Daily Thought

Gideon was wonderfully favoured by the Lord, for God, in His grace had met with him and bestowed upon him the promise of victory over the oppressive forces of Midian. Though the immediate circumstances for Israel were difficult and restricted, God gave a glimpse of future freedom and the overthrow of the invasion force. Gideon would be the man to lead Israel to victory.

We can well imagine the impact upon Gideon’s mind as he heard those awesome words. He wanted to be absolutely sure that this was God’s message. So, he sought a sign and asked the angel of the Lord to stay while he went and made a pot of broth and a basket of unleavened bread. This he offered as a present to the Lord and placed it upon a rock. The rock thus functioned as an altar and the food became a sacrifice to the Lord. With a touch of His staff the angel caused fire to ascend out of the rock and consume the offering, and with that the angel departed.

The enormity of what had happened must have weighed heavily upon Gideon, for fear engulfed him and he cried out in terror to the Lord. It was a desperate cry for he had seen an angel of the Lord face to face. ‘Angel of the Lord’ is widely used in the Old Testament to denote a manifestation of God Himself to men. Thus, Gideon had seen the Lord and in fear for his life cried out to God.

God’s reassuring voice came to Gideon, and with it, peace to replace fear. Fear always robs us of peace, but as we learn to trust the Lord and rely upon Him, we can conquer fear and experience true peace. The Apostle Paul made this clear when he assured the Philippians that the truly prayerful Christian will enjoy God’s wonderful peace, Phil. 4. 6, 7.

So, Gideon was told that he would not die, but live to secure victory over the Midianites. He then built an altar to the Lord and called it ‘Jehovah-shalom’, which means ‘The Lord is peace’. We can imagine that such a sentiment echoed the feelings of Gideon’s heart, for he now knew calmness within - but it also focused upon the future peace and freedom from oppression which would be secured for Israel through Gideon. Today the Lord Jesus gives His people true peace of heart.