August 2, 2015

Gideon's Call



Recently I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Gideon, one of the mighty men mentioned in the Old Testament. Gideon is probably best known for his ‘casting the fleece’ to see if God really meant what God was saying. And…I’ll get to that in a couple of weeks. However, when we first meet Gideon in the Book of Judges (Chapter 6, verse 11) he is hiding in a wine press threshing grain (not what we might consider the actions of a hero). This was a large hole in the ground lined with bricks, where the grapes were crushed and the juice drained into a hole where it was collected. It would certainly have been deep enough to conceal Gideon and his grain from the prying eyes of the neighbors.
A bit of history from earlier in Chapter 6 tells us that “The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years… the Israelites provided for themselves hiding-places in the mountains, caves and strongholds…[the Midianites] would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey… Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.” (Judges 6:1-10)
In response to the prayers for help, we hear that “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 wine press, to hide it from the Midianites.” We know that Gideon is the son of a man named Joash. The Abiezrites are descended from Joseph (Jacob’s son). We don’t know how old Gideon is, or anything about his looks or the rest of his family or whether they were rich or poor. From an author’s standpoint, there are a lot of details missing. Even the location of the town of Ophrah is lost to the mists of time. Most archeologists think it’s in the area about 15-20 miles SW of the Sea of Galilee not far from Jezreel.
Perhaps the important thing is that Gideon is taking action. He has found some grain, perhaps growing wild, and is pounding it to provide food for his family. To get the grains of wheat to release from the stem, ancient people used a flail. This was a simply handle with one or more pieces of wood attached at one end by a cord so that it would flip back and forth. (As an aside, the flail is also one of the symbols of Pharaoh’s royalty, along with a crook.)
Gideon, hiding in the wine press with his pile of grain, gets the surprise of his life. “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.’” Not the typical greeting for a, presumably, young man. Gideon does not appear to be shocked by the appearance. Instead, he starts a theological discussion. “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.”
Rather than getting angry with the presumption of Gideon, “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.’” This really isn’t an answer to all the questions Gideon has asked, but a call to action. Gideon clearly doesn’t think he’s the right choice for this job. He continues to argue with the angel “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Even after reassurance from the Lord, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them,” Gideon begs for a further sign. “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.” The angel promises to stay.
Gideon prepares a feast with a “kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them…then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.”
Only now does “Gideon [perceive] that it was the angel of the Lord; and…said, ‘Help me, Lord God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it, The Lord is peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.”
As I’ve been studying the story of Gideon, I wonder what this part of the saga says to me and to all of us in our Christian walk. I can certainly relate to Gideon’s doubts about his abilities to do God’s bidding. Like Gideon, and many other heroes of the faith, I can come up with numerous reasons why I’m not the ‘right’ one for the job of…teaching Sunday School, writing a book, joining a ministry, taking on leadership, or whatever it might be.

I admire Gideon for being a man of action. He is making the best of a bad situation when we meet him. He has found grain and is working to make it usable for the family. Gideon may be hiding in a wine press, but he is doing something and not jsut complaining about the problems. He is also a very careful man. Not one to fly off the handle and go chasing a mirage, he seeks to confirm that this really is God telling him to do something seemingly crazy. 
I think it is reassuring that the Lord doesn’t get angry with Gideon for all his questions and his need for confirmation that the message is authentic. We’ll see that, much like me, Gideon is always wanting more and more assurances that God is with him and really asking him to do what God says. God honors the requests for signs and does not get angry at what we might call doubts. Perhaps we can imagine a rather wry smile on God’s face as he convinces Gideon (and us) that it really is God who is asking us to step out in faith. 
God promises Gideon "I will be with you" and we have the same promise "Lo I am with you always" (Matthew28:20). When God asks us to do something, God will be with us throughout. 
This part of the story tells me that when we take action, God will honor that and then ask us to take further steps of faith. Gideon shows that he is willing to take a stand against the Midianites, even if it a hidden rebellion. God takes that initial stand against the oppression and tells Gideon that he can ‘deliver Israel from the hand of Midian’.
Are you working in secret because you are afraid of...being misunderstood, or judged, or laughed at...? 
Where is God taking your words and/or actions and calling you into further ministry?
Is God calling you to be a 'mighty (woman or man) warrior'? 

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