Judges 6: Gideon is called by God but wants proof

Synopsis:

The children of Israel do evil so God allows the Midianites to take over. The Israeli’s suffer, because they have no land to graze. So God sent a prophet to assure the Israelites he would take care of him. He also sent an angel to Ophrah were Gideon, son of Joash an Abiezite was threshing wheat. The angel to Gideon – God has chosen you to save Israel.  Gideon says – if I really have been chosen, prove to me you are an angel of the lord. So, the angel has Gideon make an offering on a rock which the angel then sets on fire.   Gideon is ordered to go into town, and destroy the temple to Baal, replace it with an altar to God and to cut down the grove next to the old temple. He does this at night. When the towns people wake up, find the temple and the grove have been destroyed, find out it was Gideon. They ask his dad Joash to bring him forth – Joash say – if Baal is so powerful, let him plead his case directly against my son. As all the  Midianites and the amalekites and the children of the east gathered, the Spirit of the Lord possessed Gideon and he blew a trumpet.  They called the tribes of Israel together and Gideon asked God to prove he was the chosen one by making  a fleece have dew, but the ground around it not.  The next night, just to prove it wasn’t a trick – they asked God to make the ground wet with dew, but make the fleece dry. This God did.

In other words: 

God calls Gideon through an Angel. Gideon asks for proof. Then God has to prove to the townspeople that Gideon is his chosen one.

Favorite bit:

Judges 6:39 – Don’t get mad God, but I need you to prove that you are who you say you are, one more time! (paraphrased)

Least favorite bit:

The tearing down of the grove next to the temple of Baal.  Was that really necessary (Judges 6:25)

Moral Lesson Learned:

• Always ask for positive ID (Judges 6:17-22)
• Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence (Judges 6:39)