Judges 6-8
After Deborah’s death, Israel began to sin again. This led God to hand them over to the Midianites for seven years. The Israelites prayed to God to be rescued from Midianite control, and God sent an angel to speak to a man named Gideon. The angel told Gideon that he was a mighty hero and that God was with him. The angel also told Gideon that God was sending him to rescue Israel from the Midianites.
But Gideon didn’t believe he could do it because he was from the weakest tribe in the whole nation of Israel. But God reassured Gideon and told him that he would certainly destroy the Midianites very easily because He was going to be with him. But Gideon still didn’t fully believe, so he asked God to show him some signs that He would be with him.
Gideon asked for 2 signs. Gideon placed a fleece outside and asked God to allow the fleece to be wet with the morning dew but the ground around it to be dry. And God did it. The second sign was like the first, but the opposite. This time Gideon asked for the fleece to be dry and the ground to be wet. And God did it.
After these signs, Gideon knew that God was with him. So, Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 people and headed to battle. But God told him something very strange. He said that the army was too large and it would have to be made smaller. God told Gideon to let anyone that was afraid go home, and 10,000 people left. But God said the army was still too big. God told Gideon that whoever drinks water from the stream like a dog should be sent home. After all these tests, Gideon was only left with 300 men in his army.
Gideon had heard that the Midianites were afraid of God and Gideon, so he was eager to attack them. Gideon gave each of his 300 men a ram's horn and torch and, at night, surrounded the camp. Once they had the camp surrounded, they blew their horns and raised their torches. After seeing and hearing all of this, the people in the camp panicked and started to fight each other.
The people that didn’t fight tried to escape but Gideon and his small army were able to run them down, and Gideon defeated the Midianites. Gideon, with an army of 300, was able to defeat over 100,000 Midianites not alone, but with God’s help.
The story of Gideon shows us that God wants to use all kinds of people. Gideon didn’t think God would want to use him because his family was small and weak. But God used Gideon in a great way, and it led to a lot of people being saved. The story also shows us that God wants all the glory. There’s no way 300 people could have beaten 100,000 by themselves. But with God, all things are possible.
We even see that with Jesus. Jesus grew up in a small little town called Nazareth. No one expected anything good to come out of Nazareth, but God was with Jesus, and Jesus listened to everything God told him. And because of his relationship with God, Jesus was able to offer everyone salvation if they would just believe in him.
Key Takeaways:
God can do a lot with a little
God’s plan may seem strange
With God, all things are possible!
Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Gideon, both in-person and online, this Sunday.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit