Judges 6:16
And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
The promise of God's presence echoes covenantal assurances throughout Scripture. The Abrahamic covenant promised: 'I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward' (Genesis 15:1). The Mosaic covenant assured: 'I will walk among you, and will be your God' (Leviticus 26:12). The Davidic covenant declared: 'I will be his father, and he shall be my son' (2 Samuel 7:14). The New Covenant climaxes: 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them' (Revelation 21:3). Gideon receives this ancient promise in personal form.
The phrase 'as one man' (ke'ish echad) appears elsewhere describing unified action—Israel serving God 'as one man' (Judges 20:1, 8, 11), or enemies falling together. The idiom emphasizes collective unity, whether in purpose (unified action) or fate (collective defeat). Here, the latter meaning fits—the vast Midianite coalition will fall collectively, simultaneously, completely—requiring divine intervention beyond human military capacity.
Ancient warfare typically involved prolonged campaigns—multiple battles, sieges, negotiations, partial victories. Comprehensive defeat of large coalitions rarely occurred quickly. Gideon's victory, accomplished in single night through confusion causing self-destruction (7:22), defied military norms. Similar divine interventions appear throughout Scripture—Egyptians drowning (Exodus 14), Jericho's walls falling (Joshua 6), sun standing still (Joshua 10:12-13), Sennacherib's army destroyed overnight (2 Kings 19:35). These extraordinary deliverances demonstrate God's sovereign power, encouraging faith when facing humanly impossible situations.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God's promise 'I will be with thee' address your specific inadequacies and challenges?
- What impossible situations in your life require trusting God's presence more than human strategies?
- How does God's pattern of miraculous deliverance encourage faith when facing overwhelming opposition?
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Analysis & Commentary
And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
God's response addresses Gideon's protest not by disputing his inadequacy but by emphasizing divine presence: 'Surely I will be with thee' (ki eh'yeh immakh, כִּי אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ). The phrase 'I will be' (eh'yeh, אֶהְיֶה) echoes God's self-revelation to Moses at the burning bush—'I AM THAT I AM' (eh'yeh asher eh'yeh, אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, Exodus 3:14). This isn't merely promise of companionship but of covenant presence—the eternal, self-existent God personally guaranteeing success. With this presence, Gideon's inadequacy becomes irrelevant.
The promise 'thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man' uses startling imagery. The Hebrew ke'ish echad (כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד, 'as one man') could mean either
Either interpretation emphasizes complete, unified defeat. The massive coalition (135,000, 8:10) will collapse as one entity, demonstrating divine intervention—no natural military campaign could achieve such comprehensive victory. This echoes Joshua's victories where God fought for Israel (Joshua 10:14, 42).
Reformed theology emphasizes God's presence as sufficient for any calling. Paul's thorn in the flesh teaches: 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9). Believers face impossible situations—evangelizing hardened hearts, sanctifying deep-rooted sins, enduring unbearable suffering. Yet God's presence transforms impossibility to certainty. The key isn't minimizing challenges or inflating self-confidence, but trusting God's adequate presence. 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31) doesn't deny opposition's reality but affirms its ultimate ineffectiveness against divine purpose.