Judges 6

6 1 AND the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD : and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel : and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east ; they came up against them ; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, they came in as locusts for multitude ; both they and their camels were without number : and they came into the land to destroy it. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian ; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of Midian, that the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel : and he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage ; 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 ; and I said unto you, I am the LORD your God ; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell : but ye have not hearkened unto my voice. And the angel of the LORD came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite : and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him,

13. The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. 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 wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the

14. LORD hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent

15 thee? And he said unto him, Oh Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is

16 the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. And the LORD said unto

17 him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that it is thou

18 that talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth

19 my present, and lay it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak,

20 and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened

21 cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 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 went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the

22 unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! forasmuch as I have seen

23 the angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear

24 not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezites.

25. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy

26 father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it: and build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this strong hold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and

27 offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had spoken unto him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, so that he could not

28 do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was

29 by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon

30 the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he

31 hath cut down the Asherah that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? or 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 broken

32 down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath broken down his altar.

33. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled them-

34 selves together; and they passed over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together after

35 him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and

36 they came up to meet them. And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine

37 hand, as thou hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt

38 save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of

39 water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be kindled 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

40 dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

7 1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own 3 hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall 5 not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees 6 to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the people go every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

The ministry of Othniel rescued them from the Mesopotamians; of Ehud, from the Moabites; of Shamgar, from the Philistines; of Barak, from the tyrant of Canaan. But again the people offend; again they are punished; the bondage of Israel under Jabin was freedom, in comparison with the yoke of the Midianites. Ep. II.

A combination of the tribes of the deserts to the east and south of Palestine, described as “the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east,” invaded the land, pouring in upon Esdraelon from across the Jordan, and flowing onward past Carmel, down upon Sharon and Philistia, having with them their tents and cattle and camels, and settling themselves upon the territory. The Israelites were distressed beyond measure. Their crops were destroyed, their pastures occupied, and they themselves were driven to “the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.” N. C. B.

5. As locusts for multitude. The Rev. F. W. Holland says of the locusts, while still young and without wings, that he has seen troops of them, in Palestine, covering the ground for a mile in length and twenty, thirty, or even fifty yards across. When they approach a village in their steady and constant advance, the people turn out, light fires round their fields, dig trenches and fill them with water, and try to beat the swarming thousands back with their cloaks and branches of trees, but in spite of all they swarm up the trees and strip them of every green leaf, and crunch up every blade in the gardens on their line of march. Tristram.

7-10. God, having now determined in answer to the prayers of his oppressed people to grant them deliverance, begins by sending them a prophet before he raises up for them a Saviour. It was fitting that their deep and unfeigned repentance should precede the purposed relief, and a prophet would be the most suitable instrument of effecting this. Bush.—Trouble is necessary to soften the hearts of the people and make them willing to listen to the prophet. The prophet does not make any prediction nor give any revelation of God; he simply reveals his hearers to themselves. The call to repentance consists in recounting the ancient mercy of God, for it is in the light of God’s goodness that we see most clearly our own wickedness; and in directly charging Israel with ingratitude and apostasy. W. F. A.—What a condemnation of Israel there was in the simple statement of facts by the mouth of the prophet, without exaggeration and without comment. They had forsaken God, to whom they owed all they had, and they had turned to heathen vanities. They were helpless because they had cast off him who had helped them so wondrously, and who would have been their help in every time of need if they had not so wantonly forsaken him. A. C. H.

The Call of Gideon.

11. When this invasion had accomplished its providential purpose, Gideon, a man of Manasseh, living at Ophrah, somewhere in the hill country on the south border of Esdraelon, was called of God to the work of freeing his country from the invader. N. C. B.—As in the other invasions and oppressions, so here, the deliverer is to be sought in the locality nearest to the chief scene of the invasion. Overhanging the Plain of Esdraelon, where the vast army of the Midianites was encamped, were the hills of the Western Manasseh. It was from a small family of this proud tribe that the champion of Israel unexpectedly rose. Stanley.

