Judges 6. As per usual, Israel doesn't obey God, and He gives them up into the hands of Midian. The Midianites treat them so harshly that the children of Israel run every time to hide into the mountains and the caves. Everything that the Israelites worked for was robbed, stolen or destroyed. They remember they belong to God, and they call out to Him to help them and God sends them a prophet to let them know their transgression, without any promise for salvation (Judges 6:8-10). Then God Himself goes to find them a hero. He finds Gideon. “Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Oprah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites.” (Judges 6:11) I don't know how long the angel sat there watching Gideon but suddenly he makes himself known and greets the hero, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” (Judges 6:12) Gideon is in a fowl mood. “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.” (Judges 6:13)
Only someone that has spent an entire lifetime working on himself can understand Gideon's frustration. You spend years and years sowing The Word of God into yourself, developing every little part of yourself and try to turn every flaw into a quality only to have 'Midianites' come every time you're about to enjoy a harvest and steal all your hard work and leave you empty-handed and confused, 'what just happened? Wait, is God even with me? If so why doesn't He send help?' And it builds and builds until you get to a point that surpasses anger and goes straight into reckless rebellion. God Himself could stand before you and you still wouldn't guard your tongue. I wouldn't advice that course of action but it's certainly understandable. Gideon had just about enough, so he doesn't feel wise or cautious. He's rude and in danger of being evaporated where he stands, but he's tired of being scared, so he speaks his mind. Instead of seeing offense in Gideon's words, the angel sees fuel for God's purpose. 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?” 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.” (Judges 6:14-15)
I love God's sense of humor. I mean only He can find the most disillusioned human in Israel, who's also a coward with an attitude, who probably needs saving more than anybody else and tells him, 'with this might of yours, go save Israel'. And against all odds, Gideon goes and does just that.
My lesson from this story? Nobody is coming to save you. You can grumble all you like at the injustice of things. You can be disenchanted with God for not doing something for you until you're blue in the face. You can hate the Midianites and vow 'this is the last time they steal from me!' and then go and think of ways how to hide your supplies. You can continue to be small in your own eyes and in the eyes of everyone around you while your ego can defy God Himself. Nobody is coming to save you. You're it. Take that anger and whatever bitterness drives you and burn it down. If it refuses to burn pray until it ignites or find a sister to vent to. That can do wonders. You're the hero disguised as a coward into your own life movie. Even if you're a coward like Gideon who feared people so much that he destroyed their idols at night, so they wouldn't know it was him, you can still save yourself. If you have time and energy to spend on meditating on the injustice of your situation, you have the time and energy to follow after God and let Him guide you into your salvation. (I am not talking about salvation from sin, just in case that needs clarifying.)
By Cristina Pop
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