A Master Class in Identity

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Below is a presentation to be delivered on Saturday November 25th at the West Region Church of God of Prophecy Men’s Conference at the Gospel Community Worship Center (141 Chatham St. Brandfordm ON).

Gideon the Great? An Exploration of True Identity

As men, we are mandated to help in the process of identity to those that are in our sphere of influence

Without getting into all of the context, this statement comes from the context of Genesis when Adam brings light to Eve through proclamation that she was bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and would be called woman…
He also brought identity to his environment by naming the animals

A good place to understand identity development and sit in a master class of identity is in Judges 6 with the story of Gideon and the Angel of God

Gideon did not really know who he was, and he was not living in his identity…

Obscured Identity

To begin, his identity was obscured through the backdrop of his circumstances

The Israelites had sinned and which resulted in punishment (Judes 6)

1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,

2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.

It was a perfectly demoralizing situation that left them impoverished…

3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

They came in large numbers during harvest, camped out, and left leaving barely enough resources for the Israelites, who floundered in impoverishment.

It was in this context which Gideon existed. He was not brazened or defiant with actions that stood up to the Midianite bullies, instead, Gideon was trying to eke out some form of normalcy with little or no confrontations.

Patterns of oppression and failure developed into a survival mentality mode.

Identity can be subverted due to environmental challenges…

Mistaken Identity

One of the surest ways we can know that a person is not living in their identity and are misidentified is that they are in the wrong place doing the wrong thing…

11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.

Did you get that? Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress…

The Angel of the Lord found Gideon threshing wheat in a wine press, but before we rush ahead, notice that He “sat down” under a tree

He watched Gideon, and didn’t just charge in to straighten things out.
Helping someone to find or restore their identity begins with careful observation.

Two important things should be pointed out. Firstly, threshing is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, inedible chaff that surrounds it. It is the step in the grain preparation after harvesting and before winnowing, which separates the loosened chaff from the grain. Secondly, in an ideal situation, it needed to be done on a wide, flat unconfined surface area and more advantageously with the help of farm animals.[i]

Gideon was in the wrong place doing the wrong thing, even though the task was positive. A winepress is for pressing grapes and it is not an effective atmosphere for threshing wheat.

It’s like going swimming in Lake Ontario in February or making campfire “S’mores” in your basement.
It might be possible to do those things; however, the wrong activity being done in the wrong place is unsustainable.
Gideon was doing the wrong thing in a winepress.

Furthermore, his actions were guided by the fact that he was not living in his identity. This man was never meant to live a diminished existence, being bullied and terrorized by his enemies.

The Genesis of Identity

12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Now, if I were Gideon, my response would be… “What?!”

The first part of the Angel’s discourse began with the reassurance of God’s presence in Gideon’s life. Either Gideon did not know that the Lord was with him, or maybe the Angel was saying that he needed to forget about where he had been and realize that now the Lord was with him.

Perhaps the greatest deviation of who one truly is, happens when he or she is not with God! True identity is not found with friends, spouses, brethrens or even family. It is found in relationship with God.

The second part of the statement really blows the mind

Gideon’s identity (who he was) began with a spoken declaration, “…you mighty man of valor!”

What is valor? Valor is great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. It embraced such words as boldness, courage, fearlessness, fortitude, gallantry, heroism, backbone, prowess, tenacity, guts, nerve, resolution, moxie and spirit.

But that wasn’t Gideon..

Identity Obscured Through Personal Misconception

The Angel of the Lord (whom some scholars believe to be the incarnate Christ) showed up seven years later, (in Gideon’s timeline) and in the process, course-corrected Gideon’s personal misconception and addressed him personally with the title, “O mighty man of valor”!

In my imagination, Gideon looked up with eyes as big as Loonies and said stuttering, “Who me? Are you… talking to me?” Well, he did not actually say that. You see, his personal immediate context birthed questions and doubts about God.

He flatly told the Angel of the Lord that despite what God had done in the past, He didn’t seem to be demonstrating power now. In verse 13, I think Gideon is saying this:

“If all that you have said is true, why are we going through this? Why are we suffering and being terrorized? Why are we so poor?”

His negative thinking contributed to the misconception of his identity, as he was so convinced that God had forsaken them. Nevertheless, the Angel began to excavate the bones of his character by ignoring his complaints and began to rewrite his narrative with a directive.