Its head or chief was Joash—“Jehovah strength,” or “firmness.” As such he was lord of Ophrah. In such names the ancient spiritual faith of Israel seems still to linger amid the decay around. And now, under the great oak by Ophrah, suddenly appeared a heavenly stranger. It was the Angel of Jehovah, the Angel of the Covenant, who in similar garb had visited Abraham at Mamre. A. E.—That he was not a mere created angel, is plain from the incommunicable name Jehovah, which he assumes, and by which he suffers himself to be frequently called (verses 14, 16, 23, 24, etc.). Therefore, the Jews, according to their Targum, which styles him the word of the Lord, look upon this angel not merely as a heavenly messenger sent from God, but as the Son of God himself, appearing in the form of an angel. Patrick.

13. Gideon, as if not conscious to himself of anything great or encouraging in his own spirit, fastens only on the assurance the angel had given him of God’s presence, as that by which they held all their comfort. The angel spake in particular to him, The Lord is with thee, but he expostulates for all, If the Lord be with us; herding himself with the thousands of Israel, and admitting no comfort but what they might be sharers in; so far is he from the thoughts of monopolizing it, though he had so fair an occasion given him. H.

The Angel immediately gained what the Angel of His Presence always first gains—the confidence of Gideon’s heart. To the unknown stranger he pours forth his inmost doubts, sorrows, and fears. It is not that he is ignorant of Jehovah’s past dealings, nor that he questions His present power, but that he believes that if Jehovah had not withdrawn from Israel their present calamities could not have rested upon them. The conclusion was right and true, so far as it went; for Israel’s prosperity or sufferings depended on the presence or the absence of Jehovah. Thus Gideon’s was in truth a confession of Israel’s sin, and of Jehovah’s justice. It was the beginning of repentance. But Gideon had yet to learn another truth—that Jehovah would turn from His anger if Israel only turned to Him; and yet another lesson for himself; to put personal trust in the promise of God, based as it was on His covenant of love, and that whether the outward means to be employed seemed adequate or not. A. E.

14-16. As the chosen instrument for delivering Israel, Gideon must be prepared. And two things were necessary in the first place: one to awaken in him a thorough trust in God; the other to inspire him with a proper trust in himself, springing from his trust in God. And so the angel began at once with the startling words, “The Lord is with thee.” And the answer of doubt and despair from the lips of Gideon was met by a turning of God’s face upon him, and a word of further encouragement: “Go in this thy might; . . . have not I sent thee?” and again he said, “Surely I will be with thee!” And the scene that followed—the tarrying of the angel till his return with the kid and the unleavened cakes; the solemn sacrifice on the altar of rock; the outstretched staff in the angel’s hand touching the flesh and the cakes; the bursting forth of the fire from the rock; the word of comfort, Peace be unto thee! and the disappearance of the angel as mysteriously as he came—was all directed to the same end, to work in Gideon’s mind the deepest possible conviction that God was with him, and that the whole love and power of the Almighty was on his side. But it was also necessary to inspire him with a proper trust in himself. As long as he thought of himself only as a thresher of wheat, a skulker by the wine-press; as long as he had no hope, no spirit, he would and could do nothing great. The man, the warrior, the captain, the deliverer, the hero, the martyr, must be aroused within him. And so the voice of God addresses him, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. Go in thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite Midian as one man.” And if these words fell, as no doubt they did, upon a spirit already chafed with a sense of his country’s degradation; if burning thoughts of shame and humiliation were smouldering in his mind as he threshed his wheat in secret, how would these words of homage and respect from the mysterious stranger awaken his soul to a new estimate of his place in the world. It was no longer a time to hide and despair and complain, it was a time to rise and act, to dare and risk, and he was the man to be at the head of this new movement. This was Gideon’s preparation. Ep. Hervey.

17. As Moses, being sent on the same errand, desired a sign, whereby Israel might know that God sent him; so Gideon desires a sign from this bearer to know that this news is from God. Ep. H.—The commission being given him out of the common road of providence, he might reasonably expect it should be confirmed by some act of God out of the common course of nature. H.—The sole doubt now left Gideon proposed to solve by “asking for a sign,” yet not a sign to his unbelief, but one connected with worship and with sacrifice. Jehovah granted it. A. E.

