What I learned from reading about Gideon

The life of Gideon (Judges 6:11-8:35, Hebrews 11:32)

• God calls Gideon a mighty man of valor
• Gideon complains that God isn’t acting in the same way for Israel now, as he has done in the past
• Gideon gives God excuses
• God promises to be with Him
• Gideon demands a sign
• Gideon gets a sign
• God tells Gideon to destroy the altar of Baal in his fathers house
• Gideon does it, but does so at night because he is afraid of what family and others will think
• Gideon demands another sign from God (the famous fleece)
• God gives the sign
• Gideon demands God do it again
• God gives the sign again
• God wants to prove the victory in Battle is His, so he pares down the army of Israel from 32,000 to 300. (see below - Great Story 1)
• The 300 men defeat the army of Midian
• God gives Gideon further victories over Succoth, Penuel. (Great Story 2) 
• Isreal wants Gideon to rule over them, but he says that only the LORD will rule over Israel
• Shortly after that he asks for some gold from the people of Israel, and he uses it to make an ephod. It says that all Israel whored after it, and it became a snare to Gideon. 
• Gideon dies
• Israel returns to worshiping Baal.

The story of Gideon ends in Hebrews 11 when he is listed with the other great heroes of the faith. It is interesting to note that Gideon was not perfect. He demanded sign after sign from God. At the end of his life he creates this golden ephod which becomes an idol for God's people. He also did many great things. And in the end he is listed as a man of faith.

Two quick observations:

1. God called Gideon a mighty man of valor before Gideon had done anything. God sees in us our potential, and uses us before we are ready. He then causes us to succeed despite our shortcomings. God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called.
2. Even the heroes in the Bible are not perfect. God uses imperfect people to accomplish his goal of declaring his glory among the nations. The only perfect one is Jesus, and we should see him high above anyone else. Jesus is a greater Gideon, who perfectly leads his people into battle, and is our perfect Judge!

Great Story 1

In one of the great scenes of the Bible, God chooses the men for battle by how they drink water from the water. The ones who lap up the water like a dog are now the army, and the ones who kneel down to drink go home

Great Story 2

Gideon and his guys are tired and hungry from battle and ask for bread. The officials in Succoth wouldn’t give Gideon bread, so Gideon says that when he gets back from his current battle he will, “flail their flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with briers”. After all was said and done, he came back to Succoth and did it! He is a man of his word!