OLD TESTAMENT 25
T
he Hebrews havearrived in the Promised
Land, but their trials aren’t over. Nor are the
miracles. The Book of Judges describes a re-
peatingcycle of woe in which the Hebrews
first abandon their religion, are punished
by God for their transgressions, and then return to Juda-
ism under the leadership of a wise and brave man. In one
such cycle, Goddispatches an army of Midianites to con-
quer the Hebrews anddestroy their land. God then picks
Gideon, a farmer and man of faith, to save his chosen people
from their enemy. Gideon is on his way to harvest his wheat
when an angel appears before him, speaking for God: “The
Lord is with you, you mighty warrior. Go in this might of
yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian.”
When Gideon hesitates, wondering how he, the young-
est son of a humble family, can deliver the nation from
its powerful conquerors, God responds through his mes-
senger: “I will be with you, and you shall strike down the
Midianites, every one of them.”
Gideon asks for a divine sign, and the angel reaches
out his staff. Suddenly, fire bursts up from below the rock
where Gideon’s meal sits, engulfing the bread and meat.
Gideon is convinced. He prepares for his mission, assem-
bling an army of more than 32,000 men.
As the day of the battle approaches, Gideon again
grows frightened and asks God for
another sign that he will vanquish the
Midianites: “I am going to lay a fleece
of wool on the threshing-floor,” Gide-
on prays. “If there is dew on the fleece
alone, and it is dry on all the ground,
then I shall know that you will deliverIsrael by my hand, as you have said.” In the morning, the
ground is dry and the fleece soaked, holding enough wa-
tertofillabowl.
Yet Gideon is still doubtful and again prays, “Let me,
please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry
only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
The following morning, the ground is soaked with dew, the
fleece bone-dry. Gideon’s faith in his mission is restored.
Now he must comply with a new order that demon-
strates God’s divine power: He must send most of his war-
riors home and face the enemy with only a small company
of men. “The troops with you are too many for me to give
the Midianites into their hand,” God tells Gideon. Lest Is-
rael become boastful and say, “My own hand has delivered
me,” God instructs Gideon to order 22,000 men to return
home and take the remaining forces to the river, where
God tells him to winnow his troops even further. In the
end, just 300 men remain to face the Midianite army.
Under cover of night, Gideon positions his soldiers,
equipped with covered torches and horns, around the
Midianite camp.
As Gideon sounds his instrument, the 300 troops fol-
low suit, shining their torches and blasting their trumpets.
They cry, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” The Mid-
ianite army is thrown into terror and confusion. Thinking
they are surrounded by a vast army,
the Midianites panic and begin to turn
their swords on one another.
As they flee, Gideon’s little brigade
drives them out of the land of Israel.
Gideon is chosen to govern the newly
delivered land, and there is peace. ▪GIDEON’SMISSION
TESTING FAITH
Called to an extraordinary mission, Gideon asks for proof
of God’s power, only to be tested in returnHEAVENLY MESSAGE
The Miracle of the Fleece of Gideon
by Nicolas Dipre (c. 1500). The
lives of his men in the balance,
Gideon’s faith was restored by
a weapon more powerful than a
sword: a sign from God.