21. He that came without entreating would not have departed without taking leave, but that he might increase Gideon’s wonder, and that his wonder might increase his faith. His salutation therefore was not so strange as his farewell. This messenger touches the stone with his staff, and brings forth fire, and presently vanishes, that he may approve himself a spirit. And now Gideon, when he had gathered up himself, must needs think: “He that can raise fire out of a stone can raise courage and power out of my dead breast; he that by this fire hath consumed the broth and flesh can by the feeble flame of my fortitude consume Midian.” Bp. H.

25,26. Gideon was commanded to take his father’s “second bullock of seven years old,” and, having overthrown the altar of Baal, and cut up the Asherah, or wooden image of the goddess Ashtoreth, to use its fragments for burning the bullock as a sacrifice upon the altar of Jehovah. P. S.—First must Baal’s altar be ruined, ere God’s be built: the true God will have no society with idols, neither will allow it us. As one whose holy jealousy will abide no worship till there be no idolatry, he first commands down the monuments of superstition, and then enjoins his own service: the wood of Baal’s grove must be used to burn a sacrifice unto God. Bp. H.

27. It is not to be inferred that Gideon feared the resentment of his kindred or neighbors, or that he shrunk from any danger connected with the undertaking; but as a matter of policy and prudence, he saw fit to engage in the enterprise by night, when he would be least exposed to interruption or opposition from the votaries of Baal.

30. Bring out thy son that he may die.** These degenerate Israelites do not scruple to call upon Joash to deliver up his own son to death, for aiming to suppress practices, which, if the law had had its course, would have subjected them to death. Bush.—31. But Joash replied by the argument, so conclusive against idols, and so often since repeated both in word and deed, “Let Baal plead his own cause.” The citizens seem to have shared the conviction which led Joash to take his son’s part; and Gideon’s new name of Jerubbaal, that is, Let Baal plead, at once commemorated the triumph of the day, and became a watchword to deride the impotence of the false gods. P. S.—The drift of Joash is to represent to Baal’s votaries how absurd it is for them to undertake to avenge the insult done to their idol, when if he were a god, as they thought him to be, he would assuredly have taken the matter into his own hands and punished the offender on the spot without suffering him to see the light of the morning. Bush.

32. Called him Jerubbaal.** Gideon is the noblest of the judges. Courage, constancy, and caution are strongly marked in his character. The youngest son of an obscure family in a small tribe, he humbly shrinks from the task imposed on him,—not from cowardice or indolence, but from conscious weakness. Men who are worthy to do such work as his are never forward to begin it, nor backward when they are sure of God’s will. He began his war against Midian by warring against Baal, whose worship had brought the oppressor. If any thorough deliverance from the misery which departure from God has wrought is to be effected, we must destroy the idols before we attack the spoilers. Cast out sin, and you cast out sorrow. So he first earns his new name of Jerubbaal (Let Baal plead), and is known as Baal’s antagonist, before he blows the trumpet of revolt. The name is an omen of victory. The hand that had smitten the idol, and had not been withered, would smite Midian. Therefore that new name is used in the next chapter, which tells of the preparations for the fight and its triumphant issue. A. M.

Summons to Particular Tribes. Prayer of Gideon.

33. Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites—went over.** They passed over the Jordan and crossed the country as far as to the borders of Manasseh and Issachar, and pitched in the “plain” (rather than the “valley”) of Esdraelon, anciently called Jezreel. Bush.

34. The Spirit came.** In the Old Testament, the Spirit’s work in the Divine kingdom is that of endowing the organs of the theocracy with the gifts required for their calling, and those gifts of office in the Old Testament are similar to the gifts of grace in the New Testament. The Spirit bestows on Moses and the seventy elders skill to guide the people, also to Joshua, and works at a later period in the judges, arousing and strengthening them, and comes on the kings, who were called of God, at their anointing. O.

