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Judges 6:11–16 (ESV)
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’
But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel?
Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Introduction
These were desperate and difficult days for God’s chosen people.
Indeed, they were living in the Promised Land, but they had strayed from the Lord and forsaken Him.
In an act of divine chastisement, God had allowed the Midianites to overtake Israel and the people were suffering under their heavy hand.
We find in scripture that often in times of difficulty God will raise up one to lead His people out of bondage and into victory.
Gideon seems like an unlikely candidate, but God chose to use Gideon.
When I was in grade school, I was not a very athletic person.
When recess came and it came time to pick teams for baseball or basketball, or whatever it may be, I was often chosen last or next to last.
Gideon was the type of person that would have been chosen last.
Often the Lord uses the one who seems weak and inadequate to accomplish His will.
Today we are living in a time similar to Gideon’s.
The world has abandoned and forsaken God.
People no longer value the scripture.
Sunday has become just another weekend day to pursue our own interests.
And now, even the church is suffering the effects of an evil world’s influence.
These are desperate days, but God is looking for those who will stand for Him in opposition to the wickedness of our day.
This will require a strong faith and sacrifice on our part, but it can be done.
Gideon wouldn’t have been chosen by his peers to lead this charge, but they weren't the ones choosing, God was.
When God chooses us, we may think that we are unable, but God can empower us for the task He has chosen for us.
I want to consider the credentials Gideon possessed as we think on:
Greater is He that is in Me.
I.
The Presence of Gideon
Gideon was a person much like any of us.
He didn’t immediately agree to what God had asked of him.
He had some flaws that he felt hindered his work for the Lord.
We must learn to overcome our fears and learn to rely on the Lord.
Many times, our lack of confidence is the greatest hindrance to fulfilling God’s will.
We need to be cautious to not be arrogant, but we need to be confident in the Lord’s ability to work through our lives.
Notice first:
A. His Activity
Judges 6:11 (ESV)
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
Typically in that day the wheat was thrashed on the threshing floor.
The threshing floor would be placed on a hilltop where there was usually a prevailing wind to blow the chaff away as they winnowed the wheat.
The winepress would normally be at the bottom of the hill so that it would be an easier trip as you gathered grapes on the hillside to bring them to a place that was downhill.
We have to give some credit to Gideon that he is working on the harvest at all, but the fact is, he is scared.
He doesn’t want the Midianites to see that is threshing wheat because they would ride in and take the harvest from him.
Gideon is not using all the resources he has available to him to insure a good harvest.
He take a small amount of wheat the wine press and is trying to process it there, working in secret, hiding from the Midianites.
Sadly, this is the case for much of the church today.
We have abandoned the harvest, doing only a little work around the church, hidden from the world.
After all, we have found that this is much easier.
As long as the world isn’t aware of what we are doing, then we don’t have to take a stand for the Lord.
We have grown complacent with the little that is being done.
We may see a little grain brought into the storehouse, but much of the harvest remains in the field.
Gideon knew he would likely be attacked while working in the field, but we must be willing to work in the field if we are going to have a successful harvest.
I’m so glad that someone endured the difficulties to labor for my soul.
Also notice:
B. His Attitude
Judges 6:13 (ESV)
13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’
But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Upon hearing the call of God Gideon begins to question whether it is a worthy task.
He complains about the situation that Israel is facing.
If God hasn’t forsaken us, why has all of this come upon us?
Why hasn’t God performed a mighty miracle and taken care of the Midianites?
Notice the Lord doesn't not say He is with Israel, He says He is with Gideon.
God didn’t abandon Israel, Israel abandoned God.
Satan would have us to believe that God has abandoned us.
He wants us to believe that our efforts will make no difference.
God is sovereign and He can do all things, but He desires us to be workers in the harvest.
If you and I aren’t willing to stand for the Lord and try to make a difference, who will?
I can tell you that it is not God’s will for men to die lost.
He came for whosoever will.
He wants none to perish.
Man has brought much upon himself, but that is not what the Lord desires.
There is hope as long as we live in the day of grace.
Let’s look now at:
C. His Assumption
Judges 6:15 (ESV)
15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel?
Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Gideon begins to question the choice that God has made.
He begins to tell the Lord all about his inability in regard to his heritage.
Gideon says surely the Lord has made a mistake.
I think the truth is, Gideon is afraid to take on that kind of responsibility.
He doesn’t want to be a leader.
Who is Gideon to question the authority of God? Who are we to questions the authority of God? God knew all there was to know about Gideon, just as He knows all about each of us.
Gideon wasn’t called because of who he was and he wasn’t expected to stand in his own ability.
This type of assumption is human nature.
Surely there is someone else who could do that task better than me.
Who am I that God would want me?
Many times we miss out on God’s blessings because we doubt that God can really use us!
I.
The Presence of Gideon
II.
The Potential of Gideon
Gideon looked at himself from a human perspective.
He was resting solely upon his own ability.
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