Bible ReadingJudges 6:11–16 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
[02:19] [05:13] [05:36]Judges 6:36–40 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
[06:23] [07:12]Judges 7:2–8 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
[09:04] [10:18] [11:18]Genesis 12:1–4 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
[14:25]Observation questions- What details in Judges 6 show how dangerous and desperate life had become for Gideon and his village?
- What does Gideon say about his family, his clan, and his own place within the family when God calls him? [06:23]
- What are the two fleece requests Gideon makes, and how does God respond to each one?
- What reason does God give for reducing Gideon’s army from thousands of men to only three hundred? [11:18]
Interpretation questions- God calls Gideon a “mighty warrior” while he is hiding and afraid. What does this reveal about the difference between how God sees a person and how that person may see himself or herself? [05:36]
- Gideon asks honest questions about suffering, God’s apparent absence, and his own weakness. How can a believer bring those same kinds of questions to God without simply giving up on faith?
- God does not allow Israel to win with an army large enough to take credit for the victory. What kinds of human strengths—such as money, influence, planning, popularity, or skill—can quietly become substitutes for trusting God? [11:18]
- Abram, Jacob, Mary, and Gideon were not chosen because they appeared powerful by the world’s standards. What does this pattern suggest about the kind of willingness God desires from someone He calls? [15:21]
Application questions- Gideon was working hard in a hidden place, trying to protect enough food for his family. Where do you currently feel hidden, underpowered, or discouraged? What might it mean to believe that God sees you there? [05:13]
- Gideon asked, “If the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?” Is there a disappointment, loss, fear, or unanswered question that you have been carrying quietly? What would it look like to bring that question honestly before God this week?
- God told Gideon, “Go in the strength you have,” and promised, “I will be with you.” Is there a responsibility, conversation, act of service, or step of obedience you have avoided because you do not feel ready or strong enough? What is one small faithful step you could take?
- Gideon wanted reassurance before moving forward, and God patiently met him in his weakness. When do you find yourself asking God for certainty before obeying? How can you seek wise confirmation without using uncertainty as a reason to remain stuck? [07:12]
- God reduced Gideon’s army so that Israel would not boast in its own strength. Where are you most tempted to say, “I have this handled,” rather than depending on God—in your work, finances, family, health, or ministry? [11:46]
- Prayer and daily devotion help make room to notice God’s voice amid phones, work, traffic, and constant noise. What specific distraction most often crowds out quiet attention to God, and what realistic change could help create a regular time to pray and listen? [12:38]
- God has work for people who feel ordinary, overlooked, or lacking in resources. What gifts, experiences, burdens, or relationships might God be inviting you to offer in service to someone else this week? [15:21]
