Judges 6:11-24 / Mt 19:23-30
"Yahweh-shalom" translates to "I am peace." Yet God was sending Gideon out as a warrior. Clearly a paradox. Just consider how common they are in God's revelation of Himself to us. The weak are made strong. To live, we must die to ourselves. The poor become rich. The God of peace makes a farmer a warrior-judge for His people. A carpenter dies on wood.
Gideon thought of himself as little among the people of God. He was just a farmer afraid of losing his produce in the ravages of war. Yet God said "there is my man." And Gideon was changed " forever more known as a champion of God.
I am going to suggest something to all of you that may seem " well " over-the-top: every one of us has been drawn to the Lord through a paradox. I don't think I am wrong in this, but I admit it is my own idea. So take it for-what-it-is-worth. I am even going to go one step further: try to find the paradox (maybe more than one) that drew you into your place with God. Once you recognize it (or them) you will be more like Gideon, the champion of God than like Gideon, the fearful farmer.
What is my paradox? That Jesus made me a priest, with all the history I have, pulling me from being a warrior in the world to being a warrior for His Kingdom. As some friends from the seminary said: "from the army of men " to the army of The Man."
