The name Gideon means “Mighty warrior”, and that is what Gideon becomes. However, when we meet him in Judges 6, he is anything but that.
God’s people had been disobedient to him, so they were being punished. For seven years, the surrounding nations overran and terrorized them. In the spring, the Israelites would plant their crops only to see them decimated by hordes of invaders who swarmed in like locusts. God’s people would raise livestock, but those were taken as well. It became so bad that the people resorted to hiding in caves and other unseen places. They tried to keep their activities as quiet as possible. That is why Gideon was found hiding in a winepress, threshing the little bit of grain he had managed to keep. He was scared, frustrated, anxious and feeling hopeless (Judges 6:1-11).
Have you ever felt like that? You make plans, but nothing works out. You try hard, but everything falls apart. Things seem to go from bad to worse, and you never have time to catch your breath. Just keeping your head above water feels like a successful day. If you know those feelings, the rest of Gideon’s story might help.
The angel of the Lord commands him to rescue God’s people. That seems ridiculous to Gideon because he is from the smallest clan in the country and, as he says, “I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15). He is right. There is nothing Gideon can do.
What Gideon does have on his side is the Lord. In verse 14, God asks, “Am I not sending you?” and in verse 16, he says, “I will be with you!” This is the challenge. Will Gideon look at the invading armies, or will he focus on God? Will he fill his mind with problems or hope? Will he see his weakness or God’s strength?
Ultimately, he chooses to trust and achieves a victory that could have come only from God (Judges 7). Not only that, but his example of faith caused the rest of God’s people to find their courage, too. Suddenly, no one was hiding. Instead, they were fighting to take their land back (Judges 7:24).
Gideon’s question still rings loud today: Are you focused on your fears or your faith?
That one answer changes everything.
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