“When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.'” (Judges 6:12)
For the uninitiated, the above Scripture verse could well make them imagine Gideon as a Mr. Universe contestant flexing his bulging biceps before an admiring global audience, but one has to go back by just one verse, to see how Gideon saw himself for what he was:
“…one day the Angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the oak tree at Ophrah, on the farm of Joash the Abiezrite. Joash’s son, Gideon, had been threshing wheat by hand in the bottom of a grape press–a pit where grapes were pressed to make wine–for he was hiding from the Midianites.” (Judges 6:11 TLB)
A quick recap is warranted here. The Book of Judges describing the period of Israeli history after the departure of that great leader Joshua gives us a cyclical pattern in the matter of obedience, disobedience, chastisement, repentance and again obedience of the people of Israel (Judges 2:6-23).
martyrdom in its stride…all without ever seeking any sWhenever the Lord’s chosen people, due to sheer ingratitude despite inheriting a “Land flowing with milk and honey” (without as much as raising a finger in labour) would desert the paths of obedience to their Redeemer God, He would use their neighboring enemies as “whipping rods” to bring them back into the right track (Hebrews 12:5-13). Once they would come “to their senses” like the Prodigal Son (Luke 16:11-20), He would raise a leader to deliver them. Now our unlikely hero Gideon was used by the good Lord to “save” the repentant lot from the Midianites (the Lord’s temporary chastening rod) who had harassed them for seven years (Judges 6:1-10). But it is the introductory account of Gideon in the Scriptures which is at once arresting. Here is the cowardly man threshing his wheat in a winepress afraid of the Midianites, but the angel under the Almighty’s orders is addressing him as a “Mighty soldier”. Obviously, the good Lord was seeing in Gideon a potential not visible to the naked eye. Once, Gideon trusted the Lord and responded to the Divine call, the rest was as they history…Rather the Midianites became history when challenged by Gideon with a “puny army” of not more than 300 men carrying on one hand a flaming torch and in the other a horn (Boy, no weapons to start with!!!) (Judges 7:16-27)
Solecestic…
When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them! (See Acts 4:13)
The men who turned the World upside down in the First century (Acts 17:6 KJV) never rode on their majestic horses, nor did they carry any gleaming swords with them quite unlike Roman army which held sway over much of the then known World at that time but they were ordinary, men next door. The only difference was that they had been trained by their incomparable Master for three and half years and were now indwelt by His Spirit (Acts 2). No wonder, they were “on fire” speaking with courage and authority which can come only when you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, which their Master promised before His ascension (Acts 1:18).
Now let’s hit the rewind button and go visiting the banks of Sea of Galilee three and half years earlier when the Saviour called these ordinary, unschooled fishermen to be His disciples branding them as “Fishers of Men” (Matt 4:18-21)
What did Jesus see in these men that the World did not? Amazing potential waiting to be tapped…one that would acquire the shape of unbridled devotion to the Master’s Cause willing even to takeelf-glory!!!
Fellow sojourner, cheer up if the unchanging Jesus (Heb. 13:7) has selected you. He is not the one who would leave any work half done. Claim the promise of Philippians 1:6 in your life:
“God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.”
Hey, He is crafting you into a “Mauna Kea”…whether the World is able to see that or not! Hallelujah!!
Prayer: Father, we submit ourselves into Your hands “warts and all”. Tool us into Your Son’s image, which is the final purpose for saving us from sin. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Suresh Manoharan
J and SM Ministries.
An Unprofitable servant
(Please click here for the rest of the lessons: Of Mount Everest and Mauna Kia, click here)