Gideon leads Battle – Judges 6-8 - Part 2 of 2

Gideon leads Battle – Judges 6-8 - Part 2 of 2

We will now hear the conclusion of Gideon’s story.

To review, here are a few questions.

Question: God did not want His people to worship idols. What is an idol?

Answer: People worship a carved image as a false god.

Question: Before meeting an angel, how did Gideon label himself?

Answer: Poor farmer. Youngest brother. Part of weakest of the 12 tribes.

Question: How did God label Gideon?

Answer: As a mighty herov

Question: What did God want Gideon to do?

Answer: To rescue Israel. To fight against the Midianites.

Question: Who was on Gideon’s side when fighting against the Midianites?

Answer: God

Gideon sent out this message to the Israelites:

GIDEON: All you warriors, the Lord guarantees our victory against the thousands of Midianites who have tortured us for the last 20 years. Who will join me?

Armed for battle, a huge number of Israelites arrived.

Question: Guess how many warriors showed up.

Answer: 32,000

When all 32,000 warriors gathered, the Lord said:

Father God: You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, anyone who feels timid or afraid should return home.

So, Gideon turned to the Israelite warriors and announced:

GIDEON: Uh, thank you for coming. However, the Lord said that if any of you feel timid or afraid, you should leave this mountain and return home.

Question: Guess how many warriors remained after a bunch of them realized they were too scared to fight.

Answer: 10,000

When only 10,000 warriors remained, Gideon was absolutely shocked when he heard the Lord’s next words:

Father God: There are still too many of you! Bring them down to the stream to take a drink. If they bend down to lap water like a dog, send them home. Keep only those who cup the water with their hands.

Gideon carefully watched each man as he drank.

Question: Guess how warriors remained to fight.

Answer: 300

When only 300 warriors remained to fight, Gideon announced:

GIDEON: Grab a ram’s horn to use as a trumpet, a torch to hide inside a clay pot, and a sword. Now, rest up until midnight.

That evening, to help calm Gideon’s fears, the Lord told him to take a companion, sneak into the enemy’s camp, and listen. They heard these comforting words:

MIDIANITE #1: Man! I had this crazy dream.

MIDIANITE #2: What did you dream?

MIDIANITE #1: I dreamed that one of our tents was knocked flat by a huge loaf of falling barley bread.

MIDIANITE #2: Your dream can mean only one thing. God has given Gideon and his army victory over us!

MIDIANITE #1: Yikes!

Excitedly, Gideon and his friend rushed back to their camp, woke up the 300, and ordered:

GIDEON: Get up! For the Lord has given us victory over our enemies!

Gideon divided his warriors into 3 groups of 100 each. Each man held 4 objects: (1) a trumpet made of a ram’s horn, (2) a torch, (3) a clay pot, and (4) their sword. Gideon said:

GIDEON: Group 1 goes to one side of the enemy’s camp. Group 2 goes to the other side of the camp. Group 3 will join me in the middle. Just after midnight, when the enemy switches their night-watch guards, do these 3 things: (1st) Blow your ram’s horns. (2nd) Break your clay pot. And (3rd) Hold your fire torch up high. Because it is so dark, our enemies will panic. They will never guess there are only 300 of us. Finally, shout these words:

CHANT LEADER: A sword for the Lord! [Group repeats]
And a sword for Gideon! [Group repeats]

The terrified Midianite soldiers began swinging their swords around. Because they couldn’t see, thousands of them ended up killing each other.

After that, it was an easy matter to kill the remaining enemies who had tortured them for the previous 20 years.

Thrilled, the Israelites urged Gideon to be their leader. But Gideon announced:

GIDEON: Not I! Only the Lord will rule over you.

For 40 years, there was peace in the land of Israel as Gideon served as a faith-filled judge.

Question: Describe some of the ways the Israelites won their battle against the Midianites.

Answer: (1) They blew ram’s horns.
(2) They broke clay pots.
(3) They lit torches.
(4) They shouted loud words.
(5) They relied on God to help.

Question: What loud words did the Israelites shout?

Answer: A sword for the Lord! A sword for Gideon!

Question: Any questions or comments?

Please note: These are Bible stories we use with the girls at our Wednesday night Youth Outreach program sponsored by West Highland Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. The pastor uses his own material when working with the boys. I also use these Bible stories with the Youth Sunday School class I co-teach.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to Bible books about Jesus, middle school anti-bullying curriculum books, plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle).

It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Here is my website: https://bible-books-for-his-glory.com/index.html. It describes which stores you can order any of my 7-book series called "Bible Books for His Glory."

