And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” Joshua 6:16
Gideon has unloaded his excuses on the Lord why he is not the man to do God’s job. He really only has one major reason – he is poor and insignificant. He is a nobody. The interesting part of this is that both of those reasons are true. All the Israelites were poor and impoverished. Sin does that to a person or a nation (remember the prodigal son who reached rock bottom in the pig pen? Or the prophet Jonah who ended up in the belly of a whale?) And the Lord said to him Here we see the actions of a loving Father. He listens to Gideon’s excuses. He doesn’t interrupt or chastise him for his feelings. Then after Gideon is finished the Lord responds to his concerns. The Lord’s answer to Gideon is important because a lot of us feel like Gideon did. We have nothing to offer to the Lord. He has picked the wrong horse in this race. We really have nothing much to offer God. If you have ever felt that way pay special attention to the Angel of the Lord’s response. But What an interesting word to start the Lord’s answer to Gideon. The word is also translated “Surely or truly”. The Lord has heard what Gideon has to say but there is something else that is extremely important. This makes all the difference, in fact it makes up for the deficiencies that Gideon listed. What the Lord is about to tell Gideon is true and can be counted on in Gideon’s life and in ours.
I This is the angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity speaking. Gideon would know Numbers 23:19. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.” If Gideon (and we) can count on the word of a person to be true we can surely count on the Son of God who will tell his disciples “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Understand what this means. Almighty God puts His personal guarantee on this promise. Will be Again the Lord’s words are significant. He does not say “may be’, “might” “perhaps” or “when I’m not busy”. He give His word that what He says will happen every single moment of our lives. With you The Lord then makes His promise very personal. This is a promise individually to Gideon (and to each of us). You shall Again we see the Lord use the absolute word “shall”. There is no question about the outcome. God is in control. Strike the Midianites as one man The lord tells Gideon he will be victorious over the fierce marauding Midianites as if they were just one man. Their massive numbers, their camels, their alliance with the Amalekites do not matter. Victory is assured because God is with him. What can we learn? The Lord doesn’t answer any of the objections Gideon makes about his inadequacy to save Israel from the Midianites. Instead, the ‘Lord God simply reminds Gideon of the promise He has already made. “I will be with you.” That is the only answer any believer should ever need to hear. Man’s power is irrelevant next to the will of the Creator. If we are powerful but the Lord is not with us we will fail. If we are weak and the Lord is not with us we will fail. The only factor that makes a difference between victory and failure is the presence of the Lord. This is the Lord’s message to Gideon – He does not answer Gideon’s excuses – nothing matters if The Lord stands beside Him. This same message is given to every believer. It is the Lord’s antidote to fear and worry. We trust that He is there and we trust that He will work all things for good for he has given His word to do so. Remember this is told Gideon when his nation is under fierce attack. Life, property, loved ones, famine were happening. Threats did not matter – God was with him. What does this tell us? Make sure your life is pure before the Lord. Confess and repent sin and prepare your heart to obey God’s word and leafing no matter what He asks. Then relax and allow God to perform His will in His way in His timing. Remember – “I will be with you.”