Gideon, A Man from the Wine Press

God calls a young man out of the field to command an army. But first, he must deal with the sin in his own family.

INSIGHTS FOR YOUR TOOLBOX

Judges 6 begins with these words, “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord…”. Israel was crying out to the Lord for deliverance, but they were not obedient. We also learn that Joash, Gideon’s father, was not faithful to the Lord. The sin of idolatry needed to be dealt with so God ordered Gideon to tear down his father’s altars.

God must be #1 in our lives before He can use us. You probably do not have an idol in your back yard, but an idol is anything that man worships, fear's, loves and trusts instead of the one true God.

• We all worship or serve something or someone. Is God #1 in your life? Or is it work, a person, sports, hunting or an addiction?

• When Satan tempted Jesus, he said this to Jesus, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” See Matt 4:1-11. Satan is a master at distracting us from having a pure love for our FATHER GOD. He will use anything and everything to sidetrack us from a true commitment to our Lord and Savior.

• Take some moments to be honest with the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart. God wants to cleanse and mold you to be used for His kingdom's work.

The Rest of Gideon’s Story

Last week we see God calling Gideon, a young man, from the field to command an army. As Gideon prepares for battle, the Lord orders him to send many of his soldiers home. Why?

INSIGHTS FOR YOUR TOOLBOX

• In Judges 6 the angel called Gideon a “mighty man of valor”. Yet we see that Gideon was afraid and needed reassurance. God even provided extra encouragement for Gideon the night before the battle.

• Look at these verses from Psalm 18:34-35, “He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me, And Your gentleness makes me great.”

• Gideon may not have been fearless, but he obeyed. God made each of us; He knows the potential in each of us. Will you let Him shape you? Are you willing to obey God’s direction?

Gideon’s Impact

We have watched the young and timid Gideon become a mighty warrior. God brought Gideon and his small army a great victory. Let’s hear the rest of the story….

INSIGHTS FOR YOUR TOOLBOX

Judges 8:27, “Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family”.

Why is spiritual unfaithfulness looked at as prostitution or adultery?

• Deuteronomy 6:13

• Deuteronomy 5:9

Even though Gideon's ephod leads people into idolatry, yet God blesses Gideon's influence in Israel as a judge. Look at Judges 8:28.

“Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace for forty years.”