Within the narrative of Judges 6:1-12, the recurrent cycle of disobedience and deliverance among the Israelites unfolds vividly. Despite being chosen by God, they repeatedly fall into sin, facing the consequences of oppression and hardship. The Midianites' domination is depicted with stark clarity, driving the Israelites into hiding and despair. Yet, amidst this bleakness, a glimmer of hope emerges as Gideon, an unlikely hero, is called upon by the angel of the Lord.
His encounter with divine presence transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, as Gideon is summoned to rise above his circumstances and become a mighty warrior, a beacon of deliverance for his people. Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. (2) Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. (3) Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. (4) They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. (5) They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. (6) Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help... (11) The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. (12) When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said:
“The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of
The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.
Judges 6:1-12ESV
Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" But Lord, Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." (16) The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together," (Judges 6:14-16).