him, and know that they are so, for if they are fretted
within and worried in reference to their God, how can they fight the battles of
life? When Gideon is fully at peace what does he begin to do for God? If God
loves you He will use you either for suffering or service; and if He has given
you peace you must now prepare for war. Will you think me odd if I say that our
Lord came to give us peace that He might send us out to war? Gideon’s first
work was to go and cut down his father’s sacred grove, which stood on the top
of the hill, and enclosed an altar to Baal. A splendid clearance was made that
night. “Now,” cries he, “over with that detestable altar to Baal.” Some people
would have said, “Spare it as a fine piece of antiquity.” Yes, and leave it to
be used again! I say, down with it, for the older it is the more sin it has
caused, and the more likely is it that it will be venerated again. Gideon cast
down every stone, and it was bravely done. But see, by the Lord’s bidding he
piles a new altar of earth, or unhewn stone; and when that is done he fetches
his father’s bullock and slays it for a sacrifice. How steadily they went about
this re-establishment of the pure faith! If God has given you peace, go home
and begin your reform. I would preach up the overthrow of every sin. Down with
every idol. Have you one left? Over with it and present a sacrifice to God,
Every true Christian should pass a reform bill at home and carry it out. But to
pull down is not enough. Plenty of people can do that. Gideon, as we have seen,
builds an altar to Jehovah. When you are at perfect peace with God, think what
you can do for Him; think of a new plan of work, or consider how to do the old
work better; advance any part of Divine truth that has been forgotten, any
ordinance that has been neglected, any virtue that has been despised.
Especially make prominent Christ Jesus, the Altar and Sacrifice so dear to God.
When he had built his altar he called it “Jehovah-shalom,” which
was done by way of thanksgiving for peace received. It was a psalm in two
words; it was a song of one verse infinitely sweet. “Jehovah-shalom”: the Lord
our peace. Moreover, it was a prayer, as the margin puts it, “Jehovah, send
peace.” If you have peace with God, let your next prayer be, “Lord, give peace
to all Thy people.” “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Gideon’s altar
I. The first thing
is the great discovery which this man has made, and in the rapture of which he
named his altar--that the sight of God is not death, but life and peace. Can you
write upon the memorial of your experiences--“The Lord is my peace”? Have you
passed from hearsay into personal contact? Can you say, “I have heard of Thee
by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee”? Do you know the
further experience expressed in the subsequent words of the same
quotation--“Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”? And have
you passed out of that stormy ocean of terror and self-condemnation into the
quiet haven of trust in Him in whom we have peace with God, where your little
boat lies quiet, moored for ever to the Rock of Ages, to Jehovah, who is Peace?
II. We may look
upon this inscription as suggesting the thought that God’s peace is the best
preparation for, and may be experienced in the midst of, the intensest
conflict. In the inmost keep of the castle, though the storm of war may be
breaking against the walls, there will be a quiet chamber where no noise of the
archers can penetrate, and the shouts of the fight are never heard. Let us seek
to live in the secret place of the Most High; and in still communion with Him
keep our inmost souls in quiet, while we bravely front difficulties and
enemies. You are to be God’s warriors; see to it that on every battlefield
there stands the altar “Jehovah-shalom.”
III. We may say that
that altar, with its significant inscription, expressed the aim of the conflict
and the hope which sustains in the fight. The true tranquillity of the blessed
life is the prize of conflict. David, “the man of war from his youth,” prepares
the throne for Solomon, in whose reign no alarms of war are heard. If you would
enter into peace you must fight your way to it, and every step of the road must
be a battle. The land of peace is won by the good fight of faith. But Gideon’s
altar not only expressed his purpose in his taking up arms, but his confidence
of accomplishing it, based upon the assurance that the Lord would give peace.
It was a trophy erected before the fight, and built, not by arrogant
presumption or frivolous under-estimate of the enemy’s strength, but by humble
reliance on the power of that Lord who had promised His presence and assured
triumph. So the hope that named this altar was the hope that war meant victory,
and that victory would bring peace. That hope should animate every Christian
soldier. Across the dust of the conflict the fair vision of unbroken and
eternal peace should gleam before each of us, and we should renew fainting
strength and revive drooping courage by many a wistful gaze. We may realise
that hope in large measure here. But its fulfilment is reserved for the land of
peace which we enter by the last conflict with the last enemy. Every Christian
man’s gravestone is an altar on which is written “Our God is peace,” in token
that the warrior has passed into the land where violence shall no more he
heard, wasting nor destruction within its borders, but all shall be deep
repose, and the unarmed, because unattacked, peace of tranquil communion with,
and likeness to, Jehovah our peace. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Jehovah-shalom
I. Gideon’s fear.
Gideon’s fear was traditional. It was a commonly received opinion that no man
could receive a direct manifestation from heaven and live. Ever since the fall
of Adam in paradise man has ever shunned and dreaded the immediate presence of Jehovah. If the
righteous thus fear and thus tremble when the Lord revealeth Himself unto them
in love and peace, “where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear,” when He
cometh forth from His place and sweareth that He will by no means clear the
guilty?
II. Gideon’s fear
removed. There was more than a mere salutation in those words, “Peace be unto
thee.” Gideon would never have found heart to have built up his memorial altar
and called it “Jehovah-shalom” if peace itself had not entered his heart when
those words entered his ears. And what is that which now quells the
fears of the trembling sinner? What is that which assures him of peace, takes
away his alarms, and imparts to his soul holy confidence that he shall not die? This
altar, Jehovah-shalom, is an altar which many a grateful, loving heart has
built up high above all the storms and tempests of life, and all the dread
fears of death. And what has done all this? Whence the joy of saints? Whence
the peace which passeth all understanding? What is that which opens the heart
to peace and assures the soul of endless life? There is but one grand
means--there is but one grand channel. It is not far off. You need take no long
and perilous journey to obtain it. “Say not in thine heart, Who shall bring
Christ down? “ etc. But if men turn a deaf ear to this word of the gospel; if
they stand trembling or hardened in the presence of God, alike unfit to live or
to die--if they listen to the voice of gain or pleasure; if they turn a more
ready ear to the sounds of sin or temptation than they do to the words of the
Most High--is it any wonder that they are strangers to peace? What have they to
do with peace as long as they reject or neglect the word of the Prince of
Peace?
III. The altar which
Gideon built.
1. What a memorial of Gideon’s faith was it! As soon as the Lord had
spoken words of promise Gideon raised his altar, not only in remembrance of the
promise, but as an evidence that he trusted in it. The greatest act of man
towards God is faith--a reception of His Word, and a reliance upon it. All
things are possible to him that believeth.
2. This altar was, moreover, a memorial of Gideon’s hope. “Hope
maketh not ashamed!” How sweet, how precious, is the Christian’s hope. It is no
vain wish or mere fervent desire of the mind. It is a grace of the Holy Spirit,
which He alone enkindles in the heart. It is the crowning grace of all. Ah!
this would be a dreary world without hope! When earthly hope vanishes and
despair enters the heart, no mere human, no extraneous help, will raise a man
above himself. And what is the soul without hope--this faith-imparted,
faith-nourished hope? And if true believers--real Christians--God’s own
children--need more of this “hope which maketh not ashamed”--if their faith at
times fail to bring
joy and peace in believing--what are we to say, what are we to think of some
who are living “without God and without hope in the world”? I say to them, in
all heartfelt sincerity, “Blind credulity you have much, but true faith you
have none.”
