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. – Judges 6:15, KJV

When we first meet Gideon, his faith is tiny. By the time we finish reading about Gideon, he has become the faith-filled, mighty man of valor (fearless courage) that God refers to in Judges 6:12. How did this transformation occur? Through a process of step-by-step faith building, which was overseen by our loving, patient God.

Gideon’s path to strong faith was not a one-step process. Instead, God showed Gideon no less than six miraculous signs, each of which had the effect of making Gideon’s faith a bit more sturdy. In Judges 6:21, the Angel of the Lord rose up fire out of a rock to consume an offering that Gideon prepared. In Judges 6:25-32, the Lord commanded Gideon to throw down Baal’s altar. He then proceeded to protect Gideon from harm at the hands of the angry Baal worshippers, thus demonstrating to Gideon His power to protect. In Judges 6:36-40, God performed two miracles, first keeping the ground dry while making the fleece wet with dew, and then keeping the fleece dry while making the ground wet with dew. Next, in Judges 7:9-15, God caused Gideon to overhear the content of a God-inspired, prophetic dream (and its God-inspired, prophetic interpretation) from two men in the enemy camp. Finally in chapters 7 and 8, God gave Gideon and his band of three hundred men complete victory over the host of Midian, which numbered approximately 135,000 in total. By the time God finished delivering these signs to Gideon, the judge had no doubt who the Lord was and what the Lord was capable of.

Thankfully, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, which means that He will, just as He did for Gideon, lovingly and patiently guide us along our walk of faith. However, we need to realize that Gideon was blessed because He responded properly to God’s miracles. The children of Israel, however, did not. Having already seen more than ten miracles from God through Moses (the ten plagues of Egpyt plus the parting of the Red Sea plus the manna, etc.), the Israelites’ weak faith in their Deliverer continued to linger. If we continue in our unbelief – like the Israelites did – rather than grow in our faith – like Gideon did – then God signs to us won’t be a blessing. They will, instead, be a curse, for our improper response to them will bring about God’s wrath.