Gideon a Mighty Warrior?

Have you ever been asked to do something that you were sure you couldn’t do? Hmm….sound like ministry to anyone? Well take heart. The Bible is full of those who were ill equipped to handle the challenges of the tasks they were called to. Today let’s focus on one who felt the same way, and find out why this story is so important to Christians today.

Prior to beginning I pray the Lord would strengthen you inwardly through His word this week. Read Judges 6 before continuing. All of our meditations will come from this chapter this week.

According to biblical archeology Gideon lived in the conquered promised land. (Period of Judges) The only thing the Israelites had to do now was live in the land and obey God. Asked to keep themselves from following the gods of the land they had conquered, they failed and evil was being done in the sight of the Lord.

Because the people of God had failed to be obedient and worship Him only they had come under so much oppression that their enemies overran their promised land. Their response was to flee in fear to the caves of the mountains.

In our own land we are seeing this happen. This land was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. However, the people of God are sleeping and allowing the evil in the hearts of man to dictate the laws of the land. People are hiding in their homes and churches asking what happened, and what can we do.

The angel of the Lord came to Gideon who was threshing wheat in a winepress. (Picture of Winepress). The fact that wheat was being threshed in a winepress was indicative of the fact that it had not been used to make wine, and their was no hope of using it to do so. The other observation we can make here is that the enemy would not be looking for anything to be in the winepress. So Gideon hid here to save what was left of his father’s ravaged land.

The angel of the Lord spoke and greeted Gideon as a mighty warrior, and told him the Lord was with him. (v.12). Go in the strength you have were the next words of the angel of the Lord, and Gideon’s response was basically, “Are you talking to me?” I am a weakling in my father’s house, and my clan is the weakest in the land. The Lord also said to “Go in the strength you have.”

Wait a minute, did the Lord hear Gideon right? Why did he say to go in the strength he had after Gideon just said his family was the weakest in the land, and he was the weakling of his father’s house? He said that because Gideon had just been told the Lord was with him. None of us in our own strength are strong enough to take on an enemy in a land ravaged by evil. So we immediately respond to the call to rise up as Christians and ask, “What can I do?” What we can do is realize that if God is with us no one can be against us. (Romans 8:31)

Each of us like Gideon look at the ravaged land before us where the oppressors of the land are so large in number we can’t count them. We see those around us doing nothing to stop it, and talking about the problem as if it is something only God can do. So we pray for God to help us, and we wait for Him to raise up someone else.

However, just like Gideon, as we hide in our winepress, threshing what is left that the enemy has not stolen, God is saying to us I am with you mighty warrior. You are the mighty warrior because God is with you. You are the one he wants to raise up in this land to act, not someone else.

Meditate this week on Judges 6 until it is clear to you why God chose Gideon to take on the enemy.
Pray and ask God what he is calling you to do “Mighty Warrior”, in our ravaged land? What fear is holding you back from answering that call? Leave a comment on what God is asking you to do and/or what fear keeps you from answering Him as that warrior.

Next week, we will delve deeper into the chapter and Gideon. Blessings Beloved ❤ Melinda