Principle
The Angel of the Lord called Gideon and confirmed the truth of His message through miracles.
Explanation
Following the death of Moses and Joshua, Israel lost their way, abandoning their GOD, Yahweh, and serving the gods of the Canaanites.
When Israel fell into idolatry and other evils, GOD raised up an adversary from the nations among them to punish them. After a long time, Israel would grow weary and eventually humble themselves, repent, and return to GOD.
Seeing their suffering and being moved by their cries, GOD raised up a person to deliver Israel from their oppressor, convict them of their sin, and point Israel back to a healthy relationship with GOD. We call these individuals judges.
After the forty years of peace following Deborah and Barak’s victory over the Canaanite king, Jabin, Israel again lapsed into evil. On this occasion, GOD used the Midianites to persecute Israel for seven years.
When Israel cried out for help, GOD sent a prophet to convict the people:
8 And the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘I am He who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of your bondage; 9 and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you did not obey My voice.’”
Judges 6:8-10 OSB
In spite of this sharp rebuke, GOD provided a deliverer from another unlikely source: Gideon.
In a calling with aspects that eerily parallel Moses’ calling, GOD sent His Angel—the Angel of the LORD—to call Gideon to his mission.
11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree in Ephrathah which belonged to Joash the father of Esdri, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress in order to hide from the presence of the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, mighty one of the armies!” 13 Gideon said to Him, “It is I, my Lord? If the Lord is with us, why then have these evils come upon us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has driven us out and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” 14 Then the Angel of the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with this strength of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Indeed, I have sent you.”
15 And Gideon said to Him, “Be gracious with me, my Lord, for how can I save Israel? My thousand is weakened in Manasseh, and I am the smallest in my father’s house.” 16 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “The Lord will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 Then Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found mercy in Your sight, then You shall do everything for me today that You have told me. 18 Do not leave here, I pray, until I come to You and I will bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I am. I will wait until you come back.” 19 So Gideon went in and prepared a goat kid, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and approached.
20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the Angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
22 Now Gideon perceived this was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “O Lord, my Lord! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it the Peace of the Lord. To this day it is still in Ephratha of the father of Esdri.
Judges 6:11-24 OSB
We have previously established that the Angel of the LORD is divine—the Angel of the LORD is God. Here, in Judges 6:24, Gideon was moved to build an altar to GOD based upon the Angel of the Lord’s consumption of the offering. Gideon was worshiping the Angel as Yahweh.
Consider the parallels (and contrasts) between Gideon’s calling and Moses’ calling at Sinai’s burning bush.
Gideon was hiding from the Midianites (Gentiles); Moses was hiding from Pharaoh (Egyptians; Gentiles).
Both Gideon and Moses were fearful, if not cowardice at the time GOD called them to their respective mission.
Both doubted GOD would choose them to do something powerful at that point in their life.
The Angel used a miraculous sign with both to confirm the truthfulness of His message, that GOD was indeed with Moses and Gideon. Moses was given the sign of the staff turning into the snake and his hand turning leprous, and then both being undone. Gideon was given the signs of the food sacrifice consumption by fire, the Angel’s disappearance, and subsequently the wet/dry fleece/ground scenarios.
Gideon’s behavior was more noble than Moses’ at their callings in one key way, however: Gideon demonstrated a more immediate faith in the Angel’s message.
Whereas Moses made “every excuse in the book,” as we say, Gideon’s response was, “If now I have found mercy in Your sight, then You shall do everything for me today that You have told me.” (See Judges 6:17.)
Consuming the Sacrifice: Still the Same GOD
18 Do not leave here, I pray, until I come to You and I will bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I am. I will wait until you come back.” 19 So Gideon went in and prepared a goat kid, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and approached.
20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the Angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
22 Now Gideon perceived this was the Angel of the Lord.
Judges 6:18-22 OSB
When GOD gave Moses the Law, and Aaron and his four sons were sent into the tabernacle for their week of purification so that they could be consecrated to serve as Israel’s priests, at the conclusion of that week, on the eighth day, GOD did something special.
22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the whole burnt offerings, and peace offerings. 23 After this, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of testimony, and came out, and blessed all the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people; 24 and fire came out from the Lord, and consumed the things on the altar, both the whole burnt offerings and the fat. When all the people saw this, they were amazed and fell on their faces.
Leviticus 9:22-24 OSB
Although Gideon’s generation apparently didn’t know GOD well, I imagine he would have heard the story of how GOD blessed and approved of the Aaronic priesthood. Thus, Gideon immediately recognized the Angel’s reenactment of GOD’s miracle probably a hundred years or more beforehand. It is for this reason that Gideon knew that he had seen the Angel of the LORD, for that is the next thing we’re told.
We need to also appreciate the Angel’s use of the phrase “I Am” in Judges 6:18, probably an indicator that “waiting” for Gideon to return was no issue for the Eternal, Self-Existent One, who was and is, and is to come. The personal name of Yahweh GOD (woefully falling short of glory in our translation into English as simply): I Am.
The Angel of the LORD Connected Gideon with The Voice of GOD
One more thing we need to appreciate about the Angel of the LORD’s call of Gideon is that, apparently, the Angel’s interaction brought Gideon in tune with hearing the voice of GOD.
With Gideon’s first comments to the Angel, it is obvious that Gideon does not really know GOD.
13 Gideon said to Him, “It is I, my Lord? If the Lord is with us, why then have these evils come upon us?
Judges 6:13a OSB
Yet, by the time the Angel disappeared following consumption of Gideon’s offering, from then on, GOD spoke directly to Gideon and we have no record of the Angel of the LORD appearing again to Gideon:
22 Now Gideon perceived this was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “O Lord, my Lord! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” … 25 Now that same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, and the second calf of seven years old, and tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and destroy the sacred grove beside it.
Judges 6:22-23, 25 OSB
Apparently, the Angel of the LORD’s mission was to bring the warrior’s (man of faith’s) heart to where he was listening for the voice of GOD so that he could be used for GOD’s purpose to accomplish His mission and purpose through Gideon.
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