It will open up in a new window.

• Bible Books for His Glory 7-book series

Gideon and the Fleece – Judges 6 - Part 1 of 2

Gideon and the Fleece – Judges 6 - Part 1 of 2

Sometimes, we label ourselves. We might say, " Because of this, I'm just THAT. "

Sometimes, other people label us. They might say, " Because of this, that person is THAT. "

On the other hand, God labels us in a wonderful way. God will say:

Father God: YOU are my beloved child! YOU are the one I love! I have created YOU to do something very special! I have big plans for each one of YOU!

A few years after Judge Deborah died, the Bible tells us about a man named Gideon.

Gideon labeled himself in this way.

GIDEON: I am just a poor farmer.

His big brothers labeled Gideon in this way.

OLDER SIBLINGS: Gideon, you're not worth much because you are the youngest brother.

Many people from the other tribes of Israel labeled all of Gideon's tribe in this manner.

OTHER TRIBES: You are part of the weakest tribe of all the 12 Tribes of Israel.

But one day, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. The angel sat down in the shade of a large tree and said:

ANGEL OF THE LORD: Gideon, you are a mighty hero.

GIDEON: Say what?!!! Me? A mighty hero? I'm just a poor farmer. I'm the youngest brother. I'm also part of the weakest tribe of all the 12 Tribes of Israel.

ANGEL OF THE LORD: Gideon, the Lord is with you.

Gideon thought about this for a minute. Then, Gideon said:

GIDEON: Now you're saying the Lord is with me??? How can you say that? The Lord used to do all kinds of miracles back when Moses was alive. Nowadays, we have to deal with those thousands of mean Midianites. They destroy and steal our crops and animals. They have made our lives absolutely miserable!

ANGEL OF THE LORD: Gideon, you ARE a mighty hero! The Lord has chosen you to rescue your people from the Midianites.

GIDEON: Me? Rescue Israel? I don't think so!

ANGEL OF THE LORD: Gideon, because the Lord is with you, that will make all the difference.

You may be wondering why the Midianites had spent the last 7 years causing trouble for the Israelites.

Sadly, the Israelites brought it on themselves because, after Judge Deborah died, they forgot all about God. Instead, they carved a bunch of statues and began worshiping them.

But finally, after seven long years of starvation and fear, the Israelites finally remembered God. They humbled themselves and called out to Him. Repeat after the CHANT LEADERS as they pray.

CHANT LEADER: Please God! (Group repeats.)
Save us from the Midianites. (Group repeats.)

So, first, God sent a Prophet. As a spokesperson for God, the Prophet told them:

PROPHET: You are not supposed to worship carved images and call them gods. You are only supposed to be worshiping the one and only true God!

Next, God sent one of His angels to visit Gideon. For even though Gideon did not think very much of himself, God knew that Gideon was just the right sort of person to become the next hero of Israel.

But Gideon was scared. He said:

GIDEON: Lord, if you really mean that I am supposed to lead the Israelite army, please provide me proof. Tonight, I will lay a sheep-fleece rug on the ground. Early in the morning, if the rug is wet from dew but the ground is dry, I will agree to lead the Israelite army.

The next morning, the ground was dry, but the rug was soaking wet.

Gideon still felt scared. He said:

GIDEON: Lord, please don't be mad. I need one more sign of proof. I will lay out that rug again. In the morning, let the dew fully wet the ground, but keep the sheep-fleece rug completely dry.

The next morning when Gidion got up, he saw that the ground was wet, but the rug was dry. Feeling more confident, Gideon said:

GIDEON: Okay, Lord. I agree. I will lead the Israelite army to victory against the enormous Midianite army. I will even destroy two of my tribe's idol statues.

Question: What are idols?

Answer: People worship a carved image as a false god.

Question: What is a prophet?

Answer: A spokesperson for God

Question: How did Gideon label himself?

Answer: Poor farmer. Youngest brother. Part of weakest of 12 tribes.

Question: How did God label Gideon?

Answer: As a mighty hero

Question: What did God want Gideon to do?

Answer: To rescue Israel. To fight against the Midianites.

Question: Why was it a sure thing that Gideon would win the fight against the Midianites?

Answer: Because God was with him.

Question: Any questions or comments?

Please note: These are Bible stories we use with the girls at our Wednesday night Youth Outreach program sponsored by West Highland Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. The pastor uses his own material when working with the boys. I also use these Bible stories with the Youth Sunday School class I co-teach.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to Bible books about Jesus, middle school anti-bullying curriculum books, plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle).

