After yet another cycle of rebellion the Israelites again fall under the oppression of those whose gods they had worshipped, and yet again they cry out to God to save them. In response, God sends his angel to Gideon. When the angel says that God is with Gideon, Gideon replies with a bold and, in this context, ludicrous complaint about their situation. He says: “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” The problem, however, was not that God had forsaken the Israelites, it was that they had forsaken God. It is a wonderful example of God’s grace and condescension that he bears with Gideon’s frustration without castigating him for his complaint. It shows that God would rather hear your heart, even if your heart is full of misunderstanding. He still wants you to lay it all out before him (as indeed we see happening in many of the psalms). In the same way we see here God condescending to work with Gideon’s foolish fleece test. This was a demonstration of unbelief on Gideon’s part. The Bible is written not to put people on pedestals but to glorify God. This is especially evident in the book of Judges. Here we see God making straight hits with some very crooked sticks, and this includes Gideon. Gideon would become a mighty warrior only because God had chosen him and empowered him. And if God can use Gideon, he can use you too.
Thank God for his grace and patience with you. Ask him to use you for his purposes.
Read Judges 6
