Bible ReadingJudges 6:1-40The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.
[37:09]When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
[38:33]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.”
[50:38]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.
Judges 7:1-22Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 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.
[58:00]Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.”
So he and his servant Purah went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.
[01:05:24]2 Corinthians 4:7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
[01:09:47]Observation questions- What does the prophet remind Israel that God had done for them, and what simple command had they failed to obey? [38:33]
- What details show how desperate and fearful Gideon’s situation was when the angel called him a “mighty warrior”? [46:37]
- What are the two different fleece requests Gideon makes, and how does God respond to each one? [50:38]
- What does Gideon’s army carry into battle, what do the men do with those items, and who actually causes the Midianites to flee?
Interpretation questions- Israel had heard God’s command but had “not listened” to Him. What is the difference between hearing God’s Word and listening in the obedient sense shown in this passage? [39:30]
- Gideon sees weakness, fear, and a low position in his family, but God promises, “I will be with you.” Why is God’s presence a stronger basis for Gideon’s calling than Gideon’s abilities or background? [50:02]
- Gideon brings his uncertainty openly to God before facing an overwhelming task. How can a person tell the difference between honestly seeking God’s direction and repeatedly delaying obedience because of fear? [57:10]
- God reduces the army so Israel will not say, “My own strength has saved me.” What kinds of success are people most tempted to credit to themselves rather than to God? [01:03:13]
Application questions- Is there an area where you are hearing what God calls you to do but not really listening through obedience—such as worship, forgiveness, honesty, purity, generosity, or serving? What would one obedient step look like this week? [38:51]
- Where do you most identify with Gideon hiding in a winepress: spiritually, emotionally, relationally, or because of financial pressure, family pain, or a feeling of inadequacy? What fear is keeping you there? [49:01]
- God calls fearful Gideon a mighty warrior because He is with him. What negative label or limitation do you tend to put on yourself, and how might God be inviting you to trust His presence rather than your resume? [47:24]
- When uncertainty comes, do you tend to hide it from God, sit in it without moving, or try to solve everything alone? What would it look like to bring that specific uncertainty honestly to God this week? [57:18]
- What resource, safety net, or “plan B” are you most tempted to depend on for security? How could that limitation become an opportunity to say, “Lord, I need Your help”? [01:04:17]
- A jar has to be broken for the torch inside to be seen. Is there a safe and appropriate way you could stop pretending to have it all together with a trusted believer, allowing Christ’s strength to be seen in your weakness? [01:10:28]
- Gideon’s men were not asked to invent a winning strategy; they were asked to stand where God placed them and obey. What is one clear, practical step of obedience you can take with the resources you already have—perhaps making a call, offering forgiveness, praying, or serving? [01:13:06]
