The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. Judges 6:1
However, due to the Israelites crying out to God in their dire situation, God answers their call by raising up Gideon to lead them. Like many before and after him, Gideon is called into service by an angel.
And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him," The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Judges 6:11-12
The definition of valor is: "great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle." So right away, you can see Gideon is being called to bravely lead his people to battle. Is Gideon always brave? No, and even more surprising, Gideon very often lacks faith. As soon as he is called by the angel, we see his pattern of questioning God.
"If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us... now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Judges 6:13
As disrespectful as this seems, haven't we all acted this exact same way? I know I have. While we may not literally have an angel in front of us, we can be given messages from other sources such as dreams, visions, and even other people. (A note of warning here: Be careful if someone says they heard from God. If that person is not living a Godly life, or their words go against the Bible, disregard the message. If it is a person you can trust as a spiritual leader, it is okay to still ask God for confirmation.) When we receive true messages, we may still refuse to believe and question God based on negative experiences in our past. This side of Heaven, we cannot know why God chooses to allow difficult things to happen. Although difficult, we cannot live in the pains of the past, but trust God for each circumstance as separate occasions. Try to trust in his sovereignty even if you feel let down in the past. Remember God is always good, even though men rarely are.
Again, God is gracious to Gideon and slow to anger. Instead of the angel leaving and choosing someone else, he calmly states,
"Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? "Judges 6:14
Gideon still is full of doubt and but now it is in himself that he questions. Why would God choose him? He is "poor" and "the least in" his "father's house." (verse 15). Goodness, that sounds like me! I have used too many excuses to count for why I am not worthy to be used by God. God does not want our list of shortcomings and failures. He knows them better than we do. He wants our obedience. He will always provide what we lack.
In verse 16, the angel insists God will be with Gideon, and he will be successful in defeating the Midianites. But is Gideon satisfied yet? Nope. He continues his doubting track.
And he said unto him, "If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me." Judges 6:17
In verses 18-21 Gideon prepares a goat and bread and places it on an altar with some broth, and the angel uses his staff to create fire and consume the meal. Let me again make clear what I previously stated in part 1 of this series:
"...angels are often depicted as magical. They are often shown as having special powers to perform ridiculous tasks I will not even go into. Be not deceived, God hates witchcraft (Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these... witchcraft... of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21) as it comes from Satan, and not from God. Any "powers" angels display do not come from them but are granted by God. Just as when holy saints perform miracles, it is ONLY by God's power that allows them to do so. No angel or human can produce a miracle on their own. If God is not involved, the power comes from Satan not man."
Therefore, this act performed from the angel in Judges is not an evil conjuring of fire from Hell, but fire from Heaven. It was not the angel's power, but the power of God.
After Gideon witnesses the sign of God, he finally believes.
And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. Judges 6:22
Gideon then gets to work and destroys the altars of Baal. Now he is finally stepping into his role as a man of valor.
Throughout the rest of Gideon' story, we see the pattern of doubt. He continually questions God and asks for signs of proof. Yet God is beyond patient and provides each sign. Gideon is also very successful in battle, even when greatly outnumbered (you can read the rest of his amazing story through to Judges 8:35).
Maybe you can relate, or maybe you have always had an unshakable faith and never questioned God, but we can agree that God is always gentle and kind with us. He understands our doubts and as a patient Father, continues to give us time to wake up to His Truths and He will strengthen our doubts.
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His word
What a glory He sheds on our way
While we do His good will
He abides with us still
And with all who will trust and obey
But we never can prove
The delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay
For the favor He shows
For the joy He bestows
Are for them who will trust and obey
Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet
Or we'll walk by His side in the way
What He says we will do
Where He sends we will go
Never fear, only trust and obey
Trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey
- John H. Sammis
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