Gideon's Army
Trusting God
Judges 6-7about 2 minutes to read aloud
The Midianites had pressed Israel hard for seven years. They took the harvest and stole the flocks. Gideon was threshing wheat secretly in a winepress when the angel of the Lord came and sat under a tree.
"The Lord is with you, mighty warrior," the angel said. Gideon looked up. "Me? My clan is the weakest, and I am the least in my father's house." But the Lord said, "Go in the strength you have. I will be with you."
Gideon called an army. Thirty-two thousand men gathered. The Lord said, "You have too many. Whoever is afraid may go home." Twenty-two thousand left.
The Lord said, "Still too many. Bring them down to the water." Those who lapped water like dogs were set apart. Only three hundred remained. Against them stood a Midianite army like locusts on the plain.
That night, Gideon gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch inside. They surrounded the enemy camp in the dark. At Gideon's signal, they blew their trumpets, smashed their jars, and cried, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon."
The Midianites woke in terror. In the confusion, they turned on each other and fled. Three hundred men stood still, and the Lord gave them the victory — so that Israel would know who had saved them.
Questions to talk about
Where did the angel find Gideon?
Show the answer
Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
How many men did God let Gideon keep?
Show the answer
God kept only three hundred men, so the victory would clearly be His.
What did Gideon's men carry that night?
Show the answer
Each man had a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch hidden inside.
The lesson
God chooses the small and the afraid, so that the victory is plainly His.
