Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
“You have made us for Yourself. And our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” (Augustine)
Creator of all things, hear my voice, for you have made it. You who live in heaven, hear my prayer from earth. I am one person in one little town in one corner of your vast creation. Of all the people on the planet, hear me also. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Confession
O God, in the beginning you made us good, even “very good.” I admit the many things in my life that are far from your good intent. I try to change, and then find myself in the same place once again. Lord, you know me. Have mercy. Make me right. Forgive my wickedness. Bring me back to good, as you intended from the beginning. Amen.
Word: Judges 6:1,11
“The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. … Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.”
Meditation: The Unlikely Hero by Julianna Shults
Gideon is one of my favorite kinds of stories, the unlikely hero. This hero isn’t exceptional in any way; in fact, he doesn’t even want to be a hero. Yet, God uses Gideon and all his flaws and sins to save God’s people.
We open on a story we hear many times throughout Scripture. The Israelites had sinned and fallen away from God again. As a result, God allowed the people of Midian to conquer them. God’s people were driven into mountains and caves. Any time they had crops or animals, the Midianites would swarm in with their allies, the Amalekites, and steal everything. For years they were an Old Testament version of a pack of bullies stealing the Israelites’ lunch and homework every day.
The Israelites cried out to God for deliverance. God was faithful to His people then just like he is now. Even though the Israelites weren’t always faithful, God loved them, forgave them, and promised to save them, just like He does for us today. But who would lead the charge to free Israel from Midian? The most unlikely, unsure character: Gideon.
When we meet him, Gideon is beating wheat in a winepress. If you were reading this verse long ago, you might immediately know what kind of man Gideon is. But if the meaning is lost on you, let’s review ancient farming.
When farmers harvest wheat, they have to separate the grain (the delicious food part) from the chaff (the not tasty plant part). Before fancy equipment, they did that by waiting for a windy day and then throwing it all into the air. The chaff is light and would fly away. The grain is heavy and would fall to the ground for them to collect and use.
The big problem is that beating the grain out in the open can be seen a long way off. The chaff and dust flying are an indicator that grain is nearby. You risked your enemies or hungry neighbors swooping in and taking the food.
Gideon is in a winepress, essentially a deep hole higher than his head, throwing up tiny handfuls of grain and praying that what little chaff is separated will go unspotted. He is so fearful of the enemy that he will do the job poorly rather than risk being spotted. God’s hero is a coward.
Gideon is a man full of fear and uncertainty, not who you expect God to choose. We know fear, anxiety, and self-doubt ourselves. That doesn’t stop God from working in us and even despite us.
God is about to do a mighty thing through Gideon. God will promise to work through him powerfully. God does the same for us. Even with our shortcomings, God claims us and sends the Holy Spirit to use us in mighty and sometimes unlikely ways to love others and share the Gospel.
God, thank you for working through unlikely heroes. Help us to understand the ways that you can use us to show your love to others. Amen.
Benediction
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom. 11:33,36))