3. Gideon’s altar was, lastly, a memorial of his gratitude. He could
never look upon that altar without recalling to his mind the wonders of the
past. Thus many a memorial of gratitude has been raised by pious and loving
hearts. “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me?”
was David’s grateful inquiry. Gratitude welled up in Jacob’s full heart at
Bethel when he “vowed a vow, saying, If God be with me, and will keep me in
this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that
I come again in peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone which I
have set for a pillar shall be God’s house; and of all that Thou shalt give me
I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.” “Ye are not your own,” saith the
apostle Paul, “for ye are bought with a price.” Ah! let this purchase be
valued--let this price he estimated--let imagination attempt to conceive its
infinite magnitude and endless consequences, and then ask, what memorial can be
commensurate with that deep sense of fervent love and gratitude which should
overflow the heart. (G. A. Rogers, M. A.)
Jehovah-shalom
I. We have a
far-sighted man looking to the result rather than to the means. Gideon called
his altar “ Jehovah-shalom “--the Lord send “peace.” As he was going to war we
would have supposed him to inscribe, “The Lord send victory, the Lord send
success.” But the Holy Spirit prompted him to write “peace.” There is wonderful
power in this. What are all our battles, all our struggles, but a means to an
end? That end is peace. How much wiser and how much better would it be if we
were to look at the issue!
II. We have a brave
man renouncing his own prowess. “The Lord send peace.” The very message of the
angel was calculated to make Gideon self-opinionated. He was favoured with a vision
of God. He was appointed to be the Divine vicegerent. But instead of doing what
we should expect, he renounced all pretensions to any superiority, and was only
overwhelmed by a consciousness of the honour reposed in him. True greatness and
true humility always go together. The great man is humble and the humble man is
great. It is a mark of superior minds to realise how small they are.
III. We have a pious
man engaging in war. War is a terrible scourge; one of the most fearful
developments of the passions of men. But it has been permitted by God, and even
ordered under His arrangements. What the Almighty directs man need not fear to
undertake. God works His purposes by the scourges of earth, and He employs
man’s passions as His instruments of purification. The few who are sacrificed
in war are only as a grain of sand in comparison to those who are sacrificed in
sin.
IV. We have a
lesson as to our own conduct; that is, ever to invoke the blessing of God on
that which we undertake. When we go forth to duty, or pleasure, or any
engagement whatsoever, we should rear our altar to the Lord, and pray that He
will send peace and prosperity. And the necessity for this is not taken away
because we are doing the Lord’s work, at the Lord’s bidding, and under the Lord’s
direction. To teachers, preachers, and evangelists this truth is a very serious
one. (J. J. S. Bird.)
Throw down the altar of Baal.
Baal’s altar destroyed
1. Observe God’s command to Gideon. He had been hitherto protesting
against the idolatry of his family and country by a life of opposition,
inasmuch as it was a life of humble, pious fear, and love of Jehovah, and of
the worship of Him as the true God. But now he is commanded to perform an act
of opposition. Gideon is to destroy Baal’s altar before he builds God’s; the
same altar will not do: God will have no polluted sacrifice; if there is any
connection at all between the two, it shall be only this, that the wood of
Baal’s grove shall be made fuel to burn the sacrifice on Jehovah’s altar. Now
may not this act of Gideon’s, under the Old Testament dispensation, be made to
speak the language of the New? “No man can serve two masters; ye cannot serve God
and Mammon,” any more than God and Baal. But it is a noble act, worthy of the
imitator of Gideon, to make the things which were before “an occasion of
falling“ the instruments of doing good, by putting them to a sanctified use;
making them subservient to the furtherance of the gospel, instead of fostering
“the lust of the eye and the pride of life,” as they did before. Whatever has
been the accompaniment of your idol-worship, cut it down, and apply it to a
holy purpose; make it fuel for the altar of God. But where shall Gideon build
the altar of God? Is it to stand in the place of Baal’s? No; as if this were a
contamination, the thing is forbidden: “Build an altar unto the Lord upon the
top of this rock.” The reason was obvious. That rock was the place where the
angel of the covenant had met him. That rock was the place on which the miracle
had been wrought, to show the Godhead of Him that wrought it and to confirm the
faith of him who witnessed it. That rock was the place from whence ascended the
sacrifice which the angel had made acceptable by ascending with it. That rock
had already witnessed the manifestations of God to Gideon; and there was
written, as it were, upon it, “Jehovah-shalom.”
2. Observe Gideon’s prompt obedience to God’s command. He seems to
have begun the destruction of idolatry that very night in which God had given
the command. Oh, the sad effects of procrastination in matters which respect
the overthrow of the idols of the heart and the dedication of the heart to God!
How is it that when the command of God is proclaimed to do this there is such
hesitation and delay? It is not so much from a determination not to obey it at
all as from a fallacious hope of being better able to comply with it at some
other time, which time is constantly keeping its distance in proportion as life
itself advances.
3. We notice the influence of Gideon’s character and conduct over
those who were in his service: “Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as
the Lord said unto him.” It seems that Gideon had not only kept himself from
the defilement of his country’s idolatry, but that he had used his influence
and authority in endeavouring to preserve his servants from it also; and now,
when he has to perform a work beyond his own strength--a work in which not one
man in his father’s house, nor in all Israel, can be found to help him--the
hearts of his own ten servants are made willing to unite with him, and they
give him a proof on which he can depend that his counsel and example have had a
proper effect by assisting him at the risk of their lives. Here, then, is a
point of Gideon’s character which deserves the imitation of every master of a
family. Gideon keeps his own servants from bowing the knee to Baal. He
instructs them in the knowledge of the true God. His authority is exercised for
the best of purposes.
4. Observe how professing Christians may often be put to confusion
and shame by a comparison with those very idolaters whose ignorance appears so
pitiable in their sight. Here is a god made of a log of wood or a block of
stone; it is a lifeless and senseless image: and yet his worshippers “rise up
early in the morning” to worship him. See how diligent they are in his service,
how zealous for his honour, how fervent in their devotions! Compare that god
with our God, and then compare those worshippers with ourselves.
5. Observe how the enmity of the carnal heart shows itself when any
effort is made for promoting the worship and glory of God. “The men of the city
said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down
the altar of Baal.” As long as religion remains a dead letter, a mere matter of
profession devoid of practice, the world will not cry out against it. But when
the decisive part which the Christian takes shows the difference which exists
between him and others as to motive and principle; when his life is seen to be
a constant reproach to theirs, and his love for God a contrast to their love
for mammon; when Baal’s altar is cast down, and God’s altar built; then the
carnal mind becomes a spirit of persecution; then a man’s foes become those of
his own household; and because he is not content to think or speak about
religion merely, but is active enough to do something for the cause, he is made
to suffer for it. Hence the calumny which a zealous Christian undergoes; hence
all the misconstruction put upon his good works; hence all the evil motives
charged upon him, and all the hard speeches which are spoken against him.
Lastly, observe that God can “make the wrath of man to praise Him, and
the remainder of wrath He can restrain.” It might have been supposed that
Joash, whose bullock had been slain and whose altar had been thrown down, would
have been more enraged than the rest. But, lo! he takes the part of the
accused. It seems as
if he had been secretly influenced by his son’s pious example; and perhaps he
was struggling with the convictions of his own mind upon the folly and
wickedness of his idolatry when the conduct of these men brought him at once to
the point. Gideon commits his cause to God; and God not only takes care
of the cause, but
of Gideon. And so it is, and always shall be, with the Christian who is called
forth to fight the battles of the Lord. He shall be able, in the strength of
his Master, to put to flight all who oppose his progress. (F. Elwin.)
