Sermon # 20 - Seeing Ourselves As God Sees Us Series

The way God saw Gideon

In Judges 6:11-12 we read, “Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him. The LORD's angel appeared to him there and said, “The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man!” (GNT)

The people of Israel were in an arduous situation, as they were constantly attacked and plundered by the Midianites. The Midianites invaded their land, ransacked and looted all their produce, and left them bare and depleted of everything. It was during these troublesome times, that Gideon had to thresh wheat in a winepress for fear of being plundered by the Midianites. In this hopeless situation, it was apparent that Gideon became discouraged, fainthearted, timid, and overtaken by feelings of insignificance and worthlessness. However, when God saw Gideon he saw in him a gallant and heroic man, and that is why the angel of the Lord who greeted him addressed him as a ‘brave and mighty man’.

This is a reminder to us that, God does not look at people and situations the way man does. While we judge by outward appearance and circumstances, the Lord sees things differently as He perceives things that we cannot.

In Judges 6:6 we read, “And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.” (NLT)

There were two reasons why Gideon felt so crestfallen, and disheartened. Firstly, the Midianites were oppressing the Israelites far beyond what they could bear. As Gideon stood before the angel of the Lord with countless questions, the Lord encouraged him with these words from Judges 6:14, “"Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!" (NLT)

In Judges 6:15 we read, And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” (ESV)

Secondly, Gideon’s inadequacy arose from his family and background, as his clan was considered the weakest, and his family insignificant. He could therefore not accept the fact that God had chosen him to go and lead the people of Israel, as Gideon had resigned himself to the thought that he was a nonentity.

How often have we been where Gideon was, overwhelmed by difficulties that seem far too much to handle. There are also no answers as to why we go through these hard to handle seasons, if the Lord is with us.We limit ourselves when we allow our past experiences, present circumstances or the opinions of others shape the way we look at ourselves. When degraded and despised by others, our tendency like Gideon is to allow discouragement and disappointment get the better of us. It is dismal though that sometimes, parents demean their children and their capabilities, so that they often grow up feeling worthless and inconsequential.

The good news is that the Lord is willing to use each one of us, no matter who we are if we accept God’s plan, and purposes for our lives. Often times fear prohibits us from venturing out in faith because we have permitted our circumstances and the opinions of others to overpower us, and have thereby failed to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives. It is only when we learn to regard ourselves the way the Lord perceives us, can we see ourselves changed and transformed, and when this change happens, not only will we become a blessing to others, we too will be blessed in the process.

The way God saw Abraham

We read in Genesis 15:1 -2, “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” (ESV)

When God visited Abraham, and told him that He was His shield and great reward, all that Abraham could think about was the fact that he was childless. God looked at Abraham as the father of many nations, but Abraham could not comprehend this, as he was an old man, and had no children to call his own. Abraham could not accept the promises of God only because he was engulfed by the personal needs in his life, and often he must have been scorned for not having been able to have a child, which might have left him disheartened.

Abraham had every reason to not be excited about God’s promise. His situation seemed grim, he was old, his wife way beyond the age of child bearing, and there was no hope of having one child of his own. It was to such a man, God promised the vast and numerous blessings and offspring of his own. From Abraham’s viewpoint the situation was unattainable, but from God’s perspective there was nothing that is impossible for Him. Furthermore He is the God who is always faithful to keep His promise.