Was Gideon counting off the days? That’s something with which we are familiar. We may find ourselves counting off the days to our next holiday, a social event or (more importantly) the end of the latest lockdown! But sometimes this can be more negative. We may counting off the days to an examination, the bill that’s due to be paid, or a court hearing: not events to which we normally look forward.

But the scenario in which we first read of Gideon was one in which days were being counted…which then became months before merging into years. Someone, somewhere, must have been counting because a specific period is recorded: “…for seven years he [God] gave them [the Israelites] into the hands of the Midianites” (Ju 6:1). This was a particularly dark period for the Israelites to which we are being introduced. But our familiarity with the account of Gideon possibly causes us to overlook some key aspects of which ‘time’ is one.

Oppression

The opening verses of Judges 6 sets the scene which leads us into this particular aspect. Huge raiding parties of Midianites, Amalekites and “other eastern peoples” frequently invaded Israel, ruining their crops, not sparing the sheep, cattle and donkeys (these livestock probably being taken away; Ju 6:4). “They ravaged” the land leaving the Israelites trying to eke out an existence and resorting to living in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. “Oppressive” was the word used to describe these effects.

These raids were carried out at least once a year…with no let-off for seven years. As we have been having to cope with the fallout from the pandemic for (only) one year we can begin to appreciate the effects of that length of time. It’s a factor that seriously needs to be taken into account when considering the response of Gideon to the “angel of the Lord” who appeared before him. He asked two questions: “…if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about…?” (Ju 6:13) The sense of bewilderment and desperation is apparent. This seemingly unending oppressive situation then caused Gideon to arrive at the dreadful thought: “But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (verse 13)

Echoes of Psalm 13

This thought of abandonment was not just the experience of Gideon. The Psalmist also spoke of a belief that God had abandoned him, with time being the ‘trigger’ for this conclusion. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? … How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Ps 13:1-2). It’s noticeable that the writer’s description of trying to work through this situation also includes that time element: “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?”

Time was a tool used by God to bring his people to the necessary place of repentance.

But those questions that formed Gideon’s response to God actually pointed to the way ahead.

• Repentance. By asking “Why has all this happened…?” (Ju 6:13) Gideon was acknowledging that coincidences or chance-events are not applicable to God’s people (or, indeed, anyone else). The apparent unending nature of that oppression being allowed by God was the means by which his people (including Gideon) were being made aware that something was definitely not right! Their turning away from God had previously been highlighted through a prophet (Judges 6:8-10). Time was a tool used by God to bring his people to the necessary place of repentance.
•  Reminder. Gideon had also clearly not forgotten the ways in which God had powerfully intervened in the affairs of his people in the past. He specifically referred to their salvation out of Egyptian slavery. Even more recent history had shown God working to bring deliverance from their oppressors through dudges such as Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah. Remembering those past times was a necessary foothold for Gideon to use as he was confronted by God’s message of hope for the future.
• Realisation. The starkness of Gideon’s response to God may shock us. Basically he could not see any way for things to be different. His view of the future was shaped by what he saw in the present and his recent past. This included (as the narrative goes on to describe) Gideon’s own pedigree – or the lack of it! But God was speaking to him about needing to realise that these past events did not determine the days ahead. God’s words to Gideon about the future were unequivocal: “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” This was the necessary declaration on which Gideon could see that the time of ‘counting the days’ was coming to an end. Are you alert to such a declaration that God has for you?

But God was speaking to him about needing to realise that these past events did not determine the days ahead.

Reflection

• Are there circumstances in your life that, by their ongoing nature, could be something by which God is attracting your attention, pointing to a change he needs you to consider?
• What experiences of God which you’ve had in the past could be helping to remind you of his goodness, his power and his plans?
• What steps can you take to enable you to realise that God can work outside of your expectations, rather than just allowing your past experiences to colour what you believe lies ahead?

For the other studies in this series, click here.