Gideon (part two)

In my last post Gideon had just pulled down his father's altar to Baal and destroyed the grove that was beside it... He did it at night because he feared the people of the city and his father's household, and rightly so because when they saw what he had done they sought to kill him. However, instead of turning him over to them, his father had this to say:

"Will you plead for Baal? Will you save him? 

He that will plead for Baal, let him be put to death while it is yet morning: 

if he be a god let him plead for himself, because one has cast down his altar. 

Therefore on that day he called him Jerubaal saying: 

Let baal plead against him because he has thrown down his altar."

I love how God used a follower of Baal for his purpose, to keep Gideon alive and perhaps to challenge those around to consider the power (or lack thereof) of their god. Through this God once again reminded me that I only need to obey Him; He will take care of the details. Gideon had no way of knowing what would happen but he took that leap of faith and found God able to handle the consequences. 

This next part of the story is very familiar, or so I thought... It is the story of Gideon's fleece: Gideon goes before God and ask Him to give a sign if He will save Israel by Gideon's hand. He puts out a fleece and ask that dew be on the fleece in the morning but not on the ground; God responds by giving Him the sign. Gideon then goes to God again and ask that God not be angry with him, but give him the same sign again, except reversed: the ground wet and the fleece dry. Once again God does as he asked and Gideon begins to lead the people...

The part I missed was a small section before Gideon laying out his fleece:

  Then all the Midianites, Amalekites and the children of the East 

gathered together and camped in the valley of Jezreel.

 But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; 

and Abiezer was gathered after him, and he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; 

who also gathered after him: and he sent messengers to Asher,

and Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

Gideon, filled with God's spirit, acts in faith before ever putting his fleece down; he gathers an army. I never really caught that before... I have always loved that God allowed Gideon to have doubts and that he calmed his fears. Yet I never picked up on the fact that Gideon had taken that step of faith.

I have loved discovering different aspects of Gideon's character: the man who threshed grain in spite of the danger; who wondered where God had gone, who looked for a sign to know God was talking to him; and the man who boldly threw down an alter and destroyed a grove in obedience to God. The Man who summons an army then ask God for a sign that He will be with him should he lead that army into battle. Mostly I have loved seeing his communication with God, and watching God's responses to him. 

Thankfully, none of the areas God is currently asking me to follow him in have such harsh opposition as Gideon found in his path of obedience. His story has reminded me: I serve a God who is more than able to handle anything that comes my way. He can handle my questions and give courage where I need it.

In Gideon I see a man of great courage, that had an awesome relationship with God. I have seen another facet of who my God is, and look forward to building a closer relationship with him. I want to be able to look back on my life and see a history of following God's leading, even if I have questions or fears.