The God Perspective Against All Odds and Conquering Your Giants
Judges 6: 15-16 Gideon said to Him, Oh Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. The Lord said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man. (Amplified Bible)
The history of Israel is filled with colorful characters and strong leaders. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob led to Joseph and Israel settling in Egypt. Long after Joseph passed away the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for over four centuries. God rose up Moses to lead the Exodus out of enslavement and Moses led until he passed the leadership torch to Joshua. Eventually, Israel would demand a mortal king even though God was supposed to be their King. Between The passing of Joshua and the anointing of Saul, the first king of Israel was the time of Judges. God was the King of Israel and He would rise up judges to lead Israel in their constant fights with their neighbors. It is important to realize the cycle of disobedience that existed for the 400 years Judges ruled in Israel. When Israel obeyed the Lord their God they prospered and lived at peace. When they turned from the one real God and worshipped the idol-gods of their pagan neighbors, they were under persistent persecution. Israel would then cry out to the Lord in their suffering and God would deliver them through a Judge He would rise up. Such was the case of Gideon.
Our key verses show us however that God will choose to use anyone He sees fit. The person need not be exceptionally strong, gifted, or special. At the time of the rising of Gideon, Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites. They were so oppressed the Israelites would be forced to hide in caves as their crops were being destroyed. They cried out to God and God sent an angel to Gideon to raise him up to deliver Israel. His initial reaction is found in our key verses and they reveal that how we view ourselves is not relevant to the work God might call us to. Gideon was from the poorest clan in the tribe of Manasseh and within his father's house, he was the least. You may be feeling sometimes in your walk that God can't use you for similar reasons. Maybe you are not the most affluent. Maybe you are not the most charismatic. Maybe you are not the strongest. How we see ourselves or how the world might consider us, is not what concerns God however. Remember that Moses and Paul were ineloquent speakers. Many of the Apostles, such as Simon Peter, were uneducated fishermen.
Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (Amplified Bible)
It matters not to God how man views himself. If He has a purpose for you, He will bring it to pass. How? Finishing the key verses we see the answer is that the Lord will be with Gideon. Similarly, God will be with you as you undertake the work He has called you to do. Continuing on in the story of the calling of Gideon, we see how we need to approach that call.
That night the Lord said to Gideon, Take your father's bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the Asherah [symbol of the goddess Asherah] that is beside it; And build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold with stones laid in proper order. Then take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down. Judges 6: 25-26 (Amplified Bible)
Baal and Asherah were the popular god and goddess of the neighboring cultures. Israel often strayed from the one real God by worshipping these two idols (among others). The message from God here is clear to us today. The first thing we must do in response to the call of God in our lives is cast out the idols we have constructed that run contrary to God. Times have changed over the centuries but we still build altars to the false Gods of the world. We still bow down to the idol god of money, or fame, or power. The reality is that anything which we pay more homage to than God becomes an idol in our lives as much as Baal and Asherah were in the days of Gideon. Maybe we need to tear down an addiction issue that has become an idol in our lives. Maybe it is a bitter grudge we are holding. Whatever it is, God is instructing us to tear it down and cleanse our life before we can be ready for the call God has for us.
Once we do as the Lord commands we can expect two things. One the enemy will come against us and secondly, God will answer. Here was the reaction of those around Gideon:
Then the men of the city commanded Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it. Judges 6: 30 (Amplified Bible)
When we start to clean out our lives and become dedicated to the Lord we too can expect a harsh reaction from the world. Despite the angry reaction of the crowds, Gideon would not be brought forth to die. Instead, he would inquire of the Lord and ask Him for proof that he had indeed been called to deliver Israel. In fact Gideon would ask twice and the Lord would confirm for him both times. The Lord will always answer us in our service to Him.
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3
As we progress in our call for the Lord, we will see that God will orchestrate our service to assure that only He gets the glory for the successes He brings into our lives. Man is inherently proud but God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (1Peter 5:5). God is a generous God but one thing He will not share is His glory.
The Lord said to Gideon, The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel boast about themselves against Me, saying, My own hand has delivered me. Judges 7: 2 (Amplified Bible)
Gideon had 32,000 people willing to fight with him when God realized that the number was too great, lest Israel boast that they delivered themselves. In our lives the tasks may also seem too great or too impossible. That is how God builds His testimony. What is required is faith and obedience; that's it. In the case of the call of Gideon, God trimmed the 32,000 to only 300 men. And how was the enemy described?
