Judges 6. Gideon, part 5: A timid and hidden child of God is no witness.

Title: Judges 6. Gideon, part 5: A timid and hidden child of God is no witness.        

 

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JDG 6:11 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.

 

JDG 6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior."

 

In a village several threshing floors would be close together in a breezy place so that the workers could socialize and assist one another since the process was laborious. No matter what, the farmers remained on the floor as long as it took to gather and store the grain in order to protect it from thieves.

 

RUT 3:7

When Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came secretly, and uncovered his feet and lay down.

 

As we also see in this passage, threshing was a time of celebration, and rightly so, it was the time of processing God's bounty, but with Gideon, constantly looking over his shoulder for Bedouin riders, it was anything but a time of celebration.

 

True celebration in labor is only for those who work as unto the Lord.

 

We all know the difference between working unto the Lord and working with other things in mind. Fatigue, mundane repetition, boredom all come much faster to the one who works with himself in mind only (for wealth, power, or fame). Bitterness comes to the worker who toils with no knowledge of the Lord's blessing upon his work as well as no knowledge as to how such work glorifies God. Christians working together in the Lord's fields, imagery for the work that the church does in spreading the gospel and the word of God to the lost and dying world.

 

COL 3:18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

 

COL 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.

 

COL 3:20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.

 

COL 3:21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.

 

COL 3:22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

 

COL 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;

 

COL 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

 

COL 3:25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

 

1CO 15:54

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

 

MAT 9:35 And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

 

MAT 9:36 And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.

 

MAT 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

 

MAT 9:38 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

 

A timid and hidden child of God is no witness.

 

God does not condemn the quiet personality. Some enjoy being more outspoken and talkative, and some out of self-absorption take that too far. Some enjoy being in the background and care nothing for socializing. Those are personality types and have no bearing on witnessing. This is about witnessing and representing God in this dark and lost world. The sin in this context is being ashamed of Christ and therefore being ashamed of yourself. The sin is also fear and worry about what would could happen to self as a result. Do not justify sin for any reason, no matter what type of personality you have developed. Some like to say, "This is who I am, and I can't help but behave in this way of sin." That is only an excuse. With God, you will fearlessly find your own personality, which will not be like a certain "type" but will be uniquely yours as God has loved to mature you.

 

Gideon is filled with fear of the Midianite invaders, and which it is true that he would lose his small crop and probably his life, but the attitude within him is still sin against God, as the prophet stated. He and all Israel as one should have called on God immediately upon the first invasion, seven years prior, and they should have stood as one man, claiming the promise from God, that if they obeyed Him, five of them would chase a hundred.

 

2TI 1:6 And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

 

2TI 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

 

2TI 1:8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,

 

Paul then gives the reason for our spirit of power.

 

2TI 1:9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

 

2TI 1:10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

 

2TI 1:11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

 

2TI 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

 

2TI 1:13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

 

2TI 1:14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

 

EPH 6:19

pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel

 

Php 1:20

I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

 

1TH 2:1-2

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.

 

PSA 138:1 I will give Thee thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to Thee before the gods.

 

"Before the gods" - before all those who oppose You and say they are equal or better than You.

 

PSA 138:2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple,

And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

 

PSA 138:3 On the day I called You did answer me;

You did make me bold with strength in my soul.