The way to deal with public abuses
May not we all learn from what is here recorded not to shrink from
boldly and promptly assailing and seeking to uproot all moral evils, which have
already become chronic, or threaten ere long to become so. Half measures, in
regard to such matters as those to which we refer, never succeed. The more
thoroughly the iron will of a Cromwell combines with the sterling spirituality
of a John the better fitted is the reformer for his difficult and delicate
task. It will never do for one in his circumstances to act in a spirit of
compromise, where truth and principle demand the prompt, vigorous, and
unsparing application of the sledge-hammer and the axe. But if firmness and
decision are indispensable in dealing with public abuses, whether in Church or
State, they are no less indispensable in dealing with the corruption of our own
hearts and any evil habits which we may have contracted. It is peculiarly
necessary that we set ourselves resolutely and vigorously to the work of
self-reformation--a work which, while it must always take the precedence of
every other kind
of rectification, can never succeed if attempted in our own strength. Cheered
and sustained by the Divine promise, so freely and largely given to those who
are sincere in their desire to reform their own hearts and lives, let every one
apply the pruning-knife with nerve and determination to the overgrowth of what
is false in principle or vicious in practice, and lop it off without remorse (Mark 9:43-48). Another lesson to be
derived from Gideon’s conduct on this occasion is the duty of obeying the
commands of God with unquestioning promptitude. Too rash and impetuous we may
be, but we can never be too prompt. Instructive as the example of Gideon is,
still more so is that of his Master and our Exemplar who, when the bitter cup
of retribution due to us was put into His hand and He was satisfied that it was
indeed the will of His Father that He should drink it, drank it to the very
dregs. (W. W. Duncan, M. A.)
The valorous assault
I. Observe God’s
command to Gideon.
1. Gideon is commanded to destroy the altar of Baal. “God or
Baal”--not “God and Baal” was the point to be settled before any deliverance
could be expected. Now, throw New Testament light upon this, and what do we
learn? The lesson is trumpet-tongued. No compromise--no halting between two
opinions--is the language of the command. God hates a divided heart. He will not
endure two altars. He will give no deliverance as long as Baal’s altar stands.
No sacrifice, however costly, is, or can be, accepted, which is offered upon
the polluted altar of man’s corrupt heart. A new altar must be built up--an
altar of God’s workmanship--of God, and for God, that is the only altar which
will sanctify an acceptable gift. Any attempt to worship at Jehovah’s altar on
one day in seven, and to worship at the altar of Baal or Mammon on the other
six days of the week, is not only vain, but suicidal. God will have a new
heart, and a whole heart, or none.
2. The next thing Gideon was commanded to do was to cut down Baal’s
grove and make it fuel for the altar of God. Groves were not idolatrous--there
was no harm in them--but they were occasions of sin, How many had been ruined,
and ruined for ever, under the foliage of those groves! Perversion of nature’s
growth to the dishonour of nature’s God! Many would plead for the harmless
trees who would condemn both: Baal and his idolatrous worship. But God knows
the heart of the sinner better than he knows it himself; and therefore He says,
“Cut down the grove.” Cut down the occasion of sin. Touch not, taste not,
handle not that which causes men to perish with the using. Avoid the spot, shun
the places, where Satan’s seat is. Do more than this! God commanded Gideon to
“offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove.” This was turning the
idolatrous grove to a good purpose. Let there be no waste--no useless
destruction. Money, health, time, influence, example, all, once expended for
Baal, now let them all be as fuel for the altar of God.
3. The third thing God commanded Gideon to do was to build an altar
unto the Lord his God. But where was this altar to be reared? Was it to stand
on the spot whereon Baal’s altar stood? No! the place is polluted. On no
unhallowed spot must this altar be raised. Build it, said the Lord, “upon the
top of this rock, in the ordered place.” Gideon must build it upon the rock
already consecrated by the wondrous doings thereon of the angel of the
covenant. May we not say of this rock what Paul said of the smitten rock in the
wilderness, “That rock was Christ.” He is indeed both altar and rock--yea, He
is Himself the sacrifice. Standing on Him alone as our Rock, we ever hear the words,
“Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt riot die.” He only is the true
Rock--higher than we--far above the flood which sweeps the impenitent into the
depths of woe. He, too, only is the Rock on which we can with safety place the
altar of our hearts. The old foundation will not do--it is polluted--it is
defiling. No altar, no sacrifice will God accept if it be offered upon the site
of Baal’s altar. “Behold, I make all things new”--this is our hope to come.
This must be the rule of our faith and practice now.
II. And now we come
to Gideon’s obedience.
1. His obedience was prompt. He did not give himself time to take
counsel of his fears. He did it by night, lest he should be opposed and
hindered. He had no fear on account of detection. He must have known that his
deed would be proclaimed over the whole nation. His aim was to do the work out
of hand, and leave the consequences with God. Duty was his, events were God’s.
Noble example. Half the shipwrecks of faith would be escaped were it followed.
Procrastination is the bane of true godliness.
2. We observe, however, that Gideon’s obedience was attended with
personal danger. He needed courage and strong faith. Doubtless he sought for
grace equal to that night of danger whence alone all strength cometh. The
followers of Baal--the men of the city--were zealous for the worship of Baal.
If idolaters be zealous for the honour of Baal, he will be no less zealous for
the honour and glory of God. Now, it is just this zeal and this courage, in the
face of danger and difficulties, which prove the character of the true
Christian. If a man will venture nothing for Christ he is not worthy of Him.
Ah, we need a Gideon to rise up in Israel! Rather we need that all the people
of God should be as zealous for the true God, for His Word, for His day, for
His worship, as idolaters are for the worship of Baal.
3. Mark, also, that Gideon’s obedience was eminently successful and
strikingly rewarded. He was for God, and God was for him. The Lord made his way
prosperous. Gideon’s ten servants did their work well. He was not left to do
all the work himself. Doubtless they caught their master’s spirit and zeal. It
is astonishing how much influence for good or evil every master exercises over
his own household. Eyes are upon him when he leasts suspects it. But Gideon was
defended by one who of all others seemed pledged to oppose him. His father
ceased to be an idolater that very night. Perhaps the bravery of his son, or
his steady and consistent piety and zeal, convinced him of his sin, or perhaps
the impotency of Baal to save himself was conclusive logic to his mind. Who can
tell how many fathers and mothers in Israel, how many sons and daughters,
relatives and friends, would be converted and saved, were Christian men and
women as faithful to their God as was Gideon? You think to conciliate the world
by concession, by connivance at their sinful principles and customs. Alas! your
inconsistency only leads them to despise you. Be consistent, be uncompromising
in serving the Lord; be courageous--obey God rather than man, and God will
honour you, as he Has honoured many, and made them instruments in winning
father and mother, brothers and sisters, to Christ. (G. A. Rogers, M. A.)
On the destruction of idols
The idolatrous altar and false worship of one’s own, clan,
of one’s own family--these need courage to overturn, and more than courage--a
ripeness of time and a Divine call. A man must be sure of himself and his
motives, for one thing, before he takes upon him to be the correcter of errors
that have secured truth to his fathers and are maintained by his friends.
Suppose people are actually worshipping a false god--a world-power which has
long held rule among them. If one would act the part of iconoclast the question
is, by what right? Is he himself clear of illusion and idolatry? Has he a
better system to put
in place of the old? He may be acting in mere bravado and self-display;
flourishing opinions which have less sincerity than those which he assails.
