Bible Character Explorer
Period of the Judges • c. 1150 BC
Gideon
The Reluctant DelivererThe fearful farmer whom God turned into a mighty deliverer with only three hundred men
"And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man."
Judges 6:16 (KJV)
Overview
Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from raiding Midianites when the angel of the Lord called him a mighty man of valor, a title that must have seemed absurd to a man hiding in fear. Through repeated tests, a fleece, and a radical reduction of his army from 32,000 to 300 men, God proved that the victory over Midian would be recognized as the Lord's doing, not Israel's own strength.
Gospel Connection
Gideon's story shows that deliverance belongs to the Lord and is often accomplished through weakness rather than human strength, a pattern that finds its ultimate expression in the cross, where God's power was displayed through what appeared to be total defeat. Paul's words that God's strength is made perfect in weakness echo the same principle God taught Israel through Gideon's diminished army.
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