Gideon, threshing his grain in the winepress, looks anything but a mighty man. Some therefore think that God is mocking Gideon. Others consider it preferable to understand this simply as a flattering address, designed to win the sympathy of the man to what he is about to tell him.
1 But it could very well be that God was pointing out that Gideon had the resources available to him. His father was wealthy with many servants at his command.
2 But the important thing is ultimately not what Gideon himself thinks or feels or owns, but what the Lord has declared. Gideon’s strength lies in God’s promise to be with him. Indeed, if God says Gideon is a mighty warrior, then he is.
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12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”