Original: August 31, 2007
McMinnville, OR
14 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" Judges 6:14
Let me tell you about Gideon. God finds Him (as if God was looking) hiding from the Midianites in a wine press while threshing wheat. A typical ancient wine press was about 6-10 feet in diameter with a 2-3 foot high wall around it.
So how does a grown man hide while threshing?
Gideon would have had to be on his knees, slumped over in order to accomplish such a task! How humiliating for a grown man! It must have been one of the lowest of the lows of his life. Furthermore, his family was from the tribe of Manasseh, which were a half tribe of Israel’s twelve sons being the son of Joseph (the brother was Ephraim). The tribe of Manasseh didn’t even have full standing as a son of Israel since he was actually Israel’s grandson!
To top it all off Gideon’s clan or family was the smallest of this half tribe and Gideon was the weakest in his father’s house. In other words, Gideon was the least of the least of the least, the weakest of the weak and the wimpiest of the wimps!
But the angel of the Lord addresses him as, “O valiant warrior!” (Judges 6:12)
Verse 14 we discover something else when God says something interesting, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand” (Judges 6:14). This one verse unlocks an important principle in our lives.
Here it is.
God uses our strength, talents, and abilities right where we are and not where we think we should be.
A man does not have to change to be used mightily of God. He does not have to grow, mature, or wait for “power on high!” The Lord Jesus takes who we are and what we hold in our capacity and uses us for His glory. Gideon did not rip open his cloak to expose the “S” on his chest.
Look at Moses. God simply asked Him, “What’s in your hand” (Exodus 4:2)?
Jesus uses what we have not what we have not. Are you tracking with this?
You may say, “Oh but Jim I do not know the Bible the way I should.”
Jesus says, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:19-20.
Oh, but I am not smart enough?
But the Bible says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world [that would be you and me] to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world [again you and me] to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world [you and me] and the despised things [you and me]--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’" (1 Corinthians 1:27-31)
Heck yes! Do you get it! Are we on the same playing field now? This is awesome stuff!
Gideon was just a man. No he was a little worse-a weak one, but His strong God chose to use him. He simply had to get out of the wine press and stand up. God was with him in a special way but I wonder what that actually looked like. I wonder what it would actually look like if we allowed God to send us in our strength, right where we are, wherever he wants us to go.
What wine press are you hiding in? Is it your career? Is it your house payment? Is it your fear? Is it your savings account? It is your wife? Is it your narcissism?
What is hindering you from becoming God’s “mighty warrior”?
