Again and again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and for seven years he gave them up to the Midianites. The Midians were very oppressive, so the people of Israel hid in mountain clefts, caves, and strongholds. The Midians were like locusts which did not spare a living thing. They ravaged the land and the people of God cried out to the Lord. A prophet visited the Israelites and reminded them that they were disobedient to God and had not worshipped Him or listened to Him.
The people hit rock bottom, and turned to God as a last resort. Yet, God listened to them, and promised them he would send help. God sent an angel to a young man called Gideon who was threshing wheat in a winepress. The angel called out to him, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!"
but Gideon called back, "If the Lord is with us, sir, why has all this happened? Where are the wonders that our fathers told us about? Has the Lord abandoned us?"
And the Lord Himself answered, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" But, much amazed, Gideon said, "But Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest of all and I am the weakest in my family!" But the Lord was not to be dissuaded, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."
But Gideon was afraid to trust God's word. "If I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the Lord agreed to wait. Gideon prepared a young goat and bread without yeast. When he finished preparing the food, he brought it out and offered it to the one under the oak. The angel of God asked Gideon to put the food on a certain rock, and pour out the broth. When Gideon did so, fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and bread, and the angel of the Lord disappeared.
Gideon felt afraid because he had seen the angel of the Lord and had not understood. But the Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.." And the Lord instructed Gideon in what he must do. "Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer a bull as a burnt offering." So Gideon did as he was told, but he did it at night because he was still afraid.
In the morning, the men of the town demanded of Gideon's father, "Who did this?" And after careful investigation, they called for Gideon. But his father, Joash, said to the men, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save Baal? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning. If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar." And the people who loved Baal crossed over the Jordan and camped, leaving the area.
Gideon always had a difficult time totally trusting God and when God gave him instructions on how to handle one group or another, Gideon always had a test to see if God was being truthful. Yet he did finally obey God completely.
There is much more to say about Gideon. He is one of God's Judges and comes to my mind frequently, when ever I tend to need extra assurance. Some of us need to practice having faith and trust in God, no matter what! Let me quote from the words of the study portion of my bible: "Was Gideon testing God, or was he simply asking God for more encouragement? In either case, though his motive was right (to obey God and defeat the enemy) his method was less than ideal. Gideon seems to have known that his requests might displease God and yet he demanded more assurance even after witnessing the miraculous fire from the rock. It is true that to make good decisions, we need facts. Gideon had all the facts, but still he hesitated. He delayed obeying God because he wanted even more proof of what God would do. Demanding extra signs was an indication of unbelief. Fear often makes us wait for more confirmation when we should be taking action. Visible signs are unnecessary if they only confirm what we already know is true. Today the greatest means of God's guidance is his Word....The Bible."
No matter how often I read from the Word, I always learn. And I usually learn just what I need to know at that moment. God is good; yes, all the time.
Hope you enjoyed this little bit about Gideon! He proved to be quite a guy in God's world!
Jo INMN
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