Scripture:
Judges 6:11-16 ESV
[11] Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. [12] And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” [13] And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” [14] And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” [15] And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” [16] And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Observation:
I love this portion of scripture. The reason why is simple, but we will get into that when we get to the application. First of all, let’s look at what’s going on here. Gideon wants to feed his family. He’s tired of every time he gets a little grain. The local bullies come and take it from him. So he comes up with an idea. I will work the grain in the wine press. That way, they won’t see the dust from the threshing process, and I will be able to feed my family. Some might see this as someone who was scared. GOD saw it as someone who did not give up. In fact, Gideon himself saw this action as hiding like a coward. But again, the LORD saw something different. HE saw someone who did not give up in the face of adversity. Sending HIS angel to speak to Gideon and tell him just what HE saw. Gideon had a problem seeing it the same way. He saw himself as weak. The way he decided to go about feeding his family said he is a man who does not give up. He saw it as a man who was hiding from the attack. So the LORD sent an angel to speak life into him to encourage him and tell him how GOD saw what was going on. The LORD is with you, oh, a mighty man of valor… those were words Gideon had probably never heard. In fact, they were words that he had probably heard the exact opposite of most of his life. Yet the way he decided to feed his family was really hard, so he made twice if not three times the effort. Gideon saw it as hiding… but the LORD saw it as determined. The question that Gideon asked made sense to him… if you are with us, why is all this going on? I’m not sure I understand. Why have you not delivered to us like before in Egypt? Where are all the mighty works we have been told about all of our lives? It’s like you have forgotten about us. The next statement from the LORD was probably even more difficult for Gideon to comprehend… go in this might of yours, and save Israel from their enemy. As you see, Gideon is hiding in the wine press. He is doing his best to feed his family. You might understand his standpoint. Look, LORD, I think you got the wrong guy. I’m not only hiding here because I’m afraid of the attack, but I need to feed my family, and this is the only way I can see that happening. My tribe is weak, and I am the weakest in my tribe. Gideon did not have a strength problem… he had a perception probably. Three times the LORD had told him I would be with you. HE just needed Gideon to be willing. HE already saw the determination and perseverance. HE just needed Gideon to know that he was not forgotten. HE needed Gideon to see what HE saw. A man who would not give up… even if it had to be done the hard way it was going to get done. Gideon was exactly what GOD needed. HE was a man who would find a way to do what needed to be done no matter what.
Application:
I don’t know about you, but I’m guilty of seeing myself the wrong way. Seeing what the enemy has told me, I am and not who the LORD has created me to be. I’m guilty of seeing myself as weak because I have just come through adversity… looking at it as defeat, rather the victory. Falling over and over sometimes leaves you beat down and thinking it can’t be done. But the determination to not give up is what GOD sees. Finding a way to pick yourself up and try again. With many attempts at sobriety… fighting with addiction from an early age there were many times when I thought I would never overcome it. In fact, at times, I would settle into the fact that I would just be that way for the rest of my life. But that is not how GOD made me. I would get to a point of despair and try again. Not giving up. Treatment center after treatment center. Failure after failure. It wasn’t until I saw that the LORD had not given up on me that I became even more determined. If GOD is with me, no one can stand against me. You see, I saw myself as a failure, but HE saw me as determined I saw a loser, and HE died for victory. With HIM by my side, I could not lose. Neither can you. So let me encourage you today. It’s not over. If you are standing in the wine press of life. You feel like the pressure of life is on, and you see what you are doing as hiding… let me tell you, that’s not what GOD sees. You are mighty in HIM and HE is with you. HIS word says HE will not leave you. HE is just waiting for you to be willing to do whatever it takes. Whether it looks like it or not. You are mighty. You are worth it. HE won’t give up on you. The only real question is, will you? HE has given you victory. All you have to do is walk in it. Stop hanging your head low and come boldly to the throne of grace. What you see as weak HE sees as determined. What you see as failure HE sees as education on what not to do next time. GOD is molding you and shaping you through the adversity you face… making you stronger and more determined than ever before. Stand up and take the place in HIS army that HE is calling you out to fill… you are a mighty man of valor. Armor up bro it’s time for war.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you do not see the same things we see. Your ways are not our ways, your thoughts, and our thoughts. We are asking that you help us to see what you see. Shape us to be what you have made us to be. We know that the battle is yours. The victory has already been won. You are with us, and your word tells us you will never leave us. We know that right now you are speaking over us that we are mighty. We are strong, and you have battle-tested us. We are determined to stand in the victory you won at the cross. What we see as powerless you have made powerful. Our surrender to your will has made us victorious in the mighty name of Jesus. we pray amen