In this post, we will be focusing on what can we learn from Gideon. There’s no denying that the Bible has plenty of incredible stories, and many of those stories are famous worldwide. We will be focusing on Gideon.
Gideon’s life story provides insight into the kind of person God uses to do great things in His service, even when faced with unfavourable odds and what seems like impossible challenges.
These ten vital things we can learn from Gideon apply to our role in God’s army and every aspect of life. But let’s look at who Gideon was in the Bible.
Who Was Gideon?
Before we see what to learn from Gideon, let’s briefly see who he was. Gideon was a young Israelite from Ophrah. He was the youngest son of Joash, who came from the Abiezer family. His family belonged to the Manasseh tribe.
Gideon came from a poor home. They feared that neighbouring tribes would steal the Israelites’ grain and livestock. To protect themselves and what little food they had, the Israelites had to seek refuge in caves.
Despite his lack of experience and strength, Gideon led Isreal to victory in battle because he relied on God instead of his own understanding and strength. He later becomes a judge in Israel and dies as a revered figure in the history of God’s chosen people.
Gideon was the man God used mightily to save Israel from the hands of the Midianites. So what can we learn from Gideon?
1. God Always Sees the Best in Us
In Judges chapter 6, we find Gideon going about his business of threshing wheat in a winepress. A young man attempting to help his family obtain grain while preventing the Midianites from discovering it.
Gideon had lost faith in the God of the Israelites. As a result of this, his family converted to Baal worship. They fled into caves in search of shelter. Despite this, God calls to Gideon at the winepress. The agent of the Lord calls Gideon “a mighty man of valor.” in verse 12.
Judges 6:11 – 12; Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
In the eyes of man, we can certainly see that Gideon is not a mighty man nor a man of valor. The strong and fearless warriors do not hide as Gideon is doing. The men of valor are courageous enough to go to the battlefield and give up their life for the cause he is called to fight for. Undeniably, this is not Gideon.
To make the Angel statement seem more absurd is His declaration that the LORD is with Gideon. For almost a decade, no one seems to feel the presence of God, especially this man.
So what can we learn from Gideon? First, God saw the best in Gideon. He looked past his faults and his weaknesses. And this is true for us today. God sees our hearts. He knows who we truly are. God knows that we have weaknesses. When we think about God, we often think of him as a judge.
Someone who is looking at us from above and seeing all of our flaws. But the truth is God always sees the best in us. He sees our potential and our goodness, even when we don’t see it in ourselves.
God is always there for us, even when we make mistakes. He knows our hearts, and he knows what we are capable of.
So when we feel like we are not good enough, we can remember that God always sees the best in us. You are never too far from His grace, and His love is always available. His mercy is new every morning, and His grace is sufficient for you.
2. When God Calls You, He Will Equip You
The story of Gideon is a constant reminder that we don’t have to be perfect for God to use us. We don’t have to have it all figured out to bring God glory. So what can we learn from Gideon? Despite how unworthy we may think we actually are, God can still use us.
Like many of us, Gideon focused on why He felt He wasn’t the right person for the job. He saw his limitations and weaknesses;
“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” (Judges 6:15).
The conversation between God and Gideon reveals the character of Gideon. He lacks the faith and godly confidence to lead the Israelite army against the Midianites. Using human reasoning, there is no doubt that Gideon is not up for the challenge, and God should have just chosen another person.
But this doesn’t matter to God because Gideon was going to save Isreal through God’s ability and not his. This is because when God calls you, He will empower you to fulfil your assignment.
We are not alone when we feel inadequate for whatever God has asked us to do. The Bible contains countless examples of saints who questioned their ability.
At the beginning of Exodus, Moses is called to a daunting task. From a burning bush God hands him the responsibility of delivering the Israelites from Egypt—more than 2 million of them.
But Moses doesn’t respond with a lot of enthusiasm. Instead, he questions God’s call on his life: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exod. 3:11)? God patiently responds that he will be with Moses, giving him the power and grace to deliver the people.
When Moses doubts his ability as a public speaker (Exod. 4:10), God sends Aaron to speak on his behalf. He even allows Moses the ability to perform miracles to conquer the Israelites’ unbelief—a staff that becomes a serpent, a cloak that heals a leprous hand.
Moses’s successor, Joshua, also despaired over his ability to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Esther feared approaching the king, knowing it risked her life. But through her obedience, God saved the entire nation.
God will prepare us for the job he assigns us, just as he prepared Moses to lead the Israelites with Aaron and his staff, just as God kept his promise to give Joshua victory over the Canaanites, and just as God gave Esther the confidence to walk before the king.
“God is able to make every grace flow to you,” Paul writes, “so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good activity” (2 Cor. 9:8).
God does not call us to for an assignment to abandon us. Instead, He is with us, provides for us, and allows us to complete the work.
And this was the case, too, for Gideon. So what can we learn from Gideon? We learn that no matter how unfit you may be to carry out a divine assignment when God calls you, He will prepare you for the task.
