SIT BY THE THRESHING FLOOR June 2019
Reference Judges 6: 7- 16 (NKJV)
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, 8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you 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 who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My voice.’ ”11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
First Chronicles twenty-four references how priests were organized for God’s service. Verse nineteen speaks to their obedience in following God’s protocol. We too are required to accept the assignment that God has given us.
The Midianites, enemies of Israel, were instrumental in keeping the Israelites petitioning God. They targeted them in every area of their existence. This was a consequence of the disobedience of the Israelites. God had delivered them from Pharaoh’s bondage and idol worship, yet they had forgotten. The prophet had to remind them of God’s deliverance and their choice to forget the laws of Moses. They respected the gods of the Amorites because they thought they owed them gratitude for living in their land.
The Israelites continued to present their problems to God, then He sent an angel to deliver a message of comfort to Gideon who was sitting by the threshing floor. The wheat would be thrashed and hidden from the Midianites, who plundered everything. We can well imagine some negative thoughts that occupied Gideon’s mind. He must have felt alone, forsaken and inadequate. On that basis, the angel reminded him that he was not alone. (Psalm 23: 4; Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5); his strength would be replenished, (2 Corinthians 12: 9) and God would fight for him (2 Chronicles 20:15).
Gideon was at a place where it required divine intervention to let him realize that God cares about everything that concerns us. His resources were being attacked. The only way he knew out of the dilemma was to sit by the threshing floor. That was a place where grain was separated by stomping with the feet or using oxen. This was all done while being exposed to the wind. An outdoor threshing floor could be owned by either an entire village or by a single family (outside of the village). Sometimes we feel as if outside forces trample both us and our prayers and storms have us in a tailspin. Yet that was the process of separating the grain from the trash. At the threshing floor, Gideon had the time to strategize how to protect his resources. He had a place where the enemy would not expect him to be.
God has given us the protocol on how to receive His promises. One of the procedures is to focus on Him (2 Chronicles 20:12). How big and powerful does He seem? Literally, take a moment and reflect. Let’s jog our memories. There are times in our experiences when we have no recourse but to make desperate plans. That’s when we should reflect on the solutions that God provided in the past.
Some of us may recall when we were almost kidnapped; had no food; the rent payment was late; the doctor’s report was negative; our own means of transportation were our feet; no parental support; drugs and alcohol were our go-to and many other devastating situations. YET, we are alive and have been sustained. Who gets the credit?
When the Israelites focused on God (Philippians 4: 6) and prayed earnestly, God sent a reminder about His deliverance from Egypt and their responsibility to serve Him, the only true God. The prophet also brought to their attention the effect of their disobedience. Disobedience has consequences. God did not ward off the enemy, so the Israelites became an easy prey. When we let our guard down by disobedience (vs. 10), the enemy accepts the invitation to plunder our hope, trust, and confidence in God.
We are assured though that God who knows the heart, still cares. He sent a messenger with His message so that they could be aware of the door that had been opened. God does not show us our mistakes and then leaves us to only reflect on them, then do nothing. While we are remorseful, He sends us help, in some form. In Gideon’s cace, He sent an angel that encouraged and assured him that all was not lost.
The angel must have watched Gideon for a while. He observed his demeanor of discouragement and at the opportune time, he got his attention. Gideon threshed grain and he just knew that he had to keep doing that in order to feed Israel, since so many enemies robbed milk, meat, produce, and means of transportation. Israel had trouble.
For us, when our substance is depleted, we tend to try alternatives, but all avenues of Israel’s means were under attack on every front. The enemy even camped out in great numbers on Israel’s property, therefore the Israelites’ new homes were in mountains and caves. No wonder Gideon had to be told that he was mighty, brave, the Lord had not left him, and his job was to save Israel. What a message!
Gideon’s thoughts could have been that that was neither a prophet nor an angel. Or else, they would understand the reality of what he was facing. That’s rational, but if we could solve our own problems, why would we need God’s intervention? Gideon was going to fix the problem. Did he think that he could thrash enough wheat to feed Israel? He found a hide-away and was executing his plan when God interrupted him so that he could refocus.
