The story of Gideon and the deliverance from the Midianite raiders is a classic story in the book of Judges. Readers often mistakenly lift up Gideon or try to study his leadership principles in the story, but in reality, the story is all about the Lord and His sovereign ability to use the least of us. There was nothing special about Gideon; in fact, the story rests on the very fact that he was ordinary. The Angel of the Lord sarcastically calls him a “valiant warrior” while he was hiding in a cave and beating out wheat in a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. He tells him to go “and face the Midianites in his own strength” (6:14) after he had just complained that the God of miracles had abandoned them. Gideon was not brave or influential or a man of great faith. Yet, his insignificance is what made him the perfect one to lead the army of warriors. God purposed to use an ordinary man to do extraordinary things to demonstrate that the deliverance was from God and the glory was due to God.
Gideon himself says in 6:15 that he was the youngest child in the least family in the smallest tribe (the half-tribe of Manasseh). He obeyed God by destroying the altar of Baal in his village, but he did it by night to avoid the wrath of the men of the city. The next day, he hides behind his father, who intercedes with those who would punish him for his insolence. Then Gideon asks for sign after sign in order to feel good about obeying the Lord. This warrior is not a Joshua or a David by a long shot. Yet, God delights in using the weak and foolish things of the world to shame the strong and wise (1 Cor. 1:27). In chapter 7, God pares down the army from 30,000 to 300… gives Gideon one more sign by allowing him to overhear the fear of the enemy in their camp… and then delivers Israel by confusing the enemy and turning them against each other.
Gideon is not the bravest, strongest, or wisest leader. Gideon is just like you and me, one ordinary person who served an extraordinary God. May we not overlook this in this story, and may we never forget that in our own lives. This story is not about the greatness of Gideon but the greatness of God and His ability to use anybody. The next time you feel like you are not enough, just lean into that because it’s true; you are not enough. You don’t have to be enough because He is everything. Much of our struggle and frustration in life comes from our desire to stand in our own strength instead of in His. Our self-reliance is our worst enemy, worse than the immeasurable army of Midianites that Gideon faced. Like this story of Gideon, God often brings us to the end of ourselves and our resources before He uses us because He wants the victory to be His alone. When you have no hope but Jesus, that is when you finally have the victory in hand.
