After the death of Joshua, God didn’t appoint anyone to take his place like He did with Moses and Joshua. Instead, 12 Judges periodically ruled Israel for about 350 years. Gideon was number 5 and is considered by many to be the greatest. The Judges continued until Saul was made king.
Gideon belonged to an undistinguished, ordinary family and, much like Moses…..He thought he wasn’t capable of doing what God had in mind for him (Judges 6:15). And he was right. By himself, he was unfit for God’s service. But God promised to walk with him, strengthen him and give him victory.
God uses ordinary people to accomplish His plans, and the key to Gideon’s success was his willingness to obey God. Gideon went from being a man in hiding, threshing wheat at the foot of a hill out of sight of the enemy, to defeating that same enemy in battle. As such, he is included in a fitting testimonial for the great men of God listed in the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11:32-34).
The period of the Judges was a dark time in the history of Israel. Everybody did whatever they thought was right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6). The cycle of Jewish wandering followed by God rescuing was repeated several times.
Gideon 1a — Judges 6
Gideon 2a — Judges 7
Gideon 3a — Judges 8
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