There were men in Israel who had no commission and could have claimed no right
to throw down Baal’s altar, and taking upon them such a deed would have had
short shrift at the hands of the people of Ophrah. And so there are plenty
among us who, if they set up to be judges of their fellow-men and of beliefs
which they call false, even when these are false, deserve simply to be put down
with a strong hand. There are voices, professing to be those of zealous
reformers, whose every word and tone are insults. The men need to go and learn
the first lessons of truth, modesty, and earnestness. And this principle
applies all round--to many who assail modern errors as well as to many who
assail established beliefs. On the one hand are men anxious to uphold the true
faith. It is well. But anxiety and the best of motives do not qualify them to
attack science, to denounce all rationalism as godless. We want defenders of
the faith who have a Divine calling to the task in the way of long study and a
heavenly fairness of mind, so that they shall not offend and hurt religion more
by their ignorant vehemence than they help it by their zeal. On the other hand,
by what authority do they speak who sneer at the ignorance of faith and would
fain demolish the altars of the world? It is no slight equipment that is
needed. Fluent sarcasm, confident worldliness, even a large acquaintance with
the dogmas of science, wilt not suffice. A man needs to prove himself a wise
and humane thinker; he needs to know by experience and deep sympathy those
perpetual wants of our race which Christ knew and met to the uttermost. (R.
A. Watson, M. A.)
Reform at home
In Jerusalem every man sweeps before his own door--at least it is
said that he does. If he doesn’t, I doubt if any one else does it for him. Here
in London the same thing was required of us until a very recent date. If a fall
of snow came, say before January, 1892, every man was required by law to sweep
in front of his own door, and in the sweeping he was to go as far as the outer
edge of the footpath; so that what we know as a proverb in relation to
Jerusalem we have practised as a fact in relation to London. But I suppose that
most of you will at once understand that the Jerusalem door-front sweeping is
only another way of saying that all reform should begin at home; and used in
that sense the saying is expressive and suggestive. It is in this sense that I
use the text.
I. Reform at home
should be preached to nations. These are days of rapid travel and national
interchange. We visit all the world, and all the world visits us. This enables
us to see the excellences and the defects of our neighbours; and I do not think
that Englishmen have been slow to speak of the faults of others. But it may be
well for us as a people to look a little more at home. If the angel of God came
to us as he came to Gideon, I have a suspicion that he would say, “Break down the altar, turn out
the idols, heal your own diseases, sweep before your own door, and reform your
own abuses and inconsistencies.” We send our missionaries to convert the
heathen from their darkness and superstitions, and it is good that we should.
We send our missionaries to convert the heathen, but what else do we send them? We
send them our ardent spirits, our rum fiend, which undoes the good work the men
of God succeed in doing. I feel like saying, “Before you send any more
missionaries, sweep your own door-step, clean your own house.” We have sent our
ships into many waters, and our soldiers into many lands, to put down slavery;
we have spent much in blood and treasure in this direction; but if the angel
came to us as he did to Gideon, wouldn’t he rebuke us for the slavery in our
midst? If a tenth part of what we hear about the sweater be true, of poor women making
clothes for the army, and I know not what beside, at a price on which they cannot
live, isn’t it time we swept in front of our own door?
II. Reform at home
should be preached to Churches. We want revivals among the people which shall
save them. Then the Church must be revived. We desire to lead the masses to
Christ, that they may feel the warm glow of His love, and know the joy of His
service. Then the Church must get nearer Christ. We must put out of the Church
everything contrary to the spirit of Him whose name it bears. The Churches must
be warm, generous, and large hearted, and this should apply both to pulpit and
pew. The pulpit is not always as
broad and sympathetic as might be. And there is a good deal of
room for reform in the pew. Cold men in the pews create cold men in the pulpit.
Let there be warmth and love in the pews, and the pulpit will warm up. But if
icebergs be in
the pews you will get marble in the pulpit, and seeking souls will be warned
off by the chills which will be as cutting as the east wind.
III. Reform at home
should be preached to individuals. All reform should begin at self. We can only
mend the universe as we mend its units. We want the nation better, then we must
mend its men. We desire to see the Church of God pure and holy, then its
members must be holy. Let us break down every altar, and eject every idol, and
let the Lord of life, who has a right to rule ours, enter into possession of
us. (C. Leach, D. D.)
Gideon’s reformation not destructive only
Gideon does not leave Ophrah without an altar and a sacrifice.
Destroy one system without laying the foundation of another that shall more
than equal it in essential truth and practical power, and what sort of
deliverance have you effected? Men will rightly execrate you. It is no
reformation that leaves the heart colder, the life barer and darker than
before, and those who move in the night against superstition must be able to
speak in the day of a living God who will vindicate His servants. It has been
said over and over again, and must yet be repeated, to overturn merely is no
service. They that break down need some vision at least of a building up, and
it is the new edifice that is the chief thing. The world of thought to-day is
infested with critics and destroyers, and may well be tired of them. It is too much in
need of constructors to have any thanks to spare for Voltaires and Humes. Let
us admit that demolition is the necessity of some hours. We look back on the
ruins of Bastilles and temples that served the uses of tyranny, and even in the
domain of faith there have been fortresses to throw down, and ramparts that
made evil separations among men. But destruction is not progress; and if the
end of modern thought is to be agnosticism, the denial of all faith and all
ideals, then we are simply on the way to something not a whit better than
primeval ignorance. (R. A. Watson, M. A.)
Daring to oppose wrong
I have seen many a time on the sea-shore bits of driftwood
tossed hither and thither, the helpless sport of the waves. I have seen on the
same shore the black rock standing there unmoved, unshaken--opposing itself to
all the might and force
of the waves which fumed and seethed around it and dashed themselves in wild
and savage fury against it. To be real men we must be not like the
driftwood--driven about by every passing wave of opinion; we must be like the
rock--able to resist and oppose the full force of the world’s fashion and
custom. This will not be easy. The world has never loved singularity. Loyalty
to conviction, courage to say “No” to the demands made by fashion and custom,
will entail upon you scorn, hardship, hate. The way of life is still the narrow
path. But I have yet to learn that difficulties can daunt the young and ardent
soul. Garibaldi could only promise his ragged soldiers suffering, wounds, and
perhaps death if they followed him into Italy, and yet they responded to his
call, and said, “General, we are the men.” And I am not afraid now that those
who have any love or enthusiasm for truth and right will be daunted or
terrified because of the suffering wherewith the path of duty abounds. (J.
D. Jones.)
If he be a god, let him
plead for himself.
Religion judged by results
When we hear a speech like that, we are inclined to shout, “Hear,
hear.” Surely it seems reasonable. Surely no one could object to that. Let
religion be judged by its results. Do not attempt to argue to defend it; it
surely does not need that. Christianity has had eighteen hundred years of trial
now, and it is too late to attempt to defend it by mere words. Look at what it
has done. If you know your Bibles, you will recollect that both Old and New
Testaments claim this test. When Elijah stood alone for God at Carmel, in the
presence of the king and the court and the false prophets, he challenged them
all to a judgment by results. “The God that answereth by fire, let him be the
God.” And when the people refused to believe in our Saviour, rejected His
teaching, and would not acknowledge Him as their Saviour, He appealed to them
on the ground of results: “Though ye believe not Me, believe the works,” said
Christ (John 10:38); “Believe Me for the very
works’ sake,” said He again (John 14:11). If, then, we say, “Judge our
religion by its works, the tree by its fruits,” you ask, “Well, what has it
done?” And when this question is put, whole continents stand up to bear witness
to the power and saving might of Jesus Christ. Whole peoples, who have come out
of paganism and heathen darkness, say, “Look at us. We are what we are by
Christ Jesus the Lord.” What has Christianity done? It has filled dark places
of the earth with light. It has sent help to the poor, hope to the despairing,
comfort to the sad,
salvation to the sinful, and restored fallen man to his reconciled God. But let us suppose for a
moment that we listen to those who would take Christ and His religion out of the world. We ask them,
“What will you put in place of these? What have you to offer us? Before I give
up the old I want to see the new. Bring out your god, let us have a look at
him. It will be interesting to see what he is like. We should like to know what
he has done. We want to apply our test of results to him. We challenge you on
this ground.” A meeting was once held at which number of very clever people set
themselves the task of opposing Christianity and slighting God. When the
speaking was over, criticism and questions were asked for. After a short pause
an old woman rose up on the floor of the meeting-place and said, “These men
have been opposing religion and almost laughing at God. I want to ask what they
can give me instead of what I have? I was left a widow with six children, not
one of whom could work. I rested upon the promise of God, who says He is a
husband to the widow and a father to the fatherless, and I have found His word
to be true. For, though I have had a hard struggle, not one of my six children
or myself ever wanted a bit of bread. I have brought them all up, and now I am
just waiting till God thinks fit to take me home to rest. Will these men up
there tell me what could have done better for me than my loving God has done?”
