God May Yet Save America—Gideon Shows Us How (Part 1)

image credit: NASA/GSFC/flickr: woodleywonderworks

A Place to Start

Gideon, one of the greatest freedom fighters in the Bible began his walk into fame by merely doing the work God gives men generally; trying to feed his family. The background to his story begins here with the Midianite people overrunning the land:

Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years. The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them. So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it. So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD.

This was a rough time for the nation of Israel. God had promised to protect and prosper their nation as long as they obeyed God and did not worship idols. As usual the people of Israel disobeyed God and began worshipping idols. God judged them just as He always has and still does judge nations who disobey His law. As a nation, for us, we may see our possible future if we do not return to God. He can and will overthrow our country if we continue to resist His word and ways. These lessons are not just for ancient people they are for us as well.

Tough Obstacles

Gideon faced tough times. Most of the people in Israel were hiding in the mountains, in caves, having abandoned their homes and farms in the face of the Midianite onslaught. Life had become desperate as the Midianites stole every animal and every crop they could find. God was merciful though and eventually sent a prophet calling Israel back to repentance and back to their faith:

Now it came about when the sons of Israel cried to the LORD on account of Midian, that the LORD sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery. ‘I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors, and dispossessed them before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, “I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed Me.”‘

And perhaps God says to America today, “I am the Lord your God who brought you into a new continent and gave you victory over your enemies on every side. I gave you My word and I covenanted with your forefathers to be your God and for you to be My people. But you have disobeyed Me. You have worshipped the gods of mammon and state power, making the civil government your god and forgetting Me.” And now we find ourselves in the midst of a collapsing economy, banks that are bankrupt, taxes beyond all reason, a government that is out of control as it oppresses the people daily, schools that are godless, and immorality on every side. While our problems are not exactly the same as Israel experienced we can certainly wonder where God’s blessings have gone and why His curses seem to be overtaking us from every side.

Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.”

The Turning Point

This was the turning point for both Gideon and Israel. Gideon was a brave man planting and harvesting in the land even in the face of the Midianite invasion. His work was, seemingly, impractical and had no chance of success and every chance to attract attention from deadly enemies. Foolish though it likely appeared, Gideon was the only man who decided to do what was right and strong and brave. He planted a crop to feed his family in obedience to God’s known will as the head of his household. While other men cowered in the caves and dens in the mountains Gideon went down and began the work of re-occupying the land according to God’s will. He had not forgotten God and God had not forgotten him. Gideon stood alone in obedience to God. It was at that point that the Lord appeared to him announcing “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” The Lord was with him and he did not stand alone after all.

Rise Up, God is Calling!

American men, American women—understand that the Lord is still calling tough-minded people who have not lost hope to stand for Him in this culture now. We are not at the end of the age. Our situation is not hopeless though it may seem so listening to the daily news. In the past the Lord has called people of strength and courage to stand and work for the advancement of His kingdom though the odds appeared certainly against them. God has turned the nations upside down when courageous people called on Him and walked in His Holy Spirit power. God has not changed. He is calling right now for leaders, perhaps unlikely leaders, to begin the work of reconstruction of our country. God is looking for uncompromising people (valiant warriors) who will abolish (tear down) the evil works of our culture and rebuild on biblical foundations. The church and the culture need people with the courage and strength of Gideon. This is the time for strong leaders to step out in faith, leading the culture back to obedience to God and His law.

It was from a simple beginning, planting a crop and harvesting it that raised Gideon above all other Israelites and earned him the title ‘Valiant warrior’. He went on in God’s power to save his nation from ruin from an invading army. Our nation has been invaded by a humanist army just as certain to enslave and ruin us as were the Midianites in Gideon’s time. Christian culture is under attack on every front from entertainment, education, literature, the arts, or the sciences. The church needs, even cries for, valiant warriors to stand and rebuild based on wiser, biblical ideas. The call for valiant warriors goes forth!

Read Part 2 Here: One Thing that Will Propel a Nation to Victory!