I’m disappointed.
It’s not like I didn’t see it coming.
I’ve read the accounts before. And I peeked ahead more than once this time around to make sure that as as I was piecing this out unexpected events didn’t blindside me.
But the ending ambushed me anyway.
And now I’m disappointed.
:: (more…)
2009/06/05 | Categories: Gideon, Uncategorized | Tags: disappointment, Gideon, good intentions, Idolatry | 6 Comments »
Poor Gideon.
Not only was he a little guy, from a whimpy family of a low end tribe, with a lot of fear and even more doubt, but he’s also subjected daily to my skewed perspective on his escapades as the commander of the Lord’s army.
Read today’s text with me. Tell me what you see:
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’ ” (Judges 7:15-18)
There was something about this scene that felt so familiar. It took me a while, but I finally put it together.
Gideon was not preparing his men for battle. He was putting on a Christmas pageant.
:: (more…)
2009/06/01 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: Gideon, God's power, might | 4 Comments »
The enemy is huge. They’ve camped in the valley, showing off their strength. Their camels alone are too numerous to count. One could as easily count grains of sand on the seashore.
I suspect it wasn’t any simpler to count the troops. At least not the Midianite and Amalekite warriors.
Gideon’s men? An ambitious preschooler could manage that.
There were only 300.
He had to send the rest of ‘em back to their tents.
But now I’m not sure who made out better: those sent home or those left to fight. Because it looks like 299 of the 300 remaining are about to become the punchline in a “how many Hebrew soldiers does it take” joke.
::
(more…)
2009/05/29 | Categories: Gideon, Work | Tags: dependence, Gideon, Strength, Work | 4 Comments »
Reduction in force
Still too many men.
When Gideon had 32,000 men, God told him it was too many. Gideon knew it wasn’t nearly enough.
Yet, he’d learned to listen to God. He tested Him and tried Him and now believed Him.
So he took his 10,000 remaining men and got ready to fight with what he had.
And then he heard those awful words.
You still have too many men.
10,000 is too many?
::
I’m in the middle of one of these myself. My boss got an email just last week.
The labor grows larger while the forces grow smaller.
Management is not so popular with us right now.
::
I’m not sure how Gideon felt about management about that time, but he went along with it. Just like we’re doing.
These that remained, these 10,000 were all fighting men, ready to go to battle. The cowards, remember, already walked home to their wives and mothers.
But not all were destined to fight this battle (oh, there would be others).
He took his still too many men to the river where God said He’d pick and choose.
And then He watched them drink.
This one shall go with you . . . This one shall not go with you.
It all came down to how they drank their water.
::
Serious?
No resumes.
No list of past conquests.
No demonstration of agility with the sword or accuracy with the bow.
No test in courage.
No meaningful measure of the warrior’s fitness at all.
Just how they drank their water.
::
You knelt on the riverbank? Thank you for your interest. You have not been selected for this position but we will keep you in mind in the event a suitable position opens in the future.
We don’t need you this time.
You lapped like a dog? It’s our pleasure to extend this offer to fight with us.
Go get ready for battle.
::
What of those who took their RIF notices and went home? God didn’t need me. He preferred to go to war against the horde with just 300 men than to take me along. How bad a warrior am I? How useless in this army He’s put together.
He didn’t pick me.
He’s better off without me.
Still too many men.
When Gideon had 32,000 men, God told him it was too many. Gideon knew it wasn’t nearly enough.
Yet, he’d learned to listen to God. He tested Him and tried Him, and now he believed Him.
He remembered how the angel had said to go in the strength you have.
So he took his 10,000 remaining men and got ready to fight with what he had.
And then he heard those dreadful words.
There are still too many men.
Ten thousand is too many?
Is it really the best time for a reduction in force?
:: (more…)
2009/05/27 | Categories: Gideon, Work | Tags: Gideon, lapping water, RIF, Work | 4 Comments »
1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. (Judges 7:1-3)
Gideon is about to learn a little something about payback.
God’s been patient. He’s answered every question, quieted every doubt.
He sent an angel, shot fire from a rock, soaked a fleece and left a fleece dry.
And now He flips it around.
It’s Gideon’s turn.
You have too many men.
:: (more…)
2009/05/20 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: Gideon, Strength, Trust | 3 Comments »
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. (Judges 6:36-40)
::
Gideon didn’t know if he was coming or if he was going.
