Judges 5:1 ¶ Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
This chapter is often called the “Song of Deborah,” but it quickly identifies the song as sung by Deborah and Barak. “On that day” seems to reference the death of Jabin as recorded in the last verse of the previous chapter.
Gill offers this note from Ben Gersom on the authorship of Deborah: “…and the verb is singular: ‘then sang Deborah’; and after her, and in her words, sung also Barak; he joined with her, not in making the song, but in singing it; and so likewise the people of Israel joined with her in singing it, as they did with Moses at the Red sea; and this song was sung.”
The NIV Commentary offers the following introduction to this chapter: “The victory over the Canaanites was also commemorated in a poem of rare beauty. Called the ‘Song of Deborah,’ this masterpiece expresses heartfelt praise to God for leading his people in triumph. It is a hymn of thanksgiving, a song of victory like Ex 15 or Ps 68. The poetry itself is magnificent, featuring many examples of climactic parallelism (vv. 7, 19-20, 27) and onomatopoeia (v. 22). Deborah is usually considered the author; the connection between prophetess and music is a natural one (cf. Ex 15:20-21).”
The New Bible Commentary declares this song to be one of the oldest pieces of poetry in the Old Testatment.
Judges 5:2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
Judges 5:3 Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
The song begins with words of praise to the LORD. It credits Him with avenging Israel of the harsh treatment they had received from Jabin for 20 years. He gave them the victory because they willingly followed His command in faith to face a much more powerful enemy.
The singers call for the surrounding kings and leaders of the nations to pay attention as they sing their praise to “the LORD God of Israel.” Only Israel’s God had been able to prove Himself against all other false gods on behalf of His people.
Judges 5:4 LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
Judges 5:5 The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.
These verses seem to be a reference for the words of King David.
Psalms 68:7–9 “O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.”
Edom and Seir are interchangeable terms for the land possessed by the descendants of Esau. Israel had to go around Edom after leaving Sinai en route to the land of promise. Point being, that all along the way, the LORD manifested Himself supernaturally on behalf of the children of Israel for protection and provision.
Judges 5:6 ¶ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
Judges 5:7 The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
The poet identifies Shamgar and Jael as contemporaries that represent a time when travel on the highways of the land was very dangerous, and people tended to travel on side paths that were deemed safer. In fact, the smaller villages were disappearing because people felt safer in bigger cities I assume. It was during this time that the LORD raised up Deborah as a “mother in Israel.” I think this has reference to her position as a spiritual caretaker, a spiritual parent, since it was a time when men of strong faith were either scarce or nonexistent.
Judges 5:8 They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
Judges 5:9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
The people had turned to false gods. They weren’t willing to fight for their land because they were not willing to submit to the LORD. Some commentators note that verse 8 is a reference to the fact that they had been disarmed so that they could not fight.
Deborah’s heart resonated with those that were willing to volunteer to fight in defense of the nation. I assume this to be a reference to those that fought against Jabin despite the odds against them. It indicated that hearts were once again turning to the LORD in faith—especially since they were facing the enemy without shield or spear.
Judges 5:10 Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
Judges 5:11 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
Deborah is basically calling for all the people of Israel, the wealthy and influential as well as the general public, to talk about what the LORD has done for them. In other words, because of the victory over the Canaanites, the people were free and safe to fellowship and talk about the LORD as they went about daily life. The gates of a village or city were recognized as the place of judgment where one could seek justice.
JFB offers this insight on “the places of drawing water” (v11): “The wells which are at a little distance from towns in the East, are, in unsettled times, places of danger. But in peace they are scenes of pleasant and joyous resort.”
Research revealed that white donkeys were of great value and only the wealthy and powerful could afford them.
Judges 5:12 ¶ Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
Judges 5:13 Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.
Deborah urges herself to boldly sing the glory of their God-given victory and calls for Barak to bring out his prisoners for all to see. I assume these prisoners were taken after the battle with Sisera in the fighting that followed until they destroyed Jabin.
John Gill helped me on verse 13. He indicated the possibility that Deborah was saying that those remaining, the victorious Israelites, now had dominion or authority over the nobles among the people, the Canaanite nobility that lived and ruled among them. She emphasizes once again that it was the LORD that had given the Israelites that authority.
