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6:1 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.
6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
6:3 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; 6:4 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.
6:5 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.
6:6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
6:7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, 6:8 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; 6:9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; 6:10 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.
6:11 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.
6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
6:13 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.
6:14 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? 6:15 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.
6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
6:18 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.
6:19 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.
6:20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
6:21 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.
6:22 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.
6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
6:25 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: 6:26 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.
6:27 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.
6:28 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.
6:29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
6:30 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.
6:31 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.
6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
6:33 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.
6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
6:35 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.
6:36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 6:37 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.
6:38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
6:39 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.
6:40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.


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Everything King James Bible:Judges
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to: Judges
Book: Judges
Chapter: 6

Overview:
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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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