Judges 6:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.

NIV: Gideon replied, 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.

NASB: So Gideon said to Him, 'If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me a sign that it is You speaking with me.

CSB: Then he said to him, "If I have found favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me.

NLT: Gideon replied, 'If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.

KJV: And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

NKJV: Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.

The Lord—Yahweh, Israel's God (Exodus 3:4–6)—has commanded Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:11–16). He has promised to be with Gideon and to give him victory. Looking back at this verse, it's reasonable to wonder about Gideon's motives for making this request. His actions later suggest a man who struggles with doubt and skepticism (Judges 6:27, 36–40). It's not entirely clear if Gideon is hoping to verify that this message really comes from God, or hoping to prove the opposite, so he can be free of the responsibility.

In either case, he asks the Lord for a sign to show it is really the Lord God speaking. It's not completely unreasonable to verify messages to see if they're from God (Deuteronomy 18:22; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1). It's less justified to ask for more proof than is necessary, or asking for even more evidence, when God has already given it (Matthew 12:39; Luke 4:24–28). As far as Gideon is concerned, the Lord has already said that He is with Gideon. It seems likely that He will graciously agree to Gideon's test—and, even more graciously, to several that follow.

Judges 6:11–27 begins in a town called Ophrah. There, the Angel of the Lord appears to a man named Gideon. The Lord calls Gideon mighty, despite his apparent lack of influence or power, and commands him to save Israel from Midian. After a display of power, God commands Gideon to tear down the town's altars to false idols, replacing them with an altar to Yahweh complete with a sacrifice of his father's bull. Gideon does so under the cover of darkness out of fear of his family and the townspeople.

Israel follows the sad pattern of the book of Judges, and once again turns to evil and idols. God turns them over to the Midianites. These foreign raiders spend the next seven years invading and consuming Israel's crops and livestock. Israel cries for help to the Lord. His first step is to send a prophet to remind them of God's goodness and their disobedience. The Lord then appears to Gideon, commanding him to save Israel because God will be with him. Gideon obeys God's command to tear down a Baal altar and build one to Yahweh in its place. He calls his countrymen to follow him and asks for signs from God.

The book of Judges contains a series of stories with a common theme: Israel falls into sin, suffers, and is rescued by God, only to fall once again (Judges 1—2). The next phase in Israel's downward spiral comes after 40 years of peace, won by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4—5). Israel is punished for sin through the Midianites. After seven years, the Israelites cry out for help. The Lord appears to Gideon, challenging the timid man to lead the battle against Israel's oppressors. Empowered by the Spirit, Gideon calls for his people to follow him, but still asks the Lord for signs. Gideon's successful campaigns are depicted in chapters 7 and 8.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).