Judges 6:11-24
The LORD Is with You, Mighty Warrior
Read the passage
11Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
13“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
14The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”
15“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
16“Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”
17Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
18Please do not depart from this place until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before You.” And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”
19So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to present to Him under the oak.
20And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.
21Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
22When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
23But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.”
24So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Gideon is threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from Midian when the angel of the LORD appears. The greeting is startling: the LORD is with this man who is hiding, and he is addressed as a mighty man of valor.
Gideon asks where God's wonders have gone. He knows the stories of the exodus, but Israel's present trouble makes him speak as though the LORD has abandoned them. The LORD sends him to save Israel. Gideon objects that his clan is weak and he is the youngest in his father's house. God's answer is a promise: “Surely I will be with you.”
At Gideon's request, the visitor waits while he prepares an offering. When the angel touches the meat and bread with his staff, fire comes from the rock and consumes them. The angel disappears. Gideon now fears that seeing the angel of the LORD face to face will mean his death.
The LORD answers that fear directly: Gideon will not die. He speaks peace to him, and Gideon builds an altar called The LORD Is Peace. Before Gideon leads an army, he receives assurance from the God who has come to send him.
Questions
1 Why is Gideon working in a winepress?
AnswerHe is hiding the wheat from the Midianites. Their raids have made even preparing food a dangerous task.
2 How does the LORD answer Gideon’s objection that he is too weak?
AnswerHe promises to be with Gideon and says Gideon will strike down Midian. The assignment rests on God’s presence, not his family’s status.
3 Why does Gideon build an altar called The LORD Is Peace?
AnswerAfter fearing death because he has seen the angel of the LORD, he hears God tell him not to fear and that he will not die.
4 Where can Christians find assurance of God’s continuing care?
AnswerHebrews 13:5–6 points us to God’s promise never to leave or forsake His people. We can bring Him our fears and rely on that promise.
What This Means for Us
Gideon's promise concerns a particular rescue, but God's care for His people reaches us too. Hebrews 13:5–6 connects His abiding presence with contentment and courage. When fear makes possessions or status seem like our only security, remember the Lord who does not forsake His own. We can ask for help without pretending to feel strong.
Prayer
Lord, meet our questions with Your presence as You met Gideon's fear. Teach us to bring our pain to You and to trust Your promise while we wait. Amen.