MIGHTY WARRIOR

Diet Eman was an ordinary, shy young woman in the Netherlands—in love, working, and enjoying time with family and friends—when the Germans invaded in 1940. As Diet (pronounced Deet) later wrote, “When there is danger on your doorstep, you want to act almost like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.” Yet Diet felt God calling her to resist the German oppressors, which included risking her life to find hiding places for Jews and other pursued people. This unassuming young woman became a warrior for God.

We find many stories in the Bible similar to Diet’s, stories of God using seemingly unlikely characters to serve Him. For instance, when the angel of the Lord approached Gideon, he proclaimed, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Yet Gideon seemed anything but mighty. He’d been secretly threshing wheat away from the prying eyes of the Midianites, who oppressively controlled Israel at the time (vv. 1–6, 11). He was from the weakest clan of Israel (Manasseh) and the “least” in his family (v. 15). He didn’t feel up to God’s calling and even requested several signs. Yet God used him to defeat the cruel Midianites (see ch. 7).

God saw Gideon as “mighty.” And just as God was with and equipped Gideon, so He’s with us, His “dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1)—supplying all we need to live for and serve Him in little and big ways.

Read: Judges 6:11-16 (NIV)

11 The angel of the Lord^t came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah^u that belonged to Joash^v 

the Abiezrite,^w where his son Gideon^x was threshing^y wheat in a winepress^z to keep it from the Midianites. 

12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,^a mighty warrior.^b”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?

Where are all his wonders^c that our ancestors told^d us about when they said,

‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned^e 

us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have^f and save^g 

Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan^h 

is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.ⁱ”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you^j, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

INSIGHT

1. Who are some other Bible characters God used despite their weakness to accomplish much for Him?
2. How has God moved you outside your comfort zone to serve Him?

Judges 6 follows a pattern seen often in the book—Israel’s evil resulting in oppression, followed by Israel crying out to God, and God responding with deliverance. Judges 6 also differs from previous versions of this “pattern” in ways that indicate that both the evil and suffering in Israel is intensifying. In Judges 4, after the Israelites cry out for God’s help, Deborah immediately takes action. In chapter 6, however, after a much more extensive account of the Midianites’ oppression (vv. 2–6), God responds to the Israelites’ cry for deliverance by first chastising them (vv. 7–10).

Gideon emerges as a reluctant judge, his story echoing Moses’ commission. Both lacked confidence in their ability to act as God’s agents, but He commands and sends them anyway (Exodus 3:10; Judges 6:14). Both are granted signs of God’s presence and a promise that God is with them (Exodus 3:12; 4:1–9; Judges 6:16–23).

PRAYER

God, I’m so thankful You don’t see me as I see myself. Help me to see myself as Your dearly loved child capable of doing big and small things in service to You. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!

Read: Judges 6:11-16 (NIV)  | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 27-29; 1 Peter 3