1 Corinthians 13:11 - KJV- When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

So many times, we as children of God we react just like Jether. The Lord sees in us warriors and has trained us to become just that. The Bible declares in Psalms 144 verse 1: “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight”. And also in 2 Samuel 22: 35 „He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.“ (See also Psalms 18:35). Just as Gideon had trained his son so that he would become a valiant soldier, the Lord Jesus also uses the circumstances of life to help us become valiant soldiers who are all equipped to have the victory over every situation. If the Lord Jesus tells us that the gates of hell (in other words the power of evil) shall not prevail against us, this implies the fact that we will have to face some difficulties and we will have some battles to fight. The Lord Jesus said it clearly that we will have difficulties, trials and battles in this world. But we have the right to rejoice even before those difficulties arise because He has already given us the victory (John 16:33). Inasmuch as he has already conquered the world and holds the keys of hell and of death, we are more than conquerors and we don’t need to tremble before the enemy because our Lord is with us. He has not left us without defence in this world where evil reigns. Since we have become valiant soldiers through Him, He has also provided for the equipment that we need for the battle.

Gideon had made sure that his son Jether has everything he needs to fight against the enemy and overcome him. How much more the Lord of glory will make sure that those that have been called out, set apart and sanctified will be clothed with the whole armor that they need for the battle (See Ephesians 6:10-18). And since we are so well equipped, why do we still tremble so often when adversity comes? Many children of God are mature soldiers who have enough experience in the battles of life. But so often times we forget the great privilege that we have in Christ and we become little children who are weak and vulnerable before the enemy. Let us imagine Jether with all his soldier equipment. As the saying goes, he was “armed to the teeth”. It should be clear to us that when the two Madianite kings were captured, all their weapons were taken away. We can even imagine that such dangerous enemies had certainly been bound and were kept in safe guard in a prison. Which means that they were perfectly inoffensive and cold not do anybody any harm. They could not attack Gideon nor his son because they had been completely stripped of all weapons. As a matter of fact, these enemies were already conquered and just had to be destroyed now.

Why did Gideon want his son Jether to kill the two most dangerous men among their enemies? It was simply because he wanted to honor him. The victory against the Madianites would have been complete as soon as these two enemies had been killed because they were the masterminds of the whole group. Before God and before men, it would have been an honor for Jether to have killed these two enemies. But Jether was afraid and trembled. Even though he had been trained as a soldier by his father, even though he had all the equipment needed as well as a sword to kill his enemies, even though his father Gideon was by his side and though his presence should have given him enough confidence, and even though his apparent dangerous enemy had already been conquered, Jether was afraid and was intimidated by an inoffensive enemy. Jesus has already conquered the enemy and it is our honor for us children of God to give him the final blow that he deserves. Let us not tremble before the enemy with our armor on. Let us not be children that are holding a sword in their hand and do not know how to use it when the time comes. The sword that the Lord has given us is able to destroy all the fiery traits of the devil. The Lord will never abandon us in the hands of the enemy of our soul. There is a time to be a child and there is a time to become mature and take our responsibilities as adults, just like apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:11. Some of us behave like responsible adults who are able to face the challenges of life. But when certain difficulties arise the child in them appears and they are not able to fight against their enemy. Let us use the sword and the armor that the Lord has given us to fight against the enemy and take back our blessings. Let us pray to become mature in every aspect in the Lord and let us use our sword wisely. The fervent prayer of the righteous avails much (James 5:16). We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony and we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. mt