Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and He delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. The Midianites were a powerful force that crushed Israel's economy, forcing people to live in mountain dens and caves for fear of attack.

As soon as Israel planted their crops, the Midianites would swoop down with Amalekites and eastern tribes, destroying everything until they reached Gaza. They left no food behind, not even sheep, oxen, or donkeys. Their cattle and tents were like an endless swarm of locusts; countless camels added to the devastation as they entered Israel's land to destroy it.

Israel suffered greatly under Midianite oppression, and their people cried out to the Lord for help. When the Lord heard their cry, He sent a prophet to deliver this message: "I brought you up from Egypt and led you out of slavery. I delivered you from Egyptian hands and from all who oppressed you, giving you their land as inheritance. I told you not to fear the gods of the Amorites, but you have disobeyed my voice."

Meanwhile, an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, a young man in Ophrah whose family was hiding grain from Midianite marauders. The angel said, "The Lord is with you; you are a mighty warrior." But Gideon responded skeptically: "My Lord, if God is truly on our side, why has all this happened to us? Where are the miracles that our fathers told us about?"

The Lord looked at him and reassured Gideon: "Go in your strength, and you will save Israel from Midian's hand. Have I not sent you?" But Gideon felt unworthy, saying, "My family is poor; I'm just the least of my father's household." The Lord replied firmly: "I'll be with you, and together we'll conquer the Midianites as one man."

Gideon asked for a sign to confirm that he was speaking with the Lord. He promised to return soon with an offering and wait until then. Gideon made the offering according to God's instructions, cooking meat and unleavened cakes on a rock under the oak tree in Ophrah.

As they cooked, the angel of the Lord touched the food with his staff, and fire erupted from the rock to consume it. When the angel vanished, Gideon realized he had seen an angel face-to-face. The Lord reassured him: "Peace be with you; do not fear death." That same night, God instructed Gideon to build an altar in Ophrah, calling it Jehovah-Shalom – a reminder that God is our peace.

The next day, the Lord gave Gideon another task: he was to tear down his father's idolatrous altar and sacrifice a young bull on a new altar. Gideon took ten men with him, doing as instructed by night so as not to arouse suspicion from his family or neighbors. But when the townspeople discovered what had happened, they were outraged.

Gideon's father Joash tried to protect his son, saying, "Will you defend Baal? If he is a god, let him defend himself!" The people of Ophrah called Gideon Jerubbaal – meaning "Let Baal contend against him," since he had broken down the altar. All the enemies of Israel gathered in the valley of Jezreel, ready to attack.

But then something remarkable happened: God's Spirit came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet that roused his people from Abiezer. From Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, more warriors came to join him. With renewed faith, Gideon prayed, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised..."

To prove God's commitment to this plan, Gideon asked for a sign: he placed a fleece on the ground, asking that only the fleece be wet with dew while everything else remained dry. The next morning, he found that his request had been granted. However, when he asked for another test – this time that only the fleece should remain dry while all the rest of the land was wet with dew – God's response was equally astonishing.