1. The story of Gideon 6:1-8:32

Tanner also pointed out that the Gideon narrative consists of five primary structural sections.

"The first section (6:1-10) provides the introduction and setting before Gideon's debut, the second section (6:11-32) gives the commissioning of Gideon as deliverer of Israel, the third section (6:33-7:18) presents the preparation for the battle, the fourth section (7:19-8:21) recounts the defeat of the Midianite army, and the fifth section (8:22-32) records the conclusion to Gideon's life after the victory over Midian. Yet thematic parallels exist between the first and fifth sections and between the second and fourth sections, thus giving the whole narrative a symmetrical pattern:

A6:1-10

B6:11-32

C6:33-7:18

B'7:19-8:21

A'8:22-32"¹³⁴

"The history of Gideon and his family is related very fully, because the working of the grace and righteousness of the faithful covenant God was so obviously displayed therein, that it contained a rich treasure of instruction and warning for the church of the Lord in all ages."¹³⁵

Other scholars divide the Gideon narrative into three parts: God's punishment and deliverance of Israel (6:1-8:3), Gideon's punishment and subjugation of Israel (8:4-28), and Gideon's legacy (8:29-9:57).¹³⁶

 Renewed apostasy and its punishment 6:1-10

The Midianites were Bedouin nomads and descendants of Abraham and Keturah (Gen. 25:2) who occupied the plains that bordered the Arabian desert to the east of Moab and Ammon. They were raiders who descended on the Israelites at harvest times, stole their crops and possessions, and then retreated to their own land (cf. Isa. 2:12, 19; 9:4). They did not want to kill the Israelites and take over their land. They preferred to let the Israelites sow and harvest their crops and then steal what God's people had labored so hard to produce. The Midianites conducted their raids on camels that made them very hard to overtake in pursuit.

"This is the earliest instance of such a phenomenon of which we have record. The effective domestication of the camel had been accomplished somewhat earlier deep in Arabia and had now spread to tribal confederacies to the south and east of Palestine, giving them a mobility such as they had never had before."¹³⁷

To conceal their harvested crops and other valuable possessions the Israelites hid them in caves and other holes in the ground. Many of the mountainous areas of Israel abound with natural caves and dens.

The Amalekites and other tribes that lived in the Arabian desert east of Canaan joined the Midianites in their raids. These desert dwellers were the "sons of the east"(v. 3). The raids extended all the way to Gaza on the Mediterranean coast (v. 4), far into Israel.

After seven years of these locust-like devastating raids (cf. Deut. 28:31, 38; Joel 1:4), the Israelites were at their wits end and called out to Yahweh in their misery (v. 6). In response to their cries God sent an unnamed prophet (v. 8) to explain the reason for their discipline. They had again disobeyed the Lord (v. 10).

 Gideon's commissioning by Yahweh 6:11-32

". . . the heroic women of the song [of Deborah, ch. 5] give way to an unheroic man of Israel' (7:14) who not only does all he can to evade the call of Yahweh but in the end abandons God. . . . In the person of Gideon the narrator recognizes the schizophrenic nature of Israel's spiritual personality. On the one hand she treasures her call to be God's covenant people; on the other she cannot resist the allurements of the prevailing Canaanite culture."¹³⁸

The writer presented Gideon as sort of a second Moses in his calling. Both men were very reluctant to lead God's people (cf. Exod. 3-4).

 Gideon's personal struggle to believe God's promise 6:33-7:18

"The primary matter in the Gideon narrative is not the deliverance itself, but rather something more personal, namely, Gideon's struggle to believe God's promise. . . .

"Judges 6:33-7:18 is arranged in the following concentric pattern:

"AThe Spirit-endowed Gideon mobilizedfour tribes against the Midianites, though lacking confidencein God's promise (6:33-35).

BGideon sought a signfrom God with the fleece to confirm the promisethat the Lord would give Midian into his hand (6:36-40).

CWith the fearfulIsraelites having departed, God directed Gideon to go downto the water for the further reduction of his force (7:1-8).

C'With fearstill in Gideon himself, God directed Gideon to go downto the enemy camp to overhear the enemy (7:9-11).

B'God provided a signto Gideon with the dream of the Midianite to confirm the promisethat the Lord would give Midian into his hand (7:12-14).

A'The worshiping Gideon mobilizedhis force of 300 for a surprise attack against the Midianites, fully confidentin God's promise (7:15-18).

"The reduction of Gideon's army is a familiar story often told from the perspective of emphasizing God's ability to deliver whether by many or by few. While this is true, such an explanation falls short of doing justice in this context. The context is dealing with a struggle within Gideon himself."¹⁵³

 The defeat of the Midianites 7:19-8:21

 Later events in Gideon's life 8:22-32

Even though the next events recorded (vv. 22-28) followed immediately the ones just reported (vv. 18-21), they had greater significance in later years than at that moment in history.