1. Judges 6:11 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does Gideon's disregard of the angel symbolize?

Judges 6:11 (ESV)

11 Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

The angel arrives on the scene, and Gideon disregards his arrival, continuing with his occupation of beating out wheat. This picture symbolizes Gideon’s remoteness from the angel and his tidings; it is a preliminary intimation of Gideon’s feeling of alienation from God, which is the main point of the passage. Since Gideon ignored the angel, in the next verse, the angel will reveal himself to Gideon.1.