It was an old woman’s argument, but as it was one of experience it was
powerful. I put her question, “What has infidelity done?” Until we can see
something of its results we shall not be disposed to part with the religion
which has lifted us into the higher regions of life and hope. We know too much
of the blessings which result from Christianity ever to be persuaded to give it
up. We have seen it reconstruct, remake men. It is said that now science has
invented a way of dealing with the waste slag which comes from the iron
furnaces which used to be thrown away in heaps as worthless. I have seen
somewhere various useful articles, vases and others, made from the slag--waste,
worthless materials worked up into articles of use and beauty. That is just
what Christ does. He takes men who are cast off by the world as worthless and
waste, and remakes them. (C. Leach, D. D.)
The Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east.
The victory over the Midianites
The mind of man is by nature like two hostile camps. In the higher
region are principles of innocence, hope, love, justice, trust, kindness,
purity, and tenderness--those angels of the soul--“For of such is the kingdom
of heaven.” In the lower regions of the soul are selfishness, pride, vanity,
contempt for others, injustice, faithlessness, harshness, impurity, and
violence, and of such is the kingdom of hell. There can be no peace between
these two (Isaiah 57:20-21). Life is a state of
conflict, both for the virtuous and the evil. The virtuous, however, strive on
the side of heaven, and they are assisted by heavenly powers, and by the
Saviour Himself. They have often cessations of warfare, seasons of blessing,
and their end is peace. The wicked struggle against their better part; they
oppose their inner convictions; they stifle the voice of conscience; they
smother their nobler impulses; they harden themselves against God and goodness.
It is in reflecting light upon these mental struggles, and affording guidance
to the earnest Christian, that the history of the wars of the Israelites is of
inestimable value. Let us trace and apply the lesson in the narrative before
us. The Israelites had been much infested by three nations in their immediate
neighbourhood, the Amalekites, the Midianites, and a people called the children
of the east. They oppressed them with a cruel hand: they destroyed even the
means of subsistence. These people--at least the Amalekites and the
Midianites--were descendants from Abraham indirectly, and inhabited the borders
of Canaan on the south, south-east, and east. They were at the land, but not in
the land. Hence they correspond to the principles of those who border on the
Church, but are not in it. They know and believe what the gospel teaches in a
certain fashion, but do not love and do it. They are opposed to, and hasten to
destroy, a growing and progressive religion. They assailed Israel most cruelly
on their march, and came, as recorded in the narrative before us, to destroy the rising
corn. They were all at this time deadly enemies of Israel. The Amalekites were
the most malignant. It is recorded of them that they insidiously hung around
the Israelites on their march, and when any remained behind from weakness or
weariness they were put to death by these lurking and harassing foes (Deuteronomy 25:17-18). Amalek was the
most powerful foe of Israel during the pilgrimage in the wilderness, as well as
the most malignant (Numbers 24:20). Amalek has an awful
peculiarity of notice from Jehovah (Exodus 17:14-16). From all this it is not
difficult to draw the inference that Amalek must be the representative of some
peculiarly deadly principle, some malignant strong delusion, to which the Spirit of the Lord is
incessantly opposed. There are times in our journey of life when we feel weary
and toilworn; when we are tired of our struggles against our evils and our
difficulties, and become almost hopeless. Life seems hollow and a blank. We are
weary with the world and with ourselves. Perhaps high hopes have been blighted.
At such times the deadly fallacy will break in upon us, “Give up; throw all
good aside; strive no longer. Do as other people do; get as much sinful
pleasure and sinful gain as you can, and take your chance with the millions who
are reckless.” This is Amalek. Many a poor weak soul, battered and downcast in
the struggle of life, has sunk under this direful despairing suggestion. Oh!
that men would learn to remember that this principle of despairing delusion is
abhorrent to the Divine love. “Jehovah has war with Amalek, from generation to
generation.” “Never despair,” should be the motto of life. The Midianites were not
always enemies of Israel. They were traders and intermediate between Egypt and
Canaan. Midianites drew Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites,
thus saving his life. That they were representatives is evident from their
being mentioned in the prophetical part of the Scriptures as taking part in
operations of the future Church, in times when Midian, as a distinct nation or tribe, would long have
ceased to be (Isaiah 60:6). On the other hand, in that
sublime and mysterious vision of the prophet Habakkuk the prophet says (Habakkuk 3:7-8). Midian, then, sometimes
the friend and sometimes the foe of the Church; sometimes assisting the praises
of the Lord, and sometimes covering the soul with curtains which tremble before
the judgment and presence of the Lord, is the type of that kind of general
belief in the doctrines of religion which may lead to something better, but in
which great numbers often rest, so as to make a profession of a kind of faith
which is not saving, because neither grounded in love, nor flowing into practice.
The children of the east, the coadjutors of the two former, represent all such
portions of the Scriptures as can be pressed into the service of an inward
aversion to God and goodness, but combined with an outward profession of piety
and regard for holiness. (J. Bailey, Ph. D.)
Verse 34-35
He blew a trumpet, and Abi-ezer was gathered after him.
The muster
And what did he do? He seized a trumpet and blew a blast so loud
that it startled the slumbering echoes of the hills, and stirred to the lowest
depths the latent patriotism of the inhabitants of Abi-ezer. The martial notes
of that shrill clarion as they pierced their ears operated like a charm on
their minds, suffering as they were under the intolerable burden of suspense,
not knowing how soon the enemy might be upon them, and might find them
unprepared. Now their hearts beat strong with a new hope. Behold how suddenly
and effectually the popular mind may undergo a thorough revolution! Where now
were all their prejudices and fury and spite against Gideon? Before the
startling peals of that trumpet blast they had vanished like a dream. Striking
illustration of the expulsive power of a new affection or emotion of the mind!
