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Have you ever wondered, “How does the God of C
11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Judges 6:11-16 (NKJV) Bold added for emphasis
I grew up hearing this story and never paid much attention to this segment. Then one day during this last year, I was reading this passage while enjoying my morning coffee. The phrases in bold above stood out to me. I wondered, “Why did Jesus call Gideon a mighty man of valor? Gideon was hiding while threshing wheat and even calls himself the least of the weakest!”
I’ve been told many times that God chooses to work through those who are humble so that God receives the credit for the victory. That makes sense, but while it’s evident that Gideon does meet this “humble beginnings requirement,” that doesn’t answer my question about God’s word choice. He could just as easily have said, “Hey Gideon, congrats man! I’ve chosen you to free My people from the Midianites! Look, I know your low status, but I am going to empower you to do this seemingly impossible thing.” But He doesn’t say that! “You mighty man of valor!”
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Asking the Right Questions
I don’t believe that God was trying to boost Gideon’s ego or instill a false sense of self. By the time I had finished my coffee and was out the door to work, I had come to the conclusion that God said what He did because He sees us differently than how we perceive ourselves. As God told the prophet Samuel,
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have ]refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)
So my question changed from, “Why did God call Gideon a ‘mighty man of valor’?” to “What did God see in Gideon?” And by extension, “How does God see me?” I was finally led to the answer later that day while flipping through my pocket notebook (old habit from the Army). I have two Scriptures written down that caught my attention. I’ll highlight below the sections that helped me formulate my answer to “How does God see me?”
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7 (NKJV) Bold added for emphasis
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:12-14 (NKJV) Bold added for emphasis
How do these passages help us understand how God sees us? These texts originally drew my attention because of the timeline paradox presented. Yes, Christ died as a sacrifice for my sins, Yes, He has raised me into a new life dedicated to loving God. But no, I’m not sitting with God in Heaven right now… not physically, at least. Also, while I strive to live righteously and in-line with God’s Will, I’m far from reaching perfection. But, Hebrews says “He has (past-tense, as in, “it’s done, “completed”) perfected those who are being (present-tense, as in, “still working on it”) sanctified.
We get full credit now, for what we will be once we are reunited with Christ Jesus.
So finally, I came to the conclusion that God sees our full, 100% perfected, potential. And not just “He sees what we may become” kinda potential like a football scout evaluating high school players. Instead, He sees us now, He identifies us now, as that future-self that we cannot even imagine! Just as He called the lowly Gideon a “mighty man of valor” based on the actions that Gideon would soon take in the Lord’s name, God calls you and me “perfect sons and daughters dwelling with Him” even now as we navigate through this sin-filled world still making mistakes.
This is encouraging to me because it reminds me that I serve the God of Love, who is desiring a relationship with me. I’m not bound to a god that is vindictive and looking for my flaws, who I must either appease or face punishment. While I’m focused on improving my relationship with my Heavenly Father, He readily forgives my flaws and counts me as already perfect.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please comment below and/or send us an email with your thoughts. Share with your friends to help get the dialog going!
