The Jesse Tree: Day 12
AN UNLIKELY HERO
“Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows."
Rudolph’s story ends heroically and with a general fondness for that luminous red nose, but in the beginning, everybody hated Rudolph. Because when considering what a reindeer was supposed to be, Rudolph just didn’t fit.
He was an outcast. But then, through a single act on one foggy Christmas Eve, his entire reputation was rewritten. His identity changed.
The story of Gideon has a similar redrafting of identity. For seven years, the Midianite nation had oppressed the Israelites, ravaging their crops, devouring their produce, and even stealing their livestock. For almost a decade, every harvest season consisted of this same abuse, and the people of Israel were left with nothing.
This oppression dampened their spirits and shaped even the way they understood themselves. Defeated. Afraid. Weak.
Gideon’s own introduction comes in a winepress, a hole dug in vineyards for pressing grapes. But he wasn’t pressing grapes; he was hiding, threshing grain, sweating with anxiety as he removed the chaff, hoping that the Midianites wouldn’t find him. He was afraid. And then, alarmingly, an angel of the Lord appeared and spoke to him.
Rudolph’s story ends heroically and with a general fondness for that luminous red nose, but in the beginning, everybody hated Rudolph. Because when considering what a reindeer was supposed to be, Rudolph just didn’t fit.
He was an outcast. But then, through a single act on one foggy Christmas Eve, his entire reputation was rewritten. His identity changed.
The story of Gideon has a similar redrafting of identity. For seven years, the Midianite nation had oppressed the Israelites, ravaging their crops, devouring their produce, and even stealing their livestock. For almost a decade, every harvest season consisted of this same abuse, and the people of Israel were left with nothing.
This oppression dampened their spirits and shaped even the way they understood themselves. Defeated. Afraid. Weak.
Gideon’s own introduction comes in a winepress, a hole dug in vineyards for pressing grapes. But he wasn’t pressing grapes; he was hiding, threshing grain, sweating with anxiety as he removed the chaff, hoping that the Midianites wouldn’t find him. He was afraid. And then, alarmingly, an angel of the Lord appeared and spoke to him.
“The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Judges 6:12
Judges 6:12
Then the angel told Gideon about God’s plan for rescuing the Israelites from their Midianite oppressors. The strategy was founded on the leadership of one mighty, valorous man—Gideon.
Still trembling and breathing heavily, trying to shake the panic, but relieved that this angel wasn’t a Midianite, Gideon responded in disbelief.
Still trembling and breathing heavily, trying to shake the panic, but relieved that this angel wasn’t a Midianite, Gideon responded in disbelief.
“Please Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Judges 6:15
Judges 6:15
And in his words, we see the clashing of identities in a single person. In this story, contrasting descriptions war over Gideon’s identity. Is he a nobody, a frail coward from a weak and pathetic family? Or is he mighty, a person of valor, courage, and faith? This story raises the question, whose words will Gideon believe?
Thankfully, Gideon believed God. Not right away, and certainly not perfectly. But he chose to live into God’s description of him, and through his courage and faith, God delivered the Israelites.
In the same way, Jesus reorients us to our true identity. Through him, we’ve been adopted into the family of God, the result being that God delights in us as his beloved sons and daughters. Not because of our perfect moral track records; not because of our achievements; not even because we haven’t failed and messed up. Because we have. He loves us, not because of these things, but just because he’s our father, and we’re his daughters and sons.
Regardless of our wordly reputations, this is how God understands us. The only question is, just like Gideon, whose words will we choose to live into?
Thankfully, Gideon believed God. Not right away, and certainly not perfectly. But he chose to live into God’s description of him, and through his courage and faith, God delivered the Israelites.
In the same way, Jesus reorients us to our true identity. Through him, we’ve been adopted into the family of God, the result being that God delights in us as his beloved sons and daughters. Not because of our perfect moral track records; not because of our achievements; not even because we haven’t failed and messed up. Because we have. He loves us, not because of these things, but just because he’s our father, and we’re his daughters and sons.
Regardless of our wordly reputations, this is how God understands us. The only question is, just like Gideon, whose words will we choose to live into?
Pause to reflect
How do you see yourself? And what aspects of your identity matter most to you? How do those differ from who God says you are?
What common experiences act as triggers for you to misplace your identity? Sometimes it’s failure, but often achievements and simple compliments can lead us to place our identity in something other than Christ.
What common experiences act as triggers for you to misplace your identity? Sometimes it’s failure, but often achievements and simple compliments can lead us to place our identity in something other than Christ.
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