Gideon - Part 2

God is with you, mighty warrior!

Judges 6v11-16

17^th July 2015

Last week we read the beginning of the story of Gideon in Judges chapter 6. Because the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord God sent judgement upon them. His chosen method of punishment was invasion by a foreign army, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Eventually, when the oppression became unbearable, the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian and God sent them a prophet, who reminded them that God had rescued them out of Israel, saved them from other oppressors many times, and given them the land of Canaan. When God's people cry out to Him, God answers.

And then God sent His angel to speak Gideon:

Judges 6v11-12
The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."

Gideon was hiding. He was threshing wheat in a winepress, not on a threshing-floor. This meant he was doing the job by hand, rather than using cattle to tread out the grain. So he can only have had a small amount of wheat. He was threshing it in secret, as quietly as he could, fearful of a visit from the Midianites who would take what little grain he had.

We don't know how long the angel just sat there, observing Gideon and protecting him. Perhaps he heard Gideon pray for safety for himself and deliverance for his God's people. But at some time, the angel revealed himself and spoke to Gideon, saying "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior". Gideon must have been nervous even before the angel appeared to him. He would have been startled when he realised he wasn't alone.

Are we hiding our faith from others? Do we pray and worship in secret? Do we realise that God sends angels to observe and protect us? Are we surprised - or even startled - when God speaks to us?

I think perhaps Gideon looked behind himself to see who else was there when he heard the words "mighty warrior" (some translations call him "mighty man of valour"). Surely the angel couldn't be talking to him? He wasn't a warrior - he was a farmer. And he wasn't mighty or valourous - he was hiding in a wine press.

God sees what we will be as well as what we are. God planned to make Gideon a mighty man of valour in times to come. How many of us feel weak and afraid? How many of us will be changed by the Holy Spirit of God into mighty men and women of valour?

The angel assured Gideon that "The Lord is with you" but Gideon wasn't convinced. The appearance of the angel of the Lord near his father's wine press was impressive, but what about all the circumstances Gideon and his countrymen had to deal with? Gideon spoke out his doubts:

Judges 6v13
"Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."

As we consider the state of our country, and the state of the church in our nation, we may feel like asking much the same sort of questions: "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?" Why are the churches emptying? Why are the forces of persecution gathering? Why are unjust laws being passed by our government? Why are we banned from wearing a cross at work? Why are we prosecuted for sharing the gospel with a colleague?

And individual Christians, suffering the loss of their health, or their job, or a loved one, can feel like God has abandoned them.

We can wonder, "Where all his wonders that our ancestors told us about?" Where are the miracles? (Actually, there are many more miracles happening in England than most people - even most Christians - realise). And we may conclude as Gideon did that "now the Lord has abandoned us".

No, He hasn't.

In Gideon's generation, God didn't abandon His people - His people abandoned Him. God hasn't abandoned us - we've accepted false teaching and ungodly morality, and have disrespected the Bible. We've forgotten to repent, and forgotten to pray. And God is speaking prophetically to His church in England again, calling us back to obedience to the Bible and to prayer. And God is speaking to individual Christians, calling us to be men and women of valour. Can we believe it? Will we accept it? Will we be people of destiny in our generation as Gideon was in his?

Judges 6v14
The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"

Of course Gideon felt powerless to make much difference. Of course he was discouraged. Of course he knew his people were hiding for their lives. And as we've seen, he doubted that God was with them. God simply told him to do what he could, "Go in the strength you have". And God told him to "save Israel", which would be impossible without God's mighty help.

God is saying the same to us today. Sufficient reason to step into the spiritual battle for our country is this - God is sending us.

Judges 6v15
"Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

Gideon was right. He wasn't a natural leader. He wasn't wealthy or well-known. He came from a small and relatively insignificant family. And, as we've read, he wasn't a man of great courage, he wasn't a warrior.

Judges 6v16
The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive."

God calls us to go in the strength we have, and get involved in the fight for England's future. God see our sense of our own weakness, but He promises to go with us. He knows each of us feels rather insignificant. Most of us would prefer it if God called someone else. But he's called us. And He's sending us.