Scripture
Read: Judges 6:27 Then Gideon took
ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and because he was
too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to
do it by day, he did it by night
Application: We sometimes find it so
easy to divorce ourselves from our own humanity yet be very quick to judge the
flaws of someone else. In these verses we find a common contradiction of
strength, and courage from our "valiant warrior" too afraid to do
what God commanded him to do “in daylight”,
afraid, he waits until it is dark. Should we beat up Gideon for his
fear? Before we do, let's consider a few things. First, God was the One that
called him valiant. God views us with all the potential we have and can’t
imagine having or doing. This is how God saw Gideon, he never claimed to be valiant. Secondly, Gideon's fear was
probably very reasonable, we would probably have “felt” the same. His entire
nation had moved away from God and
had become enslaved to idolatry. If Gideon starts messing around with their
false gods, his life could be endangered. When people become enslaved to idols,
if you challenge their belief you could find yourself in trouble. Imagine what
can happen if you start tearing down their statues and alters!
"But Nate,
God was and is on Gideon’s side, so he should not be afraid" you may say.
Yes, I would agree, but please remember the state of Gideon's faith based on
the society he lived in. 1) He had no models that we know of and 2) he had not
experienced a life close to God. At this point in history, God had turned the
nation over for judgment. (in other words, left them to flounder without Him)
So, as with each one of us today, God starts from where the person is at.
Therefore, before we cast any stones, lets look in the mirror! Today we have
the person of God, the Holy Spirit living in us, even so, many times we allow fear to control us when we should be
standing on the solid foundation of faith. Because we all struggle with our
faith at times, we should be merciful when looking at others who are struggling.
Lastly, and this is very important, Gideon did obey. It may have been at night
and he was affected by his fear, but bottom line...he obeyed. Jesus made this
point when He spoke about two sons:
“But what do you think? A man had two sons,
and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he
answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. “The man came
to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he
did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The
first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and
prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. “For John came to you
in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors
and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel
remorse afterward so as to believe him. Matthew 21:28–32
One son told his father he would obey
him, but did not do what he was told. The second said he would not, but
did what he was asked and his
actions followed through in obedience. Jesus pointed out in the end...the one
that DID what was asked obeyed, and all agreed! No matter how weak Gideon's
faith was, we need to be like him in the end. Whether easy or hard, the bottom
line is - just obey!
Meditation Questions: In the
end, do you obey God? If you struggle with obedience, why is that? Based on
your answer, what do you think you need to do? If you struggle but finally
obey, what is your goal the next time? Should you allow the enemy make you feel
weak because you struggled? How should you confront those emotions? Should you
ever justify a lack in faith? Why? Why not? When someone does not show you
complete trust how do you feel? What are they saying about you? Does God
deserve those thoughts from you? What does your answer show?
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