¹⁴Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

“Go in this might of yours”. Really? Didn’t the Angel see what was going on? Did He miss the memo? Did He miss last week’s episode? In spite of what Gideon was thinking and feeling, The Angel of God was adamant in His knowledge that Gideon was actually mighty and would save his people from their enemies because God was the one sending him.

Gideon’s deprogramming would not come easy. Even with God’s assurance, he fell back onto the default foundation of his perceived familial insufficiencies.
In other words, Gideon felt that he just wasn’t good enough. How do we know this? Listen to his response

15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

He explained to God (Isn’t that funny? As if God wasn’t there.) how his clan was the weakest of his tribal communities. I don’t know how he came to this conclusion. In Genesis chapter 48, Israel blessed his grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

He will be great and will be the father of many people. (v19)

So Israel blessed them that day. He said, “The Israelites will use your names whenever they bless someone. They will say, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” (v20)

Yes, of the 12 Tribes, Manasseh was viewed with bias, seeing as half of their population didn’t want to settle in the Promised Land. They opted out of the national dream, and Gideon may have carried around the historical baggage of a choice he had nothing to do with.

If that wasn’t enough Gideon was the “least” in his family. He had an image problem, whether physically or positionally, and in his mind, he just never measured up.

It’s possible that he was always passed over and never taken seriously.
Maybe he was the brunt of family criticism… “Oh, you know Gideon…” [followed by a weary sigh!]
Perhaps it was even all in his head. Nevertheless, it is clear that identity can be hampered by historical and personal baggage. Gideon couldn’t even address the Angel’s declaration. He had to default to the past indicators of his current lack of identity.

The Emergence of Identity

Eventually Gideon recognized the Angel of God for who He truly was, and created his own personal altar.

Then Gideon was given his first task that would begin to reunite him with his true identity.
The Angel of God instructed him to pull down his father’s altar to false gods and build one for the true God in its place.

The scriptures said that he was afraid of his father’s household, therefore he completed the job in the night. Some scholars said that he was afraid he would be stopped and not so much of what the people would do…. I guess that could be possible, but I believe that he was definitely nervous about the possible backlash of his actions.

Sure enough, in verses 28-32 Gideon catches flak for what he did and the people are looking to conduct a deadly lynching.

28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built.

29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”

30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”

Interestingly, Gideon’s father came to his son’s defense. Joash was not willing to offer up Gideon’s life to the mob. He logically argued that the people should not be standing up for a god, rather, the god should stand up for himself.

31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”

Verse 32 is quite thought-provoking, and contributes perfectly to the point of this chapter. It demonstrated the important role of a father in affirming the identity of his son. Gideon’s identity was literally changed by his father, who saw him in a different light. His father immediately changed his name.

32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

By changing his name, Gideon’s character and identity was becoming crystalized. Jerubbaal means “contender with Baal” or, “let Baal plead.”

His father highlighted his son’s courage and called him a god-fighter! This verse makes one reconsider Gideon’s perspective of being the “least” in his family.

God’s Spirit and His Identity

Before the mob got violent, events turned quickly, and the people realized that their enemies were once again camped out at their doorsteps, ready to commence the next campaign chapter of terror.

33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

Gideon’s identity further developed in verse 34. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he launched into action. He took up the trumpet and blew it!!

34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. He blew the trumpet, which was an alarm for battle and they followed him. Israel mobilized for war.

When the Spirit of the Lord comes over him, we see the breakthrough of Gideon’s identity. When he let go and dropped his fear and baggage, his true self shined through. He was a fighter and inspiring military leader with a newly recruited army.

The Solidifying and Ratification of Identity

As Gideon prepared for battle, it was time for the rubber to hit the road. It was time for his true identity to be fully realized.

However, Gideon still had some doubts. Gideon had to ratify his identity and he was three-quarters of the way there.

Gideon’s process of fully realizing his identity occurred when he asked God for a sign (otherwise known as a fleece). He asked for a sign to help him to confirm that it was really God’s will to fight, because his own development of identity was wrapped up in this process. Gideon used a fleece and dew (an everyday item and occurrence in his day) to combine into an extraordinary confirmation.

³⁶So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—³⁷look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” ³⁸And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.

