11 Then the Lord’s messenger came and sat under the oak at Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The Lord’s messenger appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”
13 But Gideon replied to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his amazing works that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and allowed Midian to overpower us.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “You have strength, so go and rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not personally sending you?”
15 But again Gideon said to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my household.”
16 The Lord replied, “Because I’m with you, you’ll defeat the Midianites as if they were just one person.”[a]
17 Then Gideon said to him, “If I’ve gained your approval, please show me a sign that it’s really you speaking with me. 18 Don’t leave here until I return, bring out my offering, and set it in front of you.”
The Lord replied, “I’ll stay until you return.”
Reflection
Gideon was chosen by God and tasked with delivering the Israelites from seven years of brutal oppression by the Midianites and subsequently lead the people for 40 years of peace. Gideon lived during the period of the Judges (recorded in Judges 6-8), a time when Israel repeatedly disobeyed God and was allowed to fall under foreign rule. The history is defined by a repeating pattern: Israel abandons God, is oppressed by local nations (Canaanites, Philistines, etc.), cries out to God, and is delivered by a judge.
The Midianites and their allies systematically stripped the land of crops and livestock, their number and strength were described as like a hoard of locusts forcing the Israelites into hiding in caves and many died.
A side note, to really appreciate and feel the impact of what was happening at this time I urge you to read all of Judges chapter 6, to see how Gideon kept testing God’s support. Chapter 7 is also a must read to see why and how God looked at the 32,000 troops Gideon had assembled and had Gideon go into battle with three groups of 100 to overcome the Midianites and why that number was so important.
God caused the enemy to flee through a strategic, small-scale attack with trumpets and torches.
I think the relationship between Gideon and God is still relevant today. It is a story of God offering encouragement to a weak, fearful, untrusting, person that leads to victory. It helps us by illustrating that God meets us in our doubts, brings peace amid chaos, and uses limited resources to accomplish significant purposes when we trust Him.
God called Gideon “mighty warrior” despite his fear and low status. The story teaches us that God strengthens the powerless and uses unlikely people.
Gideon viewed himself as insignificant and incapable, focusing on his limitations rather than God’s promise of empowerment. He identified his family as poor and himself as the least among them. His fear led to a need for repeated signs (such as the fleece) to confirm his mission, illustrating a lack of initial confidence.
Despite his doubts and feelings of inadequacy, the narrative emphasizes that his strength was meant to be derived from God, rather than his own aptitude.
by Clarence Beverage
For Pondering and Prayer
Do you, maybe subconsciously, feel that God has abandoned us?
With everything going on right now I do feel that what God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are saying to lift me up are overshadowed.
There can be a lot of pressure in everyday obligations. How about you, what do you do to make a deeper connection? Are you open to find strength coming from unlikely allies?
Prayer: Lord God, you have promised to be with us and as followers of Jesus you ask us to walk with one another, even in our most difficult times. Help us to remember your words always, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will feel no evil for thou art with me.” Amen.
