This is the heart of the narrative. Gideon learns that it is all about God and only incidentally about Gideon. I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!
Do not be afraid. You are not going to die. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. That was always what distinguished the leaders called Judges.
It is what distinguishes all who since the Lord came follow His instruction. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. Afterwards, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.
Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands. The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands. And much later another weak man will see Jesus looking at him and go out and weep bitterly. By a stand against apostasy 6 v By obedience against all odds 7 v As an example to others 7 v Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.
Whether or not Gideon would want to start in immediately and deal with the Midianite mess — God has other priorities. Before he can serve in this outstanding way he must prove his spiritual credentials. If you are going to overcome weakness and make the most of the strength you have you must set your heart right before God — and before others.
The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them out for you there. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. Over a four century time period, God used fourteen judges as human deliverers to maintain His covenant faithfulness with Abraham so that the Jews would not be wiped out.
God wanted the people to recognize Him as the reigning King. And, if they had obeyed God, they would have had the blessing that God had promised through Moses. But they did not, and so God had to raise up deliverers. Two of the judges among those fourteen are Gideon and Samson.
Gideon is 6 and Samson, 12 — many years apart. Gideon was too weak and insecure to be of any use. Samson was too strong and self-confident to be of any use. Neither one had the makings of a good leader. But, God used them anyway! Israel cried out to God for help — ch. The Lord chooses Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
He appears to Gideon as he is beating out wheat in the winepress. A winepress is an enclosed area, where you stamp out grapes. What is he doing trying to sift wheat in a winepress?
Most commentators believe he was doing this secretly so he could save the wheat from the Midianites. The angel appears as a man, but is identified by the writer of Scripture as the angel of the Lord. He must have looked like an ordinary man, because Gideon is not shocked or frightened.
Instead, he has a conversation with this man who is an angel. That would have gotten his attention. What an oxymoron! Gideon was such a valiant warrior that he was threshing wheat in a winepress. That was all accomplished because the Lord was with them — right now, there just was no evidence of the Lord being with them. My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family! Not because of what he was, but because of what he would become. Look at v. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.
Gideon wants proof — a sign from God. When Gideon offers his heavenly visitor some food, the angel touched the food with his staff and fire came out of the rock and consumed the food. The angel disappears, and, in v. I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!
You will not die. When someone sees God, the fear is that they will die. It is the fear of any sinner when the sinner sees God. They should have already done that. Gideon is afraid, but according to v.
But, they did it at night because he was afraid of his father and the men of the city. He takes the men, they sneak in and they destroy the altar. Courage and valor were not his strong traits; but obedience to the divine visitor was important to him. There is much more to the story but I must continue. Later, the Midianite invaders returned, and Gideon summons the men of Israel to fight. It is at this point that Gideon starts to take on the role that God had planned for him.
He squeezed the fleece, and wrung out a bowl full of water. That is pretty convincing evidence! This time may the fleece be dry and the ground be covered in dew. This story is used by many people to test God by asking Him to do all kinds of things before they step out in obedience to Him. We should not test the Lord — ever! God had already told Gideon that those enemies would flee as one man.
But, this valiant warrior needed this proof, so God granted it. With increased faith, Gideon gathers his army of 32, men to face the Midianites. He is a farmer-turned-general and so he would have plotted a path to victory.
But, God has a different strategy. God tells Gideon that is army is too big for God to do His Thing. If only Gideon would have remembered the words Moses who told the Israelites in Deut. Keep the lap-pers and send the rest home. By the I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand.
For example, we can trust God at school because God is always with us. Nate is a natural fit to Pathway to Victory because he believes broadcast media is a powerful, efficient way to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the entire world. Contents Preface.
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