Who was Gideon in the Bible?
Gideon was one of the judges of Israel during the period of the judges, prior to Israel having a king. He is introduced in Judges 6, where Israel had turned away from God and had been oppressed by the Midianites for seven years as a result.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat and hiding it from the Midianites. The Angel called him a “mighty man of valor” even though at that point he was fearful and questioning God’s care for Israel. The Angel instructed Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it, which he did at night because he was afraid.
When the men of the city demanded that Gideon be killed for destroying the altar and pole, his father Joash defended him, saying that if Baal was a real god he could contend for himself. So Gideon was given the name Jerubbaal, meaning “let Baal contend with him” (Judges 6:31-32).
God gave Gideon signs of confirmation that He was truly the One sending him to deliver Israel from the Midianites. First, Gideon put out a fleece and asked that only the fleece be wet with dew in the morning. God did this. But Gideon asked for the sign again, this time that only the ground be wet and the fleece remain dry. God again did as Gideon had requested, showing that He would fight for Israel through Gideon just as He said (Judges 6:36-40).
Gideon gathered 32,000 men of Israel to fight against the Midianites. But God wanted to make it clear that Israel would win this battle by His power rather than Israel’s, so He instructed Gideon to send home anyone who did not think this battle was necessary or who might be afraid. 22,000 men left, but 10,000 remained. Yet God said this was still too many, lest Israel think they had delivered themselves.
God had Gideon observe the men drinking water and instructed him to keep only those who lapped the water with their tongues like dogs rather than getting down on their knees to drink. This left Gideon with only 300 men (Judges 7:1-8).
That night, God instructed Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp where he would be strengthened to attack them the next day. Gideon took his servant Purah down near the camp, where they overheard a Midianite retelling a dream in which a loaf of barley bread had tumbled into the Midianite camp and overturned a tent. The other Midianite said this meant Gideon would strike the camp and defeat them. The retelling of this dream and its interpretation encouraged Gideon that God would indeed give them victory (Judges 7:9-15).
Gideon divided his 300 men into three companies and equipped each with trumpets and empty jars with torches inside. They were instructed to blow their trumpets, smash their jars, display the torches, and shout “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” as they surrounded the Midianite camp. When they did this at Gideon’s signal, the Lord caused the Midianites to panic and turn on each other in confusion. Many fled the battle (Judges 7:16-22).
Gideon also called other Israelites to pursue the retreating Midianites. Two Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, were caught and killed during the pursuit (Judges 7:23-25, 8:3). Gideon later killed two other Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, after his men pursued them (Judges 8:4-21).
After this dramatic victory, the Israelites wanted Gideon to become their king and establish a ruling dynasty. Gideon refused, saying that only God was their ruler. However, he did ask that each man give him an earring they had taken as plunder from the Midianites. The gold earrings weighed over 40 pounds. Gideon used this to make an ephod, which became an object of improper worship for Israel (Judges 8:22-27).
The narrative ends with two incidents highlighting Gideon’s leadership over Israel. He refused to help the Ephraimites pursue two other Midianite leaders, questioning why they had not joined in the earlier pursuit. This conflict was resolved with diplomacy. Secondly, after Gideon died, Israel again turned to the worship of Baal-berith and forgot about God’s deliverance through Gideon (Judges 8:28-35).
So in summary, Gideon was used by God to redeem Israel and defeat their oppressors after they had turned from God’s ways. At first he was fearful and reluctant, but gradually gained boldness through the confirming signs God gave him. God made it clear the victory would be His, not due to Israel’s might, by reducing Gideon’s army to just 300 men. Gideon experienced a miraculous victory, seeing God cause confusion in the Midianite camp such that they defeated themselves. Though he refused a kingship, Gideon unfortunately introduced improper worship with the ephod he made. The return of idolatry after his death showed the temporary impact of even this great spiritual leader. Yet God was patient to work through Gideon, demonstrating His redeeming compassion and faithfulness to His people.
There are a few key Bible passages that reveal details about Gideon’s background, character and story:
– Judges 6:11-16 – The Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and calls him a “mighty man of valor” even though at the time he was weak and afraid. God saw Gideon’s potential.
– Judges 6:25-27 – Gideon tears down his father’s altar to Baal and the Asherah pole, obeying God’s command even though he fears others in his village.
– Judges 6:36-40 – Gideon asks God for signs of confirmation so he can be sure God will use him to deliver Israel. God graciously provides the signs by making the fleece wet or dry according to Gideon’s requests.
– Judges 7:2-7 – God has Gideon reduce his army from 32,000 down to just 300 men so it is clear God fought the battle rather than sheer military strength. This required courage and faith from Gideon.
– Judges 7:9-15 – Gideon is afraid but obeys God’s command to go down to the enemy camp, where God strengthens him through allowing him to hear the enemy’s dream.
– Judges 8:22-27 – After the victory, Gideon refuses to become Israel’s king but wrongly introduces idolatry by using the plunder to make an ephod which gets worshipped.
– Judges 8:33-35 – After Gideon dies, the Israelites quickly turn back to idol worship rather than continuing to walk in Gideon’s deliverance.
There are also verses scattered through Judges 6-8 that show Gideon’s military leadership and strategy in defeating the Midianites: mobilizing troops (6:34-35), trimming the army size (7:1-8), dividing into companies for the attack (7:16), sounding the trumpets and breaking jars to startle the enemy (7:19-22), pursuing enemy leaders (7:23 – 8:12), and more. But the key to understanding Gideon is seeing the bigger spiritual pattern: God worked through a fearful “least of these” and got the glory by defeating a superior enemy force against all odds. Gideon did accomplish some bold acts of leadership, but also showed human frailty.