Have you ever felt like you were no one special, that you would never amount to much? You might feel like God would surely never pick you to accomplish anything great for Him, so you just keep a very low profile in church. It might be the same at work with your boss. You faithfully punch in on the timeclock, do what work is on your desk, but never volunteer for something special, not because you are lazy, but because you feel you are no one special, and could never accomplish anything important. This is how the young man, Gideon, in our Scripture today felt. However the Lord showed him that He had bigger and better things planned for him. Let’s take a quick look at our Scripture passage which gives the account of the early part of his story.
As our Scripture passage begins in the Book of Judges, we are about a generation or two removed from the days of Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land. The neighboring nation of Midian has now overrun part of the territory of the people of Israel, and are cruelly ruling over and oppressing them. The Midianites were descended from one of the sons of Abraham and Keturah, the wife he married after Sarah died (Genesis 25:1-2). One thing that they did to oppress the Israelites was to continually confiscate the grain when it was harvested, leaving little for the Israelites to eat for themselves. This is why we see Gideon threshing his family’s wheat in the winepress, hiding his activity from the Midianites (vs. 11).
This is where we find Gideon, and where an angel sent from God finds him. The angel called out to Gideon to let him know that God had special plans for him, calling him a “mighty man of valor.” (vs. 12). I can just see Gideon looking around to see who the angel was talking to, thinking that the angel certainly couldn’t be addressing him. Gideon did not believe that he was a “mighty man of valor”. God called Gideon by this description long before he saw himself capable of carrying out the tasks He had for him.
Once the angel had Gideon’s attention, Gideon responded by questioning how he could say that God was with him, or with any of His people, because he felt that the Lord had forsaken them (vs. 13). However, like so many of us who at times criticize God, Gideon had it wrong. God had not forsaken His people, instead they had forsaken Him! All throughout the Book of Judges we read of a perpetual cycle the people were in. We read how the people of Israel turned away from God, worshiping the false gods of neighboring nations, then how God sent His judgment, usually in the form of a neighboring country overtaking them. Then the people would repent and cry out to Him, and He would raise up a deliverer. That was what the angel came to say, that Gideon was the man God would send to deliver the people from the Midianites (vs. 14).
This message from the angel terrified Gideon. He did not see himself as capable of doing what God wanted, of delivering the people. He protested that he was from a small, unimportant tribe, that his family was not important in the tribe, and he was the youngest in his family (vs. 15). Gideon was scared. All he could see was his own weakness and limitations. However, Gideon, and us as well, needed to remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. We don’t need to question Him. Instead, we should bring our fears to God in prayer, and rely on His strength to carry us through our problems.
God will not lead us to do a task without also giving us the ability to accomplish it. As the angel told Gideon, we can go forth in the strength of His might. The Lord wants us to go out as His messengers in His Name and strength. We don’t have to rely on our own strength and might, but on God’s. God is shown strong in the midst of our weaknesses (II Corinthians 12:9). He would proceed to use Gideon to lead an army of 300 men against an army of over 100,000 men! (Judges 7:4-7). God promised He would be with Gideon, and will be with us in whatever He calls us to do, and that is all that counts.
Gideon came to believe and have faith in the Lord, and followed what He asked Him to do. The first thing that he did was to give a sacrifice offering to the Lord. Gideon called Him Jehovah Shalom or the Lord God of Peace (vs 24). The God of Peace was with Gideon. He is with us, too! (John 14:27). All we need to do, like the great old-time hymn says, is to trust and obey. Trusting the Lord makes obedience easier, and obedience produces ever-increasing trust.
No comments:
Post a Comment