Judges 6:11-18
Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.” Gideon answered him, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.” Then he said to him, “If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. Do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.” Judges 6:11-18 (NRSVUE)
A little bit of background – prior to this passage, we learn that the Israelites had once again turned against God, and started worshipping other false gods. Because of this, the Midianites were able to overpower them. The Israelites were in despair. The Midianites took all of their harvest (note that Gideon was hiding some wheat by using a winepress to beat it). At this time, the angel comes to Gideon.
We don’t know a lot about Gideon, other than he came from a weak tribe, a weak family, and he said he is the least in his family. But the angel tells him that doesn’t matter, because God will be with him.
Reading on after this passage, we find that Gideon tore down the altar to the false god Baal, then led an army to defeat the Midianites.
The moral of the story? We can overcome our insecurity by relying on God. Gideon was insecure, weak, and doubted his ability to do anything on his own. But he embraced his weakness and relied totally on God. Through this, he developed confidence and was able to lead others.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you have a task ahead of you that you are unsure you can do? How can you rely on God to help you?
Prayer
Gracious God, I often feel inadequate and not up to the task of doing your work. Remind me that you are always with me, giving me the strength I need. Amen.
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