Gideon: A Mighty Man Of Valor

I have always been a fan of the under dog. I remember the 1980 winter Olympics and the unforgettable quest for the gold that the United States Ice Hockey squad sojourned for. Although a young boy, I remember how important that game was to the Americans to beat the Soviet Union. It was a sure defeat for the United States, but their passion, integrity, strength and virtue were all displayed that cold winter day in Lake Placid, NY. After a long grueling game, a phrase was born from a broadcaster named Al Michaels. He said, “Do you believe in miracles?� The United States Hockey Squad had done the unthinkable. They conquered their biggest challenge to date and the country was going wild.

Throughout history, we can see how the underdog overcame obstacles. I remember Buster Douglas, who defeated Mike Tyson during Iron Mike’s prime over 10 years ago. I can look back and see how the Boston Red Sox finally beat the World Champion New York Yankees for the first World Series victory in nearly a century. I also look back at a man named Jesse who had sons in line to be king. I look and see how David didn’t look like a king, but God knew that He was going to be able to develop his heart like a champion. We go on to read how David was the underdog once again to defeat Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones. I enjoy sports and like the history contained therein, but I am much more concerned about what God has to say concerning the underdog. Let’s take a close look at an underdog named Gideon.

In thirteen different occasions during the course of 330 years, Israel back slid on God. Each time they backslid on God, they received the same chastisement and the same punishment that we receive when we go against God, his judgement. Israel began to cry unto God after God delivered them into the hands of the Midianites. These barbarians were taking everything, and destroying the Israelites. Just as He always does, God heard the cry of His people and sent a man to rise up. He sent a man who was brave, strong, charismatic, a man of great dignity and pride, a man by the name of Gideon. If you read this passage of scripture, all of these characteristics that I have just described to you are characteristics that the world looks for in a leader. We are going to see how weak and lowly this man named Gideon was. When God would choose a judge to lead Israel back, He would choose unlikely candidates. He would choose those type of people who weren’t arrogant, as a matter of fact,He was looking for people who wouldn’t even consider holding the position. God wasn’t looking for someone who was valuable in their own right, but rather someone who was available to let the potter have His way with the clay.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, two thing happened. He was hiding from the Midianites threshing wheat. I can imagine as Gideon was threshing wheat hiding in the valley, the dust and husks were getting down behind his neck because there was no wind to blow it away down in the valley. As Christians, we don’t need to hide down in the valley, we don’t have to hide from Satan. We have the promise that “greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.� We need to get up out of the valley, stand tall on the mountain top with our heads up and our shoulders back and let the wind (Holy Spirit) blow through our lives and do what He will. I can just imagine Gideon. He didn’t want to rock the boat that is the same situation that many Christians are in today. If the Bible says it’s wrong, it’s wrong, let’s stand with God and not back down to the enemy.

Gideon made excuses when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. That sounds like a lot of us today. We pray for God to take our life and mold it and use it and then when He is ready, we have excuses to back slide on God. Gideon was saying this, God if you want to use me, where are you? I am fighting for my life I haven’t heard from you, if you want me, why haven’t you been here for me? Does this sound familiar? He also went on to say how poor he was and that not only was his family poor, but he was the least of his family’s house. You don’t need to be a millionaire to do God’s will. You don’t have to have a certain amount in the bank account to qualify for God’s service. God sees something in Gideon here that Gideon cannot see. God sees something in each one of us that we cannot see in ourselves. Our weakness makes room for His power. The more unlikely we feel that God can use us, the more likely God will use us. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; I Corinthians 1:26-27

When I look at Gideon and I see what God was able to do through him and how He was able to use him to lead Israel, my mind goes back to some other men in the Bible who didn’t feel God could use them either. Gideon had no confidence in God, his family or even himself but still God was able to use him despite his excuses. Remember Saul? He was a persecutor in the book of Acts who was there at the time of Stephen’s stoning, when Stephen saw Jesus at the right hand of the father during the midst of his ordeal. Saul met the Lord on Damascus road and was never the same again. A baby was born into slavery for 400 years comes out to part the red sea, to lead his people out of Egypt. God sees what we can’t.

We are able to see Gideon in the same light that God saw him, later into the story. God saw him as a mighty man of valor, but he was a timid and weak wheat thresher in the valley. God then used him to lead 300 men to defeat armies with thousands of men. At that point in the midst of battle, we are able to see Gideon the way God always saw him. He wasn’t a weakling, he wasn’t the underdog, but he was the one that God used to deliver the Israelites out of the hand of Midian.

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