A Man of Valour
At this time, an angel appeared and rested beneath a tree in Ophrah, a location belonging to Yoash the Aviezrite. Yoash's son, Gideon, was diligently working—beating out wheat in a winepress—taking special care to protect it from the impending raids of the Midianites. As Gideon laboured, the angel revealed himself, greeting him with the words, "Hashem is with you, mighty man of valour!"
Taken aback, Gideon responded to the angel, questioning, "My lord, if Hashem is truly with us, why have we been subjected to such calamities? What has become of the miraculous deeds of deliverance that our ancestors recounted, proclaiming how Hashem brought us from slavery in Egypt? It feels as though He has forsaken us, handing us over to the Midianites!"
At that moment, Hashem turned to Gideon and instructed him, "לך בכחך זה, והושעת את־ישראל מכף מדין - הלא שלחתיך!" - "Go forth with this strength of yours, and you will deliver Yisroel from the hands of the Midianites. I am appointing you as My messenger." This divine calling signified that Gideon was to become the leader destined to free his people from oppression. Gideon indeed rose to the occasion, ultimately defeating the Midianites in a miraculous battle that would restore peace and security to the land.
At first glance, several things in this story stand out as unusual. First, Hashem's words to Gideon seem slightly out of context. Gideon is complaining about the miserable state of his brethren and asks about the seeming absence of Hashem's hand in the circumstances, and instead of an answer he is prompted to "go with this strength" and deliver Yisroel.
Moreover, what is this "strength" of Gideon that Hashem is referring to? The verses do not mention any prior act of strength performed by Gideon. In fact, at that very moment, Gideon was merely engaged in the simple task of threshing wheat!
Finally, if Hashem intended to speak to Gideon directly, why did He first dispatch an angel to get the conversation started, only to interject in the middle and appoint Gideon as the leader in the battle against Midian?
Unprecedented Revelation
Our Sages, cited in the Yalkut Shim'oni, provide the missing pieces to this puzzle. Chazal explain that when Gideon asked, "If Hashem is with us, why has all this occurred", he was not merely complaining. Rather, he was fervently advocating for his brethren, invoking Hashem's mercy and compassion on their behalf. He was claiming that if our forefathers were righteous, we should be saved on their merit; if not, we should be saved all the same - just like they were saved without merit (רש"י שם).
This was precisely what Hashem had been looking for. This is the strength that Hashem spoke of. The moment Gideon exhibited advocacy for the people, Hashem declared: "It is right that I should reveal myself in My glory upon him." Thus, Hashem turned to Gideon and spoke to him directly. Hashem referred to Gideon's power of advocacy and said that this great merit of his will deliver Yisroel from their oppressors.
(ילקוט שמעוני שופטים רמז סב)
We know that in order to merit Divine revelation, one must embody holiness and purity and stand at an elevated spiritual level. This state of being is not easily attained. Even for those who are exceptionally virtuous, a series of rigorous preparations are required to create an environment where the Divine Presence can be manifest. Gideon, however, did not fit this description. In the Zohar (השמטות ב"ע רנד א"ח הזהר), he is characterized as לא זכאי ולא בר זכאי—meaning he was neither righteous nor did he have righteous pedigree. Gideon originated from a family steeped in idolatry, a significant spiritual defect when it comes to the qualities expected of a divinely chosen leader.
Despite these shortcomings, this one remarkable quality allowed him to receive a revelation from the Divine, transcending the limitations of his family background and personal flaws.