I haven't really organized my thoughts concerning this post, but organization was never really a noticeable factor in my posts anyway. Besides, I have something I want to say.
You know, I am in the book of Judges in my tour through the Bible (compare to children of Israel's "little stroll" through the desert).
Well I landed on Gideon a week or so back and have been reading through his story.
Oddly enough, AA recently selected Gideon as his Bible Hero for a school project - he said he wanted someone that was a mighty warrior so he could use his (plastic) shield when they have to dress like their chosen character in a few weeks.
And that "mighty warrior" thing is what I want to talk about.
If you remember in the book of Judges, the nation of Israel was behaving a lot like our nation these days. . . on their best days, they seemed to be confused about God; there were very few icons of righteousness - and when they did appear, they seemed to lack consistency of character; messages were mixed.
Because of the dismal nature of their allegiance to God, chapter six finds them in servitude to the nation of Midian. In particular we find, Gideon - hiding.
He's hiding because he has managed to grow a little bit of food and the marauding hordes of raiders known as the Midianites, hadn't found his stash yet.
As he hid out and tried to prepare his meager wheat harvest so that he could feed his family - he was startled when someone called out to him.
Do you remember that sinking feeling you get when you know you've been caught - I'm sure that's how he felt.
The Person that called out to him, was a Messenger from heaven. I believe that this was God, Himself or possibly Jesus - but it's okay if you don't buy that, it doesn't greatly hurt the outcome of the story.
Anyway, the Messenger called Gideon a mighty warrior. Now I like the old King James' English in which He called him a Mighty Man of Valour!
Gideon wasted little time in correcting Him. Gideon explained that his family was fairly insignificant among their people and he .... well, he was the least in his family (being the "baby" in my family, I can relate - his brothers probably called him "squirt" or "punk").
The Messenger was nonplussed. "I will be with you - " He said (this is one reason I believe this Messenger was God, Himself), " and you will smite the Midianites" - there's that word, smite - you gotta' love KJV sometimes!
If you read on you will see that God was right, Gideon was a mighty warrior! God also put together a really nifty battle plan so Gideon could take an army of 300 and utterly destroy an army of at least 135,000.
God was right. But in the beginning, Gideon seems to be right also - he was small, defeated, cowering.
There is the point: God calls it like He sees it. And He has the power to bring about the potential He sees.
We see ourselves as "inadequate", "inconsistent", "clumsy when it comes to spiritual things", "easily defeated" . . . . you fill in the blank. Yet God stands in the background as we are cowering in panic trying to capture some morsel of gains from all our efforts. And from the shadows He speaks . . . and He calls us names . . .
kings...
priests ...
chosen ...
precious ...
mighty ...
heirs of God ...
adopted ...
beloved ...
forgiven ...
justified ...
Too often we try to correct Him with a "yes-but" ...
But just as in the case with Gideon . . . God calls us as He sees us ...
and He's right.
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