Get Out of the Winepress

When we meet Gideon in Judges 6, we learn right from the start that he is a coward. The Israelites have yet again rejected the LORD and as a result they are being oppressed by the Midianites. They cry out for help. The LORD chooses Gideon to deliverer Israel and yet when we meet him he is hiding out in a winepress. All through the chapter we see Gideon hesitate, doubt, and test the Lord, and yet God patiently comes alongside him. God offers Gideon three gifts in order to make him courageous: his presence; his peace; and his power. The LORD offers us those same three gifts so that we can get out of the winepress and live lives of courage in a culture that is growing more and more hostile toward us.