The Lord is SO patient with us.
Even when we’re wrapped up in our agendas and frustration rather than by the awareness and appreciation of His grace.
Too many times, we’ve been like Gideon who didn’t grasp the enormity of divine grace.
At least not initially.
You’ll recall that Gideon was the young man to whom the Angel of the Lord appeared in the days before biblical Israel had a king.
The spiritual apathy of the Hebrews had left them spiritually impotent and militarily bankrupt and pagan nations had oppressed them in brutal fashion.
Yet, God’s heart heard their tormented, confused cries for help and the pre-incarnate Christ was sent to Gideon with a message.
The story is told in the book of Judges beginning in chapter 6. You should read that story today. It will encourage and equip you.
The element in that story that I want to briefly address here occurs in the initial contact between the Angel of the Lord and Gideon.
It’s so typical to how we believers still act sometimes, even though some 3,500 years have passed.
Here’s the passage that surprised me but also didn’t surprise me.
“The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, He said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
“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 that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (vv. 11-13)
OK, so here’s the scene. Israel is all messed up because of their own spiritual failures and lack of national self-discipline. Yet, when a divine messenger comes from heaven with powerful, affirming words of encouragement for Gideon, the first thing Gideon does in response is complain and blame.
It’s pathetic.
It’s also an incredible display of grace by the Angel of the Lord.
How many of us would have responded to Gideon that he and the Israelites were ungrateful losers getting what they deserved and that we had changed our minds about helping such people?
Amazingly, the Angel of the Lord didn’t come to pronounce judgment that Israel was reaping what she had sown.
He came, instead, to declare grace, to call a leader, to rescue His people who seemingly were running away from Him.
As you read the rest of the story in Judges, you’ll come to appreciate even more the grace and patience of God.
That’s a good thing.
Listen, we can tell ourselves how ridiculous Gideon’s initial replies were to the Lord, yet have we not also pointed fingers at God for not protecting us or blessing us with prayers answered when and how we wanted? Careful here before you exonerate yourself.
Remember, God has seen every inclination of your mind and mine. He’s heard that unspoken thought of yours that asked, “If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?”
Listen, we should rejoice whenever we see or hear or sense the gracious offer of God to help us, however it comes to us. The last thing He needs to hear is our griping about how we think He should have done this or done that.
For actually, if justice were the only criteria, we all should be piles of ashes on the ground.
As always, I love you
Martin
