The Story Of Gideon And The Angel

The story of Gideon begins in Judges 6. This chapter starts by saying the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites.

After 7 years of oppression, the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. In response, God called Gideon to deliver them out of the hands of their enemy.

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”     Judges 6:14 NLT

Before the Lord made this statement in verse 14. He sent a prophet to relay a message to the nation. In that message, he said the following things to them.

• I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt.
• I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you.
• And I drove out your enemies and gave you their land. Judges 6:8-9

But the Lord also gave them a very stern warning which they ignored.

“I told you, I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.” Judges 6:10

Then God did something that no one would have ever considered doing. He chose a man who was hiding from the Midianites to lead the Israelites out of bondage.

Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Judges 6:11-12

Gideon Questioned God

The Lord had much more confidence in Gideon than he had in himself. In fact, Gideon tried to take the conversation in a different direction.

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Judges 6:13

Does the Story of Gideon Reflect Your Story?

As we continue with the story of Gideon, he did what many people are guilty of doing today. He questioned God. They ask, if God is so good, why does He . . .?

Did you notice the answer the angel gave him? None! He ignored the question. God doesn’t need to defend Himself, nor does He need angels or people to defend Him either.

The angel didn’t allow himself to get distracted by sticking to the reason for his visit. After Gideon was told God chose to send him, he responded with an immediate rebuttal.

“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” Judges 6:15

Gideon must have been terrified. What would you have thought if you had been in Gideon’s shoes? He wasn’t a mighty warrior like David. He didn’t possess the strength that God gave to Samson.

Do you know why? He didn’t need them. The angel said to him “Go with the strength you have.” For the battle about to take place, God just needed someone who would trust Him.

If you’re familiar with the story of Gideon, God allowed him to accumulate an army of 32,000 men. But the Lord also reduced that number to 300.

God’s Battle Plan

The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” Judges 7:7

Each man had a trumpet, a clay jar, and a lit candle. Their assignment; every one of them needed to blow their trumpet, break their jar, and run down the hill shouting.

Not one of them was harmed. The only chance of them hurting themselves was if they tripped running down the hill.

I have taught and preached when God calls us to do something for Him, He will always equip us. But sometimes it’s not with the skill or talent needed to complete the task.

Other times He calls us to totally walk by faith as we trust Him. Either way, we must give God all the glory. Remember, the battle is always the Lord’s

So the next time you feel you aren’t qualified for what God has called you to do. You probably aren’t. Just go with the strength you have because God is with you.

Check out this related post called Do You Question the Commands of God?

Lord thank you for giving us tangible evidence in your Word that you are our strength. We understand when we allow the battle to be yours, we are always victorious.

Read the story of Gideon starting in Judges 6.

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