An Old Testament Story of Faith, Judges 6-7

Who was Gideon? He was the man hiding in a winepress to thresh wheat when the Angel of God greeted him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Taken aback, Gideon skipped right past the “mighty warrior” part and whined in the winepress, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the wonders our ancestors told us about?”

The Lord skipped right past the whine, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“I am the wimpiest man in a clan full of wimps,” Gideon replied. “I think you have the wrong guy.”
“I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive,” the Lord told him.
Gideon still tried to squirm his way out of this assignment. “Sorry, sir, but I need you to prove to me who you really are first. Let me go prepare an offering for you. Don’t go away, please.”

The Lord agreed to wait under a nearby oak tree while doubtful Gideon killed a young goat, cooked the meat and broth, and baked unleavened bread. When he placed the meat and bread on a rock and poured all the broth over it, fire flared from the angel’s staff until all the food was gone. Then the angel of the Lord said, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” Then he disappeared.

So Gideon built an altar there to praise God, and afterward the Lord told him, “Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and its accompanying Asherah pole and replace it with an altar to me.” Gideon waited until after dark to obey because he was afraid, and fear prompted his habit of hiding. When the townspeople discovered that he was the culprit, Gideon timidly hid behind his father, who faced down the hostile crowd.

Who was Gideon the next time God came calling? The Midianites and their allies—an army of 135,000 soldiers—set up a battle camp in the Valley of Jezreel. Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon to trumpet a battle call to gather Israelites to fight their enemy. As they rallied, doubt and fear once more plagued Gideon., and he asked God for proof. Gideon set out a fleece with instructions for God; not just once, but twice. And God gave him the responses he needed.

Gideon led 32,000 men to a spring just south of the enemy where they set up camp. But the Lord knew that the Israelites would brag that the victory was their own with such a large army, so He instructed Gideon to send home those who were afraid—22,000 men jumped at the chance to skip the fight.

Gideon had struggled with doubt and fear when the odds were 4 to 1, and now God told him there were still too many soldiers. Once again, God told Gideon to take them down to the stream and watch how they drink. Most of the 10,000 remaining soldiers got down on their knees to drink, while only 300 men cupped water in their hands and lapped the water with their tongues.

The Lord told Moses, “Keep only the 300 lappers, and let the rest go home. With this tiny army I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.” Leaving their provisions and trumpets for the fighters, 9,700 relieved men hurried toward home.

Who was Gideon when the odds were 450 to 1? Gideon was afraid, but God didn’t tell him to “man up.” Instead, the Lord repeated His promise of victory and, unasked, offered another sign to allay Gideon’s overwhelming fear. To receive it, Gideon and his servant Pukah had to sneak down to the enemy camp, which took more courage than hiding in a winepress or tearing down his father’s idols. God gave Gideon a “boot camp” army experience which he had to pass in order to receive the sign, and his faith grew as he put his life in God’s hands.

The hours it took to sneak past sentries seemed like days. Finally, hiding in the shadows of the enemy tents, trembling from the exertion and danger, Gideon and Pukah heard two soldiers talking.

“I had a dream,”one was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon, son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” (Judges 7:14, NIV)

“Barley bread is poor men’s food,” Gideon thought. “That soldier knows, the barley loaf is me!”

God brought this fearful man to just the right spot to overhear the dream of an enemy soldier and its interpretation. What did Gideon do? This timid man bowed down and worshipped God—PRAISE!

Gideon returned to camp fully focused on God and the promised victory. He acted the part of “mighty warrior” that God has assigned him, not in the power of his own bravery, but full of faith in God. He told the remnant of his army—300 men—to follow his lead. “Watch me. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly what I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon.”

The Israelites fought the battle by praising God with a loud shout, a form of praise known in Hebrew as shâbach. God did the rest.

Gideon and men shouted their praise to God, and their faith increased. And God gave them the victory in ways they could never imagine, against 450 to 1 odds.

It was not their strength, but God’s.

It was not their victory, but the victory that God had promised to bring about.

---

from Strike the Match, Light the Fire, by Kathleen Evenhouse