The story of Gideon in the Bible is among the most popular Biblical narratives. His story is popular maybe because of the account of him asking for confirmation using the fleece.
There is so much to learn from this Biblical character. Gideon is commonly known for his timidity but did he stay that way throughout his life? In this post we explore Gideon’s life a little more closely.
Who was Gideon in the Bible
Gideon is most popularly known for being one of the judges in Israel. He was from the tribe of Manasseh.
Before he became a judge, God called him to be a military leader in order to deliver Israel from the Midianites who constantly invaded Israelite land.
The story of Gideon Bible verse
Gideon’s story is found in Judges 6 – 8 and he is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:32.
The story of Gideon in the Bible summary
The life story of Gideon in the Bible is set during a time when Israel had strayed from God.
They had fallen into sin by following the pagan nations around so God allowed them to become victims of abuse and harassment by those very nations.
In true Israelite style, they cried out to God for help. God called Gideon to the role of warrior. An angel was sent to Gideon to give him an assignment.
Gideon did not easily embrace the call. Instead, he asked for a sign. The angel granted him the sign. That’s the popular fleece story that most of us know.
Gideon’s first task was to destroy the Baal idol that belonged to his father. He was so scared that he did it during the night.
This action spurred a quarrel that led to a positive spiritual revolution in Gideon’s hometown. He was also given another name: Jerub-Baal, meaning, let Baal contend.
Gideon’s second assignment was to wage war against the Midianites. This time, he asked God for two signs. God granted the signs he asked for.
After Gideon decided to accept the call to become a warrior in Israel, he sent for the Israelite men who should have made up the army. The 32, 000 men who showed up were too many for God.
Through a process, God whittled that number down to 300 men. This is less than 1% of the original army!
With this tiny band, God led Gideon to defeat the Midianite army. Because of this victory, Gideon was offered the position of king but he turned it down and opted to remain a judge.
Gideon went on to live like a king though. He had many wives and 70 sons. Unfortunately, Gideon’s life started to take a downward spiral because idol worship was reintroduced in Israel.
Gideon led Israel through a period of peace in his lifetime but that peace died with him.
Characteristics of Gideon in the Bible
Let’s now look at some of the character traits of Gideon.
Gideon was humble
When God comes to Gideon to call him to become a warrior, Gideon immediately backs out of the invitation.
Why?
According to him he was from the weakest clan in the Israelite tribe of Manasseh and the “least in his father’s house”.
Now, Gideon’s response could be interpreted a few ways.
Gideon could really be struggling with the idea that he had any value at all to offer his community or Israel on the whole.
Or, he could really be showing the kind of humility that was exactly what God could work with.
Either way, what is for sure is that Gideon did not have an exalted view of himself. This is a characteristic that would have immediately qualified him to be used by God.
Gideon was timid and struggled with his faith
If you think Moses had problems with bravery, you should really take a good look at Gideon.
Gideon was not the boldest man in Israel. First, when God called him to be a warrior, listen what he says:
Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6:15 NIV
Gideon needed so badly to be absolutely sure that this call to deliver Israel was really from God. He asked the visiting angel to perform a sign.
When God told Gideon to destroy the idols and pagan altars that belonged to his father, Gideon was so scared that he did it in the night.
When God told him it was time to actively fight against the invading Midianite army, Gideon asked for two signs. He was not about to put himself out there to be beaten and embarrassed.
Even when Gideon was out in the battlefield getting ready to get his orders from God, he was dealing with fear in his heart. God had to do something special for him so he could have the courage to conquer the Midianites.
Bravery did not come naturally to Gideon. It took some doing for him to be confident in his call.
Gideon was an influential leader
Early in Gideon’s story, we can see that he had some amount of influence. In fact, Gideon seemed to already be a leader of some sort, just not on a grand scale like what he was being called to.
First, when God tells him to destroy the Baal idol that belonged to his father, Gideon was able to get 10 servants to help him accomplish the task.
There was a lot to lose by doing something like this. But Gideon managed to convince these 10 men to do it, although they did it by night.
Following the saga of the Baal idol being destroyed, Gideon easily got fighting men from the Israelite tribes to follow him into war against the Midianites.
God knew that in destroying the Baal, Gideon would have won a seat of influence among the Israelites.
And then, after beating the Midianite army, the Israelites wanted to make him king. Although he refused the offer, they allowed him to be a judge. And for 40 years Gideon, did that with some good success.
Gideon was obedient to God
Although Gideon struggled with confidence, he was very obedient to God. Whatever God told him to do, he would do it, no matter how afraid he was.
Glennon Doyle Melton said “If you can’t beat fear, just do it scared.”
This is exactly what Gideon did. It was more important to him to be obedient than to focus on his fears. But God did a great deal to help him along the way. (More on this later).
When God told Gideon to get rid of his father’s idol, he did it.
When God told him to send home 99% of his army just before a battle, he did it.
When God told him the military strategy to use, he executed just as he was told.
