Jesus in the Old Testament—with Gideon

Place your offering on the rock.
POOF! It was instantly burned up!

How would you expect to see pre-incarnate Jesus in the Old Testament? Gideon wasn’t expecting to see the LORD—the I AM…the self-existing One. He was just doing his work threshing wheat feeling weak and abandoned by God. He was fearing the Midianites, enemy of the Israelites. Then God promises again to be with them—just as He promised to be with all those who seek and follow Him. He will never leave us or forsake us (see Deuteronomy 31:8).

Would you want a sign from God that He really was for you, that He has your back…just as Gideon did? The LORD, or angel of the LORD known also as Jesus, stayed resting under that tree where He spoke with Gideon while Gedion went and prepared a sacrifice, an offering, for the LORD. That is devotion…waiting when requested. Gideon must have felt honored to know that the LORD was waiting for him. Then the sacrifice was ready. The LORD told Gideon…“Put it on that rock.” So, he did and then POOF the LORD burned up the sacrifice and He went away.

What would your sacrifice to the LORD be? What does God want?

Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Psalm 51:15-17

Jesus was with Gideon. He is with each of us. May we humbly present our repentant hearts—as a symbol of our broken spirit—yielding our very lives to Him. No fear.

           

Then 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. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!" "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." Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!" "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!" The LORD said to him, "I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man." 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. Don't go away until I come back and bring my offering to you." He answered, "I will stay here until you return." Gideon 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. The 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. Then 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. When 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!" "It is all right," the LORD replied. "Do not be afraid. You will not die." Judges 6:11-23 (Underlined for emphasis.)

 

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for revealing Yourself to us in the Old Testament. Awesome—that You were with Gideon, with us, and with all of Your followers. Please continue to give us wisdom and understanding that we would be able to see You working in our lives and be an encouragement to other Christians.

 

Meditate. Consider what God desires.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God. Psalm 50:22-23

 

© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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