God's Power on Display

God’s Power on Display
Judges 6-10
“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands.”

It was with irony that the angel of the Lord appeared before Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.”  Gideon was neither valiant nor a warrior.  Instead, he was a frightened man who hid in a wine press to thrash his wheat.  Thus, Gideon is an enigma.  Throughout his role as a deliverer and judge, he was timid, fearful, and lacking in faith.  When God commands him to deliver Israel from the hand of Midian, Gideon responds by questioning the wisdom of God’s choice.  Gideon’s lack of faith is seen by his continual demand for a sign from God to prove that God would be with him.  He asks for a sign that it is God who is speaking to him (6:18).  Even after his initial victory, Gideon was still plagued by fear.  When faced with the armies of the Midianites and the Amalekites, Gideon again asked for a sign by “putting out his fleece” (6:36-40). When going into battle, he still demonstrated his fear by again requiring a sign from God (7:10-11).  Rather than being a man of faith, he was a man of fear.  Even when God achieved a resounding victory by using 300 men armed with trumpets and pitchers to defeat an army of over 120,000 well-equipped soldiers (7:19-23, 8:10),  Gideon never fully trusted in God. This lack of trust would reverberate throughout his family and lead to a civil war in Israel.  

However, Gideon’s fear became an opportunity for God’s power to be displayed.  To achieve his purpose, God not only chose the very opposite of an influential military leader, but God also required them to use unconventional tools to achieve the victory.  Three hundred men, armed with trumpets and pitchers, led by a timid and fear-stricken leader, is not the way to achieve a victory over a mighty army.  But this is how God works.  God chooses the unqualified and ill-equipped to achieve the impossible and the eternal.  God’s methods often defy man’s reasoning.  The problem with Gideon is that he looked at his inabilities and the size of the Midian army rather than the power of the infinite God who equips us for His service. Gideon’s obsession with demanding a sign rather than trusting in God led to his downfall.  In 8:27, Gideon made an ephod, which became a snare to him and his family.  The ephod was part of the garments of the high priest, which contained lots used to discern God’s will. Instead of victory leading to a new awareness of God, it led Gideon to usurp the role of the priest and set himself up as the political and spiritual leader of Israel.  He and his household embraced the very idolatry that he was called upon to destroy.  

In the story of Gideon, we see ourselves.  We can easily identify with his fear and apprehension. When we consider the opportunities for ministry, it often seems overwhelming as we reflect on our own inabilities and shortcomings. We see the challenges before us rather than the God who stands behind us.  When the challenges seem overwhelming, we shrink back in fear. When we obtain the victory, we become proud of our accomplishments rather than recognizing that it was God who empowered us.  When we walk by faith, we do not see insurmountable problems; we see opportunities for God to act, and we trust in His purpose and empowerment.  Then, when we obtain the victory, we recognize that it came from Him rather than ourselves.  As you face the problems of today, what do you see?  Do you see opportunities for God to act or challenges that are overwhelming?  Do you trust in God’s empowerment or rely upon your own strength? The former leads to the praise of God, the latter leads to the pride of self-sufficiency.