Monday, August 17, 2020
Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian, that the LORD sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery. 'I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me."' Judges 6:7-10
A Little Background Information…
The Israelites were in a bad place. They had done evil in the eyes of the Lord, as they had turned their backs on God repeatedly and worshipping pagan gods. Now they were suffering painful consequences as a result. For seven years, God has allowed them to be harassed by their enemies. These include the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east. Every time Israel plants a crop, these enemies come in and plunder and destroy it. They had camels which carried heavy loads and ran fast. They were so powerful that the Israelites didn’t stand a chance. So the people were reduced to starvation and poverty. They hid in caves; they cowered when the Midianite hordes descended upon them, finally crying out to God for help in desperation. They were hopeless, and terrified.
When we first see Gideon, he is hiding in a wine press, hoping the Midianites won’t find him and steal his crop. Most of the crops have been plundered and destroyed, but what he has somehow managed to save must now be winnowed. So Gideon is threshing wheat in a wine press, trying to get enough grain for flour for food. He’s doing his job in the worst possible way. To winnow wheat you need to be out in the open air where the wind can blow the chaff away as the grain is tossed upward, leaving the good grain. But he’s scared to be seen out in the open - so he’s doing the best job he can, in hiding.
You Cannot Hide From God
Gideon thought he was hiding. Maybe the Midianites could not find him there, but God did. He was hiding away, just trying to do what he could to survive. He was afraid like all the other Israelites. Sin and the consequence of sin can make us feel powerless and hopeless. God does bring victory over sin and despair, but the devil will keep us in the wine press, hiding away, as long as he can. But when God comes calling, He knows exactly where to find us and we cannot hide any longer.
You may hide from the world, but God, and most importantly the love of God, can find you anywhere. There is no place on earth that you are out of His reach. What is keeping you hiding away? Is it fear? There have been so many things about this year that have caused fear in all of us. Just like God has power over sin and despair, He has power over fear as well. He longs for us to be released from our fears and to receive the power we have in Him to do all the things He calls us to do. He calls on us to recognize ourselves for who we are in Him – His valiant warriors – set aside to do His work.
Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1
