THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO INSPIRE US: Gideon

Legends of the Faith

The Men and Women Who Inspire Us

Gideon

Judges 6-8

Lessons from an Unlikely Legend.

1.God sees what , not just

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.” Judges 6:11-12

“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.” Judges 6:15

But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. Judges 6:27

Responding to God’s Call replaces with

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?” Judges 6:14

¹⁶ The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Judges 6:16

2. My First steps of Faith often

That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height.

Judges 6:25-26

3. God may my power to more of His

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. Judges 7:2-3

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.” Judges 7:7

God doesn’t need my , He wants my

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.’” Judges 7:16-18

When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.  Judges 7:22

4. Legends always shine the on God

The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”  Judges 8:22-23