He narrowly escaped a lynching after he messed with the worship props of a couple of false gods. And then his dad, either trying to save him or avoid having his son’s blood on his hands, all but asked Baal to strike him down.
If Baal turned out to be real, Gideon was in a world of hurt.
To make matters worse, the Midianites, the Amalekites and their friends from the east had crossed the river and camped out in the valley. He didn’t suppose it was for a Bob Dylan concert.
It would mean war.
::
He remembered the angel – blasted fellow that got him into this in the first place – had said that Gideon would strike down the Midianites and Amalekites together.
Looked like it was time.
God’s Spirit came on him, and he gathered His people for battle.
And then, as if on cue, Gideon asked for a sign.
Where have we heard that before?
Seems we’re so familiar with the fleece. Ever since childhood Sunday School. But by the time we even get to the fleece, Gideon has already flipped and flopped between belief and doubt so many times I got lost.
It feels a little like Groundhog Day to me, writing the same post over and over and over.
Gideon doubted. Gideon asked for a sign. Gideon believed.
Gideon doubted. Gideon asked for a sign. Gideon believed.
Gideon doubted. Gideon asked . . .
::
So here it is, the “stupid fleece test” as it’s been called here in the comments. (I apologize for the frequent use of the word “stupid” in this run. It’s really more directed at me than Gideon, since it seems to pop up most often when I see myself in him.)
Gideon asks the Lord to confirm His promise.
If in fact You will give our enemies over into our hands like You promised, just show me this one more thing. I’ll put a fleece on the threshing floor overnight.
You bring the dew. If it’s only on the fleece, and everywhere else is dry, then I’ll know. I’ll believe.
I’ll be sure it’s You and we’ll go kick some Midianite butt.
Always thinking spiritually practically, I was glad to see there was finally a use for the threshing floor.
::
Sure enough, morning came, the fleece was soaking wet, and the threshing floor was dry. To be sure it wasn’t his imagination, just a damp feeling on a cool morning, he squeezed the fleece.
Emptied out a full bowl of water..
The fleece was really wet.
The ground was really dry.
It was really God.
Let’s roll.
Let’s not.
Is Bill Murray around here somewhere?
::
Alarm goes off. We gotta get up in the morning and do it all over again.
He no sooner gets the sign when he questions the sign. He wasn’t so sure again. And who wants to go lead an army against the Amalekite horde when you and God got your wires crossed?
To Gideon’s credit, he knew this was getting old. He suspected God’s patience was wearing thin. Because when he asked for yet another sign, he apologized.
Don’t get mad. But maybe it was a fluke. Maybe the fleece was like a Sham-Wow and just soaked up all the humidity in the air. Maybe I reversed the signs. Maybe . . .
Can You do it the other way?
Can you make the ground wet and the fleece dry?
Just to be sure?
::
Times like this remind me that it’s so good I’m not God. I wouldn’t have allowed another test. I’d have sent Gideon packing back to his stupid little winepress to grind out some wheat. I’d have found somebody much more worthy of the task.
God did not.
As far as God was concerned, Gideon was the plan. He was it.
Gideon couldn’t outlast God’s patience and God was determined that he believe.
So He gave him yet another sign.
The fleece in reverse. Nothing to squeeze out.
Wet ground. Dry fleece.
Believing heart.
By the next morning, Gideon and his men were camped out and ready to fight.
::
And I am reminded again of the reality of God.
The truth of His Word.
The depth of His patience.
The magnitude of His call.
::
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. (Judges 6:36-40)
Gideon didn’t know if he was coming or if he was going.
He narrowly escaped a lynching after he messed with the worship props of a couple of false gods. And then his dad, either trying to save him or avoid having his son’s blood on his hands, all but asked Baal to strike him down.
If Baal turned out to be real, Gideon was in a world of hurt.
To make matters worse, the Midianites, the Amalekites and their friends from the east had crossed the river and camped out in the valley. He didn’t suppose it was for a Bob Dylan concert.
It would mean war.
:: (more…)
2009/05/18 | Categories: Gideon, Uncategorized | Tags: belief, doubt, fleece, Gideon, Trust | 1 Comment »
The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” So that day they called Gideon “Jerub-Baal, ” saying, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he broke down Baal’s altar. (Judges 6:30-32)
::
He was probably still wearing his street clothes when he slipped into bed that night. He’d stolen in through his bedroom window like a teenager sneaking in from a bonfire and keg.
