Statement:
Our circumstances should not govern our faith; God wants us to trust and believe in Him despite what we see!
(Judges 6:12-16 ESV) 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 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.” 14 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?” 15 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.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Hebrew / Greek Word Study
Focus Word: Least / Youngest = ּ(הַצָּעִ֖יר (haṣ·ṣā·‘îr)) = (Hebrew / phonetic sound)
Strongs Definition H6810: Little, insignificant, young
The same Hebrew word (H6810) is also used in these scriptures and many more!
1 Samuel 9:21
1 Kings 16:34
Psalm 119:141
Isaiah 60:22
Jeremiah 49:20
Scripture Thoughts:
If you have ever studied the book of Judges in the Bible, you definitely know about Gideon. Gideon, his family, and people were living under oppression from the Midianites. The people were living in such hardship that they had made their living spaces in dens and caves in the mountains. When they would grow crops, the Midianites would come and take them, and they also would take their livestock, which left Gideon and his tribe with hardly anything for food. Because of all that was happening to Gideon and his tribe, the Angel of the Lord shows up as a man and begins this conversation with Gideon.
The Angel of the Lord starts off by calling Gideon a "mighty man of valor." Gideon's response has always intrigued me because Gideon is not taking in these words at all. Gideon responds with, "Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?" Gideon does not believe that the Lord is with him or his people. As a matter of fact, Gideon believes the Lord has forsaken him and his tribe because he personally has not seen the work of the Lord present in his life. A lot of people have this same thought process concerning God. How do I believe in God if I have not seen Him work in my life, my mother's life, my grandmother's life, and so on? What am I holding on to, is it just a fairy tale, or is God going to show up like we need Him to? This is where Gideon is, and he challenges the man (Angel of the Lord) talking to him. Remember, the Angel of the Lord showed up as a man. Therefore, Gideon thinks he is talking to and questioning a man.
When the Angel of the Lord has the opportunity to respond to Gideon's questions and rebukes (challenges), He absolutely ignores them. Then He tells Gideon to “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” Then Gideon speaks again, and this is where you can pick up on the brokenness that is on the inside of Gideon and most likely his people. Gideon tells the man (the Angel of the Lord) in (Judges 6:15 ESV), '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.” Gideon did not see himself as mighty, he saw his clan as the weakest in all of Israel, and he saw himself as the youngest/least in his father's house. In Gideon's mind, how was he going to stop the Midianite oppression?
Gideon had been living under oppression for some time, so his actions and thought process aligned with a person who had been defeated, traumatized, and beaten down. When this is all you know, you tend to act accordingly. When the Angel of the Lord shows up, Gideon doesn't want to hear what he is saying because that is not the life that he knows. When the Angel of the Lord is speaking to Him, He is calling out of Gideon what He knows is already on the inside of him. This is what is written in scripture and the end of (Romans 4:17 NKJ), that God calls those things that be not as though they were. God is calling out of Gideon what He knows He put inside of Gideon.
Gideon's circumstances are something that God will not allow Gideon to continue to live in and think about. He doesn't want Gideon to be governed by what he sees and feels; He wants Gideon to believe and have faith in Him. We know this because of how the Angel of the Lord responds in (Judges 6:16 ESV), "And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” The Angel of the Lord knew that if Gideon made the choice to trust in God and believe that God was with Him, no person or army could defeat him.
This presented Gideon with a choice, do I trust in God or trust in the circumstances that I am currently in? This is what it is like for most of us! Do we put our trust in God or in the circumstances we are currently in? With God, you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37); if you put more trust in your circumstances, then your circumstances win out.
My Thoughts:
Scripture tells us in (2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV) 'for we walk by faith, not by sight.' Even with that being said, it is difficult to put your feelings and emotions aside and the circumstances that you are dealing with and give more weight to your faith and trust in God. God gave us a great example through the story of Gideon. He showed us that if we trust more in Him and do what He asks, we will be successful in life. Letting go of the negative we know, our past, our traumas, and our brokenness is key to moving forward in trusting in Him. When we hold on to the things that keep us broken and imprisoned, we tend to give more weight to our circumstances than our faith. Most of us already know what our circumstances have to offer. It's time to put more weight on our faith in God and see what victory He has for us. Amen.
Extra Scripture To Study:
Judges Chapter 6
Romans Chapter 4
Additional Information:
Closing Thoughts:
These are a few great scriptures to study and meditate on. We gain more understanding of God and His Word when we seek to know Him better. As you study the Bible, look at how much God loves us and is willing to give everything to come after us. It's time for you to become whole and live the fullness of life the Lord has for you.
Challenge:
This week daily, take some time to pray and ask God for help regarding His word and become receptive to it. The next step is to act on His Word and continue to be the Son or Daughter He has called you to be.
Take Care Family,
Pastor Charles
©Copyright Charles R. Myles II 2022
Check Out The Book "Wounded Soul: Death Lived Inside Me" by Pastor Charles Myles
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I felt like Gideon in 2012, I was still working for Kaiser and I had a prescheduled right total knee surgery and in my mind I would have surgery and return to work in 6 weeks, but things drastically with me ending up being septic, weak, couldn't use my left hand to write it shook uncontrollably, high fever, high heart rate, no appetite etc..... I had to really trust God, but I was very doubtful about the Lord helping me because at the time I felt forsaken by the Lord and I thought he didn't love me anymore! Fast forward after being in bed for 2yrs the Lord strengthen my body, healed me and I had the final 6th surge…