3. You Are Not Alone In Your Battle
Gideon’s fear was inspired by the thought of being alone and disadvantaged when He realised God was asking Him to fight the Midianites. He considered his numerical strength and other disadvantages.
But all those didn’t matter because one with God is the majority. So what can we learn from Gideon? You are not alone in your battle. And this is true even for you today! When you feel like you’re fighting your battles all alone—remind yourself that you’re not. Ever.
Deuteronomy 20:4 tells us, “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
Here is the truth about the Father’s infinite love: He will never leave or forsake us, especially during the hardest times. As you read this, you may be trying so hard to move on, striving so hard to get out of bed in the morning or maybe even to stay alive. Hold on, my friend – you are not alone in this battle.
God is fighting for you and with you. So you are not in this alone. In life, each of us will face difficulty. Each of us may lose our footing, be defeated, be let down by those we love, or find ourselves backed up against a wall, powerless to change what is happening around us.
This life will offer us troubles, sorrow, and heartbreak, as well as times when hope and love will seem a thousand miles away. But it is at these difficult times that our Father wants us to rely on Him.
There’s a saying that goes, ‘God only gives his hardest battles to His strongest soldiers,’ as if that’s supposed to bring us comfort and strengthen our hearts.
As if that’s supposed to give us the answers to the ‘whys’ spinning around our brain—Why did God let this happen? Why do I feel this way? Why do I have no control?
However, I believe the proverb is not intended for us to find consolation in our own strength, but in His. I don’t believe God sends us battles. These are unavoidable. Those are all part of life, no matter how unpleasant they are.
But He does promise that we are strong in Him. Yes, we will experience pain, but He will be there to help us get through it. He doesn’t give His battles to His strongest soldiers.
He fights those battles with us and for us, helping us become strong soldiers who, in His love and grace, are set free. So what can we learn from Gideon? God is fighting your battles with you. Just like it did for Gideon in Judges chapter. He is still doing so much more, even today!
4. Focus On What You Have, Not What You Lack
Gideon’s focus was what he lacked when God called him to an assignment. This is true even today. A lot of us focus on the several things we may lack before responding to God’s assignment. We often given excuses for not acting in accordance with God’s instructions.
So what can we learn from Gideon? Choosing to focus on the things that matter is wisdom. Focusing on what we lack makes it easy to become discouraged. We may feel like we’re not good enough or don’t have what it takes to accomplish the task at hand.
But when we focus on what we have, we can see that we are fully equipped to handle whatever God has called us to do. Think about it – if God has called you to do something,
He has also given you everything you need to do it. He doesn’t call us to do something and then leave us hanging. He is faithful, and He will provide what we need.
So, if you’re feeling like you can’t do what God has called you to do, take a step back and focus on what you do have. Trust that God will equip you with everything you need to accomplish His mission.
You have so many gifts in your life. It’s time to focus on what you have, maximise these gifts and allow them to help you bloom into your full potential. Unfortunately, we so often get caught up, focusing on what we think we don’t have.
This blinds us from noticing all the abundance in our life and keeps us from tapping into this abundance. Every day we must develop the reflex to connect to those gifts, be grateful for them and be proud of where we are at.
We must quit comparing ourselves to others and believing that they have it better or easier than we do. We all have our struggles and successes, and comparing just robs us of enjoying our unique journey.
Begin to recognise everything you already have, from outward resources to internal gifts like your abilities, skills, and unique strengths, today. You’re an incredible being, and until you truly believe that, you won’t live your life to its full potential.
5. God Wants Our Faith To Increase
Today we talk about Gideon as a man who had faith in God and was willing to manifest heaven’s expectations for his life. However, this wasn’t always so. Gideon wasn’t always a man with faith and courage.
The many years of being afflicted by the Midianites and the absence of God’s deliverance has made him spineless and cowardly.
However, God saw Gideon as an unfinished product. He knew that Gideon was better than his current situation. So He then set different events to improve the faith of Gideon further.
Gideon began to doubt again after dispatching messengers throughout the territory of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and he sought God’s confirmation. He wanted to know if God will truly deliver the Israelites from the hands of their adversary.
He begged God to make the fleece wet despite the ground around it being bone dry. He requested that this be a symbol of God’s deliverance. The next morning, he discovered the fleece in the exact location for which he had prayed to God.
This, however, was insufficient to persuade Gideon. He begged God once more to make the earth moist while keeping the fleece dry. Yet God still granted His desire.
So what can we learn from Gideon? In this story, we can learn a vital lesson. God is more than willing to help Christians who struggle to strengthen their faith.
Gideon previously asked for a sign before this, and God answered it. The mere fact that an Angel of the Lord appeared to him should have been enough to convince him, but Gideon was still not sure.
As a result, we might seek God’s assistance in increasing our faith. God is capable and will assist us in dealing with our unbelief as long as we are willing to grow and increase our faith.
6. Few Or Little Committed To God Is More Than Enough
It was time to gather the mighty army that will defeat the Midianites after receiving the sign of the fleece from God. At first, Gideon was able to gather about 32,000 men to battle against their enemies.