Judges 5:14 Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
Judges 5:15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.
Judges 5:16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
It seems that Deborah is identifying those that took part in the fight against Jabin and his armies. I can only surmise that some of them sent reinforcements after the initial victory over Sisera. Those identified included the men of Ephraim that lived near the Amalekites, Benjamin, Machir (a reference to the tribe of Manasseh that inherited west of Jordan), Zebulun, and Issachar.
Gill provides some additional insight regarding the reference to Zebulun: “…being a maritime tribe, and employed in trade and navigation, had many clerks famous for their readiness in handling the pen; but these through a zeal for the common cause dropped their pens, and took to the sword, in vindication of the rights and liberties of themselves and their brethren; for which they are justly commended.”
Deborah gives special recognition to the leaders from Issachar that joined Barak in leading the charge on foot against Sisera and his chariots.
The poet rebukes the tribe of Reuben for opting to take care of their own interests instead of joining to help their brethren fight the enemy. She notes that they reached that decision after careful consideration.
Thought: When it comes to providing help as needed in the family of God, the church, I do not want to be a “Reuben.”
Judges 5:17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
Judges 5:18 Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.
Reuben wasn’t the only tribe to be rebuked. Gilead (a reference to Gad), Dan and Asher all chose to remain home rather than help defeat the Canaanites.
Zebulun and Naphtali were the tribes at the forefront that put their lives on the line against the forces of Sisera. It should be noted that this was at the specific direction of the LORD (cf 4:6), but the men of those tribes were quick to follow the lead of Deborah and Barak.
Judges 5:19 The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
Judges 5:20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
Though the kings of Canaan, allies of Jabin, came as reinforcements to meet the Israelites in battle by the waters of Megiddo, they did not profit. Israel was aided by the powers of heaven, “the stars in their courses.” As I stated in the previous chapter, I believe this to be a reference to angelic armies, similar to those that stood ready to defend Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15–17 “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”
Judges 5:21 The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
Judges 5:22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
It seems that many of Sisera’s troops were drowned in the Kishon River. Verse 22 paints a picture of soldiers on horseback running hard in attack toward the Israelites. Commentators note that horses were not shod in those days, so their hooves were broken as they were driven to run over the rough terrain.
Judges 5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
All I could find about the city of Meroz reiterated the fact that Deborah rebuked those living there for not helping their brethren in battle against the Canaanites.
Scripture is clear in declaring that the LORD views one’s actions for or against His people as for or against Him.
Matthew 25:34–40 “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me….Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Acts 9:1–5 “And Saul…went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest….”
Judges 5:24 ¶ Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
Judges 5:25 He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
Judges 5:26 She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
Judges 5:27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
Deborah sings the praises of Jael, the woman who killed Sisera. She describes how she made him believe he would be safe in her tent so that she could kill him. The Hebrew for “smote off” supports the fact that she “crushed” his head when nailing it to the ground instead of cutting it off.
Deborah calls for God’s blessing upon Jael because she honored Him and disregarded the culture of her day. This is a principle that is going to be tested more and more by true Christians in America and throughout the world as Satan’s rule grows stronger and stronger and governments continue to pass laws that are contrary to the word of God that require believers to follow such laws and disobey God.
JFB provides the following insight regarding “butter” (v25): It is “curdled milk; a favorite beverage in the East.”
The New Bible Commentary notes that Jael gave Sisera milk because of its sleep-inducing properties.
Judges 5:28 The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
Judges 5:29 Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
Judges 5:30 Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?
As the song begins to close, Deborah pictures the mother of Sisera looking out the window wondering what is taking her son so long to return home. She reasons that he must have had chariot problems, and her friends agree hoping to comfort her. She goes on to reason that it must be taking a long time to divide the spoils of war among the soldiers.
Of course, we know that he never returned home.
Judges 5:31 So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
Deborah expresses the hope that all the enemies of the LORD are destroyed just as surely as Sisera and his armies. Again the poet identifies the enemies of Israel as enemies of the LORD.
In contrast, Deborah calls for God’s blessing upon those that love the LORD. Thus ends the Song of Deborah.
The chapter closes with a note that the land had rest for 40 years after this.
