Judges 6:11–12
“And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah… And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
Introduction
The story of Gideon stands as one of Scripture’s clearest testimonies that God often calls the least likely to accomplish His greatest purposes. Gideon did not come from power, prestige, or strength. His background reveals weakness, national despair, and spiritual confusion—yet the Lord raised him up as a judge to deliver Israel. Understanding Gideon’s background deepens our appreciation of the God who equips those He calls, and who works through human insufficiency to display divine power.
Israel’s Spiritual and National Condition
Before we look at Gideon personally, Scripture sets the stage with Israel’s tragic condition during the time of the judges.
A Season of Widespread Apostasy
Judges 6:1 declares, “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.”
The cycle of sin that marked the period of the judges continued: rebellion, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. The generation after Joshua had abandoned the commandments of God and embraced the idols of the nations. Their disobedience opened the door to divine judgment.
Oppression Under Midian
For seven years, God allowed the Midianites, along with the Amalekites and eastern peoples, to ravage the land (Judges 6:1–6).
Their oppression was economic, emotional, and spiritual:
- They destroyed Israel’s crops.
- They left Israel impoverished and fearful.
- They drove God’s people into hiding—living in caves and strongholds.
This national humiliation forms the backdrop of Gideon’s calling. Israel was desperate, broken, and crying out to God (Judges 6:6–7).
Gideon’s Family Background
A Family of Limited Influence
Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh, a tribe not known for national leadership. In Judges 6:15, Gideon describes his family as “poor in Manasseh”—not politically powerful, not militarily strong, not socially influential.
His Father’s House and Idolatry
Gideon’s father, Joash, had an altar to Baal and a grove dedicated to Asherah on his own property (Judges 6:25).
This reveals two critical realities:
- Idolatry had reached into Israelite households, including those who should have been guardians of the covenant.
- Gideon’s background included spiritual confusion, growing up in a home where the worship of the LORD and the worship of idols were intertwined.
Gideon’s first act of obedience was not defeating Midian but tearing down the false altar in his own backyard. His background shows a man surrounded by compromise, yet chosen to confront it.
Gideon’s Personal Condition
Fearful Yet Faithful
When the angel of the Lord first appears, Gideon is threshing wheat in a winepress (Judges 6:11).
This detail is not accidental:
- Wheat was normally threshed in open spaces to allow the wind to separate the chaff.
- A winepress was an enclosed pit—an unusual, inefficient place to thresh grain.
This paints Gideon as a man hiding from Midianite raiders. He was resourceful but fearful. Yet the angel calls him “mighty man of valour”—not because of who he was, but because of who God would make him.
A Man Questioning God
Gideon asked, “If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?” (Judges 6:13).
His questions reflect:
- His awareness of Israel’s spiritual decline
- His struggle to reconcile God’s promises with present suffering
- His limited understanding of God’s plan
This is a man shaped by hardship, wrestling with doubt, but still responsive when God speaks.
God’s Call on an Unlikely Servant
Strength from the Presence of God
The Lord’s response to Gideon is not to rebuke his weakness but to promise His presence:
“Surely I will be with thee.” (Judges 6:16)
Gideon’s background of insignificance becomes the platform for God’s sufficiency.
Raised Up for Deliverance
Despite his fear, Gideon obeyed God:
- He tore down the idol in his father’s house.
- He gathered an army when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (Judges 6:34).
- He faced Midian with only 300 men so that the victory would clearly belong to God alone.
His background reveals the pattern God still uses: He takes ordinary people shaped by difficulty and turns them into instruments of deliverance.
Conclusion
Gideon’s background teaches that God’s calling does not depend on human strength, noble lineage, or personal confidence. Gideon came from a small tribe, a compromised household, and a place of fear and confusion. Yet God chose him, called him, cleansed his household, empowered him, and used him to deliver an entire nation.
His story reminds us:
- God sees potential where we see insufficiency.
- God calls us in our weakness and equips us by His presence.
- God often works through the least likely to accomplish the most extraordinary.
Gideon’s life is a testimony that the Lord is not limited by our past—He is glorified when His strength transforms our weakness.