He hoped the noise and smell of campfire wouldn’t wake his dad.
Pulling the blanket up over his head, he clamped his eyes down and tried to appear as though he’d been sleeping for hours.
He held back the urge to scratch his nose, wishing his eyelids would stop fluttering. Those things always gave away a faker.
His bones ached from the stillness when the sun started to stretch shadows across the room.
And then he heard them.
The men had come. They were storming around out in the yard.
Angry men.
::
His father rushed out without noticing Gideon’s pitiful attempt to feign sleep, anxious at what brought such a ruckus to his doorstep so early in the day.
Turns out they what they wanted was his son. They wanted Gideon.
Their altar was in ruins. Their Asherah pole burned up like kindling.
It was an outrage.
The investigation led to Gideon. Straight to the chicken heart buried under the covers in his bed. He pulled the blankets a little tighter.
Get him out here! He needs to die.
::
He knew it. He knew they were going to kill him. He’d told the angel that, but it didn’t seem to matter then. Stupid angel. Convinced him that God was really in this thing.
What had he been thinking, tearing down the altar?
God was not God. God was not real.
What was real was a whole bunch of guys on his front lawn. Armed, angry guys, mouths watering for his life. He held his breath, waiting for his dad to drag him out and feed him to the bloodthirsty crowd.
Just like he’d known all along would happen.
::
Crazy things kept happening here though. He strained to hear his dad through all the shouting.
Joash, who he was so sure would kill him with his own hand for razing his altar, spoke up for him. He was a fence-straddling false god lover himself, loyal to any old god that came into the neighborhood as long as he made a promise or two.
Yet he stepped right into it. He took these brutes on.
And took on their god.
::
Gideon’s father stopped them in their tracks. What kind of god did they worship that needed clowns like them to defend him?
If Baal was really all that, surely he could defend his own honor. He didn’t need a bunch of neighborhood thugs to mete out justice for him.
He was Baal, for heaven’s sake.
And this was Gideon. Gideon the mouse. If Baal couldn’t deal with Gideon himself, maybe he wasn’t worth fighting for in the first place.
So let Gideon contend with him.
Just let the two of them have it.
::
I went to bed last night on that thought, ready to get up this morning and tap out a few priceless lines about the whimpy gods that these guys felt the need to defend.
As I started to fade into the night, I thought I saw Gideon crawl out from the safety of his bedsheets and peek out the window. Cool way to work the wind down. I’d have to add that.
But as I looked out the window to see what he would have seen, the sight rattled me.
He would have seen me in that crowd of dorks in Joash’s yard.
And I didn’t look too good.
Jumping around with the rest, all bluster and sputter, trying to defend my stupid gods. Trying to make them seem appropriate. Trying to convince myself they are spiritual, and good, and of great value.
::
They aren’t.
They’re none of those things.
They’re gods. With little g’s.
All the bluster I can crank out won’t make them acceptable and pleasing.
Still working on tearing down those altars.
::
The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” So that day they called Gideon “Jerub-Baal, ” saying, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he broke down Baal’s altar. (Judges 6:30-32)
He was probably still wearing his street clothes when he slipped into bed that night. He’d stolen through his bedroom window like a teenager sneaking in from a bonfire and keg.
He hoped the noise and smell of campfire wouldn’t wake his dad.
Pulling the blanket up over his head, he clamped his eyes down and tried to appear as though he’d been sleeping for hours.
Gideon held back the urge to scratch his nose, wishing his eyelids would stop fluttering. Those things always gave away a faker.
His bones ached from the stillness when the sun started to stretch shadows across the room.
And then he heard them.
The men had come. They were storming around out in the yard.
Angry men.
:: (more…)
2009/05/15 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: Gideon, Idolatry | 1 Comment »
::
That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” (Judges 6:25-26)
::
If my kids and I were talking about Gideon, they might say something like this:
Dude! Seriously? God told Gideon to tear down the other god’s stuff and then chop it all up and use it for firewood?
Burn!
After I finished lecturing them about calling their mother Dude, I might notice how clever they were to say something like Burn! Not just because Gideon was going to burn the old idol stuff up and they think fire is cool, but because he was going to burn the old idol stuff up with his sacrifice to God.
::
Burn! is the best response ever to what Gideon is going to do. Spend a little time in the urban and slang dictionaries online and you’ll see. (Sorry, no links here. I won’t take responsibility for referring you to them and you reading bad words.)
