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PREPARE

When Gideon lived in Israel life was very hard. The armies and people around them took all their food, and his own people worshipped other gods instead of the One True God who had delivered them, brought them from Egypt, settled them in the land and provided for them. Gideon received a direct assignment from God to deliver the people from these armies and restore their worship to God alone. Gideon, though fearful and unsure, was tasked with standing strong against his people’s anger when he tore down the alter of Bael, and with leading a small group of men couragously into battle against the large Mideonite army. The hero of this story is God who was faithful and kind to Gideon and merciful to the people who had turned away from Him. God’s instructions, plan, and action proved that it was God who gained the victory and God alone who deserved the glory. God relates to Gideon personally, assuring him that they are not abandoned and that God is still, in fact, with them. God gives Gideon confidence to obey these hard tasks through many reassurances of His power and presence.
We can wonder if God is really with us, especially when we just aren’t seeing evidence of His presence. Standing for Jesus can be difficult as we face rejection from those who would rather worship other gods. God is so kind to reassure us of His presence and power with us, giving us confidence to follow Him and to help others do the same.

LISTEN

Verses: Judges 6-8

Main Point: God is a faithful deliverer who meets us where we are and uses us to reflect His glory.

1. Calling: (Jdgs 6:1-32)

2. Confidence: (Jdgs 6:33-7:14)

3. Combat: (Jdgs 7:15-8:21)

4. Conclusion: (Judges 8:22-35)

REFLECT

1. What impacted you most from this week’s message? What challenged you or encouraged you?
2. Are there any similarities between your life and Gideon’s life? How has God been gracious to you in times of doubt and uncertainty?
3. Read Judges 6:1-10. What was the situation for Israel in these verses? Why did God allow the Midianites to overrun Israel? What did the prophet say to the Israelites?
4. Read Judges 6:11-32. Where did the Angel of the Lord appear to Gideon? What does this reveal about the conditions of Israel at that time?
5. What did the angel say to Gideon? How did Gideon respond? What did the angel call Gideon to do? How did the people respond to Gideon’s actions?
6. Read Judges 6:33-40. What did Gideon ask God to do? How did God respond? How was this an act of God’s grace to Gideon?
7. Read **Judges 7:1-12. Why did God reduce the number of Israelites going to fight the Midianites? How did he reduce their numbers? How many men were left? What did God want Gideon and the Israelites to learn?
8. Read Judges 7:13-8:21. What encouragement did God provide for Gideon? How did Gideon respond?
9. What was Gideon’s plan of attack? How did the battle go for Gideon and the Israelites?
10. Read Judges 8:22-33. How did Gideon’s life end? What did the Israelites do after his death?
11. What did God reveal about His character through the life of Gideon? How do these lessons affect the way you relate to God?

ACT

- What is one specific thing you can do this week to put into practice what you learned in this message?
- How can you deepen your relationship with God and follow Him more closely this week?
- Who is someone you can share what you learned with?