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Think On These Things Newsletter>
Life Lessons From Little Known Verses
June 26, 2008
“So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them.” Judges 6:19 (NRSV)
There are verses of the Bible that I find particularly intriguing because of the lack of emphasis placed on them by the writers, much less theologians. The verses are not integral parts of the story - hence the lack of emphasis. They are, however, necessary parts of the story. Without these verses, the story could not move toward it’s conclusion. Judges 6:19 is one of those verses.
In the first verse of the sixth chapter of the book of Judges we find that the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord - again. The Lord “gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.” Whenever the Israelites planted seed, the Midianite hordes moved in next door and destroyed the produce of the land. The Israelites cried to the Lord to save them from the Midianites. The Lord replied through a prophet that after all he had done to lead them out of trouble and into the promised land, they still had not heeded his voice.
However, after making his point, the Lord had pity on the Israelites, yet once again. An angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, son of Joash, under an oak tree. Even though Gideon is the “least in [his] family” in the weakest clan, the angel of the Lord commissioned Gideon to deliver the Israelites out of the hands of the Midianites. Which is hard for Gideon to fathom.
But the Lord assures Gideon that he will be with him and that Gideon would strike down the Midianites - “every one of them.” Just as the Lord did to Moses in Exodus chapter three. But Gideon still is not sure - neither was Moses (“Who am I that I should go to Pharoah?” Exod. 3:11). Gideon asks the angel of the Lord if Gideon has found favor with the Lord to show him a sign that it was the angel speaking to him. Gideon pleads for the angel to stay until he brings his present and returns to him. “I will stay until you return,” replied the angel. (6:18)
In the Jewish Study Bible, Judges 6:19 reads this way: “So Gideon went in and prepared a kid, and [baked] unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and poured the broth into a pot, and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth.”
Either translation makes it sound as if Gideon went inside, popped it in the microwave, put it in containers, and was back out in no time. While it is true that the writers/editors of Judges did not consider it an important part of the story, it does seem odd to me that they would pass over it so quickly. The present text belies the effort that Gideon put into his “present” (NRSV) or “offering” (JSB).
First Gideon had to prepare a kid. Which he would have to kill first since they had no means of meat preservation. Then skin it and cook it over the fire that he would have had to stop preparing the kid to start. While the kid was cooking he would have had to prepare and bake the unleavened bread, which fortunately - time-wise - did not rise.
It could very well have taken Gideon a few hours if not the better part of a day to prepare and cook everything. All the time wondering if the angel of the Lord was still outside under the oak tree. The scriptures do not say if he looked outside to check or not. More than likely he was too involved in his task to look out the window.
Which would take a lot of determination, patience, and faith. Of course, Gideon certainly had his share of sheer doubt and hope. Doubt that he was important enough for the angel of the Lord to still be there waiting on him. Yet with hope anchored in faith that the angel was truly of the Lord and the Lord was God of gods. All the while concentrating on the task at hand.
After cooking at great length, Gideon put the meat in a basket, the broth in a pot, and, with the cakes of bread, returned to the angel of the Lord. The angel told him to pour out the broth and put the meat with the bread on a rock. The angel touched his staff to the meat and the cakes. The food was consumed by fire. Then the angel of the Lord vanished.
All of Gideon’s hard work went up in an instant. Rather than think he had been fooled - which would be the natural inclination - Gideon instead realized that he had seen the angel of the Lord (and hence the Lord) face to face - again resembling Moses on the mountain in Exodus.
Of course Gideon was sure - as were most Israelites and others at the time - that he was going to die after seeing the Lord face to face. The Lord assures him he is not going to die and gives him instructions to destroy the altar of Baal and the sacred pole beside it. Then he was to build an altar to the Lord. Which Gideon does without complaint.
All of which, to me, illustrates the importance of not overlooking the work Gideon put into preparing his present or offering to the Lord. At times, what seems insignificant to the story is actually a more important component than previously realized. A couple of seemingly insignificant verses actually bolster the meaning of the story, illustrating Gideon’s faith and determination.
In our lives there are many small instances that seem incidental when looking back through age. But at the time they were decisive moments which shaped our lives by helping to develop our maturity, faith, and perhaps, personality. A young child carefully and lovingly crafts a handmade gift in Sunday school for a parent on Mother’s or Father’s Day. The child’s face glows in anticipation of the joy her parent will feel when she presents her gift. Then the feeling of pride when the parent expresses his gratitude. The feeling of pride when the gift is placed in a prominent place in home or office.
Those events are often forgotten in time and seldom remembered. At best they are usually dim memories. I only have spotty memories of the few times I do recall of my years attending Sunday school. But Sunday school and other church events shape our character, morals and attitudes for the rest of our lives. Since my childhood years, I have kept the strong faith I was raised with - even when I was away from the church for a time.
The Lord was certainly shaping Gideon’s character and faith. Gideon was rewarded for his dedication by being given the chance to see the Lord face to face. Then he obeyed the Lord and destroyed the altar of Baal and the sacred pole. God possessed Gideon to blow the trumpet and many peoples were “called out to follow him.” But after all that God has done for him, Gideon still ask the Lord for a sign with the fleece of wool on the threshing floor.
And after two thousand years of seeing, hearing, and reading about God’s handiwork, we are still asking for a sign. We need to spend more time crafting our lives in anticipation of the joy from our heavenly father rather than wasting time asking for signs to assure us of what we should already know.
Peace be with you.
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