Judges 6:11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.

The terebinth tree is a sturdy, long lived and resilient tree that closely resembles the oak. It is mentioned multiple times in the Old Testament. God appeared to Abraham by the terebinth tree. Jacob buried idols under the terebinth tree and here the Angel of the Lord meets Gideon. The regenerative power of this tree from the stump is a representation of Israel. When the people sinned and judgement came, they cried out to the Lord, and He answered their call.

What is interesting here is that Gideon was in a winepress threshing wheat. The problem is a winepress is under the dirt in a hole. The proper way to thresh wheat is to go to a mountain top, where the wind is blowing. So why is Gideon down in the hole? Because Isreal had fallen away again and they were being oppressed by the Midianites. Raiding parties were coming into his land and taking all of the food in the area. This is judgement from the sin the people were committing.

But just like the terebinth tree, regeneration was about to occur. God was raising up a mighty man of valor to save the country. This is the theme of the Bible from the first chapter until the last. God promised a mighty Man of Valor known as the Messiah to come and save the world. We know Him as Jesus. The question that needs to be asked now, are you looking for a Savior or are you stuck in your sin and enjoying it? Hope has come and is here now. All we need to do is answer the call.