You might hear Burn! after someone has just delivered a massive insult to another, not leaving even the slightest chance for a rebuttal.
For instance, when Westley called Humperdinck You miserable, vomitous mass, the prince stood still with his mouth hanging open.
Until he shut it because he had nothing to say.
Buttercup, standing by, could have said, Burn! It would have been perfect.
I digress.
::
Gideon the Chicken Hearted burns Baal and Ashtoreth.
Literally.
Figuratively.
All a perfect day’s work in my book.
God wants His people’s whole heart. And here among Gideon’s kin, that means two things have to happen. The fake gods must be destroyed. And the one true God must be worshipped.
When He gives the instruction He does, God sees that both are done simultaneously.
::
He’s really not interested in being one of our gods. He wasn’t all that into the Hebrews’ contingency planning. He’s not that into it when we do it either.
A little god over here, a little goddess over there.
A little money over here, a little job security over there.
A little power over here, a little influence over there.
A little perfect family over here, a little good image over there.
Between ‘em all, we figure we’ve covered all the bases.
Until we consider. The Lord your God is one.
Not one of many.
Just one.
::
Tearing down the fake god altar. Using the cheap counterfeit as firewood to burn a fragrant offering to the one true God.
He laid major smackdown on Baal and company.
Burn!
I can smile at God’s clever work here, but then I trip over how He might choose to tear down my altars and use my own idols for firewood.
Grin falls off as I tumble and tilt, trying to regain my footing and stick my landing.
I’m thinking it might be good if I tear those idols down myself. Before He has to.
Burn!
::
And you? How are your altars and idols stacking up these days?
Know what they are? Ready to let them burn?
::
That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” (Judges 6:25-26)
If my kids and I were talking about Gideon, they might say something like this:
Dude! Seriously? God told Gideon to tear down the other god’s stuff and then chop it all up and use it for firewood?
Burn!
After I finished lecturing them about calling their mother Dude, I might notice how clever they were to say something like Burn! Not just because Gideon was going to burn the old idol stuff up and they think fire is cool, but because he was going to burn the old idol stuff up with his sacrifice to God.
:: (more…)
2009/05/11 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: Gideon, Idolatry | 1 Comment »
So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than the daytime. (Judges 6:27)
::
Gideon is ready.
At last.
For at least the next ten minutes or so, he believes. It’s truly been God he’s been talking to.
He’s ready to roll.
God tells him what to do. Pretty simple, really. Just tear down the altar to Baal, cut down the Asherah pole, and build a “proper altar” to the Lord. (Nothing more on all that just yet – give me a day or two to come back.)
Sounds like good, godly instruction.
::
There’s a catch.
The altar belongs to his father. So does the bull he’s supposed to sacrifice on his new altar.
Lemme get this straight, God.
You want me to rip down my dad’s altar. The one where he gives Baal his due. And you want me to kill another one of my dad’s bulls.
Did you forget, God?
We don’t believe in you like we once did. We worship other gods now, just in case. You’re one of many to us.
We don’t tear down one god’s shrine to build an altar to another.
Listen. If I wreck my dad’s stuff, he’s gonna kill me.
Have you seen the guys in this town?
And Baal. He’s big. Ugly. And bad.
They’re all gonna kill me.
::
No, they’re not. Not really.
Jump back a couple of verses.
At that moment where Gideon first really saw God, the angel was quick to reassure.
Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.
Peace.
::
The Lord spoke peace to Gideon right before he sent him to bring violence against these false gods.
But despite the blessings of peace and assurance of living past the day, Gideon was afraid. So he set out to do the deed at night, hidden under the cover of darkness.
He was afraid of his family.
He was sure his dad would kill him for tearing up the place.
::
Do you see what is so important here?
Yes, his fear carried him into the dark to do God’s work. There’s something about waiting until nightfall because he was afraid that we just don’t like. We want him to stop being such a chicken. We want him to be bold. (Though his wanting cover is perhaps something to which we privately relate).
But that’s not the big deal. At least not the big deal that I see.
Here’s what we can’t miss:
He did as the Lord told him.
He tore it all down and built the proper altar to the Lord. He made his sacrifice.
He did it.
::
Wracked with doubt.
Trembling in fear.
He walked forward, and he did it.
He was a coward and a doubter. Still, he found a way to obey a God he was so unsure of.
