The Lord is Peace

Judges 6:23

Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, the Lord is peace.

Israel had done evil in the sight of God; and consequently, they had been given over to the Midianites. It was so bad that Israel had to hide themselves in caves and strongholds because whenever they planted crops the invaders would attack decimating the land and devouring the crops. So the Israelites cried out to God, and He provided Gideon.  

The angel of the Lord came to Gideon, a somewhat fearful man who was beating out wheat in the wine press as a means of hiding form the Midianites, saying, The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor. Was Gideon really a man of valor? Perhaps the angel was seeing what he would become in the power of the Lord. As the conversation continued, the angel told him to go and save Israel from the hand of Midian. His immediate response was one of doubt and fear. Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. Sounds defeated from the get go! But the angel persisted saying, I will be with you, you shall strike the Midianites as one man. Surely he was convinced now! But no, he replied, If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. He needed visual confirmation! How like Christians today. God calls us for a task, but we are fearful, afraid to be embarrassed, afraid to be ostracized, and afraid to be defeated. We often are paralyzed and don't even ask for a sign.

When Gideon brought out a young goat and cakes for the angel, he was told to put the gifts on the rock and pour broth over them. With the tip of his staff, the angel touched the gift making fire sprout consuming the meat and the cakes. Now Gideon was sure it was the angel of the Lord! God spoke to him telling him that peace was with him. Do not fear. You will not die. In response, Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it The Lord is peace. Gideon received peace for fear as he trusted in the power of His God. But what was he to do? That night he was to pull down his father's altar to Baal and the Asherah beside it and in its place build an altar to God offering on it a bull. Even after all this he was still afraid. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. What a powerful hold fear had on Gideon! 

As one would expect, the next morning the men of the town were angry that the altar had been destroyed and replaced. They came for Gideon, but his father intervened telling them that if Baal was truly a god, he could fight his own battle against Gideon. On that day, Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar. Gideon survived his first encounter with the enemy, an enemy in his own home town. What a lesson for me! When I am afraid, the Lord is my peace! He is my strength!

Father,

Take fear out of my heart. Give me Your grace and power for the tasks that You call me to do.

In Jesus name,

Amen