Day 5: Plot in Biblical Narrative
Nearly half of the Bible is written in narrative. So in order to understand the Bible more fully, it’s important that we learn how to read this style of writing. With biblical narrative, we are not watching security footage of these ancient events. We’re reading an artistic, literary representation of the story of Israel. The goal isn’t just to tell us about something that happened, it’s also to
discern the meaning of these events. A key element in biblical narrative is the plot—the arrangement of characters and events to convey a message. The Bible uses plot embedding, meaning
there are multi-layered biblical storylines.
Level 1: One overall storyline of the Bible.
Level 2: The multiple movements of that overall storyline.
Level 3: The hundreds of individual narratives that make up each of these movements.
All of these individual events are framed within a larger context that exists within an even larger context. All of this context gives these events deeper meaning. A single story’s meaning is only determined by the relationship of all its elements to the whole text. How the authors frame the story and what details they choose to emphasize all help to convey what they are trying to communicate to the reader. In today’s reading, pay attention to the plot of the story of Gideon. Notice how the short scenes, like Gideon and the fleece, are combined with other scenes to create a larger plotline. As you read, do your best to trace the conflict and resolution through the entire plot. How does this help you see the message the author is trying to get across? In today’s video, we’ll explore these concepts and more.
Judges 6
Gideon Becomes Israel’s Judge
1The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to
the Midianites for seven years. 2The Midianites were so cruel that the
Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and
strongholds. 3Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from
Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, 4camping in
the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites
with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. 5These
enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as
locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they
7When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8the Lord sent a
prophet to the Israelites. He said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel,
says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt. 9I rescued you from the
Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and
gave you their land. 10I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not
worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have
not listened to me.”
11Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at
Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash
was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the
Midianites. 12The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero,
the Lord is with you!”
13“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this
happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?
Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has
abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
14Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you
have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
15“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the
weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire
family!”
16The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the
Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
17Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to
prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me. 18Don’t go away until I come
back and bring my offering to you.”
He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”
19Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with a basket of
flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a
basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to
the angel, who was under the great tree.
20The angel of God said to him, “Place the meat and the unleavened
bread on this rock, and pour the broth over it.” And Gideon did as he was
told. 21Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of
the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he
had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.
22When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out,
“Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to
face!”23“It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.”
24And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom
(which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of
the clan of Abiezer to this day.
Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. 26Then build an altar
to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones
carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the
wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”
27So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had
commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other
members of his father’s household and the people of the town.
28Early the next morning, as the people of the town began to stir,
someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that
the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down. In their place a new altar had
been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed.
29The people said to each other, “Who did this?” And after asking around and
making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.
30“Bring out your son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He
must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah
pole.” 31But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you
defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put
to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and
destroy the one who broke down his altar!” 32From then on Gideon was called
Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down
Baal’s altar.
Gideon Asks for a Sign
33Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the
east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the
valley of Jezreel. 34Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He
blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came
to him. 35He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun,
and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded.
36Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue
Israel as you promised, 37prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on
the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but
the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel
as you promised.” 38And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up
early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole
bowlful of water.
39Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me
make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time
let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” 40So
that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but
the ground was covered with dew.
Judges 7
Gideon Defeats the Midianites
1So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as
far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them
in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too
many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites
will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
3Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this
mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000
who were willing to fight.
4But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down
to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who
will not.” 5When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told
him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup
water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other
group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the
stream.” 6Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got
down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.
7The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give
you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” 8So Gideon
collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them
home. But he kept the 300 men with him.
The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon. 9That night the
Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you
victory over them! 10But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with
your servant Purah. 11Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will
be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
12The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the
valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the
seashore—too many to count! 13Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his
companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my
dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It
hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
14His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God
has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its
allies!”
15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in
worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted,
“Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” 16He
divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and
a clay jar with a torch in it.
17Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the
edge of the camp, do just as I do. 18As soon as I and those with me blow the
rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For
the Lord and for Gideon!’”
Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. 20Then all
three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing
torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all
shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.
22When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the
warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who
were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to
the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
23Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh,
who joined in chasing the army of Midian.24Gideon also sent messengers
throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to attack the
Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-
barah.”
So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told. 25They captured Oreb
and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb,
and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the
Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to
Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.
Judges 8
Gideon Kills Zebah and Zalmunna
1Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us
this way? Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the
Midianites?” And they argued heatedly with Gideon.
2But Gideon replied, “What have I accomplished compared to you?
Aren’t even the leftover grapes of Ephraim’s harvest better than the entire
crop of my little clan of Abiezer? 3God gave you victory over Oreb and Zeeb,
the commanders of the Midianite army. What have I accomplished compared
to that?” When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon’s answer, their anger
subsided.
4Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though
exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy. 5When they reached Succoth,
Gideon asked the leaders of the town, “Please give my warriors some food.
They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6But the officials of Succoth replied, “Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first,
and then we will feed your army.”
7So Gideon said, “After the Lord gives me victory over Zebah and
Zalmunna, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briers from
the wilderness.”
I will tear down this tower.”
10By this time Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with about 15,000
warriors—all that remained of the allied armies of the east, for 120,000 had
already been killed. 11Gideon circled around by the caravan route east of
Nobah and Jogbehah, taking the Midianite army by surprise. 12Zebah and
Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings, fled, but Gideon chased them down and
captured all their warriors.
13After this, Gideon returned from the battle by way of Heres Pass.
14There he captured a young man from Succoth and demanded that he write
down the names of all the seventy-seven officials and elders in the town.
15Gideon then returned to Succoth and said to the leaders, “Here are Zebah
and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you taunted me, saying, ‘Catch
Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your exhausted army.’”
16Then Gideon took the elders of the town and taught them a lesson,
punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness. 17He also tore
down the tower of Peniel and killed all the men in the town.
18Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed at
Tabor—what were they like?”
19“They were my brothers, the sons of my own mother!” Gideon
exclaimed. “As surely as the Lord lives, I wouldn’t kill you if you hadn’t killed
them.”
20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not
draw his sword, for he was only a boy and was afraid.
21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Be a man! Kill us
yourself!” So Gideon killed them both and took the royal ornaments from the
necks of their camels.
Gideon’s Sacred Ephod
22Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son
and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.”
23But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord
will rule over you! 24However, I do have one request—that each of you give
me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.”
(The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)
25“Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw
in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. 26The weight of the gold
earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and
pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains
around the necks of their camels.
27Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his
hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping
it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
—there was peace in the land.
29Then Gideon son of Joash returned home. 30He had seventy sons born
to him, for he had many wives. 31He also had a concubine in Shechem, who
gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech. 32Gideon died when he was
very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in the
land of the clan of Abiezer.
33As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by
worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. 34They forgot
the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding
them. 35Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-baal (that is,
Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.