Gideon – Judges 7 | Story

 
If you want the teacher sheet then click HERE

Gideon is today’s Bible hero because he showed us daft division.
(You may have to explain the concept that he divided his army again and again to make them weaker, something that seems quite daft when you are going to battle)

Essential Teachers notes:
Try to reinforce the idea that this war was won by God not Gideon. While I’ve portrayed Gideon with a fleece on his shoulder, I’ve not included him testing God in the story. This is because when Jesus is in the wilderness, he warns of testing God (Matthew 4:7). Some children will take the fleece story as an invitation to test the miraculous, and may even discount God entirely if he does not fulfil their request. Because the material is designed for multiple ages it has been left out of the main story.

Does God support war? If you have older children this is a good question to examine, especially with this story where the war is won without using swords. Be careful not to impose your own view on war morality, and encourage then to respect each others views.

Main Passage: Judges 7 (recommend reading chapter 6 as it’s referenced)
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God’s people had a lot of trouble. Armies kept coming and destroying all their food, the people were hungry and they needed to get rid of the bullies who were letting them starve. God looked at the people and saw Gideon, he told Gideon that he would help him win the battle against the people who were stealing their food.

Gideon wasn’t so sure, BUT, he got together an army.
His army had 32 thousand men. With all these men he thought he might win the battle.

However, God wasn’t happy. ‘Too many men’, he said to Gideon. ‘I’ll win this battle for you, I’ll be strong, you don’t have to be. Divide the men and send some home.
Tell anyone who is scared they can go.’

Gideon wasn’t so sure, BUT, he told everyone who was scared to go home.
Men don’t want to go to battle, so they left, 22 thousand men picked up their cloaks and walked out.
Gideon only had 10 thousand left.

However, God wasn’t happy. ‘Too many men’, he said to Gideon. ‘I’ll win this battle for you, I’ll be strong, you don’t have to be. Divide the men and send some home.
Get them to go drink at the stream, anyone who drinks from his hands send home.’

Gideon wasn’t so sure, BUT, he told his men to go drink and watched them.
Some men put their mouth to the water, but 7 thousand and 7 hundred men drank from their hands and were sent home.
Gideon only had 300 left.

God was happy now, ‘Great’ he said ‘I’ll win this battle for you, I’ll be strong, you don’t have to be. Tonight sneak down to the edge of the enemy camp and listen.’

Gideon was scared. BUT he did as God told him.
There Gideon heard a man talking about his dream, a dream where Gideon and his army won the battle. This made Gideon confident, and he sneaked back to his camp.

Gideon divided the men into 3 groups of 100. Gave them each a trumpet in one hand and an empty mug in the other, with a torch inside. He told them to go to the edge of the enemy camp and blow their trumpets and smash their mugs into pieces. The men were confused, but they trusted Gideon, so they did as he said.

Inside the camp the soldiers panicked, and when soldiers panic the battle is lost, people get killed, people run away, when armies falls apart and all you get is a lot of scared men. The battle had been won, Gideon’s men didn’t even have a hand free to carry swords, so they knew that it was God who had helped them win the battle, not their strength.

Gideon is today’s Bible Hero because he showed us daft division