“Judge”
Jehovah-shalom. —Judges 6:24
Read Judges 6:11-24
Gideon was called to be a judge. The Lord gave him to Israel, although they and we would likely have selected someone else. Gideon, whose name means “hewer,” was an insignificant individual from a very poor family.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to him and greeted him with an exhortation and a blessing, Gideon did not respond in a very spiritual way. Instead, he was overcome by his own need and great sorrow. And so, he asked a simple question of human logic: If the Lord is with us, why then is all this happening to us?
The Lord was precise in calling Gideon. God does not take into account who and what we are, but who He wants us to be. Gideon was not fit for the task the Lord placed before him; he was with-out ability or resources for it. However, against all his objections, the Lord promised that He would strengthen and accompany him. We also must look away from ourselves and expect everything from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gideon hesitated; he wanted to be sure of who was speaking to him. He prepared a meal that was received as an offering, consumed by fire from the angel’s staff. After his heavenly messenger departed, we read that Gideon immediately built an altar of thanksgiving and called it “Jehovah-shalom.”
Why did Gideon call the altar “Jehovah-shalom?”