According to the history of one man who was considered “the least” among those he lived with …God saw beautiful things.
💛”And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Judges 6:11-12 KJV
Think about it for a moment …this man was of low status. He’s out here using a winepress trying to do the basics for survival–threshing wheat. This–at least as far as I know–is no well-respected patriarch of the Church, no up and coming “marked young man” for ministry, no visibly-obvious “man-to-save-the-nation” type of person.
As far as we know, he’s stuck out here by himself at the winepress, threshing wheat in hiding so that the enemy doesn’t see. No one in the surrounding area is coming up to him saying, “I think you’re amazing.” Or, “You should save our nation.”
This was just …a man. And this is how the world saw him:
💛”And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges 6:15
Poor, low status.
Pause with me for a second. Out of allllll the people the Angel of the Lord *could* have appeared to, it was this one …Gideon. A “man of the least”, threshing wheat in hiding.
God sees the heart.
If we back up, we’ll get a glimpse into the heart that God saw …
💛”And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” Judges 6:12-13
I don’t think these questions were random mental inspirations “in the moment” for Gideon. If one ponders these verses, it can seem like perhaps Gideon was internally wrestling with the promises of God and reality.
What God promised + what was apparent in sight.
Something didn’t fit. Gideon saw *more*. He had a level of belief in *who God really was*, and the current situation didn’t seem to line up with that belief.
Thus, a beautiful opening for God to step in and reveal Himself to Gideon.
💛”And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” Judges 6:14
Notice that God didn’t feel the need to discuss with or convince Gideon that He was real and keeps to His promises. God simply stepped right into the midst of Gideon’s “this doesn’t match up” insight and pointed the way forward.
💛”And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it:” Ezekiel 22:30a
God had found his “Man for the Gap”. He had found one whose heart was ready to see God work and fulfill His promises.
Did you know? God sees beauty in you and loves you beyond measure!! There is so much possibility for the impossible because *God* loves you and sees your heart!!
MELISSA THOMSEN
Paintbrush Missionary
If you’re reading this right now, thank-you! :) As the title above informs, my name is Melissa and I’m the artist who is blessed to be behind this blog. If you’d like to get to know me a bit more and hear about the mission behind the art, click here!