The Lord is raising the spirit of Gideon within the Church and the wider culture to demonstrate His power and authority. At first, those receiving this assignment will be reluctant because they think they do not have the qualifications to carry out the assignment.
While Gideon is known most famously for putting a fleece before the Lord, there was something else in his life that was more important. It was how God saw Gideon as a potential hero and his willingness to defy the false gods in the land that were the most critical elements for Gideon’s leadership.
At his calling as a judge over Israel, and before he did anything noteworthy, an angel appeared to Gideon and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” (Judges 6:12). After he heard the words of the angel, Gideon said, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” (vs. 13). Then the angel said, “Go with the strength you have” (vs. 14). What Gideon did not realize at the time, the angel was speaking to Gideon as a man, not to the nation of Israel.
Gideon was confused and said, “How can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family” (vs. 15). Human qualifications mean nothing to God. His greatest works are accomplished where no natural evidence of potential success is present to take credit for what the Lord alone can accomplish.
The night of the angelic announcement, the Lord instructed Gideon to pull down his father’s altar to Baal and his Asherah pole. Gideon did this at night to not be seen. The next morning, the town was in an uproar demanding the life of the offender. It was discovered the culprit was Gideon. Gideon’s death was demanded until Joash, Gideon’s father, spoke up and said, “If Baal is truly a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar. From that day on Gideon was known in his community as Jerub-baal which means “Let Baal defend himself because he broke down Baal’s altar” (vs. 31).
The two names given to Gideon before his greatest exploits were “hero” and “Jerub-baal.” God personally defined Gideon as a hero and by those within the culture where he lived, he was known as a man who opposed the false gods of the culture of his day.
Gideon was redefined and renamed because of his willingness to obey the Lord when the results of his obedience did not seem possible or reasonable. What supported the definition of the names given to Gideon was his obedience. Those walking in the Gideon calling will do what God asks of them even when having personal doubts about their calling and when facing life-threatening consequences for their obedience.
Amen – we too, like Gideon, will be redefined and renamed because of our willingness to obey the Lord when the results of our obedience do not seem possible or reasonable.