Yet a more striking illustration still of the truth to which we have already
referred, namely, that God can make the very enemies of a godly man to be at
peace with him, and even only too glad to come under his wing. See how they
crowd around the man whom but yesterday they would have torn to pieces in
expiation of his offence. Behold how readily they obey his summons, and how
confidingly they look to him as the hero of the hour! So sure is real worth to
rise to a premium in general esteem, when circumstances occur which call for
more than ordinary wisdom, integrity, decision, fortitude, and nerve in the
conduct of affairs. At such a time those who have contrived to suit themselves
to the popular fancy during a season of ease and luxury are sure to be cast
off, and men of sterner mould, men of high moral principle and integrity, men
whose hearts are animated by the spirit of a hero, how ungainly soever the exterior beneath which
they beat--men such as Havelock and Lawrence--are as sure to be in great
demand, neglected though till then they may have been, and perhaps sneered at
and despised by inferior souls. And in how many cases in the history of nations
have such men as these--the Ezras, the Nehemiahs, the Jeroboams, the Gideons of
our race--proved the right men in the right place, when elevated by a
discerning country to that rank and authority and influence for which they were
fitted above all others in virtue of their sterling worth. This is a lesson of
too great importance to be lightly urged. How strikingly does the experience of
Gideon, at this stage of his story, prove that no man who is conscious of being
endowed with superior natural talents in combination with high moral principle
should allow himself to be discouraged even though for a season he may fail to
be duly appreciated by his fellow-men. Let him “bide his time.” Even in the
piping times of peace, when there are no symptoms of coming convulsion, it is
deemed the part of prudence to keep our arsenals well stored with the munitions
of war, and standing army is maintained in continual readiness for whatever may
occur. For who can tell how soon or how suddenly wild war’s deadly blast may be
blown, and its blood-hounds be let loose. And so it ought ever to be with body,
soul, and spirit--the whole man. Reason, religion, experience, and
common-sense, all combine to indicate that it is at once the duty and the
interest of every one (leaving the future in the hands of God) to go straight
forward in the improvement of all his talents and opportunities, and in the
pursuit and practice of what is right, heedless of what men may say or do,
satisfied that in due time God will secure for him the very place which it is
fittest and best that he should occupy, in spite of all the opposition of earth
or hell. (W. W. Duncan, M. A.)
The muster
What a strange, unwonted appearance must the market-place
of Ophrah have presented at this juncture. The inhabitants had found something
else to occupy them now than the martyrdom of Gideon. Rather than have injured
a hair of his head, there was not one perhaps who would not have “plucked out
his eyes, and given them unto him,” had the sacrifice been demanded, such and
so general was the enthusiasm for him which now prevailed. As for ordinary
business, it was in a great measure suspended, the grand business now in hand
being to prepare for war. The sounds with which the ear must have been most
familiar at that time were the ring of the anvil, the hiss of the grindstone,
the shrill notes of the bugle and the clash of arms. And ever as a new arrival
from distant parts took place, and ever as the colours of the different tribes
that had received a summons were recognised, how would the air be rent with
joyful acclamations. Here might be seen a band of stalwart shepherds and
woodcutters from Lebanon, there a crew of sailors from the coasts of Asher.
Yonder, streaming over the hills, eager to join their brethren, are a long line
of fishermen from Zebulon and Naphtali, who have left their nets and boats on
the shores of the sea of Galilee, accompanied by many of their own tribes of
various grades and of various professions. All seem to be animated by one
spirit--a spirit of patriotism, a desire to rid their beloved country at once
and for ever of that hateful yoke under which for seven long years they had
groaned, and thus to be restored once more to their ancestral liberties and
rights. (W. W. Duncan, M. A.)
I will put a fleece of wool in the floor.
Gideon’s request
1. Impossible though it may be to acquit Gideon of unreasonableness,
in demanding farther proofs of the certainty wherewith he might rely on the
presence and blessing of the Lord on his perilous undertaking, we cannot deny
that he displayed at the same time a becoming and praiseworthy concern lest he
should be deserted of Him.
2. Again, in the kind and condescending manner in which it pleased
the Lord to accommodate Himself to Gideon’s infirmity, and to allow him to put
Him to the proof, may we not recognise a pleasing evidence that such concern as
that to which we have referred--such solicitude and nervous apprehension lest
there be some mistake on his part--is far from being displeasing to Him. Oh,
what a tender, sympathising, long-suffering, easy-to-be-entreated High Priest
is He with whom we have to do! Instead of upbraiding Gideon with his unbelief
in spite of all that had passed, He bears with him (oh, with what marvellous
condescension, and slowness of wrath!) and at once yields His assent to the
proposal. Well says good Bishop Hall, in his meditations on this passage: “What
tasks is God content to be set by our infirmity!”
3. From this incident in the life of Gideon we may also learn this
lesson: that every believer needs fresh supplies of grace and strength for
every new turn in the affairs of his soul, and for every new phase in the
spiritual conflict. Whoever thinks of finding fault with a man, on the ground
of a defect in faith, because he goes so often to the throne of grace, or
because he comes “boldly to obtain mercy to pardon, and grace to help”? Nay,
rather would he not justly expose himself to the charge of ignorance and
presumption, if, on the pretext or plea that he has already received the promise,
“as thy days, so shall thy strength be,” he should go forth to do battle with
his spiritual adversaries without repairing afresh to the fountain of all
spiritual blessing, and asking as Gideon asked? (W. W. Duncan, M. A.)
The miracle of the dew and the fleece
The state of Gideon’s mind, if we may judge from these words,
seems to have been that of the man who cried, “Lord I believe; help Thou mine
unbelief.” He had already experienced the power of God to be on his side, by
the touching of the rock and the consuming of the sacrifice. He had been
already assured of the favour of God towards him, by the declaration of the
angel--“The Lord is with thee.” Yet he seeks further assurance. We must, not,
however, too hastily condemn Gideon in this matter. The assurances which he had
before received had given him strength equal to his day. In that strength he
had already thrown down the altar of Baal, and cut down the grove that was by
it, and this at the risk of his life. But here he is called to new duties; we
cannot, therefore, wonder at his seeking new assurances. So fights the soldier
of the Cross “the good fight of faith,” against the world, the flesh, and the devil,
under the banner of the Captain of his salvation. The world wonders to see him
so continually going to his God in prayer, for fresh tokens of His favour; but
they do not know as he does the necessity for such renewed applications. Many a
shameful defeat would be spared Israel if they were more careful to assure
themselves of God’s presence and blessing in what they undertake, even if they
sought again and again for the tokens. It would prevent many mistakes, for instance, with regard
to what are termed providences. How apt are we to interpret them in such a
manner as to suit the secret inclinations of our own minds! The Christian
finds, frequently, that “a deceived heart hath turned him aside” in this
matter. “Such a circumstance,” he says, “is certainly an opening in
providence”; when, if the truth were known, it is an opening which he has
himself made to gratify his wishes, and not an opening made by God in the
course of His providence. “Let me prove, I pray thee, yet once more with the
fleece.” In pursuing our subject
we may notice--
1. The condescension of God in the performance of this twofold miracle.
Gideon’s doubts and fears prevail, and he goes to God for courage and
confirmation, and he obtains them. He asks still further, and he still obtains.
What doctrine does it teach? It tells us that “The Lord is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger and of great goodness.” “The bruised reed He will not
break, and the smoking flax He will
not quench.“
2. Some spiritual uses to which this miracle maybe applied.
Dewy and dry fleeces
I. The
circumstance recorded is highly honourable to the character of Gideon. It shows
that there was in him that caution and waiting, for the want of which how many
a man has mistaken his mission, and instead of doing the work of the Lord, has
made a wreck both of himself and his own work! “If Thou wilt save Israel by my
hand.” A full consciousness that Israel needs saving; but an indisposition to
feel that such an honour could be conferred on him; such is a good index to the
character of a man--a disposition to test ourselves. Am I fit? Am I capable?
Can God use me? Am I he whom God will choose to do this work? Yes, I think we
do well to apply tests to ourselves and to our position; to our religious life,
and to our relation to God by our religious life. Do you not believe that there
is an influence that covers a man with blessings? Do you not believe that there
is a conduct which attracts to itself blessing? Hence the image is constantly
occurring in Scripture between moisture and drought (Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalms 1:3). “He shall be like a tree.”
