God Uses Gideon

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Introduction

We talked two weeks ago about the cycle of sin that the Israelites fell into after the death of Joshua and his generation. The Israelites had taken the land, but had failed to thoroughly drive out the Canaanites as God had commanded them. The Canaanites became a snare to the people and trapped them in false worship.

• Who can describe the basic pattern of sin and repentance the people fell into (Judges 2–3)? The people disobeyed God and worshipped false gods; God’s anger was kindled; God judged them; they were taken captive or ruled by another nation; they cried out to God; God sent a deliverer or judge; the people obeyed while the judge was alive; the people became more corrupt after the judge died; and the cycle repeated.
• What metaphor did God use to describe their worshipping of the idols of the Canaanites and others? God compared their idolatry to sexual immorality, specifically prostitution. Judges 2:17 says they “whored after” and “bowed down” to the false gods, the Baals, and the Ashtaroth.

  As we come to today’s lesson, we are in the period of the judges who ruled Israel. Refer to the History of Israel poster and the period of the judges section. When we left Israel last time, they had forgotten all that God had done for them, and they served the idols of the Canaanites. There had been several judges raised up by God to lead the people, but they continued to fall back into idolatry and faced God’s discipline at the hands of the surrounding pagan nations.

  As we find them today, they are about 150 years removed from the death of Joshua and the time Othniel was the judge. Gideon judged Israel beginning about 1245 BC. We will look at his life in our lesson today and see how God used him to rescue Israel from the Midianites.

  Today, we are going to look at the account of how God used Gideon to lead Israel.

Mighty Gideon’s Call

Before we get to Gideon, we are moving from Othniel and Ehud, who we mentioned last week, and Shamgar. These accounts are in Judges 3 and cover about 140 years. Then chapters 4 and 5 cover another period of about 67 years during which time Jabin oppressed Israel, and Deborah rose up to regain the land along with Barak.

Let me give you a short summary of Judges 6:1–10. For seven years, the Midianites and other nations to the east of Israel were constantly plundering the land and destroying the crops and livestock of Israel. The passage describes them coming into the land with their tents and camels like a swarm of locusts. Israel was devastated, and the people cried out to the Lord. God sent a prophet to remind them of the mighty deeds he had done for their ancestors and of their failure to worship and obey him alone. Things were looking bleak.

Let’s read Judges 6:11–24 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• Who appeared to Gideon? The angel of the Lord.
• Looking at verses 14 and 16, who was addressing Gideon? “The Lord turned to him and said", and "the Lord said” make it clear that this is another instance of the pre-incarnate Jesus appearing to direct his people. He is also speaking in first person and does not use an introduction like “thus says the Lord .”
• Looking at verses 17 to 21, what sign did Gideon receive that affirmed that this was indeed God delivering the message? Gideon offered bread, meat, and broth to the Lord. The Lord received the offering and consumed it with fire. After that, he departed out of Gideon’s sight. Only God would accept this form of worship, so this is not an angelic being. The account of Manoah in Judges 13 is almost identical and can be used as another example of a Christophany.
• How did Gideon react to the Lord’s visit? He was afraid that he would die because he had “seen the angel of the Lord face to face” (v. 22). But God told him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die” (v. 23). After receiving that consolation, Gideon built an altar to God, and named it “The Lord Is Peace.”
• Let’s go back to the beginning of the passage. Where was Gideon when the Lord came to him, and what was he doing? Gideon was in a winepress, threshing wheat to conceal it from the Midianites.
• How did Gideon respond to being addressed as a mighty man of valor with God’s presence? He doubted that God was still with Israel since they were oppressed by the Midianites and had not seen any miracles or deliverance.
• What command did Gideon receive from God? The Lord told him to go in his might and save Israel from the Midianites.
• What might did Gideon have on his own? Very little; he was a weak man in a weak clan, hiding in a winepress to thresh his grain.
• Why did God choose Gideon? The text does not indicate any specific qualities or reasons for choosing Gideon. It seems that God chose Gideon in spite of who he was.
• What assurance did God give Gideon in verse 16? He promised that he would be with Gideon and that Gideon would defeat the Midianites “as one man.”
• What idea is repeated in verses 12 and 16? God would be with Gideon as he went out to battle the Midianites.

