Gideon
How was Gideon a hero? Gideon is identified by God as a man whose exploits were achieved by faith (Hebrews 11:32). Although Gideon was naturally a timid man, and though God instructed his tiny army of 300 not to use traditional weapons, and though the enemy numbered 135,000, Gideon led his troops forward to the battle. God gave a great victory, as Gideon delivered Israel from oppression by the Midianites.
How did Gideon fail?
When God called Gideon to serve Him, Gideon was a man controlled by doubts and
insecurity. He was hiding while quietly trying to meet the needs of his family.
He claimed that God was not doing anything in his life, which was comprised of disaster
and problems and ruin. When asked to serve, Gideon mentioned his inability, referring
to both his position as the youngest in his family and his family's low
position. Gideon was uncertain of God's call and asked for a sign, which the
angel gave by burning up the food. Gideon's fear of others affected how he did
his first job of breaking down the altar. Still in doubt, Gideon then asked for
two confirmations with the fleece and the dew. Knowing that Gideon was still
fearful, God sent him into the enemy camp to overhear a story and advised him
to go with a friend if he was afraid.
What was Gideon's
heart response? While Gideon needed a lot of reassurance from God, the
beauty of his story is that he obeyed God and went to battle in spite of his
insecurity. Because of Gideon's nature, this was not an easy undertaking for
him under the best of circumstances. God made the challenge to his faith that
much greater by drastically reducing the size of his army and by instructing
him to use a radically untraditional battle plan. The fact that Gideon obeyed
indicates his deep faith in God. After several assurances, Gideon was finally convinced
that he could trust God. "When
Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in
worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, 'Arise, for the LORD has
given the camp of Midian into your hands' " (Judges 7:15).
How did Gideon's
story end? Gideon returned from the victory filled with resolve to tie up
the loose ends. He boldly executed judgment on both the kings he had conquered
and the Israelites who had refused to help in the battle. Sadly, Gideon was a
bit of a "one-hit wonder." The Israelites appreciated Gideon's bold
actions against Midian and desired him as a strong leader. Whether or not God
intended for him to continue as a leader is unclear, but Gideon expressed his
unwillingness to do so. In reality, though, he was looked up to whether he
liked it or not. Gideon had potential to continue influencing Israel for good.
Instead he collected their gold and formed it into an idol, leading to false
worship not only for Gideon and his household, but for the rest of Israel
(Judg. 8:27). When Gideon died, he left no legacy of righteousness or respect
(8:33-35).
Application: The
beginning of Gideon's story is very encouraging. Many Christians can relate to
his fear, doubt, and insecurity. They believe themselves incapable of doing
anything significant for God. Through Gideon's story, God shows that He can use
even those people in a great way. The key is that believers must trust in God's
strength and yield themselves to obey Him. When they do this, God can
accomplish His work through them. When one recognizes that his success was all
from God, he does not need to be intimidated about future service. A human
response might be to view the dramatic victory as beginner's luck and then to
stop while ahead, doubtful of ever repeating the victory. This mindset forgets
the true source of the victory; if God could work once through an incredibly
weak vessel, He can do so again. God asks not for strength, but for surrender.
Samson
How was Samson a
hero? God also calls Samson a man of faith (Heb. 11:32). Samson is an
exciting physical hero. He easily killed a lion with his bare hands (Judg. 14:6),
single-handedly killed thirty men at once (14:19), set the Philistines' fields
on fire with 300 foxes he had "recruited" (15:4), slaughtered a group
of Philistines (15:8), broke the ropes that bound him and killed 1000 men with
the jawbone of a donkey (15:14-15), ripped off the city gates and carried them
to the top of a mountain (16:3), broke anything that bound him (16:9-14), and
pushed down a great building with his two hands (16:20). He did all of this as
he relieved Israel of the burden of the Philistines.
How did Samson fail?
Samson had an area of recurring weakness; he made wrong and foolish choices
regarding women. He first saw a Philistine woman and demanded her as his wife.
Based simply on her looks, he desired her though she was from the very nation
he was fighting against (14:2-3). She manipulated him with her emotions,
causing him to give in to her (14:17). In his anger he neglected her at the end
of the wedding feast, which led to her being given to another man (14:19-20).
This prompted another angry attack (15:3). Later Samson became involved with
another Philistine woman, this time a harlot (16:1). A third woman was the
famous Delilah, with whom he had a relationship (16:4). He was again
manipulated by a woman's emotions, this time with the disastrous result of
revealing the source of his strength (16:17). This mistake caused him to lose
the help of the Lord, and he was blinded and enslaved.
What was Samson's
heart response? It is actually a little hard to believe that God chose to
use Samson. Although the Spirit of God came upon Samson to enable him to do his
mighty deeds, there is no indication of spiritual sensitivity on the part of
Samson. His life and decisions were controlled by what he wanted to fulfill his
appetites - sexual pleasure, gratification of hunger, control over others,
anger, revenge, and gratification of thirst. He rejected the cautions of his
parents, and the only time he is recording as calling out to God is in
complaint (perhaps accusation) when he thought he was going to die of thirst (15:18).
Only at the end of his life does the Bible reveal any serious spiritual
awareness by Samson. His prayer seems to evidence humility and recognition that
he is willing to accept the consequences of his life choices (16:28). Even then
it is not clear that he wants to act for God's benefit, as his own stated
reason is that of vengeance.
How did Samson's
story end? Samson's wrong choices led him to the pitiful state of a blind
prisoner who was forced to work for his enemies. In addition to physical labor,
he also served as a source of amusement and mockery (16:23-24). Essentially he
killed himself, while in the process killing more of his enemy that he ever had
before. This ending added a tiny flicker of accomplishment to what was a
troubled and tumultuous life.
Application:
There is no doubt that God used Samson, but in few stories is it more evident
that the work was all of God. God used Samson in spite of himself. This story
really is a testament to God's ability to use all things for His glory. No
believer should desire his service to God to be so limited. How much better it
is for God to use a believer who is small in his own eyes and yielded to God's
control than someone who thinks himself strong and fights God at every turn! It
is sad that Samson's brokenness came only at the end of his life, when it was
almost too late for him to do anything. Again, it is far better for a believer
to humbly serve God with his entire life, giving Him the best years and the
full measure of strength.
"And what more
shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson .
. . who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained
promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the
edge of the sword, from weakness were
made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight."
Hebrews 11:32-34 (NASB)
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