Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim;
Judges 6:12,14: “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him. ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty warrior.’ And the Lord looked at him and said ‘Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
Let’s just follow Judges 6 a little closely. First we learn that the people of Israel fell into sin and as a result they were oppressed by the Midianites. The Midianites pretty well destroyed the economy of Israel. They were stealing all their crops and produce and anything else that had value to them. Israel cried out to God. In response God sent a prophet (v.8) who reminded them that He did deliver them in the past but that this trouble has come upon them because they were disobedient. Their disobedience was in the form of worshipping the gods of the Amorites. The Amorites worshipped the god Amurru aka Martu. Little is known of this god. It is often referred to as the god of the mountains or the son of the shepherd. Historians seem to think that the worship of this god has it’s roots in the worship of God Jehovah and was originally viewed as the mother or wife of Jehovah. Odd how you can take a pure belief and tag on little heresies here and there. I’m sure, of course, that would never happen to us today. This eventually evolved into a religion of it’s own right. Anyways, they believed this was the god that provided all their abundance and prosperity. So it would only be fitting that in order for God to show where Israel’s provision originated, He would have had to subject the people to poverty so they would realize they were looking to the wrong god for their source.
After the prophet spoke, an angel of the Lord came and sat under an oak tree near the place where Gideon was working. Then it said the angel “appeared” to Gideon. Much has been said about who this angel was. Many believe it was a theophany, an appearance of God Himself in human form. Some say it was Jesus, some say it was just an angel and others feel it was just the prophet from verse 6. The word for angel here is “la’ke.” It basically means a messenger, but it is used for a priest, an angel, or a minister. The word “appear” is strange, because it is the word “yara.’” This is the word for “fear” or “reverence” or “respect.” This is why I do not feel this angel was God or Jesus, because he showed a respect or reverence for him. What is there to respect, I mean this old boy was anything but a mighty warrior. If he had an ounce of warrior blood in him, he would have been in the front lines fending off the Midianites as they ransacked their fields. Instead he was in the rear lines where he was safe and sound threshing wheat.
Why did the angel have respect for Gideon? He knew something Gideon did not. “The Lord is with you.” The word “with” is ‘amadi” which has more of the idea of being in union with, connected to as a kindred, a part of the family, a blood relative. Gideon’s response was; “If the Lord is with us.” He didn’t get it or he refused to get it ie., Jehovah was a part or connected with him, personally. He was a “king’s kid” as they used to say in the 70’s. This is followed by verse 14 which says that Jehovah “looked” at him. The word for “looked” is “panah” which is the word we use for the presence of God. In other words Jehovah filled him with His presence.
This would explain that strange statement that follows: “Go in this your strength.” It sounds very contradictory. I mean we are constantly being told that we go in the strength of the Lord be here Jehovah is telling Gideon to go in “his” strength. Actually it is more correctly translated, “in this your strength.” What was his strength? It was the “panah” the presence of God.
How many of us are just working in the rear lines where it is safe, threshing wheat. We cry out to God, “where are your miracles, where is your revival.” The God gives us “panah” or fills us with His presence and simply tells us what he told Gideon. “You go, had I not called you?” What, you want to feel His presence just so you can feel good? His presence isn’t there just to feel good, it is there to be our might our power. It is that which will cause us to defeat the Midianites.
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