Where do we look, what do we hear? (Judg 6:11-16)

When organisations examine their security, they look to the weakest link in the chain to establish what they can withstand. You can have an elaborate anti-virus software on your laptop, but if you click on a dubious link in an email, you make your computer vulnerable to attack. It is generally recognised that human beings are the weakest link in such a scenario. This kind of logic is reasonable in our terms, and it is indeed useful to be realistic of one’s weaknesses. In fact, it is the kind of approach Gideon takes in the famous story about him, but it will prove to be a mistake. When we look at our weaknesses, it is always difficult to know whether we are simply being realistic or pessimistic, but the key is whether we count with God at all.

Gideon can only see weakness and the absence of God. We find him beating out wheat in a wine press, an unexpected location to avoid the Midianites confiscating what little grain was left for Israel (Judg 6:11).[1] His conversation with the Lord’s messenger is almost comic in the way the two talk at cross-purposes. Gideon looks at the circumstances and concludes that God has abandoned Israel (Judg 6:13). He is right to some extent, though he misses the crucial point of Israel’s sin (see my last post here). Neither can he see himself as deliverer due to the insignificance of his family and his own position in it (Judg 6:15). In reality, Gideon’s father must be an important man in the community, since a worship site for Baal and Asherah belongs to him and the city has a stake in worshipping there judging from their reaction to its destruction later (Judg 6:25, 30). He is also a wealthy man given that Gideon uses ten of his servants to pull down this pagan altar. Gideon’s language is the conventional one for politely refusing a task, but his subsequent insecurities (the sign of the fleece – Judg 6:36-40) suggest that it is also how he really feels about himself. Fears can make us discount even what we do have in human resources.

In contrast, the angel’s assessment is entirely different.[2] The key element is that ‘the LORD is with you’ (Judg 6:12) and this determines everything else. Although Gideon feels like a nobody, God sees the ‘mighty warrior’ that he will become (v.12). The strength he has will be sufficient not because Gideon is so powerful but because God sends him (Judg 6:14). We are reminded of David approaching Goliath. The latter comes with weapons and human strength, but David is confident even in weakness because he is on God’s mission (1 Sam 17:45). Finally, the Lord reassures Gideon once again that he will defeat the enemy as if he were only dealing with one man because God will be with him (Judg 6:15).

When we look at our life and the tasks God calls us to do, do we feel overwhelmed? If so, we are in good company because God’s plans are always greater than what we can imagine and, while often in line with our abilities, always beyond what we can achieve in our own strength. He is not dependent on us and our strength, neither is He hindered in achieving His plans by our limitations even though He graciously includes us in His work. It speaks of His immense power that He accomplishes His purposes despite our weaknesses. People look at the weakest link in a chain, but God’s way of computing is to direct our attention to the strongest thread that holds everything together: His own self.

[1] Threshing normally happened with a flail or a sledge after which the grain and chaff were thrown into the air to allow the wind to blow away the lighter chaff with the heavier grain falling back on the ground (winnowing). See an example of threshing with a flail here, with a sledge here and this is a modern take using a fan for winnowing.

[2] The dialogue has ‘the angel of the LORD’ speaking in v.12 and the LORD subsequently in vv. 14, 16. OT passages are often ambiguous about the nature of these appearances, and it is best if we take our cue from Scripture and do not try to explain what is essentially a mystery. What matters is that God communicates Himself and His message to people.