The Call of Gideon

Judges 6

11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash v the Abiezrite, while his son w Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And x the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, y "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." 13 And Gideon said to him, "Please, sir, 1 if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are z all his wonderful deeds a that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." 14 And the Lord 2 turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; b do not I send you?" 15 And he said to him, c "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, d my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." 16 And the Lord said to him, e "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." 17 And he said to him, f "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then g show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please h do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay till you return."

19 So Gideon went into his house i and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah 3 of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them j on this rock, and k pour the broth over them." And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. l And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, m "Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face." 23 But the Lord said to him, n "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die." 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, o The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at p Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

25 That night the Lord said to him, "Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down q the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the r stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down." 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

  1. Cross References
    Judges 8:2
    And he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
    Joshua 17:2
    And allotments were made to the rest of the people of Manasseh by their clans, Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, by their clans.
  2. Cross References
    Hebrews 11:32
    And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets -
  3. Cross References
    Judges 13:3
    And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
    Luke 1:11
    And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
    Acts 10:3
    About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius.
  4. Cross References
    Joshua 1:5
    No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
  5. Cross References
    Psalms 89:49
    Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
    Isaiah 63:15
    Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me.
  6. Cross References
    Psalms 44:1
    O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 12:11
    And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.
    Joshua 1:9
    Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 3:11
    But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 9:21
    Saul answered, "Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?
    1 Samuel 18:18
    And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
  10. Cross References
    Exodus 3:12
    He said, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.
    Joshua 1:5
    No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 33:13
    Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.
  12. Cross References
    2 Kings 20:8 - 9
    And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?
    Isaiah 7:11
    "Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven."
    Judges 6:36 - 37
    Then Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.
    Exodus 4:1 - 8
    Then Moses answered, "But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The Lord did not appear to you.'
  13. Cross References
    Judges 13:15
    Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, "Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.
    Genesis 18:3 - 5
    And said, "O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 18:6 - 8
    And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.
  15. Cross References
    Judges 13:19
    So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching.
  16. Cross References
    1 Kings 18:33 - 34
    And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.
  17. Cross References
    Leviticus 9:24
    And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
    1 Kings 18:38
    Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
    2 Chronicles 7:1
    As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
  18. Cross References
    Judges 13:21 - 22
    The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord.
    Genesis 32:30
    So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.
    Exodus 33:20
    But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.
    Deuteronomy 5:26
    For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived?
  19. Cross References
    Daniel 10:19
    And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.
  20. Cross References
    Genesis 22:14
    So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.
    Exodus 17:15
    And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner.
    Ezekiel 48:35
    The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.
  21. Cross References
    Judges 6:11
    Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
    Judges 8:27
    And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
    Judges 8:32
    And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
  22. Cross References
    Judges 3:7
    And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
  23. Cross References
    Daniel 11:7
    And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail.
    Daniel 11:10
    His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress.
    Daniel 11:31
    Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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