Judge of Israel, Deliverer from the Midianites
c. 1162–1122 BC · Old Testament
The reluctant judge whose 300 men defeated 135,000 Midianites with torches and trumpets — chosen by God despite his fear and his question 'who am I?'
Gideon's story is told in Judges 6-8. Israel was suffering under Midianite oppression. The Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a winepress (to hide it from raiders): 'The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour' (Judges 6:12). Gideon's response was honest doubt. Gideon was the youngest son of the least important family in the smallest tribe (Manasseh). His response to God's call: 'Wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house' (Judges 6:15). God's answer: 'Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.' Gideon's reluctance produced the famous 'fleece' tests (Judges 6:36-40). He asked for confirmation through a wool fleece — first wet fleece with dry ground; then reversed. God answered both times. Gideon initially mustered 32,000 men. God reduced the number twice — first by sending home the afraid (22,000 left), then by selecting only those who drank water by lapping it like a dog (300 left). 'The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves' (Judges 7:2). With his 300 men, Gideon executed God's plan. Each man carried a trumpet and a torch hidden in a clay jar. At midnight they surrounded the camp, broke the jars, blew the trumpets, and shouted 'The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon!' (Judges 7:20). The Midianites turned on each other; 120,000 fell. After the victory, Israel asked Gideon to be king. He refused: 'the LORD shall rule over you' (Judges 8:23). But he made a fatal mistake: he asked for the gold earrings from the spoil and made an ephod that 'became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.' Gideon ruled Israel 40 years in peace. Hebrews 11:32 includes him in the 'hall of faith.'
"Mighty man of valour"
Wet fleece, then dry fleece
God reduces by fear and lapping water
Trumpets, clay jars, and shouts
"The LORD shall rule over you"
Becomes a snare to his house
Gideon's significance: (1) God uses the least likely — the smallest tribe, the least important family, the youngest son. (2) God reduces our resources so victory belongs to him. (3) Honest doubt does not disqualify — Gideon asked for signs repeatedly; God patiently provided them. (4) Refusing one form of disobedience does not guarantee another. (5) Hebrews 11:32 includes him in the hall of faith despite his failures.
“Wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least.”— Judges 6:15
“The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon!”— Judges 7:20
“I will not rule over you... the LORD shall rule over you.”— Judges 8:23
Gideon was an Israelite judge who delivered Israel from Midianite oppression around 1162-1122 BC (Judges 6-8). He is famous for his 300 men defeating 135,000 Midianites with torches and trumpets. Originally reluctant and fearful, hiding from invaders in a winepress, he was called by an angel to lead Israel. His name appears in Hebrews 11's 'hall of faith.'
Gideon's 'fleece' test (Judges 6:36-40) was his way of confirming God's call. He placed a wool fleece on the threshing floor and asked God: first, make the fleece wet with dew while the ground stays dry; then reverse. God answered both times. The 'putting out a fleece' phrase has become an idiom for asking God for confirmation, though theologians caution Gideon's test was situational, not a general pattern for guidance.
God reduced Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300. The 300 surrounded the camp at night, each carrying a trumpet and a torch in a clay jar. At a signal, they broke the jars, blew the trumpets, and shouted 'The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon!' (Judges 7:20). In the chaos, the Midianites turned on each other. 120,000 fell.
God's reason is explicit in Judges 7:2 — 'lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.' With 32,000 men, Israel might have taken credit. With 300, the victory was clearly God's.