Of God, he was uncertain. Of his family’s wrath he had no doubt.
He chose obscurity. But he also chose obedience.
And that helps me like Gideon a little bit more every day.
::
So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than the daytime. (Judges 6:27)
Gideon is ready.
At last.
For at least the next ten minutes or so, he believes. It’s truly been God he’s been talking to.
He’s ready to roll.
God tells him what to do. Pretty simple, really. Just tear down the altar to Baal, cut down the Asherah pole, and build a “proper altar” to the Lord. (Nothing more on all that just yet – give me a day or two to come back.)
Sounds like good, godly instruction.
:: (more…)
2009/05/08 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: Gideon, Obedience, Trust | Leave A Comment »
“Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.” (Judges 6:18)
::
Gideon teetered.
He rode the seesaw up, then crashed down to the ground.
Believe. Doubt.
Accept. Refuse.
Regard. Deny.
Faith. Not quite sight.
::
With the plank faltering on the balance, at once teetering, now tottering, Gideon asks first for his sign, then for the angel’s patience.
Will you wait for me? Will you tarry to permit me to bring an offering?
Yes, of course. I will wait.
Gideon went home, killed an animal and did some baking.
When he asked the angel to wait, he wasn’t kidding. This was no “Hang on a sec, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He did not run in and pop a frozen dinner into the microwave. He didn’t reheat leftovers.
He slaughtered a goat.
He prepared fresh meat.
He baked bread.
All while the Lord waited.
::
Patient, the Lord was. He waited the better part of the day as I understand ancient cooking practices.
He waited while Gideon prepared to serve Him.
He waited while Gideon prepared an offering.
He waited while Gideon prepared for his sign.
He waited.
And when Gideon was ready, so was the Lord.
He brought his offering and set it before the angel. The angel accepted, then touched it with his rod. In a rush of wind and flame, the rock that held the offering ignited, and fire consumed the meat and the bread.
Gideon staggered.
I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!
::
Teetering halted.
Wavering frozen.
Question turned to answer as Gideon realized.
The angel, you see, leapt up onto the open end of the seesaw, thrusting Gideon into flight, then disappeared himself into the air.
I have seen.
::
For this single moment, though dreadfully brief, faith did become sight, and Gideon’s belief stood still.
It wouldn’t last. The quest for just one more sign would continue.
But now? Now, in this instant, he held it.
For this blink of an eye, it was all his.
Above all else, he knew the Lord would still be there when he finally latched on.
::
“Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.” (Judges 6:18)
Gideon teetered.
He rode the seesaw up, then crashed down to the ground.
Believe. Doubt.
Accept. Refuse.
Regard. Deny.
Faith. Not quite sight.
:: (more…)
2009/05/04 | Categories: Belief & Doubt, Gideon | Tags: belief, doubt, Gideon | 1 Comment »
Update: Thanks for the correction, Isaac. It’s great when your kids are old enough to read your blog. They catch all these mistakes us old folks make. Doggone young punks…
You can catch up on the rest of the Gideon posts here.
::
Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.” (Judges 6:17)
::
They didn’t have shows like Punk’d! back in Gideon’s day. It was even before Candid Camera.
Wait. No tv.
No electricity.
In fact, not a lot of practical jokes recorded in Biblical history.
Yet Gideon suddenly seems to sense that he’s the butt of some colossal Old Testament stunt.
::
Just who does he think he’s been talking to?
We don’t see anything in the record about Gideon having any fun-loving prankster friends. And his enemies weren’t that sophisticated. The Midianites and Amalekites were more slash and burn than subtle types.
They wouldn’t waste time setting up a pitiful guy like Gideon for humiliating shenanigans.
::
So then what happened? Five minutes ago, Gideon accosted the angel, sure enough he was in God’s presence to blast His past performance.
Now he’s not quite sure this is really Him.
He needs proof.
He asks for a sign.
This soon becomes Gideon’s thing, asking for signs.
::
Gideon’s impulse is to believe this is God. His knee jerk is to accept without question.
But a funny thing happens when he starts to sop up what’s gone on. Doubt dribbles in. His mind floods, and he begins to wonder.
And worry.
Is it really You?
Can You prove it?
Are You just setting me up?
::
Stupid Gideon. He might just as well be me.
He believes. Until he thinks too hard about it.
His faith works. Until he starts to break it down.
