Gideon, weakling to mighty warrior - 22 October 2026
Imogen Campbell
The angel of God said to him, 'Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.' And Gideon did so. Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. When Gideon realised that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!' But the Lord said to him, 'Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.'Judges 6:20-23, NIV
Gideon has no qualms about stating his weakness or even that of his family. Yet, the Bible records an encounter with the angel of the Lord, who saw him as a mighty warrior. I am always amazed at how full of doubt he was, but also the patience exhibited by the “angel”.
I would like to draw your attention to the fiery detail that convinced Gideon that he was dealing with God as per the passage above. What we might describe as Shekinah glory manifested as fire from the rock that consumed the meat and the bread. It mirrored what happened to the Israelites in the desert. "Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown." (Leviticus 9:23-24)
In typical God or angel fashion, Gideon was reassured that he would not die. As the Bible has revealed, no one can see God’s face and live. "But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20)
Gideon would go on to defeat the Midianites with 300 men after winnowing them down first from 32 000 then to 10 000. Gideon’s fear originally is understandable when considering how terrified the rest of the men clearly were. For 22 000 men to leave out of fear is quite something. God then sets about reducing the army to only 300 so that Israel could not boast that its own strength had saved it.
Is God busy reducing your resources at the moment? He may be setting you up for a victory. Now, that’s a great thought, isn’t it?
Anyhow, the modus operandi for the battle as communicated by this commander was the use of trumpets, empty jars in the hands of the men and torches (fire) inside. At the signal, the trumpets were blown, jars were broken and as they held these torches, they screamed a battle cry.
It threw the enemy into confusion and the men turned on themselves. The result: the Midianite threat did not raise its ugly head again in Gideon’s lifetime.
If you feel like God cannot use you because of your current situation, perceived weakness, lack of resources and/or a character flaw, perhaps Gideon’s life could inject new faith into what is possible with God. What holds you back? Like God said to Gideon, go in the strength that you have.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for using even the lowliest among us. We praise you for the patience you exhibit to contend with humans when we are most frail and afraid. Amen.