Discover the Truth

Even in their cycle of rebellion and idolatry, God was gracious to his children and heard their cries. He was going to send Gideon to rescue them from the Midianites, just as he had done with Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah.

• What attribute of God would allow him to choose Gideon over others in Israel? Sovereign—He does all that he pleases and is in complete control of everything.

  God did not exalt Gideon’s human ability to conquer the Midianites. In fact, as we continue through the account of Gideon, we will see how God intentionally removed any reason for boasting from the men he chose to fight the battle. God was using these men to bring about his plans regardless of who they were.

A Dwindling Army

The same night after he met the angel of the Lord, Gideon was directed to destroy the altar of Baal and the wooden Asherah image that was beside it and to build an altar to God in its place. He did so by cover of night and had his life threatened by the men of the city (Judges 6:25–32). Because of this act of destroying the altar of Baal and burning the idol of Asherah, Gideon was called Jerubbaal (meaning “Let Baal contend against him,” 6:32). If time allows, read these verses.

As the Midianites, Amalekites, and people of the East gathered in the Valley of Jezreel, “the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon,” and he called for an army to assemble for battle (Judges 6:33–35). If time allows, read these verses.

Gideon also asked God for two more signs of assurance by setting out fleeces, which we will look more closely at in our activity in a few minutes.

Let’s find out how God shaped the size of the Israelite army. Will someone please read Judges 7:1–8? Have someone read the passage aloud.

• Slide #13

  Slide #14

  Slide #15

  Slide #16

  Slide #17

  Slide #18
  As the army gathered, what was God’s conclusion about its size? He said it was too large.
• Why was the size of the army a concern? God was concerned that Israel would claim the glory for themselves rather than giving the glory for the victory to him.
• With the first offer, how many fearful soldiers left? Twenty-two thousand left, leaving 10,000 Israelite soldiers.
• How did God respond to the remaining army of 10,000? He said it was still too large.
• How did God whittle down the soldiers to number 300 men? He had them go to the water and drink. All those who lapped by bringing their hands to their mouths were chosen; the rest were sent away.

• Slide #19
  How big was the army the Israelites were facing? The answer is not in the passage, but we can find out by reading the larger context of the account. We can cross-reference Judges 8:10. At that point, there were 15,000 men left, and 120,000 had been killed. Thus, the enemy army was initially 135,000 men.

  During that night after reducing the size of the Israelite army, God offered Gideon another sign—number four—that the battle was to be won by the Israelites. Gideon went to the edge of the enemy camp and overheard the interpretation of a dream that named Gideon as the leader who conquered the Midianite army (Judges 7:9–15). God was gracious to give Gideon another clear sign and assure him of the outcome, despite his fear.

Let’s read the battle account in Judges 7:15–25. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• How did Gideon respond to God’s continued encouragement? He worshipped God and went to the camp to tell the men of the assurance of victory.
• What was the battle plan for the 300 warriors? In three groups, they would take trumpets and torches inside of pitchers into the darkness. At Gideon’s signal, they were to blow the trumpets, break the pitchers revealing the torches, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon.”
• What did the army actually shout (v. 20)? “ A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
• How did the enemy army respond in verse 21? “ They cried out and fled.”
• What was the Lord’s part in the battle? He caused the enemy to turn their swords on one another, killing each other, and the rest fled.
• How many Midianites were initially killed by the Israelites? They killed no one until they began to pursue the Midianites as they fled.
• How did the men of Ephraim respond to Gideon’s call for assistance? They pursued the Midianite army and killed the two princes.

Discover the Truth

Just as God had promised, he was with them in the battle (if it can be called a battle) as he miraculously caused the enemy to turn against one another. Gideon acted in faith along with the tiny army he led, knowing God would be faithful to keep his promise to bring victory. As the enemy fled, other Israelites assisted the 300 men in pursuing the fleeing remnant.

After the great victory over the Midianites, the Israelites wanted Gideon to rule over them; however, Gideon refused. He told them that the Lord would rule over them (8:23). Gideon understood that it was not what he had done but what God had done through him that brought victory. The people missed this and wanted Gideon as their head rather than God.

This is the same truth Paul understood regarding his ministry. Will someone please read 1 Corinthians 15:9–10? Have someone read the passage.

