Gideon Inside Di Winepress

One young man bend down inside one stone pit, dey beat wheat with stick, dey look back every few seconds. E dey hide. And then one stranger wey sit under di oak tree near there talk, Di Lord dey with you, mighty warrior.

Israel don turn away from God again, and dis time di trouble come from di desert. Every year, for harvest time, di Midianites dey rush come from east, with di Amalekites and other raiders. Dem dey come with dia tents and dia cattle and camels, so plenty say di Bible compare dem to swarm of locusts. Dem dey camp for Israel land and clear everything: crops, sheep, cows, donkeys. For seven years Israel hide inside caves and strong places for mountain. And at last dem cry out to Di Lord.

For di town of Ophrah, one young man wey dem dey call Gideon dey thresh wheat. But no be for open place, where people dey normally thresh wheat. E dey down inside winepress, one pit wey dem cut inside rock, where di Midianites no go see am. Di angel of Di Lord sit under di oak near there come greet am. Di Lord dey with you, mighty warrior. Gideon no feel like mighty. E get questions, and dem pour comot.

Abeg sir, if Di Lord dey with us, why all dis one happen to us? Where all di miracles wey our parents tell us about? Di Lord don abandon us.

Di Lord no argue. E turn to Gideon come talk, Go with dis strength wey you get, and save Israel from di Midianites. No be me dey send you? But how? Gideon talk. My clan na di weakest for Manasseh, and I be di smallest for my family. I go dey with you, Di Lord talk. And you go strike di Midianites down like say na only one man dem be. Gideon ask for sign. E hurry go house come back with one young goat, bread and soup. Di angel tell am make e put di food for top one rock. Then e touch am with di tip of im staff, and fire burst from di rock burn everything. And di angel disappear. Fear catch Gideon well well. I don see di angel of Di Lord face to face! But Di Lord talk, Peace. No fear. You no go die. So Gideon build altar there and call am, Di Lord Na Peace.

Dat same night, God give Gideon di first work, near im house. Im own papa get altar for di god Baal, with one wooden pole for di goddess Asherah beside am. Scatter am, and build correct altar for Di Lord. Gideon obey, with ten servants, but for night, because e fear im family and di people of di town. For morning di town vex well well. Who do dis thing? Dem find out. Bring your son come out, dem tell Gideon papa, Joash. E must die. But Joash stand for im door. Una wan fight for Baal? If Baal na god, make e defend imself. From dat time Gideon get another name, Jerubbaal, wey mean make Baal fight am.

Now di Midianites cross Jordan again come camp for di valley of Jezreel. And di Spirit of Di Lord come upon Gideon. E blow trumpet, and men from all di northern tribes come follow am. Still, Gideon want make sure. If you go save Israel by my hand, see one wool fleece for di threshing floor. If dew dey only for di fleece, and di ground dry, I go know. Di next morning, e squeeze full bowl of water from di fleece. Then e ask again, di other way round. No vex with me. Dis time make di fleece dry and di ground wet. And dat night God do exactly dat.

To see how Gideon dey hide reach, picture how dem dey normally thresh. Farmers dey beat or match grain for threshing floor, one flat open place, often for high ground, so dat breeze go carry di light chaff go when dem throw am up for air. Winepress na di opposite: one small pit wey dem cut inside rock, low and closed, wey dem make to match grapes. E na bad place to thresh, but good place to hide make nobody see you. Na there God find im mighty warrior.

Gideon inside di winepress. You go find am for Judges chapter six. God call Gideon wetin e go become, no be wetin e dey feel like. And e get patience for every one of Gideon questions. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where you dey hide, and wetin God fit dey call you make you step out do?