Commentaries, Commentary on Judges · Chapter 6 · Verse 11 – Verse 14
11 And the Angell of the Lorde came, and abode vnderunder the Oke, which was in Ophra, that pertayned vntounto Ioas the Abiezerit: and his ſonne Gideon threſhed wheat to prepare his flight frō Midian.
When by faith the ſinnes of the Iſraelites were forgeuen, and that they had called vponupon God and repented, their deliuery is ſet forth, wherby they were deliuered from the outward bondage of the Madianites. Which without doubt God would hauehave done by Gideon the Iudge, for the which cauſe hee raiſed hym vp to deliuer ye Iewes. And this brought he not to paſſe, til ſuch time as things were almoſt come to vtter deſperation: al humane helpes wer taken away, and the Iſraelites truſted onelyonly to flight. Wherfore Gideon is not called, but when he gathered ſome wheate to hide, leaſt the Madianites ſhoulde violentlye take it away. And that is ment by this Hebrue woord Lehanim, that is (if thou turne it woord for woord) to prepare his flight. For he would hide that wheate from the Madianites, were it neuer ſo litle, that with it he might ſomewhat ſuſtaine both himſelfe and his houſehold. He which appeared vntounto him, was in very deede an Angel, as it ſhall afterwarde by manifeſt tokens and argumentes bee declared. He came to Ophra, but to that Ophra whych pertayned vntounto Ioas the Abiezerit, which is therfore added, bicauſe there was alſo an other Ophra in the Tribe of Beniamin, wherof is mencion made in the boke of Ioſua. And I doubt not but yt the Angel came vntounto Gideon in the ſhape of a man, for he abode vnderunder the Oke:Gideon was of ye tribe of Manaſſes. and (as we ſhal heare) he ſpake vntounto hym. Ioas the Father of Gideon was of the family of Abiezer, which in the booke of Numb. and in Paralip. is reckoned among thoſe that were of the Tribe of Manaſſes.
And Gideon at that tyme threaſhed corne in the wyne preſſe. Twoo maners of threaſhing.The Hebrues hauehave two wordes, Daſh, which ſignifieth to threſh, but yet then when we occupy to threaſhing beaſtes. The other woorde is Chabat, which is alſo to threſh, but yet with flayles and without beaſtes. Wherfore it is noted that Gideon vſed this latter kinde of threſhing, that he might the better hide that which he did: and therfore it was in a wyne preſſe, where foraſmuche as wyne was vſed to be preſſed, no man did eaſily ſuſpect that any wheate was there threſhed. Let vsus marke in this place, that the excellent men in the olde time, when they had gotten any leaſure, either from holy ſeruices, or from ciuil things, thei ſpent al that leaſure, either about huſbandry, or about the arte of a Shepehearde. For they would not conſume them ſelues with ydlenes, ſumptuouſnes, glotony, or dronkennes. And this ſhal we not onelyonly learne in Abraham, Iſaac, Iacob, Gideon, and other holy fathers, but alſo it manifeſtly appereth by the hiſtories of the Romanes. For there we reade that Curius and Seranus and ſuch like, wer elected for the chiefeſt Magiſtrates, when in the fieldes they were at plough, and tylled the grounde. And the earth alſo at that tyme (as Plini ſaith) brought foorth her fruites more plentiful and aboundant, when it was handled with the handes of Emperors moſt noble. Not vndoubtedlye, bicauſe the earth was endued wyth any ſenſe, but bicauſe wiſe men, as they vſed wiſely to gouern waighty affairs, ſo alſo for huſbandry, when they were occupied about it, they exerciſed it wyth farre greater diligence then did the rude men. Our Gideon without doubt had ſeruauntes, whom he might hauehave commaunded to hauehave wrought what woorke ſo euer was to be done, yea and his father (as we ſhall afterwarde heare) was a man of power among the people. And for all that he was ſuche a one, yet he deſpiſeth not ruſticall woorkes.
12 Then the Angel of the Lord appeared vntounto him, and ſayd vntounto him: The Lord is with thee, thou valiant man.
A ſalutacion vſed of the godlyHere is expreſſed a moſte auncient maner of ſalutacion, wherein they ſayde: The Lord is with thee. We rede in the booke of Ruth, that Boaz vſed it, when he came vntounto his harueſt men. The Angell alſo in this manner ſaluted the bleſſed Virgin. Yea, and the Church of Chriſt by the Miniſter ſaluteth the people in the holy ſeruices, and ſaith: The Lord be with you. The angel called Gideon a ſtrōg man, not by that ſtrength (as it is thought) wherwith he was before endued, but by the ſtrength which ſhould afterward be geuen him, for the accompliſhing of thinges. Although it might eaſily be, that Gideon was a man ſkylfull in feates of warre. But the firſt interpretatiō agreeth better. Howbeit Auguſtine in hys queſtions vponupon this place,Auguſtine. thus readeth this particle, as thoughe God hym ſelfe ſhould be called a ſtrong and warlike man, as if he ſhould hauehave ſaide: That God which is mighty & warlike, is with thee, or be with thee. Neither ought it much to moue vsus, bicauſe this woord Man is added, foraſmuche as it is after the ſame maner writtē in the ſong of Exodus. For God may ſo be called by a Metaphore. But the firſt expoſition is more receaued, and ſeemeth more ſimple.
13 To whom Gideon anſwered: O my Lorde I praye thee, is the Lord with vsus? Why then is al this come vponupon vsus? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told vsus of, and ſayde: Dyd not the Lord bring vsus out of Egipt? But now the Lorde hath forſaken vsus, and hath deliuered vsus into the hand of the Madianites.