32-35. Once more the Midianitish Bedawin had swarmed across Jordan; once more their tents covered the plain of Jezreel. Now or never—now, before their destructive raids once more began, or else never under Gideon—must Israel arise! Yet not of his own purpose did he move. In the deeply expressive language of Scripture:

“The Spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon,” like a garment round about, or rather like an armor. Only after that he blew the trumpet of alarm. First, his own clan Abiezer “was called after him.” Next, swift messengers bore the tidings all through Manasseh, and that tribe gathered. Other messengers hastened along the coast (to avoid the Midianites) through Asher northward to Zebulun and Naphtali, and they as well as Asher, which formerly had not fought with Barak, obeyed the summons. A. E.

Came up. No doubt Gideon was encamped upon one of the southern hills that overlooked the plain, probably Gilboa, just as Barak was on Mount Tabor (see ch. 8 : 8-12). A. C. H.

36-40. Gideon’s mind was full of the distress of his people. We find traces of humility, unselfishness, and true patriotism in his character from the first. And the same character which appeared in this answer pervades all Gideon’s work. He will do anything that God commands him, but he absolutely refuses to act for himself. Sign after sign he asks at each stage of his work until he has actually met the enemy. He will be sure that the Lord is with him at every turn. This is not cowardice; it is that true discretion which is the best part of valor—to attempt nothing without the Lord. But with the Lord Gideon will do anything. Waller.

All was ready—yet one thing more did Gideon seek. It was not from unbelief, nor yet in weakness of faith, that Gideon asked a sign from the Lord, or rather a token, a pledge of His presence. Those hours in the history of God’s heroes, when, on the eve of a grand deed of the sublimest faith, the spirit wrestles with the flesh, are holy seasons. When in such hours the soul in its agony is seen to cast its burden upon the Lord, we feel that we stand on holy ground. In substance, though not in its circumstances, it was the same struggle as that which was waged in the night when Jacob prayed: “I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me.” The “sign” was of Gideon’s own choosing, but graciously accorded him by God. It was twofold. On the first night the fleece of wool spread on the ground was to be full of dew, but the ground all around dry. This, however, might still admit of doubt, since a fleece would naturally attract the dew. Accordingly, the next night the sign was reversed, and the fleece alone remained dry, while the ground all around was wet with dew. The symbolical meaning of the sign is plain. Israel was like that fleece of wool, spread on the wide extent of the nations. But, whereas all the ground around was dry, Israel was filled with the dew, as symbol of the Divine blessing.

And the second sign meant, that it was equally of God, when, during Israel’s apostasy, the ground all around was wet, and the fleece of Jehovah’s flock alone left dry. A. E.

Whenever we read of “dew” in our Bible, we must understand a copious mist shedding small invisible rain, that comes in rich abundance every night about twelve o’clock in the hot weather when west or northwest winds blow, and which brings intense refreshment to all organized life. The abundance of moisture deposited by “this dew,” far exceeding that which could possibly come from any dew properly so called, makes the sign given to Gideon, though not a whit the less miraculous, still far more natural than if dew such as we experience was intended. That Jerubbaal should be able to wring “the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water,” is perfectly in accordance with the plentiful way in which this “dew” of the Bible still falls. Neil.

NOTZ.—Do not fail to consult maps and notes on pp. 184, 353. B.

1. Gideon, advancing from the hills of Manasseh on the south, formed his camp on Mount Gilboa, “beside the well,” or spring, “of Harod.” This probably was the same spring called elsewhere in the history the “fountain which is in Jezreel,” by which the Israelites under Saul were encamped, prior to the disastrous battle of Mount Gilboa. Just under the northwestern edge of Mount Gilboa, a mile and a half from the site of the city of Jezreel, is now a large fountain “flowing out from under a sort of cavern, in the wall of conglomerate rock, and spreading at once into a fine limpid pool forty or fifty feet in diameter.” This is called by the natives “Ain Jalûd,” and is in all probability the “Well of Harod,” or “Fountain of Jezreel.” N. C. B.—The Ain Jalûd is a fine spring at the foot of Gilboa, issuing blue and clear from a cavern, and forming a pool with rushy banks and a pebbly bottom more than one hundred yards in length. The water is sweet, and there is ample space for the gathering of a great number of men. Conder.—“The host of Midian was beneath” Gideon “in the valley.” It lay stretched “on the north side” of the Israelites, “by the hill of Moreh in the valley.” Perhaps a mile and a half or two miles intervened between the foot of Gilboa and the outskirts of the camp of Midian. N. C. B.