It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Here is my website: https://bible-books-for-his-glory.com/index.html. It describes which stores you can order any of my 7-book series called "Bible Books for His Glory."

It will open up in a new window.

• Bible Books for His Glory 7-book series

Judge Deborah – Judges 4 to 5

Judge Deborah – Judges 4 to 5

This next story is about an amazing woman from the Bible named Deborah. She lived about 1200 years before Christ Jesus.

Deborah was a judge. She was also a female prophet.

Question: What is a prophet?

Answer: A spokesperson for God

Deborah lived long after both Moses and Joshua had died.

Sadly, without their strong leadership, the Israelites seemed to have forgotten about God. Not Deborah! Never Deborah! But a bunch of the rest of them were actively worshiping idols.

Question: What are idols?

Answer: People mistakenly worshiped a statue or carving (i.e., golden calf, etc.) instead of God.

Deborah chose a palm tree with plenty of shade where the Israelites could come and sit with her daily.

She was a very wise mother whom the Israelites could talk to, tell their problems to, and ask for prayers and advice.

As a judge, Deborah would help the Israelites solve their problems. She would also help them to settle arguments.

As a female prophet, called a prophetess, Deborah would pray to God and reveal to the people what God willed for their lives.

The Israelites really needed somebody like Deborah, as they had been suffering from the cruelty of a very bad king from Canaan for 20 years. His name was King Jabin [Jay-bin].

His Canaan commander, Sisera [SIS-uh-ruh], was even worse. For 20 miserable years, he, along with his enormous army and 900 iron chariots, did all kinds of horrible things to the people of Israel.

The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

One of the ways God answered their prayers was by setting up the motherly Deborah as their Prophetess and Judge.

One day, Deborah sent for Barak [BAIR-uhk], the military commander of the Israelite army.

Deborah told him:

DEBORAH: Barak [BAIR-uhk], this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you to do. Gather 10,000 warriors. You will fight against Sisera [SIS-uh-ruh], the commander of King Jabin's [Jay-bin's] army. There, God will give you victory over him.

Barak nervously declared:

BARAK: Deborah, I will go, but, ..., only if you go with me.

DEBORAH: Very well. I will go with you. But know this. The Lord's victory over Sisera [SIS-uh-ruh] will be in the hands of a woman and not with you.

So, Deborah went with Barak as he gathered his army of 10,000 Israelite warriors. Then, she announced:

DEBORAH: Get ready! On this day, the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.

Sure enough, when Deborah's army attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. As the Israelite army killed every single one of the bad guys, Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot.

Sisera ran and ran until he came to the woman's tent belonging to Jael [Jay-uhl], the wife of Heber [Hee-bur]. Sisera said:

SISERA: Phew! I found Heber's wife's tent. Due to the peace treaty he has with my king, I know I will be safe.

The woman, named Jael [Jay-uhl], went out to meet Sisera. She invited him into her tent and hid him under a blanket.

SISERA: Woman, please, give me some water. I'm so thirsty.

Jael gave him milk instead of water.

JAEL: [Whisper this to the audience] As tired as Sisera is, this milk will help him sleep. Hee! Hee! Hee! ... Shhhhh! Don't tell.

Worn out, Sisera said:

SISERA: Stand at the door of the tent. If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, [YAWN], say no.

Then, the cruel commander fell fast asleep.

Very quietly, Jael grabbed an extra tent peg and her hammer. She sneaked over and hammered that cruel commander's head into the ground. And so, after 20 years of cruelty, Sisera died.

Later, when Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael showed him his dead body.

So, Prophetess Deborah was correct. The Lord's victory over Sisera happened at the hands of a woman and not a man.

After that, under the motherly guidance of Deborah, there was peace in the land of Israel for 40 years.

Question: What do you call a female prophet?

Answer: Prophetess

Question: What was the name of the female prophet in this story?

Answer: Deborah

Question: How did the cruel commander die?

Answer: Jael hammered his head into the ground with a hammer and a tent peg.

Question: Any questions or comments?

Please note: These are Bible stories we use with the girls at our Wednesday night Youth Outreach program sponsored by West Highland Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. The pastor uses his own material when working with the boys. I also use these Bible stories with the Youth Sunday School class I co-teach.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to Bible books about Jesus, middle school anti-bullying curriculum books, plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle).

It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com

Here is my website: https://bible-books-for-his-glory.com/index.html. It describes which stores you can order any of my 7-book series called "Bible Books for His Glory."

It will open up in a new window.

• Bible Books for His Glory 7-book series