The Midianites were invading Israel and consuming or destroying the produce of the land so that Israel had no crops or livestock to sustain them. When the Israelites cried out to God, He chose Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites. Before Gideon became Israel's leader, God first required him to get rid of the altars of Baal in his own family:
"Take your father's bull...and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order" (vs. 25-26). Once the idols were eliminated in his own home, then God prepared Gideon to lead Israel against Midian:
"But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them." (vs. 34-35). God's call to leadership is always accompanied by a call to holiness. While no one is without defects as was certainly the case with Gideon, there is still an expectation that one should have his own house in order before trying to oversee God's house. Leading by example is God's leadership strategy. That's what Jesus did during His earthly ministry. To lead people to Christ, they must be able to see Christ in you.
