Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” (Judges 6:11, 12 ESV)
I am always fascinated of the story of how God called Gideon to be a warrior and deliverer for the people of Israel. The people of Israel were so afraid of the Midianites that they "hid" from them just to survive.
Gideon was called to be a judge during a time of intense trouble in Israel. The nation was suffering under the grip of Midianite oppression. They watched helplessly as their land was stripped, their homes and villages were destroyed, and their lives endangered. Their condition is summed up in verse 6 where the Bible says they were “impoverished”. This word literally means that they were at the “end of their rope”. The people of Israel felt as though their nation was destroyed and their lives were over.
Israel’s main problem was that they counted God out. They cried out to Him, but they probably did not believe that He was listening, or that He was able to do anything to help them. But, God always has a message. In vv. 7-10, God sent them a prophet to remind them of the Lord’s grace in their lives and to call them to a place of repentance.
Not only does God have a message, He always has a man. In this case - his name was Gideon.
Notice Gideon's CIRCUMSTANCES
- It Was Time Of Poverty - vv.4-6.
- It Was A Time Of Persecution – vv. 11-12
- It Was A Time Of Powerlessness – Gideon is "hiding"
V. 13 says that "the angel of The Lord appeared unto him.: When the Lord speaks to Gideon, He comes with words of hope and assurance. The Midianites did not know where Gideon was hiding, but the Lord did! He had His eye on Gideon the whole time. Even when Gideon was unaware of it, God was with Him, watching him and planning for his future. God knows exactly what's going on in your life also.
Notice Gideon's CALL
When the Lord says, “The Lord is with thee”, it literally means, “His power is on you.” Gideon could not see it, nor could he sense it, and it sure didn’t look like it, but he was about to be used of the Lord is a powerful way!
Gideon was hiding but God saw him as “a mighty man of valor”. Here is a man who is so afraid of the enemy that he is hiding behind a winepress threshing wheat. He is full of fear, but the Lord saw what Gideon would be when he got though with him. God intended to take Gideon and use him in a great way.
The phrase the Lord used literally refers to “a man who is charging right into the face of the enemy.” It doesn’t make sense, but that is who the Lord saw when he looked at Gideon.Did you know that the Lord knows you? He knows you far better than you even know yourself - (Psalm 139; Hebrews 4:13.)
If you are like me, you often look at your life and see mistakes, failures and problems. You see a person who consistently fails to live up to God’s high calling on your life. You see a person who loses far more than he wins. You see a person who, from all appearances, is always coming up short.What does God see?
When Jesse looked at David, he saw his youngest son. He saw a mere boy who was not worthy to be called to a family meeting with Samuel. When God looked at David, He saw a king, 1 Sam. 16:12. When Gideon’s family looked at him, they saw a weakling. When the Lord looked at him, God saw a warrior.You see, the Lord looks at the heart- (1 Samuel 16:7.) He knows what we will be when He gets through with us.
The best thing you can ever do is to take your life, with all its problems, its failures and its shortcomings and place all that in the hand of the Lord. He is able to take us like we are and transform us into something powerful and amazing by His power!
The Lord is with you O man/woman of valor!
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