The hebrue word Bi ſignifieth in me: and is ſpoken by the figure Eclipſis as though it ſhould hauehave bene, looke louingly vponupon me. And therfore they turne it, I prai thee: which is a particle of one that exhorteth. The next word is Adonai, by which name Gideon called him which appeared vntounto him, not by a religious or deuine title, but by a common title, whych is applyed alſo to prophane men. For he vnderſtood not that he was an Angel: he thought he was ſome Prophet or holy man. Gideon perſwadeth himſelf that God was not with him, when the Iſraelites were afflicted with ſo great miſeries. For he vnderſtandeth the ſaying of the Angel, as though he had ſaid that God was not onelyonly with hym, but alſo with al the Hebrues.God is not ſuppoſed to bee with thoſe whiche ar afflicted And it is no doubt, but that the nature of mā thinketh that God is not with thoſe which are afflicted. The ſaintes after this maner ſemed to expoſtulate with God. Wherfore in the Pſalmes it is written: Aryſe O God, why turneſt thou thy face awaye from me? why haſt thou forgotten me? and ſuch lyke. This is a grieuous kinde of temptacion, wherunto if a man geue place, and be therwith ouercom, he grieuouſly ſinneth. For he tranſgreſſeth the firſt precept: I am the Lord thy God. But, howe farre that ſentence is from the truth, this hiſtorye declareth. For when Gideon thought that God was abſent from him, then was he preſent, and talked with him.
VVhere be al his miracles? Theſe woordes may be vnderſtande two wayes. The firſt way is, as though Gideon ſhould reaſon by contraries, ſaying: When God was with our fathers, he did marueilous thinges for their health: but now hath he deliuered vsus vntounto the Madianites, neither deliuereth he vsus by his excellent workes: therefore he is not with vsus. The other interpretation is, as if by a certain godly expoſtulation he ſhould ſay: wher doth God now reſtrain theſe his marueilous woorkes?What temptation is counted grieuous to the godly. Why ſuffreth he the benefites which he ſo plentifully beſtowed on our fathers, ſo much now to want? Vndoubtedly whileſt we ar thus forſaken, al theſe thinges, as it ſemeth, are fruſtrate of their end. Theſe thinges manyfeſtly declare, what is the temptation of godly men in aduerſities & troubles: For the deuil, the fleſh, and the world go about to perſuade them, that they are nowe forſaken of God, and that they in vayne put their confidence in hym. Which kinde of temptation alſo was moued vntounto Chriſt, when vponupon the croſſe he cryed: O my God, my God, why haſt thou forſakē me? For none (as I think) would beleue that the ſame had happened vntounto Chriſt, vnleſſe the Euangeliſts had written, that he being vponupon the croſſe vſed ſuch wordes. And this temptacion would he therefore ſuffer, to the end that (as it is wrytten in the ſeconde to the Hebrues) he myghte be lyke vntounto vsus in all thynges wythout ſynne. Wherefore Eſay teſtifieth: Hee hath in deede borne our infirmities, and caryed our ſorrowes.
14 And the Lord looked vponupon hym, & ſaid: Go in this thy ſtrength, and thou ſhalt ſaue Iſrael out of the lande of Madian. HaueHave not I ſent thee?
The Angel looked vponupon Gideon, when he had ſpoken theſe wordes: For peraduenture whileſt he ſpake them, he looked not vponupon him: but then he behelde him, when he ſent him to delyuer the Iſraelites. But in that he ſayth In thys ſtrength, it is expounded two maner of waies. The Hebrues ſaye, that by the ſight of the Angel he was fylled with ſtrength, and therefore it is ſayde: go thou in this ſtrength, which I hauehave now geuen thee, and thou ſhalt deliuer Iſrael frō the Madianites. Neither is it anye ſtraunge thing, that God doth chaunge thoſe whom he choſeth to any function, and endueth them with ſundry gyftes. For we rede that it ſo happened vntounto Dauid and Saul, when they were called to bee kynges. And it is expreſſedlye wrytten in this booke that Iephthe and Samſon were adorned with the ſpirite of ſtrength. That ſtrength alſo may here bee noted, which God vſed in helping the fathers, when for them he wrought myraculous thinges in the tyme of Moſes and Ioſua. Gideon had demaunded where thoſe marueilous woorkes were now become, and therfore the Angel anſwered him: Go in that ſtrength, whereby thoſe thinges in tymes paſt were wrought, and by it deliuer Iſrael. By which woordes the Angel declareth, that hee ſhoulde not by his own ſtrength bring to paſſe the thinges which he had commaunded him, but by that power of God, which was geuen the fathers in the olde tyme,The Angel calleth himſelf the Lord. And this ought not to ſeme marueilous, that the Angel is called the Lord. For that is for this cauſe done, either bicauſe he did it & ſpake it in the name of God, or els bicauſe he was in verye deede the ſonne of God, which ſo appeared. The calling of the Iudges is therfore ſo diligently deſcribed, that wee might vnderſtand that priuate men are not able to attempt matters and affaires of ſo great waight, vnleſſe a certaine authority had bene geuen them of God. For to gather an hoſte, and to take weapons againſt thoſe whyche hauehave the chiefe rule of thinges, vntounto ſuche as are weake and deſtitute of al ayde, it is altogether daungerous. Wherfore ther is required an aſſurednes and vndoubted calling, which cannot be had, vnleſſe fayth go before, whiche conſiſteth of the woorde of God, when it is rightly vnderſtoode. The Aungell vſeth an intorrogation when hee ſayth: HaueHave not I ſent thee? Bycauſe this maner of ſpeaking is verye apt to augment a commaundement.