| UNLIKELY LEADERS |
| God drew out Gideon's hidden potential. |
| The Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." 6:23 |
| Gideon made an unlikely fighter - hesitant and fearful. We first meet him as he furtively threshed wheat in a winepress. To thresh wheat openly was to invite the occupying Midianite army to confiscate it. The Midianites dominated Israel so thoroughly that Israelies could rarely harvest crops; some lived in caves. Gideon was planing no heroics until the angel of the Lord came to him with a battle commission. "Who, me?" Gideon seemed to ask, trembling. In view of the facts, his doubts were justified. His family and village worshiped Baal, not the Lord. He himself was subject to paralyzing fears, even on the eve of battle. Gideon kept demanding miraculous proof that God really was with him - and one miracle was not enough. At the same time, God seemed to make Gideon's job more formidable. He reduced his army from 32,000 to a pitiful 300. If an army so outnumbered won, that would prove beyond doubt that God was in charge. God knew Gideon's potential and patiently brought Gideon to the point of courage. He encouraged him, directed him, transformed him. Overnight Gideon became a strong and decisive general. He used noise and lights for scare tactics, enabling his small band to scatter the enemy. Thourough mopping-up operations followed. The little army devastated the scattered Midianites, and Gideon, triumphant, brought in an era of freedom Perhaps no one was as surprised as he. Cast-off Material The selection of Gideon shows a pattern. At a time when women were regarded as second-class citizens (see 9:54; |
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