A Daily Devotion for Monday, December 15
- ontrakk
- Dec 15, 2025
- 3 min read
Judges 6:11-27
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior. ”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. ”
The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the LORD said, “I will wait until you return.”
Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering. ”
So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
I love how Gideon questions God before acknowledging his role as warrior: “Pardon me, my Lord, but…”. I have not experienced a direct call from God such as this one, but if this were to happen, I may ask a few questions myself. We see other examples in the OT of people called by God who initially respond with similar concerns- Moses, for one. Jonah runs away, as if he could hide from God! I believe I am too old now to be sent off on an exotic journey to do God’s work. But if I find myself facing an angel of God face to face, I hope that I can respond with love and courage, and complete the task I am given.
Holy Lord, I want to always obey you, and live according to your will. Show me the way, and I will go. Help me to be strong and never lose faith. I know you love me; help me to feel your love and peace. Amen
Becky, transforming
Judges 6:11-27. Faithful Response
The Lord is with you. Words that are meant to encourage those who hesitate to answer God's call. We've written much about God equipping those he calls - rather than calling the equipped. This is our lesson to never think we cannot do wht God wants us to do. we must try to be like Gideon, Moses, Jonah, and many others. The stories in the Bible are not just for reqding but for the lesson being taught.
Prayer: Gracious God, I know I can say yes, because you will be with me whenever I need you. AMEN
Monday , December 15th, 2025
Faithful response
(focus: To Answer God’s Call
Judges 6:12
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said The Lord is with you, O mighty warrior
Gideon reminds me of Moses. When God called him to do a big job, Gideon and Moses had no confidence that they could accomplish the task. They needed to realize that their doubt and lack of confidence were not important, what mattered was whether or not they had faith in God. Is my faith strong enough that I can experience God’s working through me to do what I could never be able to do on my own. Faith doesn’t mean I have to know what every step…
Judges 6:11-27
Throughout my life I have been put up to tasks that I thought I was not the right person for. I felt I lacked the skill, knowledge, time, etc. When I was nudged (sometimes shoved 🙂) into these situations, whether it be work, church, my family or my friends, I seemed to manage the tasks and sometimes very successfully. There is no question in my mind that God equipped me for these tasks. While not all the situations I found myself in have been exactly like I had wished them to be, the ones that have been most important are the ones that have been successful, successful with God by my side.
Dear God, I thank You for…
Judges 6:11-27
“The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon seems to be the farthest thing from a mighty warrior. He was the weakest link in the least powerful clan of Manasseh, hiding from the Midianites. When called by the Lord he kept dodging the call, repeatedly seeking signs. Despite his resistance, God used Gideon’s gift of strategic genius to rout the Midianites, earning the title of mighty warrior. I too can be full of excuses when faced with a necessary but difficult task. I often forget God will not call me to something God will not equip me to do. It does not necessarily make the task easy or that I will accomplish it right away. The message of…