Now Gideon gets his first task to do. The eventual mission, to set Israel free from the Midianites, is massive, but God builds up to this step-by-step. God may give you a big vision, but there will be many steps along the way. We need to learn from this in two ways. First, we should not be overawed by the vision. Even if it seems impossible, God will lead us gradually towards it. Secondly, we should not get impatient. There may be preparation steps that seem to have nothing to do with the final goal. Whatever God gives us to do we should do it faithfully.
There were idols in Gideon's family, and Gideon had to tear these down. In its place he had to build a proper alter and offer a right sacrifice upon it. When we come to know the Lord there will almost certainly be things we need to put right in our families.
Gideon did this, but did so at night, because he was afraid of his family. See how like you and me Gideon is. He has the same fears and timidity that we have, but God still used him.
Despite his efforts, Gideon was still identified as the one who had pulled down the idols. The townspeople wanted to punish Gideon, but Gideon's father, Joash, defended him. We may fear what our families might think of us, but sometimes we may be pleasantly surprised.
Gideon is now called to the real battle. In the process he still looks for further assurance, putting out his fleece. We should be careful how we interpret this incident. We should not take it as a pattern that we should always follow. Gideon did this because of his doubts. At the same time, we should know that the Lord is fully aware of how weak we are and is amazingly tolerant of our failings.
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