Gideon
As we begin the story of Israel’s fifth judge, the Israelites have again chosen to do turn away from God to follow sin instead.
Judges 6:1 | The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.
The cruel treatment of the Midianites had the Israelites hiding in mountains, caves, and anywhere they could to get away from their vicious oppressors. Even worse, the Israelites were starving because their enemies would attack to steal their crops, sheep, and cattle. God’s starving people cried out to Him for help.
We find Israel’s fifth judge hiding from the Midianites and the way God raises him as judge is truly amazing—
Judges 6:11b-12 | Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
This angel of the Lord is Jesus appearing before his incarnation as a baby born in Bethlehem. In other words, God (the Son) Himself visits Gideon to give him the instructions needed to defeat the Midianites.
He tells Gideon —
Judges 6:14 | Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
Gideon doesn’t share the Lord’s confidence in him. He doesn’t feel equipped to be sent as Israel’s rescuer and in response, he protests the title the Lord initially addressed him with in verse 12. He certainly doesn’t feel, or appear at this point, to be mighty hero. Gideon says—
Judges 6:15 | “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
Gideon is afraid and his insecurities are evident as he questions the Lord’s instructions. Jesus (the angel of the Lord) gives Him all the certainty he should need—
Judges 6:16 | The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Gideon is hearing from God Himself, and even after realizing this (vs. 22), he still doubts God’s ability to use him. He famously tests the Lord twice to ensure He can do what He says He will do. The first night, Gideon puts out a dry fleece and He asks God to soak the fleece but leave the ground dry. In the morning, he wrings out the fleece that is soaked just like it should be. The next night, he asks God to let the fleece be dry while the ground around it is wet. Sure enough, God proves His power to Gideon once again.
Finally, Gideon obeys the Lord’s instructions. He gathers 32,000 warriors and they start making their way towards the Midianite camps. But God intervenes.
Judges 7:2 | The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
Remember our theme verse? Surely God wants to use the powerless to defeat the powerless so that the victory brings Him glory.
Any warrior who is afraid is asked to leave and 22,000 of them head home! Only 10,000 warriors are left. This army pales in comparison to the “allies of the east” who have assembled with the Midianites to defeat Israel. There were 135,000 of them there to attack God’s people (Judges 8:10). Gideon’s 10,000 men are prepared to fight—
Judges 7:4 | But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.”
Gideon’s warriors begin to drink from the spring and as they do, the Lord tells him to divide them into two groups. One group has all the people who knelt down to drink water directly from the stream and the other group holds the warriors who cupped the water in their hands and lapped it up from there instead. 9,700 men who drank straight from the stream were then sent home.
Judges 7:7 | The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.”
Gideon splits his warriors into three groups and he gives each of them a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch. The three companies of men encircled the Midianite camp. Just after midnight, they blow their horns and break their jars to reveal their torches. They shout “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Then—
Judges 7:21-22a | Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords.
Just like the Israelites in Exodus 14, the God’s followers again stand still and watch the Lord fight for them as He gives them the victory. That day 120,000 of the eastern ally warriors died and soon after, Gideon and his men capture the remaining 15,000.
Judges 8:28b | Throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.
Despite Gideon’s fears, doubts, and insecurities, God used him in an extraordinary way. As we learn from Gideon’s story, we must surrender our insecurities, doubts, and fears at the feet of Jesus, remembering God’s words to Paul—
2nd Corinthians 12:9b | “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
God is bigger than our fears, doubts, or insecurities. When we surrender them to Him, His power shows through us in spite of, and because of, our weaknesses. It is then clear, to us and to the people around us, that the victory was only possible because of the Lord.
1st Corinthians 1:27 | Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
What stuck out to you about Gideon’s story?
What insecurities or doubts about his own ability did Gideon have?
How would this story have changed if Gideon let his insecurities and fears control him?
What insecurities (feeling uncertain about yourself or your abilities; lack of confidence) do you have?
Why?
Do these control you in any way? If so, how?
How can a person surrender (give up) their insecurities to God?