King Saul hid out of fear. Gideon hid because of his lack of understanding (I Samuel 10:22; Judges 6:11-16).
King Saul
Saul was the newly anointed King of Israel, who had a distorted view of himself and his family. For instance, both his perceptions and perspectives were off. Nonetheless, God does not call the qualified; instead, He qualifies those He calls. Therefore, King Saul (like many of us) already possesses what we need to carry out the assignment by the Lord.
Fear and Cowardice
God, in His mercy, knew that his fearful new King needed an advocate and mentor to help him navigate and grow into the maturity of his kingship, and so the Lord gave him Samuel. When Samuel arrived to present Saul before everyone, Saul hid “himself “and could not be found.
“No more hiding among the stuff (I Samuel 10:22).”
It does not matter what your stuff (busyness) is, your past, perceptions, environment, trauma, addictions, etc. The time is now to stop hiding! Saul was to be King but hid because he was a coward. He lacked confidence in who he was and his abilities/capabilities. Yet, God gave him exactly what was needed to fulfill the assignment. King Saul was expected to endure the process and finish the course laid out before him. Instead, King Saul became distracted by the need to please people; ironically, those subject to his authority over them-- think about that. King Saul chose to operate from his distorted perceptions about who he was to be, yet God elevated him.
Gideon
On the other hand, Gideon hid out of his lack of understanding regarding what he had been told and taught about God and Israel’s covenant with God (Judges 6:11). He was conflicted because he saw no mighty move or work from the Lord. For instance, Gideon was found working at night, which many interpreted as him being a coward. But that’s not how God saw it. Many look at how he did the work, but God judges that he did it despite the threat. God called him a mighty man of valor! Even in hardships, Gideon didn’t stop working. Gideon’s stuff didn’t stop him from being chosen.
“Don’t let your hardships and issues block you from pursuing a relationship with God and getting all He has for you.”
Lack understanding
In hindsight, Israel lacked witnessing the mighty move of God because of their sins. Therefore, the upcoming generations lack understanding and are not equipped to move forward to defeat their (spiritual) enemies. For example, they became subject to the influence of their misinformed minds. Likewise, we are witnessing it today in the Body of Christ. Because of this, our youth are looking for answers from the world instead of us. Why? Because our sins have blocked us from becoming familiar with the move of God.
God, rich in mercy, is still speaking and delivering His people. And just like God sent Gideon, he is still sending people out as deliverers to nations, governments, kingdoms, families, communities, and the marketplace to establish exousia, e.g., Kingdom rule, domination, and authority on earth and Dunamis power.
“Whatever your issues are, lay them down so that you may gain Christ and His will for your life (Hebrews 11:1-2).”
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