Gideon: To God Be The Glory Series

Gideon’s name is synonymous with victory against the odds. Gideon led an army of 300 elite fighting men and whipped up on an army of 135,000. When they were through the enemy had over 120,000 casualties with the remaining 15,000 running for their life.

But when we really look at Judges 6-8 Gideon is actually a very weak and scared individual. Gideon’s faith is weak too. His moral decision making is poor and Judges Chapter 9 reveals that Gideon’s legacy is absolutely tragic. Despite Gideon’s wavering and weaknesses God used Gideon in a miraculous way.

God used Gideon not because he was strong or a military genius, but because Gideon was weak. There was to be no doubt that the glory for the victory and deliverance of Israel goes to God. There is a hero in the Gideon story and the hero is the Lord God Almighty.

When we are introduced to Gideon we find him in Israel hiding along with all his countrymen from foreign invaders that would come at will and ravage the land and keep the Israelites weak and impoverished. The invaders that kept the country in fear were the Midianites. The Amalekites were helping them keep Israel oppressed too.

The Israelites would hide from these invaders in shelters in the mountains and in caves. When we find Gideon was himself hiding in a wine press threshing wheat there to keep some grain undetected from the Midianites.

Gideon is living in what we call the period of the Judges. He does not know it but he himself would become one of the Judges of this period. There was a pattern that emerged during this period of the judges. The cycle went like this: Sin, Punishment, Repentance, deliverance and then peace.

The last deliverance had occurred during the deliverance where God used Deborah. This deliverance had taken place forty years previously. The cycle had come almost full circle. There had been a period of peace following the deliverance associated with Deborah.

During this time of peace Israel has gradually become more and more active in Baal worship (the sin). As we find out Israel’s Baal worship was so entrenched that anybody who interfered with Israel’s Baal worship could be killed by the Israelites.

Seven years Israel was given over to the Midianites. Israel probably started their Ball worship during their 40 years of peace. Coasting along like a car out of gas. They lived in caves. Israel would plant crops and Midianites and Amalekites would come in and invade and destroy everything. They would ruin the land and kill the livestock.

That Baal worship brought on the punishment. The invasion of the Midianites who devastated Israel, terrified them caused them to live in caves to hide and kept them impoverished. Now we begin to see a repentance of Israel in Judges 6:6 where they cried to the Lord for help. When the Israelites cried to the Lord for help the Lord sent them a prophet. A prophet was sent to tell Israel why they were in this plight and that God has not lost power. He reminds the people of how the Lord brought them out of Egypt.

Then after the prophet the angel of the Lord came to Gideon. Gideon does not recognize this angel of the Lord who has come to help him. To Gideon he seemed like some stranger who wonders in and talks about the Lord.

This visitor calls Gideon a mighty warrior and tells Gideon the Lord is with Israel. Gideon is polite but he has some questions. If the Lord is with us why is all this happening?

The Lord turned and said, “go in the strength you have”. Gideon has objections. If I am a mighty warrior why am I in a hiding place threshing this wheat scared of the Midianites? And I am the weakest in my family from the least tribe, he objects.

Theologians call this manifest appearance of the Lord a Theophany. The Lord answers Gideon. I will be with you and you will strike down all the Midianites together. Gideon wants a sign. Gideon prepared an offering and placed them on the rock. The Lord touched the meat with his staff fire came from the rock and consumed the meat!

Now Gideon really knew he met the Lord. He even thought he would die from this experience. But the Lord said Peace-Shalom. Gideon built an altar there known and called it Jehovah-Shalom, The Lord is Peace. The Lord’s presence means peace.

The Lord gave Gideon a very challenging command in his preparation to deliver Israel from the Midianites. If God is going to deliver Israel they must turn from their Baal worship. Tear down the Baal Altars in your home town. The Lord told him to cut down the Baal idol poles of him family and town and use them to make a burned offering. Gideon was scared of his family and town so he did this tearing down at night. They were about to kill Gideon and his father stepped in and reasoned with them just how powerless the gods of Baal were.