Of Lenses and Judges

Hebrews 11:32

I've been preaching through the book of Judges on Sunday evenings and I'm really struck by how gracious God is in His ultimate view of people. When I read the story of Gideon, I see a man who questions God at every turn, who wonders why he doesn't have victory when he has an idol to Baal in his own backyard, and who uses the victory over the Midianites to pursue a personal vendetta of vengeance, even humiliating fellow Israelites in the process by whipping them with thorns in the desert, just to avenge his brothers' deaths.

But then I read God's one word statement of how HE views Gideon and I am challenged to the core. God views him as a 'man of faith.' I don't see it! Why? Because I use a different lens than God does. We all do. We judge each other based on our superficial viewpoint and personal biases. God's lens is much purer and it is His ultimate judgment that matters.

We need to step back and quit making snap judgments on people based on what we see and where we're coming from. We also need to be very thankful that it is through God's merciful lens that He views us, not through the eyes of our brothers.