Gideon had tremendous capacity for growth
Gideon was open to God’s influence on his heart. Each time God encouraged him, he received that word and his confidence was watered.
Growth happened for Gideon because he responded to God’s efforts to get him to move from a mindset of fear and failure to a mindset of faith and victory.
Whenever God encouraged him, he did not throw God’s word back to him. Gideon received God’s word and stepped out on it.
He actively participated in his own growth by taking each step that God inspired him to take, even when he was scared.
Gideon grew by leaps and bounds. (More on this later).
What can we learn from Gideon in the Bible?
We will now look at some lessons from the life of Gideon in the Bible. Although Gideon had some serious character weaknesses, we also know he had some strengths.
Both sets of characteristics allow us to learn some things we can apply to our lives.
What does the story of Gideon teach us? Let’s dig in!
God doesn’t see us the way we see ourselves
When the angel appeared to Gideon to call him to rescue Israel, notice the words of the angel:
The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12
Mighty warrior?
First of all, Gideon was no warrior, much more a mighty warrior.
Second, Israel was having one of its worst seasons of being harassed and oppressed. This time by the Midianites.
The Midianites took over their homes and lived in them. Ate the food the Israelites planted. The Midianites would especially show up at harvest time and set up camp in Israelite land.
It was so bad the people were hiding in caves and taking their food with them. In fact, Gideon was hiding. Notice, the story tells us that he is winepress threshing wheat.
This tells us that Gideon was hiding while trying to prepare food for fear that the Midianites would come and help themselves to it.
Gideon didn’t appear to have the makings of a warrior.
But God!
God knew Gideon’s potential.
When God shows up with an assignment for your life, He also shows up with the anointing for that assignment.
God doesn’t see us the way we see ourselves. He made us so He knows what we are made of.
He sees us as we will be when he’s done doing his work in us to put us on display for his glory.
So if God has called you to something, don’t worry about whether or not you are skilled or equipped for it.
God qualifies the called. And He equips those who say yes to Him.
God meets you where we are in our faith
Gideon struggled very badly with his faith. In the story popularly known as Gideon’s fleece, we see his very deep struggle.
Gideon asked God for a sign. God showed up to confirm that, indeed, he was to fight against Midian.
Gideon asked for a second sign. And God showed up again with confirmation.
Still, Gideon was struggling. How do we know this?
When God had helped him prepare an army and it was now time to attack, Gideon was still afraid.
If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. Judges 7:10-11
Through all this, God walked with Gideon. Step by step. Encouraging him at each leg of the journey.
How faithful is our God! God is faithful when we are not.
Even when we struggle and are falling all over ourselves, He doesn’t leave us alone.
God orchestrates the circumstances to which he calls us
When God tells Gideon to go eavesdrop on the Midianite camp, he hears something interesting.
God had allowed one of the Midianite soldiers to have a dream. The dream basically meant that they would be beaten by the Israelite army.
The dream drove fear into the hearts of the Midianite soldiers. This was God’s doing. The Midianites were set on edge.
So, when Gideon’s meager army of 300 men went up against the Midianite army of 135, 000 men, it should have been fair game.
But God had already set everything up. When the Israelites blew their trumpets and shouted and smashed jars, they sounded like a good sized army.
The Midianites turned on each other. Just like that, the army was taken care of. God used the tactic of confusion and friendly fire. Whoever was not killed by his own, ran like the wind.
There is no way that Gideon and his band of men should have won. But God orchestrated the pieces. Everything bit of it.
Feeling a little underprepared for your assignment? God already has the plan. He sees the entire plot. He knows how the story will end.
Just follow him closely. He’s going to surprise you with how he pulls everything together. He’s got your back!
Positive outcome encourages boldness and confidence
The character Gideon whom we met in the beginning of his story is not the same man as the narrative goes on.
After the defeat of the Midianite army, Gideon developed a very admirable level of courage.
When we first meet Gideon, he’s hesitant to go to war. He’s asking God for multiple signs and confirmation of His will. He’s trying all kinds of things to back out of his assignment.
But after the initial victory over the Midianites, Gideon stops running from war. Instead, he begins to pursue war. Initially, he was the one being pursued. That changed to him becoming the pursuer.
When the Midianite army scattered and fled in different directions, Gideon called in reinforcements. Some of those who were initially sent home were called and sent to go after the Midianites who had run away.
Gideon himself killed the two Midianite kings.
God knew that if Gideon could get just one win, he would be empowered towards boldness.
Throughout his story, Gideon grew from cowardice to courageous. God walked with him on his journey from fear to faith.
Courage and faith are developed through the process of experiences. They don’t just pop up inside of you overnight. It takes living. Experiencing God and life.
And that’s why God is always there, walking with us, right beside us, being patient with us. His goal being to get us to trust Him enough so that we can walk confidently in faith and courage.
God likes to write rags to riches stories
It might not look like it at face value but Gideon’s life story is one of rags to riches.
Remember when God approaches him what he says about himself? He goes off telling God how he is from the weakest clan in his tribe and the least prominent person in his family.
