FROM FEARFUL TO FEARLESS #1

Old Testament Bible Characters is one of the subjects I have always enjoyed reading, studying, speaking and writing about! One of the most unlikely heros is Gideon. He didn't start out so great and he certainly didn't end up so good, and yet, he is listed as a Hero Of The Faith in Hebrews, Chapter Eleven! Let's go and look at the account of Gideon, found in the Book of Judges, Chapters 6-8.

The Israelites had again chosen to engage in a cycle of sin. God sought their attention and their return to Him (sin separates people and nations from God) by allowing the Midianites and Amalekites to ravage His people for seven years. Finally, Israel cried out to God and asked for His help. God did respond to their request, but NOT with immediate deliverance (you know. . . the kind we all like). Instead, He raised up a prophet to deliver His Word to Israel: "When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel' " (Judges 6:7 & 8). God then reminded them through the prophet of the fact that He had done great things for them, delivered them from slavery and drove out their enemies. In spite of all that, God told them again through the prophet, "But you have not obeyed my voice" (Judges 6:10).

Let's remember this truth regarding ourselves: We need to be reading and hearing God's Word because it is a reminder of God's goodness, provision, protection, blessings and His grace. These reveal to us WHEN we are exchanging God's goodness and grace for cheap substitutes.!

Following God's message to the Israelites through His prophet, God sent an angel to call a young man into His service. God chose Gideon to serve as the deliverer of Israel from the Midianites. The angel appeared to Gideon while he was busy beating or threshing out wheat in a very secretive winepress to hide it from the Midianites. Fearful Gideon himself was in hiding! Usually, wheat was beat out on an open hill. A winnowing fork was used to throw the wheat into the air so that the chaff would be carried away by the wind/breeze. A winepress was normally used for pressing out wine. But Gideon was afraid - fearful of the Midianites who were constantly raiding and des-troying Israel's crops. So, he was working out of sight and out of the way of the enemy!

But God knew where Gideon was and the angel appeared and addressed Gideon as "oh valiant one!" We read, "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor" (Judges 6:12). (Gideon doesn't sound very courageous, does he?) Essentially God was building up Gideon's faith and courage by letting him know, "Gideon, I am with you." God has this same message for you and me. "What then shall we say to these things? If (since is the word in the Greek) God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). I can almost hear Gideon's response to being called a "mighty man of valor" - "Who me??? You must be thinking of someone else!" It is important to note, the name Gideon in HEBREW (original language of the Old Testament) is linked to the word "warrior" OR "one who cuts down." And the word "valiant/valor" is linked to the word "victorious". So God knew exactly who He was looking for!

The truth is that at this point Gideon was far from being valiant or brave. He lived in fear and trembling in a time of severe oppression. Actually, here is what Gideon said to the angel, "If God is with us, then WHY are we under the threats of the Midianites? WHERE are all the wonderful things about God's deliverances of Israel that our fathers have told us about? I think God has forsaken or abandoned Israel and given us into the control of the Midianites" (Judges 6:13). Questions: 1) How in the world did this fearful, doubtful man ever make it into the Biblical Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11? Answer: I believe it was because God did a mighty work within the mind and heart of Gideon, knowing what Gideon could become rather than what he currently was. The same is true of us, God sees what we can become through His power rather than what we are presently. 2) Have you and I ever wanted to know WHY and WHERE are the evidences of God's power and provisions? Do we doubt the wonderful things He has done for us and forget the multitude of times He has blessed us, answered our prayers, provided for our needs, shown us His mercy, love and grace, and assured us of His perfect SALVATION and eternal life? If that is our current state of spiritual forgetfulness, we must ask God to forgive us!

The LORD replied to Gideon's questions, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you? (Judges 6:14). However, Gideon was still not convinced he was the one God should be choosing to save the Israelites. He still made excuses, "O LORD, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in the Tribe of Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house" (Judges 6:15). Furthermore, Scripture reveals his family was involved in idol worship, and had even erected memorials to idols on their property. Again, the LORD reassured him, "But I WILL BE WITH YOU, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man" (Judges 6:16). For FEARFUL, DOUBTFUL Gideon, this was still not enough! He said to the LORD, ". . .show me a SIGN that it is You who speaks with me" (Judges 6:17). So Gideon prepared a sacrifice and followed the angel's instructions. The sacrifice was consumed by the fire that came from the staff held by the angel. And Gideon said, "Alas, O LORD GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face" (Judges 6:22). Then the LORD spoke to Gideon, "Peace to you, do not be fearful. . ." (Judges 6:23). Then the LORD directed him to destroy the Altar of the idol Baal and the Statue of idol worship that his father had placed. But ". . .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" (Judges 6:27). (Still, not so valiant. . . .!!!)

Even though now Gideon summoned a host of fellow Israelites to come and follow him into battle, and even though the SPIRIT OF THE LORD had come upon him, Gideon still needed another SIGN from God that Israel would be delivered through him. So, he put out some fleece on the floor, and asked the LORD to wet the fleece but keep the ground around it dry. When God answered that exact way, the next night Gideon asked for the opposite to happen (dry fleece, wet ground). In both tests, God caused it to happen just as Gideon requested (Judges 6:36-40).

Let me ask these very important questions! How many signs does it take for you and me to believe and trust God? How many reasons do we need in order to obey Him? What will it take for us to step into God's plan and purpose and acknowledge that God is fully IN CONTROL of all things? What do we need in order to have "COURAGE FOR THE CALL?" (Please read my last two blogs of that title to be encouraged to be people of COURAGE!)

Here is what we NEED to know! We do NOT need a FLEECE TEST to determine if it is God who promises us that He is with us and gives us the victory; NOR do we need it to show us His will! Instead, we now, as followers of Jesus, have the abiding and indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to reveal ALL God wants us to know, to assure us of His presence and to lead us to spiritual victory here and eternal life in heaven to come.

32,000 Israelites answered Gideon's call to take up the courage and the arms to fight the Midianites. (Surely enough fighting men to defeat the enemy.) But . . . , "the LORD said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me.' ' " (Judges 7:2) The God who created mankind knows us so well!!!. So, by the process of elimination, which the LORD instructed Gideon, the Israelite army was reduced to 300 fighting men (Judges 7:3-8).

Gideon's FEARFULNESS now became FEARLESSNESS! ALL because of God's Presence, Promise, Power and Provision! These same divine resources are also available to you and me to transform our Fearfulness into Fearlessness!

So, now for "The Rest Of The Story" as Paul Harvey used to say. The LARGE army of Media and Gideon's mere 300 men are camped opposite of each other, ready for battle. God told Gideon to take his servant and go into the camp of the Midianites, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands" (Judges 7:9). There, inside the enemy camp, Gideon and his servant overheard a couple of the men from Median talking of a dream one of them had. The other soldier listening to the dream said, "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and ALL the camp into his hand" (Judges 7:14). When Gideon overheard this, he bowed in worship to God! And then Gideon devised a plan - a strategy. It consisted of touches and trumpets All Around the Enemy Camp, and a Shout, "FOR THE LORD and For Gideon."

Next Week's Blog Will Be Part 2 for more on Gideon. I hope you will join me for it!