Judges 6:1-40
1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Gideon was a fearful man who doubted himself, who doubted his circumstances, and who doubted God. He is found in this passage threshing wheat in a winepress to hide from the Midianites, who sought to destroy the land and the people. He wondered where God was and why He wasn’t helping them. He viewed himself as the most insignificant member of an insignificant family. He scoffed at God’s call upon his life that he would be a mighty deliverer of the people. He feared the men of the city when God told him to destroy the altar of Baal. He sought the sign of the fleece not once, but twice, just to be sure God was really telling him the truth.

In the fear of oppression by a mighty enemy, the fear of his own weakness and helplessness, the fear of the people around him, and the fear of God’s call upon him, Gideon sought Jehovah Shalom and the peace that only comes from God. His first real connection to Jehovah was to know that He is a God who can offer freedom from fear, anxiety, and his own sense of smallness and unworthiness. So despite all of his doubts and fears, he was able to do as God had called him to do. It may have been under the cover of night, but he did tear down that altar to Baal and make an offering to God instead. It may have been reluctantly, but he raised an army and led it forth into battle. He may have been unsure if he could do anything at all, but the Spirit of God came upon him, and so he became that mighty warrior who delivered his people.

God will give us His peace despite our lowly opinion of ourselves, despite us questioning Him and what He is allowing us to face in our lives, despite our lack of understanding and even despite our lack of faith. It is His gift to fearful and anxious hearts. It is a peace that draws us nearer to Him. It is a peace that strengthens us to face the trials of this life. For Gideon, it wasn’t always about ridding himself of all fear. Perhaps that is impossible anyway. But it was about trusting God enough so he could move forward despite the fear, to accept God’s promise of peace, to find the reassurance he needed to follow God’s plan in order to reach an ultimate victory.

For some of us, fear itself may be the enemy. It paralyzes, discourages, and threatens to overwhelm us, while holding us back from what God is calling us to. It must be, then, a choice not to let it overtake us, a choice to receive the peace that God offers to us, a choice to believe in and trust Jehovah Shalom to give us victory over our fear and anxiety. It is one of God’s blessings for us to fill us with this peace that cannot come from any other source.

1 Chronicles 22:9
Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

1 Kings 4:24-25
24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.
25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Solomon was God’s “peaceful” king, whom He promised to his father, David, and God gave Solomon a kingdom of peace—freedom from war and conflict with surrounding nations—a foreshadowing of the future peaceful kingdom of Christ when He rules over the whole Earth. So the nation of Israel went from one that had almost continual conflict with various enemies to being at rest and peace from any who would come against them. It was a gift God gave to them, to give them rest, to give them an opportunity to build the temple, to become a fruitful, wealthy, and thriving nation, at least for a time.

And so it is for us. We do have to face our battles, but then God gives us times of peace and rest, freedom from conflict and oppression, a haven to resort to away from those things that bring fear and unrest into our hearts. Often they are temporary reprieves for now, as we still dwell in this sinful world, but someday we’ll experience eternal rest and peace, when all battles will be over and all fighting will cease and we enjoy the kingdom of our Prince of Peace forever and ever.

Psalm 38:3
There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

The word translated “rest” in this verse is “shalom.” Sin steals our peace. It takes away our peace with God and any inner peace within ourselves. It invites all of those negative things, like fear, anxiety, unrest, condemnation, and bitterness, into our hearts. There is no room for peace when we are filled with sin and not dealing with it appropriately.

Psalm 34:14
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

Peace is something to seek out purposely and deliberately. We can seek things that bring unrest into our lives, or we can seek things that promote peace in ourselves and in our lives. It comes from pursuing after God and the things of God and leaving evil behind. It comes from choosing God’s way over our sinful inclinations. The things we choose to focus on and move toward in our lives can either bring peace to our lives or destroy any peace we had.

Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

One way to bring peace into our lives is through loving God’s Word. It teaches us about God and what He wants from us. It introduces us to His Son, the Prince of Peace. It shows us the source of peace and the path to having peace for ourselves. It strengthens us inwardly by setting our hearts and minds on things which are true, right, good, and worthy of our attention. This is a lasting peace that is difficult to shake, despite what may be happening around us.

Isaiah 48:22
There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Conversely, however, the wicked will be absent of peace. It is impossible for those without God to have something that only comes from God. When we reject God and choose our own sinful and wicked ways, we’ll have no peace at all.

Isaiah 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He brings true peace to the world—peace with God and freedom from wrath, judgment, and punishment for sin. It is an eternal peace from an eternal God that will last for all eternity. Peace is a gift when we are right with God, a fruit of His abundant blessing, part of His goodness that He shares with us in the restoration of our souls. It is a part of His nature and an attribute within Him that He demonstrates toward us. Indeed, it is a fruit of the Spirit that we can have dwelling within us when we know Christ as our Savior. It is a result of reconciliation with Him when we have been redeemed.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Christ leaves His peace with those who believe in Him. It is a unique peace that cannot come from any other source. It is a peace that can overcome the fear and trouble that comes into our hearts from this world, the sin within us, the circumstances around us, and the doubts of our own minds. It is a powerful peace that gives sure and certain victory over these things that arise in our hearts. It is a sure peace that certainly comes upon us from Him when we are willing to receive it. And when we allow His peace to fill us, there is no room for trouble and fear to fill us.

It is Christ who sets us free. Peace is freedom from so many negative things that are part of this sinful world—war, chaos, fear, anxiety, condemnation, disturbance, trouble, confusion. And it is the addition of calm, rest, stillness, certainty, joy, unity, and so much more that comes along with it. It is a part of God and a fruit of His Spirit that abides within us. It is a gift of God to His weary and troubled children. It is assurance and strength that comes from surrendering our doubts and fears and trusting in Jehovah Shalom.