Then the LORD ... said [to Gideon], "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"

So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread ...

Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. (Judges 6:14,15,19,21, NKJV)

... the same night ... the LORD said to [Gideon], "... tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, ... and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock ... So Gideon ... did as the LORD had said .... But ... by night. (Judges 6:25-27, NKJV)

Then the LORD said to Gideon,"By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. (Judges 7:7, NKJV)

Now the Midianites and Amalekites, ... were ... as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. (Judges 7:12, NKJV)

Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. ... When I blow the trumpet, ... then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!'" (Judges 7:16-18, NKJV)

After having enjoyed forty years of peace, the nation of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and suffered torments from the Midianites and Amalekites for the subsequent twenty years. Then the angel of the Lord came to a teenage boy named Gideon, who was threshing wheat in a wine press, concealing his activities from his enemies. Gideon had heard stories about the Lord's mighty deeds, but he neither knew the Lord, nor had seen him work. The Lord told this timid boy to lead an army of Israelites against the Midianites and Amalekites, and promised to empower him to defeat his enemies.

After worshiping the Lord and destroying his father's idol, Gideon asked the Lord to perform a miraculous sign for him as a confirmation of His protection and guidance. First, he asked the Lord to cause the morning dew to settle exclusively on a bundle of wool. The Lord granted his request, and, even though the surrounding ground was completely dry, he was able to wring a bowl full of water out of the wool. The Gideon asked the Lord to reverse the situation, and the wool was dry while the ground was drenched (Judges 6:36-40).

The Lord complied with Gideon's requests, but then greatly increased the stakes of trusting the Lord: He pared an army of 32,000 Israelites down to a mere three hundred men, against an enormous army of perhaps hundreds of thousands. In the end, Gideon and his men performed a prophetic act, and all their enemies killed each other as they fled in fear.

So what can we learn about faith from Gideon? First, age has little or no bearing on faith (Matthew 10:15). Second, exercised faith will naturally increase over time. Third, the Lord encourages the growth of faith, by continually increasing the demands on our faith. Fourth, the Lord honors sincere requests for confirmation of his instructions, but then requires an even greater exercise of faith when confirmation is given. Fifth, our faith should always be in the Lord Himself, and in His benevolence and omnipotence, not in our own strength. Sixth, faith can change things very quickly.

Copyright (c) 2008 Jon Straumfjord