Gideon the Judge

Gideon lived during a hard time. The people of Israel were being attacked by a group called the Midianites. These enemies would come and take their food and animals. The people were afraid. They had no peace.

Gideon was not a soldier. He was just a man working on his father’s land. He was hiding in a winepress, trying to thresh wheat so no one would steal it. He did not seem strong or brave.

While he was working, an angel came and spoke to him. The angel called him a “mighty warrior” and said that God had chosen him to save Israel. Gideon was surprised. He asked, “Why has all this trouble happened?” He did not feel strong.

Gideon said he was from a weak family. He did not believe he was the right person for such a big job. But the angel told him that God would be with him.

This moment was the start of Gideon’s journey. He would learn to trust God. He would see that even a simple man could be a leader when he followed the Lord.

Gideon wanted to be sure. He was not quick to jump in. He asked for a sign that the angel was really sent by God. He brought meat and bread as an offering. The angel touched it with a stick, and fire came up and burned it. Then the angel disappeared.

This scared Gideon. He realized he had seen a messenger from God. But God told him not to be afraid. Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is peace.”

Later, Gideon asked for more signs. He took a piece of wool and placed it outside. He asked that the wool be wet with dew but the ground be dry. The next morning, it happened just as he asked.

Still not sure, he asked again. This time, he wanted the ground to be wet but the wool to be dry. That also happened. These signs helped Gideon believe.

God was patient with Gideon. He did not get angry. He gave Gideon what he needed to take the next step. Gideon was careful, but he was learning to trust.

God gave Gideon a job. He told him to tear down an altar built to a false god named Baal. This altar belonged to Gideon’s own father. There was also a wooden pole next to it, used for more false worship.

Gideon was afraid. He did not want to be seen doing this. So he went at night. He took ten men with him. They pulled down the altar and cut down the pole. Then they built a new altar to the Lord.

In the morning, the people saw what had happened. They were angry. They asked, “Who did this?” When they found out it was Gideon, they wanted to kill him.

But Gideon’s father spoke up. He said if Baal was really a god, he could defend himself. The people listened. They gave Gideon a new name, Jerubbaal, which means “Let Baal fight for himself.”

This act was bold. It showed that Gideon was starting to trust God more than his fears. He still had doubts, but he took action anyway.

Gideon gathered an army to fight the Midianites. At first, he had 32,000 men. But God said that was too many. If they won with a big army, they might think they did it by their own strength.

God told Gideon to let anyone who was afraid go home. Many left. Then God gave another test. He told Gideon to watch how the men drank water from a river. Only those who drank in a certain way were chosen.

In the end, only 300 men were left. This was a very small group to fight a huge army. But Gideon obeyed. He trusted God’s plan, even though it did not make sense.

At night, Gideon gave each man a trumpet, a jar, and a torch. They went to the enemy camp and surrounded it. At Gideon’s signal, they blew the trumpets, broke the jars, and shouted. The light from the torches scared the Midianites.

The enemy became confused. They ran and even fought each other. Israel won the battle without swords. God had saved them with a small group and a strange plan.

After the victory, the people wanted Gideon to be their king. But he said no. He told them that God was their true ruler. Gideon did not take a crown or throne.

Still, he did collect gold from the people. He used it to make a special vest called an ephod. It was meant to be a sign of thanks. But the people began to treat it the wrong way. They gave it too much honor, like it was a god.

This became a problem. Even though Gideon had done great things, this one act led the people into trouble. It shows that even leaders can make mistakes.

Gideon lived a long life. He had many children. After he died, the people turned away from God again. They forgot how God had saved them through Gideon.

His life was full of both faith and weakness. He trusted God, but he also had doubts and made errors. Still, God used him to help the people.

Gideon’s story is remembered in the Bible because he trusted God, even when he was scared. He did not start out strong. He was unsure. But he followed anyway.

He is mentioned in the New Testament in the Letter to the Hebrews. He is named as a man of faith. This means the Church sees his life as an example of trusting God.

Gideon reminds us that we do not need to be perfect to be used by God. We can be weak. We can have fears. But if we follow with trust, God can do great things through us.

His feast day is remembered in the Roman Martyrology on September 26. On this day, the Church honors his faith and courage.

Gideon’s life teaches us that saying yes to God, even in small ways, can lead to great things. He shows that God does not always pick the strongest, but the willing.

He was threshing wheat in a winepress when God called him. Yes, hiding in a pit. Not exactly heroic.

An angel showed up and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” Gideon probably looked behind him to see who else was there.

Gideon’s first response was, “If God’s with us, why is everything such a mess?” Honest guy.

God told him to save Israel. Gideon said, “I’m from the weakest family and I’m the weakest one in it.”

He asked for a sign. The angel burned up some food with fire from a rock. That worked.

Then God told him to tear down an altar to Baal. Gideon did it—at night, so no one would see him.

In the morning, people were furious. But his dad said, “If Baal’s real, let him defend himself.” Nice save.

Gideon still wasn’t sure, so he asked God for another sign. He put a fleece on the ground.

He said, “Make the fleece wet and the ground dry.” God did it.

Then he said, “Okay, now reverse it.” God did that too. The fleece tests passed.

Gideon gathered an army—32,000 men! But God said, “Too many.”

God told him to send home anyone who was scared. 22,000 left right away.

Still too many. So God made them drink from a stream. Only 300 who lapped like dogs were chosen. Strange selection process.

Gideon’s army of 300 faced thousands of Midianites. Not great odds.

They brought trumpets, torches, and jars—not swords. Surprise attack with kitchenware!

At night, they smashed the jars, blew trumpets, and shouted. The Midianites panicked and ran. Total confusion.

Gideon became a national hero. People wanted to make him king. He said, “Nope, God is king.”

Later, he made a golden ephod (a priestly garment) and it accidentally became an idol. Oops.

He had many sons. One of them, Abimelech, tried to make himself king. Not a great ending there.

Gideon’s story is in the Book of Judges, chapters 6–8. It’s short, wild, and full of surprises.

He reminds us that God can use the smallest, most doubtful person for the biggest job.