Courage

“For the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is wholly devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars. Then Asa was vexed with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time” (2 Chronicles 16:9–10, LSB).

Overall, King Asa wasn’t an evil king, at least not in the beginning. When he faced a million-man army from Ethiopia, he cried out to the Lord for help:

Read Part 1.

Although Gideon is certainly a man driven by his anxieties when we first meet him in Judges 6, the magnificent accomplishments which God worked through him were definitely done on the basis of faith.

Indeed, this man of fear became a man of faith—and it was that faith that drove one of the greatest victories in all of Biblical history.

When we first encounter Gideon, the fifth of the 12 leaders of Israel described in the book called Judges, he is definitely a man who is overwhelmed, even dominated, by fear.

Gideon lived during that long stretch of time—more than three centuries—between the days of Joshua, and the launch of the monarchy, which is captured for us in the shadowy book of Judges.

Now, Gideon’s fears were not unfounded. Over the course of seven straight years, the Midianites, Amalekites and other Easterners had swept through Israel at harvest time and taken every shred of their crops, along with their animals, leaving the people of Israel completely desolate.

What is courage? According to the dictionaries courage, or bravery, is the ability to something which frightens one. It is the mental and moral willingness to act on one’s beliefs despite danger, difficulty or disapproval.

It’s important to note individuals who act bravely or exhibit courage aren’t necessarily moral or virtuous. Definitions of morality and virtuousness are subjective and often fluid. These traits are subject to change by the “spirit of the age” and cultural-diversity trends.