Term 1 – Week 10
Big Idea – God showed Gideon that victory comes from Him alone.
Judges 6-8
Outcomes
- See God’s miraculous victory over Israel’s enemies through the weak and unlikely character of Gideon at the head of a depleted force.
- Notice how God is committed to showing his glory through his people – he uses the weak the few to achieve great things for His glory
Implications
- Belief – believe that God uses our weakness to show his glory. We are only saved through Christ and we only live and serve God by His power.
- Behaviour – living by faith in the confidence that God will show his glory, so we can trust him in our weakness.
Introduction
Judges 6 starts out in a familiar way: “The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” The period of Judges was not a good time for the Israelites. Their cycle of sin, bondage, deliverance, and peace clearly showed the law alone could not save them from sin.
The Israelites were oppressed by the Midianites, and they cried out to God for help. God chose a man to save them, and his name was Gideon. Gideon was an unlikely leader, and he knew this. Gideon said, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6:15).
God doesn’t need the biggest and the best to accomplish His plan. In fact, He often uses the weakest and least of people to fulfil His plans because that is what gives Him the most glory. God had a plan to empower Gideon in his weakness: “I will be with you,” He said (Judges 6:16).
Gideon and an army of men assembled. God told Gideon he had too many men. God didn’t want the men to think they had the power to defeat the Midianites themselves. When the army was reduced to just 300 men, they prepared for battle (7:1-7).
The men ran toward the Midianites’ camp, blowing their trumpets and shouting. God turned the swords of the Midianites against each other. They ran away, but Gideon and his army chased after them and killed them.
God was with the Israelites when they went to battle. The Israelites did not win the battle themselves: God fought for them. Gideon alone was not enough to save the Israelites. Only God could win the battle. We are similarly unable to save ourselves from our sin, only through the work of Jesus Christ in his life, death and resurrection can we be saved. And as we live for Jesus each say we are reminded that God often uses the weak the bring himself glory.
‘I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”’
Judges 6:9-10
Songs
A Very Special Tent – Ben Pakula
Leaders PDF
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