Judg 6:34 | KingComments | STEP | The enemy becomes active every time things happen in God’s people that speak of a renewed awareness that God is there and that only He is entitled to His people. We have seen this activity in the enemy also in Judges 4 ( ). The enemy is getting ready to confirm and strengthen his claim on the land. This is the moment when the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Gideon. Literally it says that the Spirit of the LORD is the clothing of Gideon. The Spirit simply uses Gideon as His instrument. The Spirit is upon Gideon and acts through Gideon (cf. ). Of course the Spirit is already active in this chapter but now He comes upon Gideon to work through him and to chase away the enemy. It is one thing to know that the Spirit is active in your life; it is another thing to actually let the Spirit use you to achieve victories in your life. What has been mentioned in the previous verses about Gideon is a preparation to make him someone who can be used by the Holy Spirit. In that preparation Gideon has shown his faithfulness and obedience to the LORD. This is the fertile soil on which the Holy Spirit can build further. It is said to us: “Be filled with the Spirit” ( ). The command – for that it is – to be filled with the Spirit follows some things that should or should not be present in a Christian walk of life ( ). He who is filled with the Spirit cannot at that moment be led by the flesh. After the command to be filled with the Spirit follows: “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” ( ). This is a wonderful result of being filled with the Spirit. What we have to say to each other will then happen in a melodious way, regardless of whether it is about encouragement, comfort or admonition. It seems that we can compare this with the blowing of the trumpet by Gideon. The result is that the Abiezrites, his family, come to him. If the Spirit of God has the opportunity to fill the hearts, it is the beginning of the end of the battle among the believers. After all, Midian means ‘strife’, isn’t it? Through the trumpet – a picture of the Word of God we listen to – the people are gathered and unity is created. If we strive to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” ( ), the battle will cease. Gideon also sends messengers to his own tribe, Manasseh, and to other, northern tribes. They all join him. Manasseh is the only tribe in Israel that is divided over two areas. There is one half in the land, the other half is outside the land, on the wilderness side of the Jordan. Because of this Gideon knows from his own experience what division means. Perhaps this has been an extra incentive for him to do everything possible to bring about unity among God’s people. Those who know what division is, caused by struggles within their own ranks with its disastrous consequences, will fight to bring God’s people back together and keep them together. Every division among the people of God causes much suffering among believers and is to the Lord’s dishonor. This does not mean that at all costs the unity must be preserved or processed. The unity to be preserved is that of the Spirit , not that of the flesh or any other unity made by man. However, this does not take away the pain and shame of such an event. It is to be hoped that the Spirit will have the opportunity to work in our lives to promote the welfare of the church and to make its unity visible.

‏ Judges 6:34

The Spirit Comes upon Gideon

The enemy becomes active every time things happen in God’s people that speak of a renewed awareness that God is there and that only He is entitled to His people. We have seen this activity in the enemy also in Judges 4 (Jdg 4:12-13). The enemy is getting ready to confirm and strengthen his claim on the land. This is the moment when the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Gideon. Literally it says that the Spirit of the LORD is the clothing of Gideon. The Spirit simply uses Gideon as His instrument. The Spirit is upon Gideon and acts through Gideon (cf. 1Chr 12:18).

Of course the Spirit is already active in this chapter but now He comes upon Gideon to work through him and to chase away the enemy. It is one thing to know that the Spirit is active in your life; it is another thing to actually let the Spirit use you to achieve victories in your life.

What has been mentioned in the previous verses about Gideon is a preparation to make him someone who can be used by the Holy Spirit. In that preparation Gideon has shown his faithfulness and obedience to the LORD. This is the fertile soil on which the Holy Spirit can build further. It is said to us: “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). The command – for that it is – to be filled with the Spirit follows some things that should or should not be present in a Christian walk of life (Eph 5:1-17). He who is filled with the Spirit cannot at that moment be led by the flesh.

After the command to be filled with the Spirit follows: “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph 5:19). This is a wonderful result of being filled with the Spirit. What we have to say to each other will then happen in a melodious way, regardless of whether it is about encouragement, comfort or admonition. It seems that we can compare this with the blowing of the trumpet by Gideon. The result is that the Abiezrites, his family, come to him.

If the Spirit of God has the opportunity to fill the hearts, it is the beginning of the end of the battle among the believers. After all, Midian means ‘strife’, isn’t it? Through the trumpet – a picture of the Word of God we listen to – the people are gathered and unity is created. If we strive to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3), the battle will cease.

Gideon also sends messengers to his own tribe, Manasseh, and to other, northern tribes. They all join him. Manasseh is the only tribe in Israel that is divided over two areas. There is one half in the land, the other half is outside the land, on the wilderness side of the Jordan. Because of this Gideon knows from his own experience what division means. Perhaps this has been an extra incentive for him to do everything possible to bring about unity among God’s people.

Those who know what division is, caused by struggles within their own ranks with its disastrous consequences, will fight to bring God’s people back together and keep them together. Every division among the people of God causes much suffering among believers and is to the Lord’s dishonor.

This does not mean that at all costs the unity must be preserved or processed. The unity to be preserved is that of the Spirit, not that of the flesh or any other unity made by man. However, this does not take away the pain and shame of such an event. It is to be hoped that the Spirit will have the opportunity to work in our lives to promote the welfare of the church and to make its unity visible.