Sermon # 23 - Jehovah Shalom - God Of Peace Series

We read in Judges 6:11, “Then the LORD's angel came to the village of Ophrah and sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a wine press, so that the Midianites would not see him.” (GNB)

Observe the kind of details that the bible mentions in the verse above, just so we can recognize this one man without any doubt. These explicit details also help us to realize that this was a true historical event. The man’s name was Gideon, his father’s name was Joash, who belonged to the clan of Abiezer, and they lived in a village called Ophrah. Also the angel of the Lord who visited that village sat under an oak tree. At the time when the angel of the Lord visited him, Gideon was hiding in a wine press, threshing wheat for fear of their enemies, who raided them often, plundered their belongings, and carried off all of their produce.

There were others who lived in the same place where Gideon lived, who were so filled with dread that they hid in the caves in the mountains. In the midst of this crisis, Gideon though in hiding, kept on working hard to take care of the needs of his family. Gideon did not waste his time or hide in a remote place like other people, but rather put to good use all the resources that were available to him.

The fearful situation that Gideon found himself in, is a lot similar to the pandemic and lockdowns that we encountered. We too are filled with fear, and were unable to lead a normal life. So many people were almost frozen with fright, and the constant barrage of bad news from the media had left them wondering, if they will ever be able to return back to a life of normalcy.

The assurance from the angel of the Lord

We read in Judges 6:12, The LORD's angel appeared to him there and said, "The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man!" (GNB)

The words spoken by the angel of the Lord to Gideon who was fearful and in hiding, was that the Lord was with him. Gideon was addressed to as a brave and mighty man. I imagine that Gideon might have looked around to see who this brave and mighty man was, to whom the angel of the Lord was speaking to. Only later he realized that he was the one addressed to by the angel of the Lord. Gideon was a courageous man no doubt, but the things he saw, the experiences he had, made him fearful and jittery. His body was strong, but Gideon’s heart had become faint. The reason for Gideon’s angst was because of all the terrifying reports that he had heard about the enemies who attacked, and salvaged all that belonged to his own people. He was constantly hearing of bad things happening to his people, almost similar to what we are experiencing today.

Gideon was truly a man of might, but the circumstances around him had made him believe that he could do nothing. The angel of the Lord had to remind Gideon that God was with him, for apparently Gideon was unaware of this fact.

Here’s an important point to note. As much as we give importance to our physical well-being, it is vital that we give greater attention to the welfare of our heart. If our bodies have to be fit, we must nourish it with a healthy food, and avoid junk food. So also, if our hearts have to be well, we must give it that which is beneficial for its well-being. This means that what we see and what we hear should be monitored, as all of it goes deep into our hearts, and sadly many are not cautious about this. Let us guard our minds against all the clutter that is readily available in various forms of entertainment and gossip, especially through social media.

Just like Gideon, we too are filled with apprehension, simply because we are constantly hearing news that is adverse, and disheartening. Recently a lady shared the news of the sudden death of a young neighbor after a brief illness, and when her friend heard it, she was terrified as she also was the same age, and had similar symptoms as the woman who had died. Therefore, if we keep on sharing such bad news with others, it will create a sense of dread in the hearts of people. Instead, we must tune our ears to listen to God’s word, which can truly strengthen our souls, and must take heed that our hearts are established on God’s word alone.

A good example, is the elephant which is a huge animal, with tremendous strength. However, a mahout is able to keep this animal under his control with a small chain around it’s leg or a little stick in his hand. The reason is that this wild elephant is tamed by confining it to a closed enclosure, and over a period of time, the elephant begins to believe that it has no strength. This huge majestic and powerful wild animal, is therefore tamed to behave like a pet dog.