Judges 6:33 - Meaning and Application

Here we see the enemy forces move against Israel, Judges 6:33. A large army of Midianites, Amalekites, and Arabians gathered together and crossed the Jordan. No one guarded that important and useful crossing, either because they did not care or did not dare to stop them. They set up their camp in the Valley of Jezreel, in the middle of Manasseh’s land, not far from Gideon’s home.

Some think they heard that Gideon had torn down Baal’s altar, and that they came to defend Baal and use that as a reason to attack Israel. But it is more likely that this was harvest time, when they had been used to making these yearly raids (Judges 6:3), and that they were expected when Gideon was threshing grain (Judges 6:11). God raised Gideon up so he would be ready before this terrible blow came. Their many years of success in these attacks, their lack of resistance, and the rich plunder they had carried off made them bold and eager. But now their guilt was full, and the time for judgment had come. They were coming to spoil, and now they would be spoiled themselves. They were gathered like sheaves to the threshing floor (Micah 4:12, Micah 4:13), for Gideon to thresh.

We also see the preparations Gideon made to attack them in their camp, Judges 6:34, Judges 6:35. God, by his Spirit, gave Gideon strength and courage. The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, as the words can be translated, clothing him like a robe to honor him and like armor to protect him. He was of himself a mighty man of valor, but personal strength and courage, even used well, would not be enough for such a great task. He needed the armor of God, and that is what he had to rely on. God clothed him in a special way by his Spirit. Those whom God calls to his work, he also equips and stirs up for it.

Then Gideon, with his trumpet, stirred up his neighbors, and God worked with him. He blew a trumpet to call for volunteers, and more came than he may have expected. The men of Abiezer, Gideon’s own clan, though they had recently been angry with him for tearing down the altar of Baal and had even called for his death, now saw their mistake. They came boldly to help him and submitted to him as their leader, so Abiezer gathered after him, Judges 6:34. God can quickly turn the hearts even of idolaters and persecutors.

Even the farther tribes, Asher and Naphtali, which were most distant, answered his call and sent their best men, Judges 6:35. Though they were farthest from the danger, they knew that if their neighbors were overrun by the Midianites, their own turn would come next. So they were ready to join against a common enemy.

We also see the signs God kindly gave Gideon to strengthen both his own faith and the faith of those with him. Perhaps Gideon asked for them more for their sake than for his own. Or perhaps he wanted to know whether this was the right time to strike Midian, or whether he should wait for another opportunity. His request was this, Judges 6:36, Judges 6:37: “Let me know by this that you will save Israel by my hand. Let a fleece of wool lie in the open air, be wet with dew, and let the ground around it stay dry.” In effect, he was saying, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. He saw that his faith was weak and uneven, so he asked God to complete what was lacking in it.

We may think God, who planned to give him these signs for the honor of his own power and goodness, also put the request into Gideon’s heart. Still, when Gideon asked for a second sign, the opposite of the first, he did it with a humble apology. He begged God not to be angry because it looked very much like a restless and doubtful spirit, and like dissatisfaction with the many assurances he had already received, Judges 6:39. “Do not be angry with me,” he said. He was bold enough to ask again, but he did it with fear and trembling. God’s kindness had not made him careless or disrespectful. Abraham had given a similar example when God allowed him great freedom in speaking, saying, “Oh, let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak” (Genesis 18:30, Genesis 18:32). We should seek God’s favor with deep respect, a clear sense of our distance from him, and a holy fear of his anger.

God graciously granted Gideon’s request. See how tender God is toward true believers, even when they are weak, and how ready he is to bend low to their weaknesses so that a bruised reed is not broken and a smoking flax is not quenched. Gideon wanted the fleece wet and the ground dry. But then, in case anyone said that wool naturally soaks up moisture and nothing unusual had happened, he asked the next night for the ground to be wet and the fleece dry. God did this too, so willing is he to give the heirs of promise strong comfort (Hebrews 6:17, Hebrews 6:18), even by two unchangeable things. He lets himself be persuaded by the requests of his people, and even allows their doubts and dissatisfaction to shape how he answers.

These signs were truly miraculous, and so they strongly confirmed Gideon’s call. Dew is said to come from the Lord and not to wait for man or depend on human power (Micah 5:7). Yet here God listened to the voice of a man. As he once directed the sun for Joshua, so he directed the dew for Gideon, showing that it does not fall by chance, but by providence. The second sign reversed the first, and to satisfy Gideon it was done in both directions. As Dr. Fuller observed, true miracles from heaven can stand up to turning, because they are the same on the inside and outside.

These signs were also full of meaning. Gideon and his men were about to face the Midianites. Could God tell the difference between a small fleece of Israel and the wide floor of Midian? Yes, and this sign helped Gideon know that he could. Did Gideon want the dew of God’s grace to fall on himself in a special way? He saw the fleece wet with dew to reassure him of that. Did he want God to be like dew to all Israel? Then he saw the whole ground wet. Some take the fleece as a picture of the Jewish nation, which once was watered by the dew of God’s word and ordinances while the rest of the world lay dry. But since they rejected Christ and his gospel, they have become dry like desert heath, while the nations around them are like a watered garden.