Gideon was a young Israelite man living in Ophrah who came from a family of modest means. He was the youngest son of Joash, and his family line belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. Gideon and his family constantly feared neighboring groups who would steal their grain and livestock. The only refuge for the Israelites was often to take shelter in caves.
In the Book of Judges, we meet Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress – an unconventional method necessary to protect what grain they could get. Later in his life, Gideon became a judge of Israel and died an honored man in the history of God’s chosen people. Despite coming from humble beginnings, Gideon’s legacy is one of strength, courage, and faithfulness.
Read on as we share the best lessons from Gideon’s story.
What Are the Best Reminders We Can Get From Gideon’s Life?
The Book of Judges is a religious text that contains many important themes. However, the primary theme is that putting your trust and dependence on the Lord will give you direction.
The story of Gideon perfectly illustrates this. Gideon was a man who God chose to lead the Israelites in the battle against their enemies. Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, Gideon trusted in the Lord and was able to lead his people to victory. In doing so, he left us with six important reminders we can use in our lives today.
1. God Will Always See Our Best Sides
Gideon is a young man hiding from the Midianites with his family. They have taken refuge in caves, and Gideon is working hard to provide for them. Though he is doing his best, Gideon is fearful and has lost confidence in the God of the Israelites. His family has turned to Baal worship, and Gideon struggles to keep his faith.
However, despite this, God still calls Gideon a mighty warrior. This show of faith from God gives Gideon the strength he needs to lead the Israelites to victory. Judges chapter 6 is a story of hope and courage in facing adversity. It reminds us that God is still with us even at our weakest.
Like Gideon’s story, God will always see the best in us. He is still there for us even when we make mistakes. When we struggle, He will help us find the strength to overcome our challenges.
God knows what we are capable of and will use our strengths and talents to help us achieve His purposes. This is an encouraging reminder for us when we are facing difficult times. It is easy to lose faith in ourselves, but we must remember that God is always with us.
2. It Is Unacceptable to Worship Idols
In today’s world, it’s easy to forget that we worship idols just as much as the people in Gideon’s time did. We may not have golden calves in our yards, but we often place wealth, status, and time above our relationship with God. Anything that separates us from Him is an idol, and He expects us to tear down these false idols in our lives.
Just as Gideon followed the Lord’s instruction to take down his father’s altar to Baal, we must follow God’s instruction to remove anything that comes between our relationship with Him. We cannot serve two masters. If we want a relationship with God, we must tear down the idols in our lives and make Him our priority.
3. All of Us Are Unfinished Products
We all have moments, maybe even seasons, of weakness in our faith. When we face challenges and don’t see a way out, it’s easy to give in to fear. This was true for Gideon. The Israelites were living in constant fear of their enemies. They were complacent and didn’t believe things could get better. Gideon was young and likely still had some growing up to do. Despite his weakness, he did not give in to despair.
Gideon sought out the Lord’s guidance. Gideon asked for a sign from God three times to ensure he interpreted the instructions correctly. We can learn from Gideon’s story that it is okay to admit our weaknesses and ask for guidance from God. The Lord is with us even when we feel like we are hiding. He sees our potential and wants to help us grow in faith.
We are all unfinished products that are growing in our faith. To help us along the way, God gives us friends, family, and community. These people are essential to our spiritual development.We grow stronger in our faith when we worship and learn from each other. We can take comfort in knowing that the Lord is with us on this journey and will never leave us alone.
4. We Should Not Let Any Man Rule Our Lives
As Christians, we are called to follow Christ alone. He is the only true King and worthy of our worship and allegiance. Gideon’s response to the Israelites shows a perfect example of this principle.
Gideon reminds the Israelites that they already have a King – the Lord – and that He alone should rule over them. This was his response when the Israelites wanted to treat Gideon and his family and descendants as royals.
This is a powerful reminder for us that no man should be the ruler of our lives. We are called to let God reign over us, and in doing so, we will enjoy the spoils of royalty as co-heirs with Christ. So let us fix our eyes on God alone and let Him be the King of our lives. This way, we can avoid the pitfall of allowing any man to rule over us.
5. A Little Goes a Long Way
Gideon’s story reminds us that we don’t always need to feel qualified for the tasks God gives us. All He asks is that we have faith in Him and are willing to follow His lead. Gideon is also an example of how God can use anyone – no matter their age or past experiences – to accomplish great things.
When we trust in God and go forth in His name, He will provide us with the strength and wisdom we need to succeed. Just as He did with Gideon, He will work through us to achieve His purposes, even when the odds seem insurmountable. This is what it means to have faith: to believe that all things are possible with God’s help.
6. It’s Very Easy to Ruin Our Relationship With God
Gideon was a man who accomplished many great things. With the help of God, he led his people to freedom and defeated their enemies. The people were grateful to him and wanted him to rule over them, but Gideon knew it was not his place. He knew he had to stay on the righteous path and continue walking with God.
Although Gideon did everything right, he still made one mistake. He built a golden ephod which led the Israelites astray. They started worshiping it instead of God. This shows that it is very easy to fall away from God, even if you have done everything right up until that point.
Every battle fought and won should have reminded the Israelites of what they were fighting for: the freedom to live as God desired. Ultimately, all it took was one object to turn them away from God. We must be careful not to let anything come between us and our relationship with God.
We can apply these six principles to our lives today. As we read Gideon’s story, let us reflect on how we can apply these lessons to our lives. This way, we can all lead lives that are pleasing to God.
Bottom Line
Gideon’s story is one of God’s power to turn any man’s situation around. God can do so many things with our lives if we trust him. However, we need to make sure that we always obey and honor the Lord. By doing this, we can fulfill his plans for us. What can we learn from Gideon in the Bible? We can learn to trust God, regardless of our situation. He is always faithful and will never leave us alone.
