Pretest

The night was dark, the air still. Why is it so quiet? Thunder…God, some thunder would be nice right about now. The sky was silent.

The man was sure the men of the town would hear. How could they not? Rocks were tumbling, wood splitting, bulls bellowing, the noise was deafening.

They would kill him when they got to him. He’d had dreams of leading God’s people against the Midianites. Those dreams would soak into the dusty soil along with his blood. AND, it was going to be God’s people that drained him of both.

The men with him were good men, but they would run. He would be alone to face the men of his town, his friends…his family. Why had God asked him to do this? Why would God put him in this place?

Have you ever been in a situation destined for failure? Ever felt like God had something special he wanted from you, but your current crisis seemed to doom God’s design? That’s exactly where Gideon found himself.

God had called him to a meaningful task. But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. First, however, God had one other small assignment.

…pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of the stronghold here… (Judges 6:26)

If God wanted to use Gideon to free his people from the bondage of Midian, why would he threaten that plan? Of course, God didn’t. The only real threat to Gideon was between his ears.

That’s not to say he was in no danger. Gideon was afraid of the men of the town, and sure enough the next morning they came to kill him. The threats came to nothing, but Gideon’s actions were important for several reasons.

1. It showed that Gideon would obey God. He may have been terrified. He may have done it in secrecy, in the middle of the night, but he did it.

2. It pointed out the sin of God’s people, sins that needed to be addressed. They wanted God to save them, but they were still worshipping other gods as well.

3. It showed God’s people that Gideon was not afraid of the gods of the Midianites. In fact, they gave him a new name, Jerubbaal, which meant Let Baal contend against him. Baal didn’t.

After this experience Gideon called for warriors, and 32,000 men were willing to follow him. Would those warriors have followed Gideon if he hadn’t passed through this time of testing? When God places you in a path that seems to hold no hope of success, don’t be too quick to pray for deliverance.

Obey. In the dark of night, do what’s right. Face your fear and remain faithful. God may be preparing you for something much greater. To the one who is faithful in the little things, much will be given.