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Judges 6:17–24
“Then he said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me’” (Judg. 6:17).
Gideon has been called by the Angel of the LORD to lead Israel against its Midianite oppressors. As he hesitates, filled with doubts about his ability to fulfill this startling commission, he exhibits what will prove to be an enduring tendency in his relationship with God: He asks for some sort of confirmation or assurance. In this instance, he wants to know that it is truly God who is calling him. Why? Matthew Henry writes that Gideon “would not be over-credulous of that which tended so much to his own praise, would not venture upon an undertaking so far above him, and in which he must engage many more, but he would be well satisfied himself of his authority, and would be able to give satisfaction to others as to Him who gave him that authority.” He therefore asks the Angel to wait until he can prepare an offering, and the Angel, who probably is God Himself, agrees to do so, graciously accommodating Himself to the need of His weak, wavering son.
Gideon then hastens to prepare unleavened bread, the meat of a young goat, and a pot of broth, and brings them to the Angel. He presents them to the Angel under the terebinth tree, apparently leaving it to Him to decide what to do with them. The Angel commands that the meat and bread be placed on a rock, and the broth poured out. He then touches the meat and bread with His staff, and fire rises from the rock to consume them. “Hereby He gave him a sign that he had found grace in His sight, for God testified His acceptance of sacrifices by kindling them,” Henry writes in his commentary. At the same moment, the Angel vanishes from sight, leaving the stunned Gideon with no doubts—it is, indeed, the God of Israel who is calling him.
Ironically, Gideon is not comforted by receiving what he requested. Like so many in Scripture, he is alarmed to realize he has stood in the presence of God Himself. “ ‘Alas, O Lord GOD!’ ” he cries. “ ‘For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.’ ” The Israelites well understood the peril of gazing upon God (Gen. 32:30; Ex. 33:20), but God here graciously comforts Gideon and assures him he will not die. When he recovers from his fright, Gideon builds an altar to commemorate God’s acceptance of his offering and the comfort He gave, naming it Yahweh Shalom, “The-LORD-Is-Peace.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Many people reading the Bible today want the same assurance Gideon sought—that it is God who is speaking to them. The Westminster Confession lists evidences that the Bible is God’s Word, but it notes that full assurance is a work of the Spirit (I, 5). Ask God to help you know and believe that He truly speaks to His people via Scripture.
for further study
- Romans 15:4
- 2 Timothy 3:15–17
- Hebrews 1:1
- Hebrews 4:12
- 2 Peter 1:20–21