The Passage of Time

Here are two interesting observations to note.

First of all, he was no longer hanging out in the winepress. Did you notice that? He was out in the open. He was on the threshing floor, a place that had remained empty while hiding…

Secondly, Gideon didn’t say to God, “Prove it to me now! Prove it this very second! Send down fire from heaven!” No, he didn’t. Instead, Gideon was content to wait until the next morning to confirm that God was really talking to him.

This “waiting time” revealed that uncovering true identity takes time. It was a journey to get all the way there…even though he had been speaking to God, took down idols and was engaged in God’s work.

Gideon was thoughtful and probably a reflective man. I doubt he slept that night as he wrestled with the reality of who he was.

What happened? God proved that He was with him as the ground was dry, but the fleece was wet. The fact that it happened on the threshing floor made the result uncontestable!

But like any good scientist, Gideon needed to retest. It seemed inconceivable as to why, because I’m sure he didn’t think that someone could have tampered with the cloth. Still, he felt compelled to repeat the experiment, but ask God to reverse the outcome.

³⁹Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” ⁴⁰And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

It’s interesting that he asked God not to be angry, why? He knew he was being wearisome and that any regular, reasonable person would have been angry at the request.

However, God was wonderfully long suffering! There was no indication in this scriptural passage of God’s anger or even displeasure.

There was no condemnation that he lacked faith. God knew that his identity was almost there, it just required a bit more patience and development.

Once again, there’s the passage of time. Now, most people who want answers from God want it yesterday, but Gideon was willing to wait another night. Why?

Time seemed to prove things, and for Gideon personally, maybe more time was needed to think and wrestle and digest his situation.

Amazingly enough, God reconfirmed with Gideon.

Fast forward to chapter 8; Gideon was existing, thriving and living in his identity. He was in full bloom possessing the soul of a warrior! Brazen, bold, and courageous! We won’t get into the rest of the battle, you probably know that already, and you can read it for yourself…

Being the Angel of God

Encouraging true identity in others who we have influence over is a lot like being the Angel of God in the Gideon narrative. This should be our practical goal as men. This could be a man’s “bone of my bone” experience. This must truly define our masculine identity.

Let’s break down this Biblical example into a seven-step application to help encourage, retrieve or develop identity.

1. Observation

Observation really means taking the time to have a careful look on what is really going on with an individual. It means looking analytically to see what identity misalignments are actually taking place.

Avoid easy and oversimplified diagnosis – things like… “Oh he’s just lazy.”
One could have made snap judgments about Gideon – “He’s a coward and not too bright…”

Snap judgments often come about because we start talking before we start looking. Therefore, don’t talk, rather get comfortable. The Angel of the Lord sat under a tree (as described in the story) and watched Gideon do his threshing in a winepress.

2. Being Present & God’s Presence

The good thing about getting comfortable and making observations (of those in need of finding identity) is that you have an opportunity of moving towards their world, even though it may be misaligned. Being out of phase with identity means that individuals may be doing the wrong things in the wrong places, but with the motive of trying to survive or cope with life. As males, we need to pray for the presence of God first in our lives and definitely in those we are helping. Having the presence of God in our lives helps us to be like the Angel of God.

3. Declaring

An important part of inspiring identity is declaration. It means using positive and prophetic words even if they run perpendicular to what is being observed. Men have to speak that identity out loud -not through complaints, nagging or with anger and frustration. We have to speak lovingly and directly, contrary to negative historical forces and their personal misconceptions.

We should act as “history teachers” and remind them of God’s past faithfulness. There needs to be conversations such as, “

Hey, do you remember when God kept you safe when you were in that car accident…?” or “Remember when God answered your prayer when…”.

Making declarations is a way of looking beyond present circumstances and behaviour and seeing what the individual’s identity should and will be.

4. Providing Opportunity

After declarations, identity can progress towards development by providing initial opportunities for growth and success. It means embracing the choice and faith to trust them with a chance to do something.

The Angel of the Lord, in spite of Gideon’s “winepress-threshing-hiding” fiasco, tasked him with making a very public statement of tearing down some very public, pagan altars.

If it were me, it wouldn’t make sense to ask a guy in hiding to expose himself to a public confrontation, but then again, the point is, Gideon was more than what his behaviour was saying.

