Judges 6:14 shows the Lord’s power in choosing unexpected people to accomplish His will.
In this passage, we see Gideon—believed to have lived around 1100 BC—face a task beyond normal human capacity. The nation of Israel had been oppressed by Midianites, a people dwelling primarily east of the Jordan. The LORD focuses on Gideon’s trepidation, turning to him in his humble setting. When the scripture says, “The LORD looked at him and said, ‘Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” (v.14), it underscores God’s personal, attentive choice of Gideon for a monumental mission. Gideon’s lineage identifies him as the son of Joash, part of the tribe of Manasseh, in the geographical region around Ophrah. This region in ancient Israel was a challenging place to live in a time full of hostile neighboring forces and a spiritually wavering population.
By telling Gideon, “Go in this your strength” (v.14), the LORD affirms a divine confidence far surpassing Gideon’s own limited perspective. It is significant that God calls Gideon while he is hiding grain from the Midianites, revealing that God sees fear but does not let fear dictate the future of His chosen servants. The phrase “deliver Israel” (v.14) echoes the recurring pattern in the Book of Judges, where God raises up leaders to rescue His people whenever they cry out in their distress. This moment also echoes the broader biblical theme of God empowering the weak and calling them into His redemptive plan (see also 1 Corinthians 1:27).
The question, “Have I not sent you?” (v.14), points to God’s authoritative commission, similar in heart to Jesus’s sending of His disciples to make more disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Like Gideon, Christ’s followers often feel inadequacy, but the true strength rests on God’s sending nature. Gideon’s commissioning thus foreshadows the way God can transform ordinary individuals into instruments of His deliverance, bolstered by divine affirmation and purpose.
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Judges 6:14 meaning
In this passage, we see Gideon—believed to have lived around 1100 BC—face a task beyond normal human capacity. The nation of Israel had been oppressed by Midianites, a people dwelling primarily east of the Jordan. The LORD focuses on Gideon’s trepidation, turning to him in his humble setting. When the scripture says, “The LORD looked at him and said, ‘Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” (v.14), it underscores God’s personal, attentive choice of Gideon for a monumental mission. Gideon’s lineage identifies him as the son of Joash, part of the tribe of Manasseh, in the geographical region around Ophrah. This region in ancient Israel was a challenging place to live in a time full of hostile neighboring forces and a spiritually wavering population.
By telling Gideon, “Go in this your strength” (v.14), the LORD affirms a divine confidence far surpassing Gideon’s own limited perspective. It is significant that God calls Gideon while he is hiding grain from the Midianites, revealing that God sees fear but does not let fear dictate the future of His chosen servants. The phrase “deliver Israel” (v.14) echoes the recurring pattern in the Book of Judges, where God raises up leaders to rescue His people whenever they cry out in their distress. This moment also echoes the broader biblical theme of God empowering the weak and calling them into His redemptive plan (see also 1 Corinthians 1:27).
The question, “Have I not sent you?” (v.14), points to God’s authoritative commission, similar in heart to Jesus’s sending of His disciples to make more disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Like Gideon, Christ’s followers often feel inadequacy, but the true strength rests on God’s sending nature. Gideon’s commissioning thus foreshadows the way God can transform ordinary individuals into instruments of His deliverance, bolstered by divine affirmation and purpose.