What he can’t wrap his mind around, he cannot be sure is true.
He might just as well be me.
::
God puts in my heart to believe. He makes that my knee jerk too.
And I can plod along watching Him work, seeing Him move, and know without a doubt that it’s Him.
All Him.
And only Him.
And then I begin to break it down. I over think it. I push my heart out of the way and let reason take over. And then I wonder, and worry, if it’s really Him.
Why did I come out from behind the winepress?
Where are the cameras? What’s the joke?
Is it really You? Or is it monkeyshine?
Can You prove it?
::
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
He can.
::
Update: Thanks for the correction, Isaac. It’s great when your kids are old enough to read your blog. They catch all these mistakes us old folks make. Doggone young punks…
Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.” (Judges 6:17)
They didn’t have shows like Punk’d! back in Gideon’s day. It was even before Candid Camera.
Wait. No tv.
No electricity.
In fact, not a lot of practical jokes recorded in Biblical history.
Yet Gideon suddenly seems to sense that he’s the butt of some colossal Old Testament stunt.
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2009/05/01 | Categories: Belief & Doubt, Gideon | Tags: belief, doubt, Gideon | 1 Comment »
“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hands of Midian.” (Judges 6:13)
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What is it about our great Bible heroes that they got by talking smack to the Lord and His angels?
Our mighty man of valor from the other day, the least in his family, of the smallest clan in his tribe, just popped his timid self from behind the winepress and went nose to nose with the angel of the Lord.
Just where are all our great God’s signs and wonders now? Huh?
How come He doesn’t do all the cool stuff for us that He did for our fathers when He rescued them from Egypt? Huh?
We need a little rescuing here.
Why did He ditch us?
What makes you think we believe God is still with us?
Huh?
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I know he started with a respectful “sir,” but I still find it striking that Gideon stands in the presence of an angel, recognizes him as such, and doesn’t hesitate to blister him over God’s perceived failure to perform. (In Gideon’s defense, I should point out that soon after, he treats him more like God’s emissary and less like His whipping boy.)
Gideon is petrified of the Midianites and Amalekites.
Yet he is fearless about telling God He’s not coming through.
He’s made God into someone just about small enough to fit into that winepress Gideon was working in when the angel showed up.
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God is not meeting Gideon’s expectations.
He has not provided and He has not rescued according to plan.
Turns out God is not who Gideon thought He was.
Or made Him out to be.
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So easy it is to make that scoffing sound with my tongue as I read of Gideon’s unmet expectations.
Of course, He’s made God into something he thinks he can control. And when his wind-up God doesn’t totter along in the path he sent Him on, Gideon lashes out.
You’re not our father’s God! You have not come through!
Somewhere, behind me, that same tongue clicking sound startles me.
Have I made this same charge?
Accused God of not following my design?
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I’m not so unlike our mighty man of valor here.
When God’s plan is not my plan, I suppose it’s His plan that’s off.
Couldn’t be mine.
When God’s true self is not the clay blob I’ve made Him to be, I suppose He’s the one acting up.
Couldn’t be me.
And when He doesn’t fit into the box I built for Him, I suppose it’s He who needs to make some adjustments.
Because it sure couldn’t be me.
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“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hands of Midian.” (Judges 6:13)
What is it about our great Bible heroes that they got by talking smack to the Lord and His angels?
Our mighty man of valor from the other day, the least in his family, of the smallest clan in his tribe, just popped his timid self from behind the winepress and went nose to nose with the angel of the Lord.
Just where are all our great God’s signs and wonders now? Huh?
How come He doesn’t do all the cool stuff for us that He did for our fathers when He rescued them from Egypt? Huh?
We need a little rescuing here.
Why did He ditch us?
What makes you think we believe God is still with us?
Huh?
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2009/04/29 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: angels, Expectations, Gideon, mighty man of valor | Leave A Comment »
Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:11-12)
There are mighty men of valor. And then there are mighty men of valor.
Guys that make warriors melt, wild animals flee, women swoon.
From what I can tell, nobody in their right mind would ever call Gideon a mighty man of valor.
If I’m an angel of the Lord, descending from the heights to commission my mighty man, one of valor, I am not picking Gideon. I don’t care what my marching orders are.
Might. Valor.
Clerical error. Gideon is not the guy.
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2009/04/28 | Categories: Gideon | Tags: Courage, cowardice, Gideon, Strength, winepress | 5 Comments »
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