Take note that the angel DID NOT mention Gideon’s circumstances. He told him of his character, his relationship with God and God’s plan for him. Was the angel aware of Gideon’s reality? Absolutely! It is of great importance for us, to take a similar stance. The problem was still there. But the focus was redirected. God desires for us to sit by our threshing floor (our altar) and hear what He speaks. At the altar, when we confess that God is our only hope, and our problems are as numerous as droves of grasshoppers (Judges 6: 5), we cry to God, desperately. Even then Gideon’s conversation was:
Lord: I send you, mighty man, to save Israel. Go! (Judges 6:14)
Gideon: My family is poor. I am unimportant to them. (Judges 6:15)
Lord: Without a doubt, I will be with you and you will be victorious.
Gideon: Show me a sign if this is really your choice (Judges 6:17)
Lord: Offer a sacrifice to me. (Judges 6:20)
Wasn’t that a disjointed exchange? Gideon’s responses did not correspond with the Lord’s statements. Why did Gideon speak about HIS inadequacy, when God already proclaimed him to be strong and successful? Did he not believe what The Lord declared about him? After much reasoning, Gideon’s place, the threshing floor, was substituted for an altar.
Israel sought God earnestly, and God who hears our prayers, sent reinforcement to remind them of the miraculous acts they had experienced in the past (Hebrews 13: 8). Like us, Gideon reasoned. He questioned why Israel was rescued from Egypt and was then forsaken (Judges 6: 13). Do we hear our own voice there? It may be that God is propelling us into His plan for our good. We may still be cowering, trying to find a solution to circumstances when God already has an angel prepared to speak to our spirit.
Sometimes we also doubt that our steps are being ordered by the Lord. How could they be, and we face such adversities? In answer to that:(1) We are born of woman (Job 14:1); (2) We are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10 and Psalm 34:19); (3) We wrestle against principalities, NOT AGAINST PEOPLE (Ephesians 6:12).
Difficult problems cause us to either think like Job’s wife (Job 2:9) or draw close to God. Our threshing floor should be the altar that we create. Usually on an altar, sacrifices are presented. Praise, exaltation, thanksgiving, commitment, availability, obedience and surrender are some of the sacrifices that draw us close to God. During the offering of our sacrifices, it is impossible to focus on our situation. We worship with the knowledge that God is inspiring us, honoring our commitment, and strengthening us.
If a child skins his knee or elbow, he seeks parental comfort. Sometimes he screams as if he has a life-threatening wound. On close examination, the parent sees that it is a mere bruise and applies comforting first aid. Soon the child returns to play without regard to the bruise.
Is God aware of our reality? Yet, He calls us to purpose and reminds us of who we are in Him. When He sees that our pain does not meet the criteria for His ER, He soothes us and sends us back to our duty. He knows whether we need: paramedics, just triage, urgent care, or surgeons (i.e. counselors, teachers, pastors, angels).
While we are set apart at the threshing floor, we are sifted to separate impurities so that the resulting product will be usable. To us, our hurt is more than mere discomfort. Jesus forewarned Peter of Satan’s intent, but He also assured Peter that He already took care of the situation by praying for Him (Luke 22: 31- 32). The remedy then is prayer.
The suffering of the Israelites caused Gideon to find refuge at a place where the produce was blown in order to reduce it to where it could be beneficial. Had Gideon not gone to that place, he might not have received the revelation that he was earmarked for a greater purpose.
Our altar is the place where we meet with God, bare our souls, recognize that He is God and replace our fears with His peace. Since it is at the threshing floor where we are secluded with God, will we not rather be there and commune with Him instead of wondering why He has forsaken us? The circumstances that brought Gideon to the threshing floor were far from desirable. However, they were a part of the process to His purpose. May we now not despise the threshing floor. Sit by it!
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
- What threshing instrument might God be using on us?
2. How can we change our attitude while we sit there?