Gideon

Feature 1 – February 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Gideon

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong-holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, that the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.—Judges 6:1-16 KJV

The Setting
The book of Joshua closes and Judges opens with the faithfulness of the older generation – those who had experienced the LORD’s deliverance, goodness and provision. They had continued on with the LORD until their death. But when this generation was gone, the next one needed to fill in the ranks to continue to do the work that was left to their hands. They now had to take possession of what the LORD had promised Israel.

Their failure to do so started a chain of events that brought the nation into a downward moral spiral, which quickly degraded into idolatry. Their failure to take possession of what the LORD had given robbed them of the experience of the LORD’s fighting for them. As the LORD became less real to them, other things entered into their hearts. Eventually, these replaced God.

It was an experience with which each generation has had to grapple. They have had to decide who and what would be important to them. It has been said, “God has no grandchildren, only children.” So too for us: we have to decide if God and His things are important to us.

As the children of Israel gave up the LORD and took for themselves false gods, God gave them over to the nations who remained in the land. He did so until they felt the oppression. Israel had intermarried with the people, served their gods and done evil in the eyes of the LORD.

Because of His people’s unfaithfulness, the LORD used the very nations with whom they had leagued themselves to test and discipline Israel. Under this oppression they remembered their God and called out for deliverance. This cycle repeated itself a number of times, and it was under such conditions that Gideon lived.

As a result of Israel’s departure from God, He sent enemies who devoured, destroyed and impoverished the land – leaving no sustenance, sheep, oxen or donkeys for Israel. The people hid in caves. Home life was greatly disrupted.

We understand what this means literally, but we need to grasp the spiritual application. Israel had abandoned their LORD. Something very destructive overtook their lives and robbed them of any spiritual food. Without sheep or oxen, they had nothing to offer to the LORD in worship – their worship of the LORD had been taken away. They had no donkey, the animal for work, and had no means of serving Him. Their home life – the place of love, security, nurture and training – was also abandoned.

This is a great danger for us too. If we do not take hold of the Lord and what He has done for us, we lose what we have. The enemy soon takes away our appetite to feed on the Word of God and on the Lord. He then takes away our desire to worship the Lord, replacing it with empty rituals and the false worship of things that are not of God. The result is that we have nothing for service, nothing with which to do His work. The sanctity and blessedness of home is also lost.

The Person Called
In the midst of such devastation and great need, we meet Gideon. He is a great example and encouragement for us. During this disaster he was busy providing for himself, his family and the people around him. Yes, he did it in an unconventional manner. This was not because he was ashamed, but the times demanded resourcefulness.

We find him threshing wheat. He did not do this on the hilltop where it would normally be done, as there would be more wind there. Instead, we read of Gideon threshing down in the wine press, to hide the gleanings from the enemy. This required much more work, but he was willing to do it in order to feed himself and those for whom he took responsibility.

Reading Judges 6:11-27 we see that many people and animals were under Gideon’s care. In verse 19 it is recorded that Gideon provided a young goat and some bread for a sacrifice. A little later, God told Gideon to break down his father’s altar and build a new one, and to offer his father’s second bull for a sacrifice (v.25). Since there was a second bull, this implies there had to be a first bull too. And then in verse 27 we read how Gideon took ten men from among the servants, which means there were more than ten servants.

So we ask, where did he get the young goat, and where did he get the flour to make the loaf for the sacrifice? Who provided feed for the first and second bull, or food for the more than ten servants, him and perhaps his father and family? These were all things provided by Gideon, even in the middle of the devastation caused by the enemy. Gideon felt in a very direct way the poverty all around him. But rather than throwing up his hands in defeat, he sacrificially labored for his own benefit and the blessing of those around him.

The Present Day
We, too, live in a day when there is great spiritual poverty. Many are discouraged; some have fallen by the wayside. What is of no value has entered into our lives and taken away our time and appetite for the Lord, for His things and His service. There are many influences seeking to destroy our family life. Like Gideon, our joy is not full. This is the desire and work of our enemy, for he knows “the joy of the LORD is [our] strength” (Neh. 8:10).

When we think of our worship, how many times is it very repetitious and lacking in substance, almost vain repetition? Is this because we do not have enough to say so we just repeat the same thing over and over again? Wheat speaks to us about the Lord. So, the question begs asking: are we, with great sacrifice, threshing out the wheat to enjoy Him for ourselves, giving the Lord His portion and sharing what we have gleaned with others?

In doing so, may we remember:

• What the Lord has rescued or saved us from.
• From where we have fallen and returned.
• Who our portion is and to take ownership of what is ours in Him.

Like Gideon, there will be a cost. It will not be easy, but it will be rewarding. There will be criticism and opposition, yet the Lord will be with us.

Consider the rest of Gideon’s life. The LORD saw Gideon’s devotion and faithfulness. He was able to use him, and through him a great victory was obtained: liberation from the enemy and restoration of the things that had been lost – food, worship, service and home life. At first Gideon was alone, but God saw him. Gideon was threshing wheat, enjoying the LORD, so to speak. The energy this gave Gideon kept him from discouragement, and he was able to continue on to do great things for God.

We may be alone, or we may be with few in number, but our faithfulness is seen and appreciated by the Lord (see Mal. 3:16). Like Gideon we leave discouragement behind as we enjoy the Lord Jesus, who has done so much for us and is so dear to us. As we enjoy Him, this will lead us to worship and serve Him, which will encourage and affect others in a positive way.

This means that we need to start and then move ahead. Gideon was busy at home, providing for his own needs first. When God met him and spoke to him, Gideon was able to make an offering to the LORD. The LORD saw this and gave Gideon something to do. And he, although in human weakness, completed the charge of God and was given even more to do.

So it is with us. As we recognize the ruin and poverty around us, may we purpose in our hearts to return to the Lord. May we be lifted from discouragement and look to Him who is able to fully satisfy all our needs.

First of all we must invest energy, and be fed ourselves. This takes work, effort and dedication. It will lead to worship. Then we need to be busy and faithful in the small things that God gives us to do. With faithfulness and obedience to Him, there will be a maturing so He can give us more.

May the Lord fill our hearts and our hands, and may we in confidence in our Lord go on in this our strength, knowing that He has sent us (see Jud. 6:14). This will be for the blessing of others and for the honor of the Lord.

By Albert Blok

In Judges 6:34 we read: “The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon.” Judges, which deals with so much that is of a dark character, has more references to the Spirit of the LORD than any other Old Testament book. How thankful we are for the wonderful truth we possess: the Spirit indwells us individually and is with us collectively, and He will never be taken from us.

This is the real resource of the people of God. He is the Spirit of truth. He in His divine power, greatness and glory can detect error and reveal to us what is wrong in teachings that are offensive to God and to Christ. The Spirit is the power that enables us to stand for the Lord in an evil day. — Frank Wallace (adapted)