Go In This Thy Might…A Look
At Gideon's Life.
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help. (Judges 6:1-6)
The Israelites, were Gods chosen people, the nation with the covenant. Their rules of engagement were simple, to obey God, keep His commands, serve no foreign gods, and they and their land would be fine. If they did otherwise, they would be handed over to the mercy of their enemies. The nation would face the judgement of God until they repented of their sins and returned. In Judges chapter 6, we learn that the people had gone off again and were having to face the wrath of God; the Midianites were Gods weapon of choice. They were ruthless, demanding, oppressive and wicked. The past seven years were hard on God’s people. Life became so bad, they lived in hiding, made their dwelling in caves, strongholds and dens.
Whatever they owned, their oppressors plundered. Life and living became unbearable hard.
...but the way of transgressors is hard. ( Proverbs 13:15b KJV)
When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” (Judges 6:7-10)
The people cried, and God heard. No matter how far out we have gone or how deeply entrenched we may be in sin when we cry out to God, He hears us, answers and sends deliverance.
He sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who reminded of how they got to their present state and why there was a need to suffer the consequences.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
That God’s people chose to go their ways was also a source of pain for God, but because He is just and must punish sin, there was no choice but to allow them to suffer the repercussion of the ways. But when they cried out and turned from their wickedness, God sent His word; His word located a man, a vessel fit for the master’s use.
Let's meet him. Gideon, son of Joash, an Abiezrite was in his land threshing wheat in a wine press.
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.” (Judges 6:11-12)
When a people or an individual is under judgement, many things become inconvenient.
He felt the burden, lived the hardship, the people’s travail was heavy.
Gideon felt very inadequate, the troubles of the land were many, and what could he, one solitary man from the backwoods of nowhere do in the face of such oppression?
God knowing that He had the heart of a deliverer chose Gideon as the man of the hour. You wonder how I know; Gideon knew their history, understood that God was awesome