However, God considers this to be too many for His purposes. If the battle had this number, the Israelites would eventually ascribe their triumph to themselves rather than God. To reduce Gideon’s army, soldiers who are scared to fight were asked to return home.
Gideon now had 10,000 men as a result of this downsizing. This should be enough. But just as Gideon was about to exhale a breath of relief, God instructed him to reduce their number significantly.
At this point, Gideon and his soldiers may had begun to wonder if they could ever win this battle. However, Gideon eventually gathered his army of 300 warriors. So his army shrunk from 32,000 to 300 men. Gideon, on the other hand, knows that God is with them, and that is more than enough.
So what can we learn from Gideon? Few or little in the hands of God is more than enough. When we think of the phrase “few or little,” we typically think of it in negative terms. However, the Bible tells us that in the hands of God, even a small amount can be more than enough.
A typical example is the story of Gideon. God called Gideon to lead an army of just 300 men to victory against a much larger enemy force. And in the book of 1 Kings, we read about the prophet Elijah. Elijah was also called to stand for God against the 400 prophets of Baal.
These stories show us that no matter how small or insignificant we might feel, we can always do great things for God if we are obedient to His call. So let us not focus on our own limitations, but instead let us trust in the power of God to work through us, no matter how few or little we may be.
7. Remain Humble When God Lifts You
Gideon’s famous and spectacular victory over the Midianites quickly spread across Israel. Gideon immediately became a “celebrity,” and many people began to look up to him.
They had witnessed Gideon’s transformation from a man hiding in the winepress to a leader of 300 soldiers to victory.
The impact of his transformation made the people want him to lead them as king. Judges 8:22 tells us: “Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
Imagine Gideon enjoying his success and now the people want him to be a king over them. Gideon would have surely felt the pride starting to run through his vein if he had not been changed by God. However, his reply was of humility:
But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”
So what can we learn from Gideon? Gideon again teaches the need to remain humble when God lifts us. He knew it was a sin to aspire to take the place of God – to rule over Isreal.
No matter how many great things God does in our lives, it is important to stay humble. When we are humble, it shows that we are grateful for all that God has done for us and that we are not thinking highly of ourselves. When lifted up or promoted by God, it is an opportunity to serve others and show them His love.
8. Obey God And Leave The Rest To Him
Gideon’s obedience to God’s instruction finally delivered Isreal from the Midianites. Obey God. Trust Him. Pray hard. Work hard.
And leave all the results and consequences up to him. We will be judged by obedience and not by comparing our results to others deemed more successful than us.
Obedience can be difficult, especially when we are tempted to assume that we will lose more than we will gain by obeying. However, obeying God is crucial to pleasing Him at all times, not only during times of temptation.
When we choose to obey God, we are choosing the wise path. His promises of reward in exchange for obedience greatly surpass any negative repercussions. He requests that we submit to Him and leave whatever happens in His loving care.
We must remember that God loves and cares for us. He demands our compliance not because He is a harsh taskmaster but because He understands the destructive impact that disobedience and sin will have on our life.
Obedience is not always easy—you may suffer criticism from others or encounter difficulties and opposition—but it always puts you in a good position before God. He will take care of all that concerns you; so stay on the path of obedience and leave the rest to Him.
9. God Will Use The Weak To Confound The Strong
In today’s society, it is easy to get caught up in appearances and what others think of us. We can often forget that it is not our strength that defines us, but our character.
God will often use the weakest among us to shame the strong. This is because God knows that it is not our might that will win the day, but our faith. When we are faced with trials and tribulations, it is our faith that will see us through.
So, when you are feeling weak and powerless, remember that God can use you to shame the strong.
Just like Gideon, God has plans for us and wants to use us irrespective of how the world sees or thinks of us.
10. God Is Sovereign
Gideon strived hard to ensure God backed him before the battle because he knew God was sovereign. And only God’s will and plans really matter. So what can we learn from Gideon? Just like Gideon, we should ensure we always align to His will.
When we think about the sovereignty of God, what typically comes to mind is His power and authority. And while that is certainly part of it, there is so much more to it than that.
To say that God is sovereign is to say that He is in complete and total control of everything. Nothing happens without His knowledge or permission. He is the one who ultimately determines the outcome of every situation.
For some of us, the idea of a sovereign God can be a bit unsettling. We like to be in control of our own lives and don’t like the idea that there is someone else who has the final say in what happens to us.
But the truth is that God is good and He knows what is best for us. His sovereignty is a protection for us, not a threat.
When we trust in the sovereignty of God, we can rest assured that He is in control and that He will work everything out for our good. We don’t have to worry about the future because we know that He will take care of us.
Conclusion
The story of Gideon is one of hope and courage in the face of impossible odds. Gideon’s faith in God gave him the strength to lead his people to victory against all odds.
We hope you apply these ten vital things we can learn from Gideon, as they will improve your relationship with God tremendously.
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