Gideon: Judge of Israel from 1158-1118 BC
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 (NIV)
READ: Judges 6-7
During
the period of the judges, God raised up individuals to help the Israelites
through difficult circumstances. At
this time Israel was without a formal leader and they were unorganized and not
unified which left them open to oppression by neighboring tribes. They repeatedly fell into sin and idolatry
after which God gave them over to their enemies for a period of time. God raised up Gideon as a judge of Israel at
the time when the Midianites were oppressing the Israelites. This was in response to their cry for
help. God called Gideon while he was
threshing wheat covertly in order to hide it from the Midianites who would
steal it. When he was told that he would
delivery Israel he asked for proof to validate the message. One of the first things that Gideon did was
pull down the altar of Baal which caused the townspeople to want to put him to
death. Gideon’s father came to his
rescue by saying, “If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself.” Eventually the Midianites, Amalekies and other
eastern peoples joined forces and set up camp in the valley. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and
he gathered the people to join him in fighting.
Once again Gideon asks for a sign to help in the difficult job
ahead. One night he left a fleece of
wool on the threshing floor, asking for dew on the fleece but not on the
ground. On the following morning it was
as he had requested. The next night he
asked for the reverse, so he found the fleece dry and the ground wet with
dew. Then Gideon and his army of 32,000
men set up camp. The Lord made it clear
that the victory was His and not the result of superior Israelite might so he
requested Gideon to send back those trembling with fear causing 22,000 to return
home leaving only 10,000. But the Lord
said this was still too many so He set up a test based on drinking water
leaving only 300 to stay and fight with the rest being sent home. The Lord encouraged Gideon by causing him to
overhear a man relating his dream to a friend foretelling the defeat of Midian
at the hand of Gideon. God gave them the
strategy of using trumpets, torches and smashed jars to frighten their foes who
fought amongst themselves and fled. It
was God’s victory! The writer of Hebrews
includes Gideon as one of the heroes of the faith (Heb. 11:32) as he learned to
trust God with the impossible.
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
