I Will Be with You

Posted On April 3, 2023

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

Judges 6:12 NIV

Without looking up the verse above, do you know to whom it’s referring? You may recall some heroes from the book of Judges . . . Samson, perhaps? He certainly was strong and powerful. He once tore a lion apart with his bare hands. He single-handedly struck down a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. He tore loose the doors of the city gate of Gaza. And he used his own strength to destroy a Philistine temple of the pagan god Dagon. If Samson is your guess, it’s a good one. But it is incorrect.

So, who is it? I’ll give you a hint: He reminds me more of a hobbit than a mighty warrior . . .

This week we move into the book of Judges. There are several worth discussing, but there is one judge in particular that I can really relate to. Before we find out his name, let’s get a little background . . .

Our plan for 2023 is to journey through The NeverEnding Story of the Bible and discover how we fit into it along the way. Our plan for this year is loosely based on The Story, an abridged chronological version of the Bible, and the accompanying study guide The Heart of the Story by Randy Frazee.

Here is where we are in The Story:

MOVEMENT TWO: The Story of Israel (Genesis 12-Malachi)

Chapter 8 – A Few Good Men . . . and Women

This chapter in The Story includes Judges 2-4, 6-8, 13-16. The nation of Israel has now settled in the promised land of Canaan. Throughout Joshua’s lifetime, they were faithful to God. But, unfortunately, it didn’t last: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals” (Judges 2:10-11 NIV).

Israel quickly forgets the Lord and begins serving the evil gods of the nations around them. To remind them of the consequences of this sin, God no longer fights for them, and they are easily defeated by their enemies. In the midst of their oppression, they repent and cry out to God for help. Then God raises up a judge — a leader who will deliver them — and Israel prospers once again. Sadly, after the judge dies, they quickly return to their evil ways, and the cycle begins again.

This week, I want to focus on one of these judges: an unlikely hero named Gideon.

“[Gideon] is the youngest in his family, from the weakest tribe, the runt in a family known for being weak. The weakest link in a paper-link chain. Not exactly gladiator material.”

Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story

I realize that by comparing Gideon to a hobbit I’ve put my nerdiness on full display this week, but I’ve been listening to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring audiobook as I commute to and from work. And as I began thinking about the book of Judges and the theme for this week’s post, I couldn’t help making a connection between Gideon and one of the characters in the story.

In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins, the cousin of Bilbo Baggins, is a humble hobbit who loves his homeland. He does not long for excitement or adventure. He is not a warrior. He simply wants to live a quiet, peaceful life in the land that he loves. But, as he will soon discover, he has a higher calling. As Bilbo’s heir, Frodo takes possession of a magic ring which can render its wearer invisible. But after some investigation by the good and wise wizard Gandalf, Frodo learns that the ring is actually the “One Ring” of power forged in the evil land of Mordor by the Dark Lord Sauron in order to conquer all of Middle-earth. Sauron will stop at nothing to get it back — Frodo must make sure that doesn’t happen.

“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.”

Judges 6:11 NIV

Like Frodo, Gideon is chosen for a task completely out of his comfort zone. During one of Israel’s periods of suffering, this time at the hands of the Midianites, God calls Gideon to save them. The Midianites are a powerful enemy who invaded Israel and ravaged their land. Gideon is a humble farmer. But God has plans for him.

“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.’

The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’

‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’

The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.'”

Judges 6:12-16 NIV

Gideon agrees, but he is obviously very nervous about it. He asks God more than once for unmistakable confirmation of His plan. You can read about his tests with the wool fleece in Judges 6:36-40. This is the part I can relate to! There is some disagreement among Christians about whether or not Gideon was wrong to do this, but either way, God is patient with his questioning. And Gideon’s fears are assuaged.

But then God’s plan gets even more surprising: “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength'” (Judges 7:2 NLT). So, before attacking the mighty Midianites, God reduces Gideon’s army from thirty-two thousand men down to just three hundred. That’s three hundred impoverished Israelites against hundreds of thousands of Midianite soldiers. Impossible odds! But that was the point.

“What has God called you to do? Do His instructions seem extreme and confusing? Has He challenged you to do something you don’t feel capable of? It is not your job to understand God’s plan, but it is your responsibility to obey Him.”

Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

The ring is evil and corrupts whoever possesses it. Not many can resist its power. Frodo is one of the few who can, and therefore, he must be the one to destroy it. But doing so will not be easy. In fact, it sounds completely impossible. Nonetheless, this is the task before Frodo. And he must decide if he is willing to risk his life, and the lives of his friends, in order to complete it. He chooses to accept his calling, as difficult as it is, because he knows it must be done. But he will not have to travel this difficult journey alone.

Gideon faced the same choice. Choosing to obey God meant risking his own life and the lives of his fellow Israelites. The task before him sounded impossible. Not with ten thousand men could he defeat Midian. But with three hundred men he did. How? Because they did not do it alone. God was with them, and He fought for them. The battle was His.

“In their hunger and weakness, the Israelites appealed to God, who informed them that their big problem was not agricultural or military, but spiritual. To illustrate, God picked for service a farmer from the weakest clan in his tribe. Like most new leaders, Gideon was uncertain if he could measure up. But God was looking for a faithful follower, not a decorated soldier.”

The Story

Gideon was not a soldier, but he was a man of faith. Although he had doubts, fears, and questions about God’s plan, he chose to trust God and obey Him. He faced the task before him with courage because he knew he didn’t have to face it alone: God was with him. Because God fought for him, the enemy never stood a chance.

So, how did Frodo’s adventure turn out? In case you’re not familiar with the story, Frodo, too, was successful. One humble little hobbit, with the help of some faithful friends, destroyed the ring of power and saved all of Middle-earth from evil. Although The Lord of the Rings is not technically a religious story, its author J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Christian, and his books are full of Christian themes. We can hear this in Gandalf’s words: “There are other forces at work in this world . . . besides the will of evil.” There are other forces at work: God’s forces. And they cannot be defeated. Against God, evil doesn’t stand a chance.

So, what is the main lesson in all of this? For me, it’s to choose faith over everything else. Choose faith over doubt, faith over self-reliance, and faith over fear. God often calls us to tasks beyond our capabilities in order to display His power and His glory. He does this because He is trying to reach all of His lost children. So, when He chooses to use us to help Him in this work, let’s choose to listen and obey. With God by our side, we have no reason to be afraid.

“Gideon doubts God a lot, and God never gets angry with him for it. God meets him in his questions. He’s never impatient with Gideon’s doubts and fears. He comes alongside him to embolden him, knowing that what Gideon needs to hear most isn’t ‘You’re awesome. You’ve got this. Believe in yourself! . . . ‘ No. Gideon need to hear who God is. God doesn’t counter Gideon’s doubts by puffing him up with positive self-talk; He says, ‘I am with you.’ And He’s with you.”

Tara-Leigh Cobble, The Bible Recap

This week’s Scripture passages remind us that with God, nothing is impossible. When we choose faith in Him, we will be victorious, because He promises to fight for us. He will be with us wherever we go, and not even the powers of hell can separate us from His love. So, if God is for us, who can possibly stand against us?

“The battle is not yours, it belongs to God.”

Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

References:

• “All You Have To Decide.” YouTube, uploaded by ImmaGandalf, 27 January 2012, https://youtu.be/hdAN0o3oqB8.
• Cobble, Tara-Leigh. The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible. Bethany House, 2020.
• “Fellowship of the Ring LOTR 1.11 [HD 1080p].” YouTube, uploaded by Medivh, 23 January 2013, https://youtu.be/wvK-iKtkV70.
• Frazee, Randy.  The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Dir. Peter Jackson. New Line Cinema, 2001.
• “LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring – Extended Edition – Concerning Hobbits.” YouTube, uploaded by EgalmothOfGondolin01, 14 December 2012, https://youtu.be/-PcUnqlPA8A.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.
• The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.

Images:

• Middle-earth Map featured image taken from “LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring – Extended Edition – Concerning Hobbits.” YouTube, uploaded by EgalmothOfGondolin01, 14 December 2012, https://youtu.be/-PcUnqlPA8A.
• Ring of Power image by Pau Llopart Cervello from Pixabay