Count how many Biblical heroes and saints remained on the sidelines. How often does the Bible share that these men and women remained quiet, subtle, and indifferent? That Gideon character definitely blossomed after his initial timidity; poor guy was scared of everyone.
The book of Judges walks us into a new era for the Israelites. It is a time when a leader becomes imperative to be their only guidance back to God. Individual responsibility and morals seems to be long gone.
And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. … And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
Judges 2:7, 10, emphasis added
Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways.
Judges 2:16-19, emphasis added
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A continual pattern. It is sad that within one generation, the following did not know the Lord or the work He had done and had swung their moral pendulum in the complete opposite direction. Is that also a growing trend within our own family units? How often do we hear the plight of pastors that the kids who leave their homes after high school fall away?!
A common definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.” Ensuring our children have a sound understanding of His goodness, mercy, and the complete gospel is tantamount to our kids’ success.
Hiding in the shadows…
In Judges 4, we meet a man, Barak, so fearful he asks a woman of God to go with him into battle… virtually unheard of. After Deborah relays a command from the Lord to go into battle, he says no.
Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
Judges 4:8
No trust and obey with this guy, no consulting the Lord first, or asking for strength. Just a jellyfish pleading for him to not do it alone. Jael enters the story, the wife of an Israelite man (who had apparently secretly aligned with Canaan); she utilized her surroundings wisely to trick and kill the Canaanite king as he fled from defeat.
Are you sensing a pattern here? What men are we finding that are leading their communities, families, or even themselves into a right relationship with God? The truths of God were not passed on to the next generation and look what happened. The men became weak. That should tell us something about what our focus should be to prevent that from occurring within our own four walls. And if you are a woman finding yourself with a spiritually weak man, take a play from Deborah and Jael’s handbook, to wisely always put God first and frame their choices around that fact.
Another timid man…
But wait, there’s more. Now, that Gideon character enters the scene in Judges 6 and we find he is just as timid as Barak.
The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.
Now the angel of the Lord came [while] Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:1-6, 11, emphasis added
Threshing wheat consisted of cutting the standing grain, binding into sheaves, gleaning the left behind stalks, transporting it to the threshing floor, loosening of the grain from the straw, and finally winnowing. Winnowing was a process of taking a winnowing fork, tossing the grain in the air, and the wind would blow away the straw and chaff, leaving the grain at the winnower’s feet.
Threshing floors “were hard, smooth, open places, prepared on either rock or clay and carefully chosen for favorable exposure to the prevailing winds. (NIV Study Bible)
While I am no expert on threshing wheat, I can easily recognize that Gideon hiding out in the winepress is not normal procedure.
Can we blame him, not really what with the Midianites devastating all of their food sources.
Shock value…
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Judges 6:12
Wait, what? A man hiding inside a winepress is who He called a mighty man of valor?
Sometimes I think God shocks us to get our attention. Can you imagine what Gideon must have been thinking?
It gets personal…
His response does not indicate he believes the words were directed to him personally, as he pivots away and talks about Israel as a whole.
And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Judges 6:13, emphasis added
Circling around, the statement is directed back to him. This statement was undeniably about Gideon personally, as a representative. He could not defer away this time.
And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
Judges 6:14
First things first…
An oft left out part of Gideon’s story is what God asked him to do first. Thinking back to the first remark, he was called a man of valor. Dictionary.com defines valor as “boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery”. Yet this man was timid and unsure.
Similarly, he and Moses held some common ground on that point. God didn’t hang either out to dry, but taught them and emboldened them. This is one of the most encouraging patterns to come across in the Bible, as opposed to the seemingly never-ending cycle of disobedience.
[T]o understand the sin in today's world it is helpful to understand the sin at that time. It was heavy and prevalent. It was easily punishable by death to go against the crowd at that time. Now, it's socially acceptable with… Click To TweetGideon was instructed to tear down the altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole. For me personally, I brush over these mentions without much thought, but to understand the sin in today’s world it is helpful to understand the sin at that time. It was heavy and prevalent. It was easily punishable by death to go against the crowd at that time. Now, it’s socially acceptable with different verbiage.
