Page 8 - Pemahaman teks Hakim-hakim 6-8

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God's actions is to send the prophet. 22 The question raised by the prophet's
'
appearance is whether Israel will remember. The subsequent narrative move-
ments will unfold in such a way as to answer this pending question.
In the introduction, two of the three main characters of this narrative
are introduced: God and Israel. We find a portrayal of God that will
unfold even more in the rest of the narrative. It is of a God who takes
action, a God who clearly wants to be remembered. We find an unrespon-
sive Israel with a short memory, who suffers and calls out once more for
help. However, the implied question raised is this: will Israel remember
who really is the source of their salvation? The key to their remembrance
is situated in the third main character of this story: Gideon.
In the next part of the paper I will argue that within the first and third
narrative movements of this narrative, God and Gideon are set up over
against each other. In the first of the three major movements, God is
characterized in such a way that the focus falls exclusively on God. This
is countered by the third movement of the story, in which the focus
almost exclusively falls on Gideon and God is largely absent. In this jux-
taposition, the question remains whether Israel will remember who God
is. Or will they choose Gideon over God?

God in Action

In the first narrative movement, we see how the representative of
God approaches Gideon. The prophet tries his best to persuade Gideon
to serve as leader of Israel. However, Gideon is hard to convince. In
6:13 he challenges the idea that God is with him. He cannot see
anything around him that relates to the picture of God that Israel's
ancestors have communicated.23 Adding to Gideon's disbelief is his lack

22Actually, the first of God's actions is to give Israel into the hands of the Midianites.
However, one learns from God's ensuing series of actions, that despite being rejected time
and time, God will always try again. A good example of this is Jdg 10:16, which says that
after a time of apostasy and a season of suffering, Israel cries to God, and after they put
"
away their idols, God "could no longer bear to see Israel suffer."
23Ironically we will see later in the narrative that Gideon's father Joash also has not
remembered who God is, as is illustrated by the Baal altar that Gideon is commanded to
break down. _