The Story of Gideon and Mideon

Length:

15 minutes

I. Introduction (Judges 6)

Israel had become an evil nation that had forgotten God’s laws (v 1a)
God allowed the Midianites to conquer Israel for seven years (v 1b)
The Midianites treated the Israelites very badly, robbing them and destroying their fields and crops (vv 2 – 5)
The Israelites prayed to be freed from the Midianites (v 7)

II. God calls Gideon to free Israel (Judges 6)

Gideon was a farmer – in His own eyes he was unqualified to lead the army (v 11)
But God saw Gideon’s potential – He saw him as a mighty warrior (v 12)
- God knows us better than we know ourselves (Psalm 139:1 – 4 & Luke 12:7)
Gideon doubted God’s call (like Moses and others in the Bible)
- He felt that God had abandoned the Israelites (v 13)
  - God never leaves us or gives up on us (Hebrews 13:5)
- He felt that his background was not good enough (v 15)
  - God gives us all we need to be successful (Philippians 4:13, 19
God responded that He would be with Gideon (v 16)
Gideon still doubted and asked for confirmation with the fleece (vv 36 – 40)

III. God selects Gideon’s army (Judges 7)

Gideon started with 32,000 men
God weeded out those who were fearful (v 3) – 10,000 men remained
- We should not fear when God is with us (2 Timothy 1:7, 1 John 4:4)
God weeded out those who were not dedicated (v 4 – 6) – only 300 men remained
- We should never turn back from our call to serve God (Luke 9:62)
God confirmed His promise to win with only the 300 (v 7)

IV. God Gives Gideon The Victory

Gideon waited on God’s command to begin the attack (vv 9 & 15)
- We should wait for God to guide us (Isaiah 40:31)
Gideon believed God’s promise, and proved that he had faith by attacking a huge army with only the 300 men God had selected
Gideon’s force attacked by God’s instructions when each of the 300 men blew their trumpet (much like Joshua at Jericho) (vv 18 – 22)
- Our own knowledge and wisdom will cause us to make mistakes and fail. God’s knowledge and wisdom are perfect. (Proverbs 3:5 – 6)

V. Summary

Gideon did not start out as a professional soldier or leader, but “God does not call the equipped, He equips the called!!!”
Gideon’s small army defeated the much larger and stronger Midianite force because they trusted in God and relied on His strength instead of their own
We should not be afraid of our weaknesses, because God’s strength is with us. (2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10)