More to The Story - Chapter 8 - Judges


GIDEON 

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites” Judges 6:1(NIV)

“One time when the People of Israel had cried out to GOD because of Midian, GOD sent them a prophet with this message: "GOD, the God of Israel, says, I delivered you from Egypt, I freed you from a life of slavery; I rescued you from Egypt's brutality and then from every oppressor; I pushed them out of your way and gave you their land. And I said to you, 'I am GOD, your God. Don't for a minute be afraid of the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living.' But you didn't listen to me."
"Then an Angel of the Lord Appeared to Gideon who was hiding in a wine press. “the Lord is with you mighty warrior!” Judges 6:7-12

REFLECTION

While Gideon is hiding in a wine press from the Midianite raiders, the angel appeared to him and called him a “mighty warrior”.
 
Yet Gideon is far from being a mighty warrior for the Lord. He and his family worship Baal. He has paralyzing fears, even on the eve of his battle. In the face of God’s clear direction, he sputters, demands repeated signs, uses delaying tactics and worships at night to avoid detection. And finally, after success against his enemy, he leads his people back into idol worship. And THIS is a hero of the Bible? 

It seems to me that the bigger lesson is that God works with what he’s got, including you and me. Do you sometimes wonder if your sin is too great for God to forgive and use you? 

Prayer

“Lord, thank you for the reminder that you see in me what I can become, not what I am. Lord, I give myself to you as raw material for you to use for your purposes, knowing I am no better, and probably a lot less to work with than Gideon.”