7 : 2. And the Lord said. It must be

remembered that this whole movement was essentially a religious one. It began with prayer, it was followed up by repentance, and the great purpose of it was to turn the hearts of the nation back to the God of their fathers. The Lord himself, therefore, graciously forwarded this end by making it plain that the deliverance from their oppression was his work, and his only. A. C. H.

By the result of this enterprise he would afford them convincing proof that the disproportion of numbers formed no apology for their remissness. But chief of all, his purpose is to silence and exclude boasting—“lest Israel vaunt themselves against me.” Bush.—The numbers must be so reduced that the victory shall be unmistakably God’s, not theirs. The same sort of procedure, and for the same reason, runs through all God’s dealings. The more unevenly matched are the respective sides, the more plainly does the victory of the weaker demand for its explanation the intervention of God. The old sneer, that Providence is always on the side of the strongest battalions, is an audacious misreading of history, and is the very opposite of the truth. It is the weak battalions which win in the long run, for the history of every good cause is the same. It is for Israel’s sake that he is so solicitous to deliver them from the delusion of their having won the victory. It is because he loves us, and would fain have us made restful, confident, and strong, in the assurance of his fighting for us, that he takes pains so to order the history of his church in the world, that it is one long attestation of the omnipotence of weakness, when his power flows through it. To say, “Not I, but the grace of God in me,” is to be serene and of good cheer in the face of outnumbering foes, and sure of victory in all conflicts: therefore God is careful to save us from self-gratulation and self-confidence. A. M.

3. Proclaim in the ears of the people. This was according to a standing enactment of the law (De. 20 : 8), the design of which was to prevent the contagious effects of cowardice or “faint-heartedness,” in the army. Bush.—God bids him therefore proclaim license for all faint hearts to leave the field. Although it was not their courage that should save Israel, yet without their courage God would not serve himself of them. Christianity requires men; for if our spiritual difficulties meet not with high spirits, instead of whetting our fortitude, they quell it. Bp. II.

When Gideon proclaimed at God’s command, “Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let himself return and depart early from Mount Gilead,” twenty-two thousand slunk away. P. S.—The recently published map of the English Palestine Exploration Fund attaches the name Gilead to the northern slopes of the western end of Gilboa, where Gideon was now encamped, and is probably right.

Why were the fearful dismissed? Because fear is contagious; and in undisciplined armies like Gideon’s, panic, once started, spreads swiftly, and becomes frenzied confusion. The same thing is true in the work of the Church to-day. Who that has had much to do with guiding its operations has not groaned over the dead weight of the timid and sluggish souls, who always see difficulties and never the way to get over them? Another reason for getting rid of the fearful is that fear is the opposite of faith, and that therefore, where it is uppermost, the door by which God’s power can enter to strengthen is closed. We do not need, for our efficiency in Christ’s service, complete exemption from fear, but we do need to make the psalmist’s resolve ours: “I will trust and not be afraid.” Terror shuts the door against the entrance of the grace which makes us conquerors, and so fulfils its own forebodings; faith opens the door, and so fulfils its own confidences.

4. Note the final test. God required but few men, but he required that these should be fit. The first test had sifted out the brave and willing. As Thomas Fuller says, there were “fewer persons, but not fewer men,” after the poltroons had disappeared. The second test, a “a purgatory of water,” as the same wise and witty author calls it, was still more stringent. The dwindled ranks were led down from their camp on the slopes to the fountain and brook which lay in the valley near the Midianites’ camp. A. M.

