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Of all the conversations mentioned in the Bible, the one I truly enjoy is that between Gideon and the angel of the Lord. Gideon at first does not know that it was an angel he was talking to and is quite candid about his faith. When the angel of the Lord greats him, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior", without skipping a beat Gideon asks, "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happend to us?" To understand Gideon's aloofness and frustrations we need to know little bit of his background.
In Judges 6th chapter we read, "Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it."
It is beyond our comprehension to even imagine how it would be to live in constant fear like that not for one or two days but for seven long years! Even as the angel is talking to him, Gideon is actually threshing wheat in a winepress. Wheat is normally threshed in the wheat field - right?, but to save it from the Midianites he was threshing it in a winepress. So you get a picture of his plight.
The Angel's response was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel " Let's stop at that for today's coffee!
Go in the strength you have, against your "Midianites"; the victory is yours...
(If you would like to read the whole conversation and what happens after, continue to read Book of Judges Chapter 6 & 7 )
In Judges 6th chapter we read, "Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it."
It is beyond our comprehension to even imagine how it would be to live in constant fear like that not for one or two days but for seven long years! Even as the angel is talking to him, Gideon is actually threshing wheat in a winepress. Wheat is normally threshed in the wheat field - right?, but to save it from the Midianites he was threshing it in a winepress. So you get a picture of his plight.
The Angel's response was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel " Let's stop at that for today's coffee!
Go in the strength you have, against your "Midianites"; the victory is yours...
(If you would like to read the whole conversation and what happens after, continue to read Book of Judges Chapter 6 & 7 )
Thanks for sharing this! Like Gideon, sometimes we don't realize that the true strength we have is God. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Very true Audrey! His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Amen!
~ NRIGirl