Gideon's Courage: Have I Not Sent You?

February 1, 2023
If you look at the story of Gideon, we can take a deep dive into a story of Courage. Have you ever struggled with Courage? I have...and being courageous is a tough duty, but it can be done! Gideon proves this through his story when God sent an Angel to let Him know that not only would he defeat the Midianites, but Gideon would do it with a much smalller army than he thought AND THAT made him strong and courageous.

So let's get the backdrop of Gideon's story: The people of Isreal had angered God and God had delivered them into the hands of the Midians. The Midianites oppressed the children of Isreal and the Isrealites had been pushed into caves and mountains (strongholds) where they produced for themselves...so they thought! However, the Midianites, Amalekites and other Easterners would take them down and steal their spoils...leaving them without anything. These large armies came in droves, the Bible says "as mumerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it (Judges 6:5 KJV)". 

The children of Isreal were WITHOUT and CRIED OUT TO THE LORD, so the Lord sent a prophet to tell the Isrealites that the Lord said that He had brought them out of bondage in Egypt and had delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians. The Lord said He had also taken the children of Isreal out of the hands of all who had oppressed them-driving the oppressos out and gave the Isrealites their land. The Lord told the Isrealites not to FEAR the Amorites, but the Lord also reminded the children of Isreal that they had not OBEYED HIS VOICE. (Judges 6: 6-9)

Now at this time an Angel of the Lord appeared to GIDEON underneath a terebinth tree (these tree can represent hope, healing, fruit-bearing, protection and healing). Gideon had been threshing wheat in the winepress hiding from the Midianites. 

"And an Angel fo the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6: 12 KJV). And just like us, Gideon began to ask the Angel that if the Lord was with them then why had all of those bad things been happening. Gideon asked the Angel, where was God's miracles that their forefathers had mentioned? And didn't the Lord bring them out of Egypt only to forsake them and give them into the hands of the Midianites? Typical questions we tend to ask God when we are faced with challenges in our own lives. 

Then the Bible says that the LORD turned to Gideon and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Isreal from the hand of the MIdianites, Have I not sent you?" (Judges 6:14 KJV)

Typical Gideon (human just like you and I) began asking God fearful questions like ," How can I do this with a weak clan and then just me, I am the weakest of my father's house? Often times, we begin to question God and we focus so much on our lack mentality and what we do not have than on what God has said we have and what we have through our Our Lord such as strength and dominion over our enemy. 

God's response was from His typical STRONG and UNFATHOMABLE character that we know GOD IS!! He told Gideon that "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man (Judges 6: 16 KJV). I think this is how we all feel sometimes when we go to God with our questions and being the Almighty Father and Protector He is, He answers us with something we still can't even believe! And we do just as Gideon did, ask for signs from God and for favor in God's sight! However, Gideon did something courageous here even before the battle, he tested God and told God to stay there so Gideon could give God an offering  and pray...and God waited! I think that we have to understand that when we are afraid to step outside of our typical routines or if we are facing situations we believe are outside of our hands, God is there, but He is a transactional God, He also wants something from us in exchange for what He has already planned to give us! What an awesome Father we have in our Heavenly King. 


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