The angel sets light to the sacrifice Gideon has provided for a sign Painting by James Tissot
The Jewish Museum, New York
The Midianite Oppression of Israel
For seven years the Israelites did evil in God's sight and he allowed the Midianites, the Amalekites and other tribes to punish them by annual raids that ravaged crops and slaughtered the livestock all the way to Gaza on the west coast . The oppression was so severe the Israelites were forced to take refuge in caves and whatever other shelter they could find for themelves in the mountains. This was the context for another example of God calling an individual to stand up to the enemies of God in the most unexpected ways.
The Angel of the LORD Appears to Gideon
The Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, who was threshing wheat in a wine press for fear of the Midianites, and introduced himself with the words: “ The Lord is with you, mighty warrior! ”
Not surprisingly, Gideon replied by saying:
“ Pardon me, my lord, but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?”
Gideon replied “Pardon me, my lord, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Gideon Asks for a Sign
Gideon's faith at this point is low and he asks for proof this really is the LORD and not a hoax, so he asks the Angel to wait while he goes and prepares some food as an offering to God.
When he returns, the Angel says:
" Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”
When Gideon had done this, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.
Gideon was overwhelmed with fear and said:
" Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
The LORD said: “ Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die! ”
God Tests Gideon's Faith
To test Gideon's faith God told him to go and tear down the altar his father had erected to Baal and the Asherah pole to the goddess of fertility and offer a sacrifice of a burnt offering to him. But because he was afraid, Gideon waited till it was dark before carrying out God's instructions!
In the morning, the locals were outraged to see their idols torn down and the remains of the second bull on the altar. When they learned who had done the dreadful deed, they called for his blood and told Joash, Gideon's father, to bring his son out for them to kill him! But Joash challenged Baal to prove he was in control, not God. The result was Gideon earned the nickname Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”
Gideon Tests God's Faithfulness
Gideon still needed a sign God could be trusted - a sign of his own unbelief, not faith - by putting out a woollen fleece on a rock for God to shower with dew, while leaving the ground around it dry. When God did as Gideon asked, he then asked God to do it again, only this time moisture on the ground and leaving the fleece dry. Amazingly, God did as he was asked!