Ferdinand Bol 1616–1680
Gideon and the Angel (Judges 6:21)
Judges 6:20-24
The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."
So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace.
OBSERVATION: So often when God presents himself in Scripture, the earthly witness is terrified. Again and again, God must say, "Do not be afraid." Our natural inclination is to believe that anything bigger and stronger wants to harm us. God has to keep reminding us that he is the exception. Yet still our fear of anything bigger and stronger keeps us striving to be the biggest and strongest and smartest and richest. The children of God however do not have to strive to be superior because the father who loves us is bigger and stronger than all. The theme of both the old and new covenants is that God's children are to humble themselves so that God's power above all will be evident to all.
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