Don’t Be Afraid of Who Gets the Credit
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August 15, 2023
A Warrior Against Fear
September 12, 2023
Four weeks ago my book Fearless by Faith written with Brother Andrew was published. Not everything we wrote made it into the final text. The following is one of the devotions about Gideon that we had to cut. It addresses how to deal with dissension in our community.
“Then the men of Ephraim said to (Gideon), ‘What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?’ And they accused him fiercely” (Judges 8:1).
Perhaps the hardest conflicts for us as Christians come within our own ranks. The devil loves to provoke us and divide us so that we are no longer aware of his tactics. Gideon’s biggest problem wasn’t Midian. It was within his compatriots.
The first protest came from the men of Ephraim. The problem was a family squabble. This sibling rivalry likely simmered for centuries. These well-trained fighters were offended because Gideon didn’t summon them first to fight Midian.
Was the reputation of Ephraim legitimate? In Psalm 78 recounting God’s mighty works is this observation: “The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.” Sometime in their history they had failed their country. We don’t know when or where. Further, they are accused of not keeping God’s covenant, refusing to walk according to His law, and forgetting the wonders God had shown them.
Now the half tribe demands an accounting from Gideon: why didn’t you call on us first? Perhaps they wanted to redeem their reputation and are offended that Gideon didn’t give them that opportunity. It’s a tense moment. A serious test of Gideon’s leadership.
Gideon didn’t try to defend himself, and he didn’t malign the courage of his brothers. He chose humility and gentle words. “What have I done now in comparison with you? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian.” What a wise response! His words calmed their anger.
We spend too much time defending our reputations. Gideon knew what God had told him, and God had provided the victory. He didn’t feel compelled to explain his actions.
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1 Comment
Thank you, Al, for sharing this devotion on Gideon that unfortunately needed to be cut from your recently published book, Fearless by Faith. It is such an important message to the church today. Before going to the cross, Jesus prayed for unity among His followers, but we still see division, dissension, jealousy, strife, etc, – all that causes disunity- in the church that we read about in the New Testament church. There are several passages in the Epistles exhorting us how as a community of believers in Christ we should treat one another.— The Apostle Paul gives us a perfect example in the “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ…….” passages in Philippians 2 —-humility, servanthood, obedience. The One who prayed for unity gives us the antidote to all that causes disunity. As Al points out in this devotion, Gideon is an example of counteracting disunity by responding to anger and accusations with “humility and gentleness.”. I believe that Jesus, our Great Intercessor, is still praying for unity among His people, and we should be praying along with Him, especially in the days in which we are living.. As we, the church, are facing the spiritual battles raging against us, we need to stand firm in our unity in Christ, not battle with one another.