There is the test--a tree, moistened by unseen springs, whose leaves are green
even in the parched land and not inhabited. See David in the court of Saul. A
dewy fleece in the midst of a land of drought. See Daniel at the courts of
Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. While all the uproar goes on, there the
blasphemy, and the tokens of a coming doom; Daniel and his companions are in
waiting on the Lord; without wine they are brave; their spirits are fresh, and
they are ready for the service of God--a dewy fleece in a dry place. Who are
the happy? I do not ask who are the successful, because I find often the happy
are the unsuccessful. Setting all the world’s calculations on one side,
“Behold,” says James, “we call them happy which endure.” Whence, then, is the
spring supplied which will never dry? The calm, the contented, and the hallowed
blessedness of the holy heart. How often we find wealth is a dry fleece, while
poverty is a dewy one! True, there is nothing in wealth to curse especially,
but then there is nothing in wealth to bless especially; because of wealth, it
is not that the dew refuses to fall, but the dew will not fall because wealth
is there--only proving that wealth needs something more before it can be
regarded as really a blessing; and poverty must be forgotten of God, and cut
off from the dew before that state can be regarded as a curse.
II. Thus, then, we
justify the Gideon test. Upon the heart and the home the dew will fall and
remain. Thou askest, “Am I a child of God?” You shall know by the dew. “Have I
religion?” You shall know by the dew. Walk forth in the morning--the sweet
morning, when the bright drops sparkle on the hedgerows, and behold the
twinkling thorn, the rose, the tree, the floor of grass, such shall be your
words, and such your mind, your action--the dew shall be on your fleece!
III. I shall attempt
to illustrate this a little further. For I say the world will insist on applying
its test to us; the world will watch for the dew on our fleece. When I was a
boy it was my privilege to know a very holy man. He had been in the beginning
of things a poor man; but how sacredly, how steadily, he served God! He worked
in a shop where proverbially all were Sabbath-breakers. He would not break the
Sabbath. The master could do as he liked with all his men--it was a kind of
old-world tyranny. He would not break the Sabbath. He led a sweet, sacred, holy
life. His master was a swearer in the midst of a gang of unholy men. His
conversation became the gospel of Christ. By a steady course he was able to
provide for his widowed mother; he was able to provide for his sister. And he
died, but his work lasted; the dew has not all evaporated yet; the shop is in
ruins; his master was long since a bankrupt, and his whole family is in
ruins too. The name of the one man is fragrant, all else is gone--it was a dewy
fleece in a land of drought. Thus gratitude in the heart, thus holiness in the
life, are dew. You shall know them by the dew upon the fleece. (E. Paxton
Hood.)
Nature’s laws
Gideon owned the sovereignty and the power of God. So must we. In
the matter of salvation we deal with Omnipotence. The God of grace is the
Sovereign Ruler of the universe, Gideon believed in the omnipotence of God. He
rested upon His promises. But he wanted a confirmation of his faith in these
promises. He seemed to cast his eyes to heaven, and say in language which has
often found response in the hearts of tried believers, “Shew me a token for
good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed; because Thou, Lord,
hast holpen me, and comforted me.” Or, like one struggling to master his doubts
and fears, on finding that he could not overcome the natural infidelity of his depraved
heart, he turned to the stronghold whence alone help could come, and prayed,
“Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief.” The Lord did help his unbelief, by
granting him the twofold miracle for which he prayed. It was a fine instance of
childlike confidence in this “mighty man of valour” that as soon as his faith
began to waver he at once told the Lord. Half of our difficulties in the
Christian course would be got over, and got over quickly too, if we would but
unbosom our souls to the Lord, and tell Him our difficulties as soon as they
arise. Now, the token vouchsafed to Gideon was peculiar in its nature. He was
led, doubtless acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to ask of God a
sign, and to choose a sign himself. In infinite condescension, God was pleased
to accede to his petition. He suspended the ordinary laws of nature, and
whether the fleece of wool was to be wet or dry, according to the prayer of
this man of God, we are told, “God did so that night.” The grand doctrine to be
deduced from this narrative is, that in confirmation of His promises, and in
appearing on behalf of His people, the Lord suspended the ordinary laws of
nature.
I. Observe, first,
that it was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who thus answered
Gideon’s prayer. God, to whom Gideon prayed in Judges 6:36, is the same who “looked upon
him,” and spake to him in verse14. He was the angel of the covenant, who said,
“Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the
Midianites: have not I sent thee?” Gideon prayed to this same Lord, that He
would grant him a sign that He would save Israel by his hand, “As He had said.”
The answer to Gideon’s prayer--the twofold miracle which was wrought--proved
the proper Deity of Christ. It proved that the government of all things was
indeed upon His shoulder.
II. now, it is over
the laws of nature that Christ reigneth, for the good of His Church in all
ages. We know not how little, nor how much, other worlds are affected by the
redemption of Christ’s people in this world. It may be that inhabitants of
other spheres and of other systems are learning the wisdom and the goodness and
the love of God in the book of man’s salvation. Angels study it, the highest
orders of intelligence make it their theme of praise, and why not beings in
untold worlds which fill up the immensity of space? But be this as it may, all
the laws of the universe are under the rule of the Lord Jesus for the good of
His people. There is no law but the will of God. To deify law is to undeify
God. So to enthrone nature as to make her reign is to dethrone Jehovah, who
alone does reign “God over all, blessed for evermore.” Time would fail us to
dwell upon the many instances of the suspension of the laws of nature recorded
in the Word of God. We will adduce but a few remarkable examples.
1. Observe the suspension of the laws of physical nature for the good
of the people of God. Although heaven and earth should seem to oppose the fulfilment
of His Word, although physical impossibilities may raise up a barrier the top
of which no eye of sense can scale, yet the eye of faith soars above all
nature, up to nature’s God, and rests calmly and peaceably upon His enthroned
promise (Isaiah 43:2).
2. We might go on and educe instances of the like suspension of the
laws of animal nature, in carrying out the purposes of Jehovah on behalf of His
people. Birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the earth,
have all obeyed other influences than the laws of their nature, in doing the
will of their Creator. The instinct which they possess, is just that law which
God sustains in them. Unclean and carnivorous birds forget their own natures,
and spread their wings, and, as angels of mercy, visit the prophet in the
wilderness, and daily spread his table. The fish devours not Jonah, but, at the
word of the Lord, safely lands him on dry ground. The lions, too, become the harmless
and the friendly companions of Daniel, and not a hair of his head is injured in
their den.
1. Gideon’s need of a confirmation of his faith. The only question
with this mighty man of valour was, “Is the Lord indeed with me? Is He on my
side? Can I possibly have made any mistake? I do not doubt the Lord’s power. If
He will, He can save Israel by
my hand. But am I certain that I have not put too favourable an interpretation
upon His promises? I will ask a sign of the Lord.” He did so, and you know with what
result. Are you as anxious as was Gideon to learn the Lord’s will, and to insure
His blessing in your undertakings? Do you make your daily callings a matter of
prayer? Do you pause in your worldly business, and inquire with deep anxiety, “Is the Lord with
me?”
2. You see the nature of that proof which the Lord gave to Gideon
that His promises were sure: the dew was given and withheld according to the
sign proposed. We may regard the dew as a striking and beautiful emblem of the Holy
Spirit. (G. A. Rogers, M. A.)
