Gideon

If someone knows something about Gideon, it usually has to do with the episode with the fleece. However, I've found myself thinking about the characteristics of the man, since there are a few clues about that in Scripture. The most profound clue is found in Judges 8:18 where Gideon has an interesting conversation with 2 kings he has just captured. He asks them about the young men they had killed in the town of Tabor. Their response was "As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king". Gideon then tells them they were his brothers. This naturally brings up a whole series of questions such as what does it mean to have the bearing of a king? How is it that an entire family of sons has that bearing? Why do some have it and others don't? These are all questions that are not answered by the story of Gideon, nor can I answer them. In fact, the story of Gideon even confuses the picture. For instance, you might start out by answering that a man is able to raise a whole family of sons with the bearing of a king by being faithful to the LORD. But we learn in Judges 6 that his father has an altar to Baal! But here are some thoughts regarding this issue. First of all, I believe we can conclude that this regal bearing had something to do with the original call of Gideon, and preceded the call. We see this in the words of the angel when he calls Gideon a "Mighty man of valor". I don't believe that Gideon was a wimp, and then suddenly became a mighty man when the Spirit of the Lord came on him. Secondly, even as a mighty man of valor, he was cautious as shown by the fact that he destroyed his fathers altar to Baal during the night, and by his episode with the fleece. So Gideon was not brash and impulsive. Thirdly, Gideon had the ability to be humble. This is so clearly seen in the episode with the men of Ephraim as recorded in Judges 8:1-3. Gideon assuages their anger basically by being humble and telling them how little he is in comparison to them. My impression is that he is speaking what he truly feels, not using words to protect himself. Fourthly, and most importantly, once convinced of what God wanted him to do, Gideon was a man of action. He didn't procrastinate or rationalize...he moved forward and completed the task. He did it swiftly, completely, and with courage. While it's clear that Gideon made mistakes in his life as with the episode with the ephod, it's also clear that he modeled characteristics that men of today would do well to seek after.

God's Loincloth

If you've read much in the Old Testament, you know that God loves word pictures. He created those word pictures often by telling His prophets to do some very unusual things. Jeremiah chapter 13 is an excellent example, but the message that God is trying to portray is really amazing. In verse one, God tells Jeremiah to buy a new loincloth and wear it. Now basically, without getting into a lot of unnecessary detail, a loincloth is a piece of clothing covering the most intimate part of the human body. God gives specific instructions to Jeremiah. After wearing the loincloth, he is told to place it in the cleft of a rock near the Euphrates River and leave it there. Within a short period of time, after being exposed to the weather, the cloth is ruined. Here's where the fascinating part comes in. The message that God wants to give Israel is that originally, God looked at Israel as His loincloth, but it has now become ruined because of their sin and disobedience. What an amazing description of His relationship to Israel! God chooses the word picture of the loincloth! Here's what God says in verse 11: "For as the loincloth clings to the waste of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen." What strikes me is the ultimate degree of intimacy this description portrays. God could have chosen all kinds of clothing in this word picture. Shirt, hat, pants, shoes, coat, tunic...the list goes on. But what did God choose? The loincloth...the most intimate form of clothing that a human at that time could wear. Why? I strongly believe that God is once again illustrating for us just how intimate He desires our relationship with Him to be. He doesn't simply want acknowledgment from us...He doesn't just want casual relationship from us...He wants to have the most intimate relationship possible with us...far more intimate than we could ever imagine. As I think this through, I'm humbled and embarrassed by the different ways I push Him away or seek to avoid the relationship He would like to have with me. How can I not be drawn toward the God who also calls us His bride?

Actions vs. Attitude

All too often when thinking about obedience to God, I make the mistake of focusing on actions rather than attitude. Both are important, but it is attitude that bring the right actions, not the other way around. If we get the attitude or motivation correct, the right actions will automatically follow. And in fact, this is what Scripture teaches. Scripture talks more about attitude than actions. Take for example Psalm 146. There is a nugget of gold hidden within that verse that speaks volumes about attitude. It is found is verse 5 which in the English Standard Version states, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God". The Contemporary English version states, "The LORD God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts Him and depends on Him". There is no reference to actions in that verse because there is no need to reference actions. If we have the right attitude, i.e. hope and dependence on God, then the right actions will follow. But what does it look like to place our hope and dependence on God? The world offers many different things on which to place our hope. It can be in our job, in our marriage, in our children, in our health, our wealth, our appearance, and the list goes on and on. These things become idols, and our actions reflect this. We will put all our energy, time and effort into what we hope for. We will be drawn to what we hope for, think constantly about what we hope for, and most importantly, place our passion around what we hope for. What we set our hope on determines much of what our life looks like. When we set our hope on the God of Jacob, we care less about money, possessions, what others think of us, and all the other idols of this world. Instead, we seek to focus on what is yet to come while at the same time, doing a better job of living the life we have here on this earth. It is not that we become too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good, but rather it is only by becoming heavenly minded that we are of any earthly good. That's why our focus should be to maintain an attitude of hope in the Lord, rather than actions that seem to meet His demands.