Judges 6

The Hebrew word mal’ak means “messenger” or “representative,” or “envoy.” A messenger like this could be human or celestial. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this messenger is not of this world (6:21). The messenger comes from God and speaks with God’s authority, sometimes in the first person, as though God himself is talking.

It’s uncertain where Ophrah was. Some scholars link it to Afula in the sprawling Jezreel Valley, a breadbasket farming region in Israel. Others place it further south, at Ferata, six miles (10 km) southwest of Shechem.

If ever God cracks a joke in the Bible, this is it. Gideon is hiding, probably below ground level. A celestial messenger pulls up a seat under a tree to watch for a while. Then he tells Gideon hello and compliments his bravery.

That’s a lot of bread, 13.7 kilograms. It apparently represents a lot of respect Gideon had for the messenger. The amount in Hebrew is an ephah, which is 21 dry quarts (23 dry liters). One dry quart of flour weights roughly 1.25 pounds (.5 kg).

That’s quick-bake bread. Gideon didn’t have to wait for yeast to do its job of making bread dough rise slow and fluffy.

This turned a meal for a messenger into a sacrifice for the LORD.

In the original Hebrew language, Gideon named the stone monument yhwh shlom, literally “LORD peace.”

Baal was a god of weather and fertility in family, flocks, and fields. People worshiped him using different styles of idols and by calling him various names: Hadad, Cloud Rider, Baal of [fill in whatever the local region was, such as Baal-zephon or Baal of Peor]. Peor was a mountain in Moab where people worshiped Baal. Baal of Peor was apparently a local representation of him. When women from Moab seduced some of the Israelite men to engage in either ritual sex or just plain ol’ illicit sex, it led the men into idolatry (Numbers 25). Some scholars say one worship ritual involved entertaining Baal by letting him watch people have sex. They did this so he would make it rain. It’s a tad gross, but some taught that the rain was Baal’s semen. So, if the sex of worshipers got Baal stimulated enough, he would make it rain in this predominately dry part of the world.

People used the poles somehow in worship rituals for Asherah, goddess of fertility and the lover of Canaan’s king of gods, El. Some ancient writings, link Asherah to Baal. Several centuries later, Jezebel, queen of Israel, tries to murder all God’s prophets and replace them with prophets and priests devoted to Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18:4, 18-19). People worshiped this goddess with sacred poles described as repulsive and obscene (1 Kings 15:13). But we’re left to guess how the people used those poles in worship.

This was the most common animal sacrifice. Worshipers burned the entire animal. See Leviticus 1. In other sacrifices, they kept part of the meat for themselves. But a burnt offering was usually to express remorse for sinning. So, God got the whole cow.

As if 10 servants could keep a secret.

Joash didn’t show any concern for Baal’s altar or the goddess Asherah’s poles. He didn’t even complain about his dead bull. His only worry was for the safety of his son.

In Hebrew, Gideon’s new name is yerub-baal. Scholars debate how the name was intended. Was it pro-Baal, as in “Baal will fight” Gideon? Some argue that in the end, Baal won because Gideon reverted to Baal worship years later (8:27) and helped push the people back into Baal worship (8:33). Another way of reading Gideon’s new name is that it serves as a reminder that Gideon defeated Baal. Gideon tore down the altar, which remained destroyed while, Gideon, on the other hand, remained alive and well and walking through life like nobody’s business.

Jezreel Valley was and still is Israel’s most productive farmland. It’s called “Breadbasket of Israel.” Crops today include beans, chickpeas, wheat, cotton, oranges, squash, corn, and watermelon to name a few. There’s also plenty of grass for livestock. First-century Jewish historian Josephus described the area this way: “The land is so rich in soil and pastures and produces such a variety of trees, that even the laziest people are tempted to take up farming there. In fact, every bit of soil has been cultivated by the inhabitants. There’s not a plug of ground going to waste. There are a lot of towns there, with a lot of people because the land is so fertile. The smallest towns have at least 15,000 people each.”

The threshing floor probably referred to the stone bottom inside a wine press, perhaps below ground level. Gideon had been using to hide while beating grain loose from the stalks.