Gideon’s signs
Like other Israelites, he is strongly persuaded that God appears
and speaks to men through nature; and he craves a sign in the natural world
which is of God’s making and upholding. Now, to us the sign Gideon asked may
appear rude, uncouth, and without any moral significance. A fleece which is to
be wet one morning while the threshing-floor is dry, and dry next morning while
the threshing-floor is wet, supplies the means of testing the Divine presence
and approval. Further, it may be alleged that the phenonema admit of natural
explanation. But this is the meaning: Gideon providing the fleece, indentifies
himself with it. It is his fleece, and if God’s dew drenches it, that will
imply that God’s power shall enter Gideon’s soul and abide in it, even though
Israel be dry as the dusty floor. The thought is at once simple and profound,
childlike and Hebrew-like, and carefully we must observe that it is a
nature-sign, not a mere portent, Gideon looks for. It is not whether God can do
a certain seemingly impossible thing. That would not help Gideon. But the dew
represents to his mind the vigour he needs, the vigour Israel needs if he
should fail; and in reversing the sign, “Let the dew be on the ground and the
fleece be dry,” he seems to provide a hope even in prospect of his own failure
or death. Gideon’s appeal is for a revelation of the Divine in the same sphere
as the lightning, storm and rain, in which Deborah found a triumphant proof of
Jehovah’s presence; yet there is a notable contrast. We are reminded of the
“still small voice” Elijah heard as he stood in the cave-mouth after the
rending wind and the earthquake and the lightning. We remember also the image
of Hosea, “I will be as the dew unto Israel.” There is a question in the Book of
Job--“Hath the rain a father, or who hath begotten the drops of dew?” The faith
of Gideon makes answer, “Thou, O Most High, dost give the dews of heaven.” The
silent distillation of the dew is profoundly symbolic of the spiritual
economy and those energies that are “not of this noisy world, but silent and
Divine.” (R. A. Watson, M. A.)
The dew and the fleece
1. Just before the occurrence of the facts narrated in this passage
Gideon had received his call from God. Former judges, Othniel, Ehud, and Barak,
had been moved by the Spirit of God to their work of delivering Israel from the
oppressor. But to Gideon alone a theophany was vouchsafed in order to intimate
that the God, who had visibly manifested Himself to the patriarchs, was the
same Jehovah ready to save their descendants if only they would penitently
return to the covenant.
2. God permitted His people to be brought so low in order that
affliction might drive them to prayer, and that thus their extremity might
become His opportunity. Such was the result in the gracious ways of His
providence.
3. Next, God called Gideon by two revelations. The first, by a
visible manifestation of the angel of Jehovah. Next, in a dream of the night,
Jehovah commanded him to throw down his father’s altar to Baal.
4. As in the first manifestation Jehovah acknowledged Gideon, so in
this second one He required Gideon to acknowledge Jehovah. Gideon accordingly,
with ten men of his servants, overthrew Baal’s altar, and cut down the Asherah
pillar by it in the night; for he durst not do it by day through fear of his
father’s household and the men of the city. But God does not reject the first
sincere efforts of His children to do His will, though attended with timidity (John 3:2; John 19:38). Gideon did not by secrecy
effect his purpose of escaping detection.
5. Then followed the gathering together of the enemy to the plain of
Jezreel: And the Spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon as with a coat of mail. At
his trumpet-call his own clan, recognising the champion and deliverer of Israel
in him who, as an iconoclast, braved Baal’s revenge with impunity, was the
first to rally around him. The neighbouring tribes, Manasseh, Zebulun, and
Naphtali, next obeyed his summons by heralds. But still there were renmants of
doubt and fear in Gideon, though he was very different in respect to faith from
what be was when the Angel of Jehovah first appeared to him.
6. But before setting out on his perilous enterprise with the
assembled army, Gideon desired a further sign from God to assure him of
success. His prayer for a sign did not betoken want of faith, but weakness of
faith. The flesh strove against the willing spirit, and so created misgivings
and fears. The sign which Gideon asked, and which the Lord vouchsafed, was one especially
significant. The dew was in the Holy Land a leading source of fertility (Genesis 27:28; Deuteronomy 33:13). Thus dew naturally
became the image of spiritual influences. The type may be viewed in a threefold
relation.
I. the dew in
relation to Gideon’s enterprise. To Gideon in his fears the filling of the
fleece with dew from heaven whilst the earth around was dry, intimated that,
whereas Israel was heretofore, through apostasy, as dry spiritually as the
heathen around (comp. the “dry places,” Matthew 12:43), Jehovah was now about to
fill Gideon and His nation with His reviving grace. The reversing of the sign
at Gideon’s request, and the dryness of the fleece whilst the dew rested on the
earth around, assured him that Jehovah could, and would, manifest His power
even amidst the weakness and helplessness of His people in the face of the
nations which were flourishing all around. The army was reduced to three
hundred. The poor and weak one should overturn the rich and mighty.
II. The dew in
relation to Israel past, present, and future. The type has a deeply interesting
relation to Israel, the elect nation.
1. First, in the past, the fleece filled with dew whilst the ground
around was utterly dry, answers to Israel filled with heavenly blessings from
the Lord, whilst the Gentile world was a moral wilderness, dry and unwatered by
the dews of His grace. It was not because of Israel’s merits, but because of
God’s gratuitous choice, that the nation was singled out to be the Paradise of
Jehovah cut off from the spiritual waste: just as the dew is not of man’s
procuring, but of God’s bestowing. Had Abraham, the forefather of the nation,
been left to himself he would have continued an idolater like all his
neighbhours in Ur of the Chaldees, a city dedicated to moon-worship (Joshua 24:2-3). There was much
imperfection in him, and Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob’s sons, excepting Joseph and
perhaps Benjamin, were far worse. Yet God remembered His own covenant of grace,
and preserved Israel in Egypt as a separate people unto Himself in the land of
Goshen, like a fleece full of heavenly dew in the midst of a dry and parched
land.
2. The dew representing the present state of Israel. The fleece
remaining dry, whilst all the ground around was saturated with the refreshing
dew, represents Israel in a state forming a sad contrast to the former image
and what it represents. Israel has now for ages been spiritually dry, without
any of the dews of heavenly blessing which descends from Jehovah, the God of
the covenant. And what makes her case the sadder is, she is singular in her
state. For the gospel of the grace of God in Christ Jesus is making many a
spiritual desert throughout the Gentile world to become a garden of the Lord,
blooming with the life-giving dews of the Spirit poured down from on high.
3. The dew representing the future of Israel. The relation of the
type to the future of Israel. As the fleece was full of dew at first, and all
the earth dry: and next, the fleece was dry, and all the earth wet; so the
blessed time is coming when the fleece shall be again full of dew, and all the
earth, through its instrumentality, shall be filled with the dew of the Lord (Micah 5:7; Jeremiah 3:17; Psalms 72:6; Psalms 72:8).
III. The dew in
relation to the Church of Christ and its professing members. Lastly, the type
has a profitable lesson to teach us in its relation to the Christian Church and
its professing members.
1. The fleece represents not only Israel, but Israel’s Antitype,
Jesus; and secondarily, His people who are one with Him. Originally He had from
everlasting the fulness of the Godhead (Colossians 1:19). The fleece was full,
but the ground around had no dew from heaven. Then at His crucifixion the
Church might say, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost” (Ezekiel 37:11); just as the fleece was dried whilst the
earth around was saturated with dew. But at His resurrection not only did He
live again, but becomes the Lord of life to us. Meantime the effect of Christ’s presence as a
dew in the soul is “He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth His roots as Lebanon (Hosea 14:5). Prayer will fill the fleece
with the heavenly dew. Moreover, there is great danger of losing the dew.
2. The dry place amidst the dew-covered ground is a symbol of the sad
state of many a one who remains spiritually dead and lifeless, whilst dews of
heavenly blessing are descending on every side. (A. R. Fausset, M. A.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》