Judges 6:1 ¶ And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
Judges 6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
Once again evil held sway throughout Israel, and the LORD gave them over to Midian for seven years. Their rule was so harsh that the people resorted to building hideouts in the mountains and hiding in caves and any other place in which they thought they could find refuge.
I think it is important to note that the LORD often uses the forces of evil to accomplish His purposes in judging His people for sin and seeking to bring them to a place of repentance and restored fellowship. This is a truth that permeates scripture. It is just another example of His sovereignty over the affairs of men and never causing them to go against their own choices. The Midianites were acting in accordance with their own desires, and the LORD took away His hedge of protection around His people because they had once again broken covenant.
I think there is another important truth to remember throughout the study of this book. If God didn’t care, He wouldn’t bother. God was committed not only to His covenant to Abraham, but to His plan of redemption for mankind. His actions are rooted in His love for us.
1 John 4:9–10 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
Judges 6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
Judges 6:4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
Judges 6:5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
Judges 6:6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
The Midianites and Amalekites descended on Israel riding on their camels and completely destroying their crops. They also stole all their livestock. The enemy invaded in such large numbers that the writer compares them to a plague of locusts or grasshoppers. They left the people of Israel with nothing to sustain them. Finally, the people cried out to the LORD for deliverance.
The New Bible Commentary informs us: “Barak’s victory over the Canaanite chariot forces had opened the broad, fertile Jezreel Valley to Israelite settlement and the cultivation of crops.”
The NIV Commentary adds the following information: “The main areas affected had borne the brunt of the preceding Canaanite oppression. Manasseh suffered most, along with other tribes adjacent to the Jezreel Valley: Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali.”
Judges 6:7 ¶ And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
Judges 6:8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
Judges 6:9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;
Judges 6:10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
In response to the cries of His people, the LORD sent an unnamed prophet to remind them of how He had delivered them from Egypt and given them the land of Canaan. He reminded them that they had nothing to fear from the false gods of the Amorites, the former occupants of the land. The fact that they were suffering at the hands of the enemy was a direct consequence of choosing not to obey the LORD, of breaking covenant with Him.
The LORD’s answer was a message of accusation with no words of encouragement or expectation of His deliverance.
Judges 6:11 ¶ And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Judges 6:13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
Judges 6:14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
Judges 6:15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
Judges 6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
Judges 6:18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
“an angel of the LORD” (v11) – This angel identifies Himself as “the LORD” in verses 14 and 16. This is another preincarnate appearance of the LORD Jesus, the bodily representation of Almighty God.
It’s interesting to note that the LORD sits down under an oak tree that was on land belonging to Joash the Abiezrite, the father of Gideon. The tree hid a winepress that Gideon used to thresh some wheat hidden from the view of the Midianites.
The LORD appeared to Gideon there and addressed him as a man of strength and virtue who was in fellowship with the LORD.
Interestingly, Gideon did not seem surprised by the presence of the man and entered into conversation with Him. He questioned the man with an observation seeming not to note that the man had addressed him personally. He questioned how the man could think that the LORD was with “us” in light of all his people were suffering. Why wasn’t He delivering them with miracles now as He had their ancestors when He delivered them from Egypt? He concluded that the LORD had abandoned them and given them over to Midian.
“The LORD looked at him” and told Gideon that he was going to deliver Israel from the enemy because He was sending him. In other words, you will go in the strength and power of the LORD.
As Gideon responds to the LORD, I don’t think he realizes it is the LORD, but he is wondering at the possibility in light of verse 17. Like Moses, he first answers with excuses. He makes the point that his family is the poorest of the tribe of Manasseh, and he is the youngest son in the family; in other words, not the right one to expect to deliver Israel.
The LORD tells him that because He will be with Gideon (empowering him supernaturally), he will destroy Midian as easily as if their whole army was a single man.
At this point Gideon wants to believe, but he wants proof that it is the LORD that is commissioning him. He respectfully asks the LORD for a sign, a miracle to prove that He is the LORD. He also asks Him to wait while he goes to get a gift he wants to give Him. The LORD promised to wait until Gideon returned.
Judges 6:19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
Judges 6:20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
Gideon went home and cooked a young goat and made some unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket (with the bread I presume) and carried the broth in a pot to take to the LORD—implying that the meat had been boiled. The LORD told him to take the meat and bread and put them on a certain rock; he was then to pour out the broth (over the meat and bread? I tend to think so.). Gideon did as he was told. The LORD used the end of His staff to touch the meat and bread, and fire came out of the rock to consume them. Then the LORD disappeared.