But, by the end of his story, Gideon is living like a king. He has a number of wives and all of 70 sons.
Now, in those days, men were not handing over their daughters to be married unless they were certain they could get a decent dowry and unless they were confident their child would be well taken care of.
Gideon could clearly afford to have that many wives and children. As the judge in Israel, he rose to prominence and became a member of the upper upper class.
When Gideon dies, he is given an honorable burial, fit for a warrior and something close to royal send off.
Gideon was launched into a prosperous life because of his obedience and loyalty to God. Unfortunately, his story does not end on this very high note.
Success can lead to our demise and change generations
After the Midianites had been defeated, Gideon was offered the position of king. He refused. That was a good choice. (More on this later).
But then he made a not so good choice. Instead of accepting the kingship, Gideon asked for a share of the plunder the men had gotten from the war against the Midianites.
Gideon received 43 pounds of gold. And what did he do? He created an ephod, which was a garment worn by the priests.
Soon, this golden replica of the priestly garment became an idol that Gideon, his family, tribe and others worshiped.
Now, it is important to note something: Gideon didn’t stop worshiping God. He just didn’t worship God only.
Remember how God used Gideon to destroy his father’s idol early in the story?
The very thing that God called Gideon to get rid of is the very thing Gideon went back to. He came full circle to committing the sins of his father.
More distressing is that Gideon set the stage for the next generation. After he died his son took an even deeper and darker spiritual dive.
Gideon left a terrible legacy.
When God has led us to success, we have to be careful not to forget Him. It is easy to ride off into the sunset as if we got to the mountain by ourselves.
How quickly we can forget the days of frailty, fear, and failure. God would be glad if we raised up the next generation to understand that God is faithful, that nothing can take His place, and there is no other life that is worth selling our soul for.
Leadership lessons from Gideon in the Bible
As I said before, Gideon was quite an influential leader.
Although he appeared to have the makings of a leader, early in his story he did not embrace these personal characteristics at all. But he grew by leaps and bounds as his story went on.
What can we learn from Gideon about leadership?
Godly leadership starts at home
When God calls Gideon, his first leadership task was in his own hometown. God told him to smash the Baal idol, destroy the pillar it stood on, and build an altar to the one true God of heaven.
This was to signal to his community that it was time for a spiritual revival and reformation.
Gideon was going to need the cooperation of his community to fight against the Midianites.
However, they all needed to first come into alignment with God. By smashing the idol in his hometown, Gideon started his journey of leading Israel away from apostasy and back to godly living.
If you desire to be a godly leader at work, at church, in the country, in the world, you have to start at home.
In the New Testament, one of the hallmarks of a good church leader is someone who has good leadership in their own home (1 Timothy 3:4).
Good leaders are teachable
Every good leader is a good follower. And every good leader is also a good learner.
Gideon knew his shortcomings. He was well aware that although God called him to be a warrior, he did not have the skill set. What did he need to do then?
Gideon needed to submit himself to being taught by God. For him to submit himself, he needed to listen to and learn from what God was telling him to do.
Throughout the whole saga between Israel and Midian, Gideon was tuned in to God for directions. His humble teachable spirit allowed him to remain open to God’s influence.
This guaranteed his victory over the Midianite army.
Good leaders know how communicate in potentially explosive situations
How Gideon dealt with the Ephraimites tells something about Gideon’s communication skills as a leader.
In Judges 8:1-3, the Ephraimites took Gideon to task about not involving them in the process of pursuing the Midianites.
Gideon needed to be careful in answering them because he ran the risk of a tribal war breaking out in Israel because of jealousy among the tribes.
Gideon gave a soft answer and was diplomatic in his response. He pointed out how very useful the Ephraimites had been in the first round of defeating Midianites.
In highlighting their wins, Gideon was able to help them focus their strength and value.
Gideon was tactful and wise in communicating in this vulnerable situation.
He managed to avert what could have become a crisis.
Gideon knew God’s ideal for His people
After Gideon led them to victory over the Midianites, the Israelites desired to have him become their king.
Gideon refused.
Why?
Because Gideon knew that God’s ideal was theocracy, meaning a “government by divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided”.
It was not God’s will for them to have a king, at least not an earthly king. We know this from the story in 1 Samuel 8 when the Israelites clammered for a king. The Prophet Samuel knew it was not God’s will so he went to ask God about it.
This is what God said:
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. (1 Samuel 8:7–8 ESV)
Gideon knew his place in relation to God and he did not try to occupy God’s place. He pointed the people to God’s ideal for them:
“Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” (Judges 8:23, ESV)
When you have been called by God to lead, ensure you have a clear picture of God’s ideal for HIS people.
Final words on the story of Gideon in the Bible
The details in Gideon’s story allow us to his growth from fear to faith, from hiding to leading. I suspect that is God’s goal for all of us…that we will truly learn to trust Him and take our place in this world, operating in the gifts He has given to us. I pray this study has encouraged you to do just that.
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