Keep in mind, this was a fresh, relatively new nation, dedicated to God. For pete’s sake, they almost entered a civil war not too long ago for fear that one of the tribes had set up an altar to another god. Now look how far from that moral pendulum they went.
See, the worship of Baal involved sacred prostitution and sometimes even child sacrifice. This was no joke. There were often stages set up with male and female prostitutes on stage. Child sacrifice? What should have been utterly contemptible to the Israelites was set up in their own backyard.
[WARNING: This may be too graphic for little ears to hear.] But are we much different today? Porn has become so commonplace they estimate 1 in 4 men at CHURCH are looking at it on a regular basis, and when it’s described as the movie script of literal rape, prostitution, and trafficking, that should terrify us that this is so prevalent in OUR HOMES. Is child sacrifice different now than it was then? Is a baby torn apart limb by limb inside a womb any different than passing a child through fire like they did? What should be utterly contemptible to us is set up in our own homes.
As an aside, the judges were the Israelites’ salvation from enemy oppression, appointed by God. In America, you get to use your voice through your vote to (hopefully) appoint leaders who will also uphold the values that God holds dear. I implore you, at minimum, to stand for Biblical values, vote wisely, and after much prayer.
The Israelites had swayed so far from what was right and true. Thank goodness that Gideon character was called first to send a message.
The cover of night…
He went at the dark of night, when he was least likely to be caught. Not only did he tear down their godless worship articles, but he built a proper one to the Lord.
Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.”
Judges 6:30
They wanted to kill him! The irony of an almost civil war over a potential idol to a foreign god, to now an Israelite destroying an actual idol built for a foreign god should not be lost on us. Taking a hard look at our own lives we should analyze if we have not been guilty of the same.
Another speaks in his defense…
A defender of his actions, his Dad speaks up.
But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.”
Judges 6:31
Sometimes God emboldens us through those around us. Ever been scrolling on social media and been impressed with how someone said something bold? Recognition of that feeling can help assure your own strength that you are not alone and can do the same.
Continual reaffirmation…
His insecurities weren’t gone in a moment though. We find God usually works with people over time to teach them reliance and trust.
The Midianites were set to attack again along with a couple other nations, but they didn’t know that Gideon character was getting braver and that God was on his side….
But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
Judges 6:34-35
But his bravery was lacking a bit of bravado but it was growing. He appears in the open this time, on the threshing floor instead of inside a winepress, asking God to affirm His plan through a sign.
He asks for another sign, just one more proof that he is doing God’s will.
[B]ehold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.
Judges 6:37-38
The Bible does not specify that this was wrong, or a sin, or that God was angry for those requests. Instead, He showed His sovereignty to Him.
Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
Judges 6:39-40
Ultimate trust…
Think of these actual numbers. Is there a city you know of with 32,000 people? Could you imagine your army being that size as you march forward. Hold the phone, it keeps dwindling down until there are a mere 300 men left? About the amount of men you might see at a conference hall. Not even 1% were left!
Yet what do we read as God kept reducing the number of men in the army? Gideon obeyed without questioning. How incredible to see him transforming into a man of valor.
In spite of his obedience, this Gideon character jumped at the opportunity for one more confirmation. He received it in full, worshiped God, and proceeded with the plan.
[All 300 men] stood in [their] place around the camp, and all [their] army ran. They cried out and fled. When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
Judges 7:21-22
The battle was won, thanks to the Lord. We may have insecurities rising within about our usefulness or talent. But fear not, don’t let your enneagram define your worth or value to be an effective vessel for God. That Gideon character was willing to be taught and follow the Lord’s commands with gifts and talents he did not think he possessed, and we should be no different.
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I was such a shy child, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to anyone. God has moved into the neighborhood since then, but my heart identifies strongly with Gideon.