5. Speaking Public Support

Building identity also required affirmation that took the form of speaking up and speaking out for Gideon. Circumstances will vary, but in this case, Gideon’s father defended him in front of his family and community.

When the people were going to lynch him for pulling down the altar, Gideon’s father eloquently advocated his case. Sometimes it requires a great deal of courage to not board the negative, bad-mouthing bandwagon of someone with a bad track record.

Having faith in an individual -whether they are worthy of it or not is an integral step in the development of their identity.

6. Changing the Name

In the text, Gideon’s father changed his son’s name. In our modern day, this may seem a little impractical and a bit weird to give someone a new name. What we are really getting at here is to recognize the change and development of the individual.

It is crucial to recognize the success, changes or movement towards true identity. “Changing their name” is a concrete way of sincerely changing your view and outlook about the individual.

With that may come the necessity of standing against what others have to say about him or her.

7. Being Patient in the Proving

Lastly, as the individual is on the brink of true identity, one must be patient. We need to patiently provide them with the time, evidence and “fleece” needed to realize who and what they are.

We are to inspire confidence in themselves and in God. The process of developing and revealing identity takes time.

If God himself took the time with Gideon’s identity hurdles, how much more us?

Gideon had to painstakingly be convinced through a series of “fleeces” or tests before he could move beyond the mountain of biases, baggage and misconceptions to see who and what he truly was.

As men, we are to help our wives, children, and those around us to discover who they are. We have to know God so that we can know who they are. This is one of the greatest advantages of being a man of God, and it allows us to build up others.

By Israel A. Harriott

(National Men’s Director Eastern Canada)

Call to Action

Why not take the time to get a journal and think about what you have learned? Is God calling you to help bring idenity to your son, daughter, or someone that you are mentoring?

Reflection Questions

Think, Discuss, Journal

1. Do you feel that there are people in your life that seem to behave in ways contrary to what you believe is their true potential and identity? If so, elaborate.

2. Take the time to consciously observe and take notes about their world and circumstances. Try to make at least 5 observations. What did you discover? What did life look like in their shoes?

3. Start a one-week prayer journey, specifically asking God to reveal the identity of this individual. (It may take longer, or you may have to start a fast as well… See where it takes you.)

What did you discover? What did God reveal to you and how did He do it?

4. Start a one-week prayer journey, specifically asking God about something this individual needs to do. (Again, it may take longer, or you may have to start a fast as well… See where it takes you.)

What did you discover? Does it also have Scriptural support? What do other men in your life feel about what you’ve discovered?

5. Approach the individual with the material you have been journaling. Have a discussion about the way you believe God could by leading.

Guiding Focus for Ministry

The National Men’s Ministry has been renamed to confirm our vision: The Men and Young Men Alliance (of Eastern Canada)

We have three guiding focuses.

The National Men’s Ministry of Eastern Canada, we are dedicated to (1) ally with young men and boys. We are there to support young men and boys through Boy’s Trips, Mentorship, Ceremonies, Rites of Passages. Quit often I think to myself that we are trying to get men in the MM and grow the ministry, and I think we were missing a key thing. Not only were we to get men, but we also need to make men. All the men who are in MM are for the most part older. What is going to happen to the future of MM if our focus is not on young men?

I’ve said this many times, one day I woke and looked around. I had a wife, children, and a mortgage (in that order), and I thought to myself, “Yup, I must be a man, but how did I get here?” I felt like got to manhood with my eyes closed. I think that maybe it was around then that I began circling around the idea of the Genesis Man. We are not doing this because we want a future, but it is the right thing to do. We want to ensure that our young men don’t reach manhood with their eyes closed.

Secondly, we seek to (2) ally and support pastors to promote service, and male leadership and in the local churches of Eastern Canada. We exist to help build the church. We want to help promote men to leadership. We want to provide and opportunity and platform for leadership. A springboard.

The National Men’s Ministry is here to (3) ally with men and young men to provide and create a platform for the dialogue and exploration of the Reason, Roles, and Relationship of masculine identity.

When I use the term the Genesis Man, I’m referring to the Reason, Roles and Relationship of masculine identity. It’s a dialogue, it’s an exploration, it responds to my personal inquiries and societal questions regarding masculinity and manhood and fatherhood.

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