Yoel ben Shlomo – Light of the Prophets – Judges 6:1-40
Gideon is the fifth judge of Israel. He was commissioned by an angel of Yehovah, he destroyed the altar of Baal and the Asherah idols, and he asked God for confirmation for his calling by way of a miraculous sign. But was Gideon afraid and of wavering faith or was he simply cautious? It begs the question, is it okay to ask God for confirmation and direction?
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The question I had about Chapter 8 was about the crescent ornaments Gideon removed from the Camels necks after he slayed Zebah and Zelmuna. It was more like a comment than a question. I just wanted you to comment on how that same group of people still use the crescent moon in their religion today. It’s very interesting how it’s the same battle today with the same people. Is Gideon possibly a type and shadow of that the Messiah will do when he comes? I brought this up in our Hebrew lesson remember lol?
The idea of “throwing out a fleece” to get God’s approval to act on a particular matter is not unfamiliar in Christians circles. I don’t know about Jewish practices concerning this, but it doesn’t sound too Jewish to me. We know that this is a difficult, dangerous and unforgiving world we live in. We also are aware that we cannot see five minutes into the future with any certainty much less five years. It would be good to get God’s advice when we have to make a decision that has a major impact on our lives. We read about Gideon’s experience and say to ourselves that if it worked for Gideon maybe it would work for me. I think it may be wise to consider that Gideon, Moses, Elijah, et. al. were chosen by the Eternal One, Blessed be He, to perform certain tasks or hold specific offices. Once these elections were announced He would do almost anything asked of Him to give those chosen the courage necessary to perform what He wanted done. I do not remember any non chosen folk asking God for a miracle to help them make decisions in life, and they witnessed the miracle they asked for. In closing if an angel approaches you in the Name of God with instructions to perform some overwhelmingly difficult tasks and confirms his credentials by performing a miracle in your presence, you can legitimately ask God for more confirming signs. Otherwise seek God with all your heart and follow your dreams hoping they were planted by Him anonymously.
This question is for Yoel, please give me the source for the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew English Lexicon, (BDB) for wanting to remove eth, (sign of the dirct. obje.) from the Hebrew language? I just looked up this word in the B.D.B. reprint of the 1906, pages 84, 85, 86 and part of 87, no were is there a note to remove this word from the Hebrew language.
My favorite episode of “Light of the Prophets” thus far with the story of Gideon and a study of his character.
Coming from my tradition I don’t feel so bad now to ask my Creator for some type of a sign of reassurance regarding a plea for help or a decision in my life.