5,6. The water—viz., of the well or spring of Harod. That lappeth. It showed a much more soldierly and self-controlled spirit just to quench the thirst by lapping the water out of the palm of the hand, than to kneel down and drink without stint out of the spring itself. The Lord saw the difference of character indicated by the two actions, and chose his instruments accordingly. A. C. H.—The one part coming to the fountain in a kind of heedless abandon throw themselves upon the ground and thrust their faces into the water. The other class slake their thirst, yet keep their feet, still alert, watchful, ready, self contained, proof against panic, surprise, or any other sudden gust of impulse. Surely they were just the sort of men Gideon wanted for the duty he had planned for them. They would go when sent; would go wherever sent; would not go before; could be trusted absolutely to do their duty. An.—They showed that duty and not self-indulgence was uppermost in their minds. They were men of faith, courage, prudence, watchfulness, and self-denial. By such men, be they few or many, God conquers. There has always been, there is now in his Church, such a minority. They are men and women of unfaltering faith, earnest prayer, and loyally devoted to Christ. They can be depended upon in emergencies. Their object is not to indulge themselves in the good of this world, but to do some good in it. They are ready for labor, and count their time, their property, their all, not their own, but God’s. “God looks upon them with delight.” As they honor him, he honors them. They shall walk with their Lord in white, for they are worthy.

8. He retained the three hundred men. All human probabilities are against him. On his side he has nothing but the Word of God. But that word is everything to Gideon. His faith rises to its highest and noblest degree. He had first asked of God signs and tests to confirm the message sent to him. These had been given, and he had full and sufficient warrant for believing that God would deliver Israel through his hand. So God, in turn, tries his faith, and most gloriously does it come through the fiery ordeal. His steadfastness points us to the true ground of success in Christ’s work. We must base our confidence, not in numbers, nor in enthusiasm, nor in the instrumentalities we employ, but solely on the word of promise which our Lord has spoken. Niccolls.

And the host of Midian. The writer repeats this to give a perfect picture of the situation. The whole army returned to their homes; the three hundred alone with Gideon in the camp; the Midianite host in the plain beneath. A. C. H.—Now, when there is not scarce left one Israelite to every thousand of the Midianites, it is seasonable with God to go in battle. Bp. II.

Notice this lesson of sifting with a view to forming a correct estimate of the probable issues of events. Look at any number of men engaged in any work, secular or religious, that requires steadfastness, tenacity of purpose, fixedness of principle, fortitude to brave danger and meet difficulties, and the probability is that only a small proportion of them will go through with what they have begun. Especially in work done for our Lord Jesus Christ, for the advancement of his kingdom and for the good of his Church, we must look to the few. The men of prayer, the men of earnest faith, are the handful; but they are the men who will fight the real battle, and who, by grace, will win the real victory. Hervey.

Another great lesson taught here is that self-restraint in the use of the world’s goods is essential to all true Christian warfare. There are two ways of looking at and partaking of these. We may either “drink for strength” or “for drunkenness.” Life is to some men first a place for strenuous endeavor, and only secondly a place of refreshment. Such think of duty first and of water afterward. To them, all the innocent joys and pleasures of the natural life are as brooks by the way, of which Christ’s soldier should drink, mainly that he may be reinvigorated for conflict. Christ calls for self-restraint that we may be fit organs for his power, and bids us endure hardness that we may be good soldiers of his. If we know anything of the true sweetness of his fellowship and service, it will not be hard to drink sparingly of earthly fountains, when we have the river of his pleasures to drink from; nor will it be painful sacrifice to cast away imitation jewels, in order to clasp in our hands the true riches of his love and imparted life. A. M.

GIDEON’S NIGHT VISIT TO THE CAMP OF MIDIAN. TERROR AND FLIGHT OF THE MIDIANITES. THEIR PURSUIT AND DESTRUCTION BY THE GATHERED TRIBES OF THE NORTH. INCIDENTS THAT FOLLOWED. GIDEON’S SUBSEQUENT HISTORY.