THE MAKING OF A WARRIOR

The story of how Gideon defeated the 135,000 strong Midianite army with his 300 men is one of the most incredible warfare stories from the Old Testament. And to orchestrate this amazing feat, God chose a most unlikely warrior, Gideon, and took him through a journey of preparation for this feat.

1. Renewal of the mind:The Israelites had sold themselves to worshipping Baal and consequently the Midianites ravaged the Israelites and impoverished them. They reached a point where they could not even think of defeating the enemy and being free. It is against this backdrop that the angel of the Lord comes to Gideon and says, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior”(Judges 6:12). The first step in Gideon’s preparation was to renew his mind and make him think differently. At a time when the nation accepted defeat because God had apparently abandoned them, Gideon was being inspired to consider himself capable of defeating the Midianites with God’s help. The need for a renewed mind that is fixated on the things above rather than the messy world we live in is theme that recurs in the New Testament as well. Paul says, “be transformed by the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2). And it is this transformation that sets the stage for great things in a disciple’s life.
2. Destroying the idols:Before God could work through Gideon and the Israelites, the idols that ruled over the life of the nation needed to be destroyed. Gideon was asked to destroy the idols of Baal and Asherah set up by his father. Gideon does it in the middle of the night as he fears his people and with good reason because, a mob arrives at his house wanting to kill him for destroying the idols. The irony is unmistakable because Israel was a theocracy worshipping the Yahweh God, and it was the Baal worshippers that needed to be put to death. But the mindset of the people was so warped that truth was conveniently put aside. The tragedy then as it is now is that society had normalized what was evil and destructive and accepted it as a way of life. Gideon’s father steps in to support his son and silences the mob and helps Gideon start the journey of putting an end to idol worship for the nation.
3. Increasing the faith:Gideon needed enough conviction that God could help him accomplish the impossible. And God takes him through a series of miracles to get him to a point of great faith. By consuming his sacrifice on the rock, God demonstrates his raw power. When Gideon asks for dew to rest on the fleece alone, leaving the ground dry, he understands that God not only can demonstrate raw power but that this power can be fine-tuned for a specific purpose. Next, when he requests that God reverse what was just done, he is asking for confirmation that this incredible power of God was available for him to use. And this progression of revelation was necessary for Gideon to reach a point of being confident that God would use him and work through him as he led his army in the crucial battle.
4. Building an army: ‘Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon’(Judges 6:34). No great work of God can be done by man’s own strength. If man wishes to go beyond what is humanly possible, it is only through the power of God made real through the Holy Spirit. He starts with his family and progressively recruits his clan, his tribe, Manasseh and then related tribes to build up an army. Soon the entire nation of Israel acknowledges him as their ruler. Not only was the stage being set for the incredible defeat of the Midianite army, God was working to ensure that Gideon would continue to lead the nation for an entire generation. 

And indeed Gideon was faithful. He kept the nation away from idolatry and selflessly rejected the kingship that was offered to him and to his family by the nation in favor of honoring God above all else.

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