Home / Judges: Verse by Verse / Judges 6:1–32
The Commissioning of Gideon
- Passage
- Judges 6:1–32
- Taught
- August 31, 2025
- Series
- Judges: Verse by Verse
Summary
The slides place Gideon in the leadership chain of God’s people, from Moses and Aaron and Joshua to the judges, “in those days there was no king in Israel,” until Saul. Gideon is the centerpiece of the book: more space is given to him (about 100 verses) than to any other judge, and he is the only judge whose personal struggles with faith are recorded. A quote from Warren Wiersbe calls him a great encouragement to people who find it hard to accept themselves or believe that God can use them. The slides outline his story in five parts, from the setting in 6:1–10 to the conclusion of his life in 8:22–32.
In 6:1–10 Israel does evil and for seven years is given into the hands of Midian. The Midianites, Amalekites and eastern peoples invade like swarms of locusts, ruin the crops as far as Gaza, and leave nothing alive, so that Israel hides in mountain clefts and caves and cries out to the Lord. God sends a prophet who recalls the exodus and the command not to worship the gods of the Amorites: “But you have not listened to me.”
In 6:11–24 the angel of the Lord comes to Gideon as he threshes wheat in a winepress to hide it from Midian, and calls him “mighty warrior.” Gideon asks why all this has happened if the Lord is with them, and protests that his clan is the weakest and he is the least in his family. The Lord answers, “I will be with you,” Gideon asks for a sign, and fire flares from the rock to consume his offering. The slides list the other appearances of the angel of the Lord in Scripture, and note that 18 of the 59 Old Testament references are in Judges. Gideon builds an altar called The Lord Is Peace.
That same night (6:25–32) the Lord tells Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole, and to offer a bull on a proper altar. Gideon obeys, with ten servants and at night because he is afraid. In the morning the town demands his death, but his father Joash answers, “If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself,” and Gideon is named Jerub-Baal. The slides close with three takeaways from Gideon’s call.
Gideon’s call in four scenes
The passage moves through four scenes.
- 6:1–6. Seven years of Midianite oppression, and Israel cries out.
- 6:7–10. The prophet’s rebuke.
- 6:11–24. The angel of the Lord commissions Gideon, and the sign of fire.
- 6:25–32. Gideon tears down the altar of Baal and is named Jerub-Baal.
Takeaways from Gideon’s call
The slides give these takeaways:
- Fear and doubt do not stop God from using you.
- Obeying to the best of your ability is still obedience.
- Do not fear that God will start you out in the big leagues; he always prepares you in steps.
Questions to talk about
- Gideon was hiding when God called him a mighty warrior. What does God see in me that I do not?Judges 6:11–12.
- Where am I letting fear or doubt keep me from obeying, and what is the first small step?Judges 6:25–27.
- What “altar to Baal” in my own household or life might God be asking me to tear down?Judges 6:25–32.