Paul also acknowledged his own limitations. God’s grace enabled him to accomplish God’s plans for him. Similarly, Gideon had to be obedient to carry out the attack and then pursue the enemy, but he knew God’s grace enabled him to accomplish such a task. All the glory went to God—the one who deserved it.

God had given the victory and was the only one who should have received the credit.

Faith and Fleeces Activity

Connect to the Truth

After reading Judges 6:36–40, let’s discuss Gideon’s example.

Read Hebrews 11:32–34.

When we look at a narrative passage of scripture like the account of Gideon, we must examine the passage and the rest of the Bible to decide if it is an example for us to follow or an example to teach us a lesson (or both). Some passages are prescriptive, telling us how to live, while other passages are descriptive, simply describing an event that occurred.

• Was Gideon trusting the promises of God from 6:12, 6:14, and 6:16? Apparently not.
• Was Gideon testing God? Yes, he was asking that God show him a sign in order for Gideon to trust what God had already told him.
• What does Deuteronomy 6:16 say about tempting or testing God? We should not tempt or test God. This is the passage Jesus quoted when Satan tempted him to jump from the temple.
• Which of the descriptions in verses 33 and 34 apply to Gideon? He subdued a kingdom, was made strong in weakness, showed valiance in battle, and turned an enemy army to flight.
• Did Gideon always exhibit faith? No, but he did during the battle, and he is commended for that faith. Gideon eventually set up an ephod. But “all Israel whored after it there,” and it ensnared him and his house (Judges 8:27).
• In light of these passages (and other passages that may come to mind as you think about testing God), is Judges 6:36–40 giving us a description of what happened, an example to follow, or both? This passage is descriptive, not prescriptive. Nowhere in the passage or elsewhere in Scripture are we directed to put God to a test to see if he will do what he has already promised to do.
• Should we be setting fleeces before the Lord to test him, or should we be obeying the commands he has given us in his Word? We should obey the commands he has given us and trust that he is faithful to keep his promises and is gracious to empower us through his Spirit to obey. The idea of setting out a fleece to test whether an individual should make one decision or another is, at best, a misapplication of this passage. Gideon was not deciding which job to take or which city to move to; he was seeking confirmation that God would give him the victory, and verse 36 makes that clear. He already knew what God had called him to do. This would be similar to us asking whether or not we should be a part of a local church or be unfaithful to a spouse since those commands have already been given to us clearly. Seeking wisdom in making a decision is not the same as obeying a revealed command. Gideon’s example does not seem wise to follow since we can trust God in obeying what he has commanded us.

Application

Gideon is certainly an important character, and he led the Israelite army into battle. However, Gideon was just a man. He hid in a hole in the ground so the Midianites wouldn’t steal his grain. He did not rise up to lead Israel of his own initiative. He did not defeat the Midianites because of his own wisdom or might. On his own, he was not a mighty man of valor.

God chose Gideon. God encouraged Gideon. God gave Gideon signs. God chose the men for the battle. God caused the Midianites to turn on one another. It is God who is the hero of this plot! We learn that men are weak, but God is strong. We learn that men have weak faith, but God is always faithful to accomplish his plans. Although God doesn’t need anyone’s help, he still chooses to use weak people to accomplish his plans. By his grace, we get to be a part of fulfilling his purposes on the earth. As we consider Gideon, we can likely see ourselves. We have doubts and fears about doing the things God has called us to do. But by the power of his Spirit dwelling in us and the hope of Christ, we can perform those callings to bring him glory.

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it.

• Slide #29
  In what ways do you identify with Gideon’s response as he is called to a role of leadership? Discuss various answers.
• Slide #30
  What encouragement to live your life in obedience to Christ do you find in this account? Discuss various answers, focusing on the idea that God will always give us the grace to obey his commands as we trust him.
• Slide #31
  Why is it right for God to demand that mankind worship him? God is the Creator and has the right to demand anything from his creatures. Because God is glorious and holy and righteous, he deserves our worship.
• Slide #32
  What type of skepticism would you expect to hear from someone who doubts the account of Gideon and the battle with the Midianites? Many people might consider the account a myth since it is such a small army against such a massive force, but we can trust that God’s Word is true.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his faithfulness and empowering grace.
• Ask God for faith to obey his commands and to trust him to keep his promises.
• Thank God for teaching us through his Word.