Identity: Gideon, Judges 6-7

Gideon is another of the Bible figures that we can look at to consider identity. If you just do a cursory reading of Judges 6 and 7, you would likely agree with me that Gideon seems to be fearful, think little of himself, and definitely not carry out the moniker ‘mighty man of valor’. I can only imagine the dithering that he does through the pages of this story.

Gideon’s Self-speak

Can you imagine the stream running through his head during the first encounter? He says he is from the smallest clan and is the smallest in that clan. And in his head, I can imagine that he is saying to himself, ‘what can little-ole-me do in this? Defeat the whole army? Do you know how mean they are? I’m supposed to do what?’

I was surprised that he hides behind his father too. His father defends Gideon’s having torn down the false altar. Was he cowering thinking ‘they hate me! They are coming after me! What can I do? Oh, I’ll never be able to lead the army like God wants!’

God conquers negativity

Then something miraculous happens- Gideon jumps up and summons an army! Did you notice how that happened? The Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon and he used the horn to call the army. All of this insecurity falls away because the Spirit of the Lord is within him. We truly can do all things with Him who strengthens us.

Unfortunately, Gideon returns to the insecurities and asks for more reassurance. But he again trusts in the Lord when the Lord sends the majority of the army away, leaving only 300 to defeat the enemy. Then he falls back to fear and goes to listen to the enemy camp for reassurance.

The process of turning our identity into that which God calls us, that which God created us to be, is not immediate. I guess that is why it is a process. Gideon goes back and forth, but indeed does lead the people of God through the victory and after. He too demonstrates the victory of a renewed self-worth, a new identity in God.

A New Identity

Gideon is faced with a number of challenges to the way he thinks about himself, in an apparently very short time period. That may happen to us, but I think it more likely that I and you, along with God, will challenge ourselves in this way. We have to capture our thoughts and make them subject to Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Through the Spirit, just like Gideon, we will change our thought patterns.

So, when we think ‘I can’t’ – we need to ask the Spirit if that is His will, or rather if he will do it with us, and therefore succeed. And when we think ‘oh, she doesn’t like me, so I won’t go,’ we will again ask the Spirit if that is truth or not. Bit by bit we will realize what we can and can’t do, or rather what we should or shouldn’t do, according to the Spirit.

He will take our perfectionist bent, our negative interpretation of ourselves, the seemingly pointlessness of it and the control we give others to decide what we do. He will take these thoughts and change them to be more like the thoughts he has for us. We are enough, we look good, we are good, my actions praise him even when no one sees, he accepts me and loves me even when it seems others don’t. He reframes what we do and how we see ourselves, so we see through His lens and we see who and how he loves.