Asking for a Sign

נמצאו 2 תוצאות חיפוש

1. Gideon's Challenge

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   Gideon's attempt to evade the mission given to him by the angel of God is reminiscent of Moshe's conduct at the Sneh. Gideon's unexpected appointment as leader of the people of Israel is not extended by God unconditionally.  He will first have to prove his fitness for the noble task by demonstrating fortitude and faith, by publicly proclaiming his opposition to the corrupt values and corrosive belief system then current among his own people. While Gideon successfully completes the task, he shows himself to have been insidiously infected by the penchant of Ba'al's adherents for seeking signs before proceeding to battle the enemy.

2. Gideon Leads the People

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   If Israel prevails against Midian by sheer force of their numbers, then they will fail to recognize God's pivotal role.  But if Israel prevails against the Midianite hordes, with a tiny force, then God's involvement will be undeniable.

   While earlier judges had to contend with challenges at least as great as that of Gideon, none merited quite the same degree of Divine hand-holding that Gideon received.  This highlights the measure of his own limited spiritual resources to be able to do so unassisted. However, if the caliber of the shoftim decreases as the book progresses, it is also an indictment of the spiritual state of the people of Israel.

   The noise of the smashing jars, the blare of the shofarot and the outcry of the Israelite force, the burning torches that suddenly appear out of the darkness, the enemy forces that attack from three directions simultaneously, combined with the belief that Gideon  has a colossal army at his disposal, causes the Midianites to flee.