Judges 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
Judges 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Finally, Gideon realized that he had seen the LORD, and he was afraid because he knew that no man could see God and live.
Exodus 33:17–20 “And the LORD said unto Moses….Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
In some way, the LORD spoke to him and told him not to be afraid because he was not going to die.
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD at that spot and called it Jehovahshalom, “The LORD is peace.” It was still standing at the time the book of Judges was written.
Judges 6:25 ¶ And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
Judges 6:26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
That same night the LORD spoke to Gideon again, though we aren’t told how. He told him to get his father’s young bull, the second one that was seven years old. (I guess this is implying that he owned two bulls of different ages, and he wanted the one that was seven years old. Maybe because seven is connected with that which is complete or perfect.) He was to tear down the altar of Baal that his father used and cut down the Asherah pole (from the Hebrew for “grove”) that was beside it. He was then to build an altar to the LORD “thy God” in its place and offer the bull on it as a sacrifice using the wood of the Asherah pole.
I think this was to typify the fact that God was going to use Gideon to get the people to replace the worship of false gods with worship of the one true God, the God of Israel. It was a picture of taking what is unholy and redeeming it and making it holy.
Judges 6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
Judges 6:28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
Judges 6:29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
Judges 6:30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
It seems that Gideon did not live with his father directly, but probably lived on his father’s land. He took ten of his servants with him to do what God had told him to do. He did this at night because of fear of how his father’s household and the men of the city might respond. He knew that they would try to stop him by any means necessary.
Principle: To follow the LORD in obedience will often cause friends and/or family to turn against you. That accords with the words of Jesus.
Matthew 10:34–37 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
When the men of the city got up the next morning and saw that the altar to Baal had been destroyed and the Asherah pole cut down and saw evidence of the sacrifice of the bull on a different altar, they wondered who had done it. When they started questioning people, someone identified Gideon the son of Joash as the one; one of his servants must have turned against him.
The men came to Joash and demanded that he hand over Gideon because he deserved to die for tearing down the altar to Baal and cutting down the Asherah pole.
Judges 6:31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
Judges 6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
Joash gave a wise reply. He basically said, If Baal is god, he doesn’t need you to save him. Let him defend himself. On that day he gave Gideon another name-Jerubbaal, “let Baal defend his cause.”
Judges 6:33 ¶ Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
Judges 6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
Judges 6:35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
It was at this time that the armies of the Midianites and Amalekites once again gathered together and made camp in the valley of Jezreel. The “Spirit of the LORD,” the Holy Spirit, came upon Gideon. He blew a trumpet to sound a call to battle, and the men of Abiezer responded. They must have had a change of heart when Baal failed to defend himself. Gideon also sent messengers throughout the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali seeking reinforcements; they too responded and came to join them.
Judges 6:36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
Judges 6:37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
Judges 6:38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
Once again, Gideon sought a sign from the LORD that he was doing the right thing. He intended to put a fleece of wool on the ground; and if the dew fell only on the fleece leaving the ground dry, he would know that the LORD was going to use him to save Israel. When he got up the next morning, he wrung a bowl full of water out of the fleece (and the ground was dry is implied).
Judges 6:39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
Judges 6:40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Gideon really wanted to be sure and respectfully asked the LORD for one more sign. This time he intended to put a fleece on the ground and asked that the fleece remain dry and the ground be wet with dew. Again, the LORD did as he asked; the fleece was dry the next morning and the ground was wet.
It is from this passage that we get the phrase and idea of “putting out a fleece.” Frankly, I think that God will only honor such a request for affirmation of His leading when it is for something out of the ordinary that is not already identified as His will in His word and/or is for a special commissioning to serve Him in a specific way. It should be noted that Gideon approached God very carefully and admitted that he feared making God angry in light of his weak faith. I believe God’s response is guided by His knowledge of the motives and heart of the person making the request.
Like Barak, though Gideon evidenced weak faith at the beginning, he finished strong and was recognized in the great “hall of faith” chapter in Hebrews.
Hebrews 11:32 “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:”