Intermediate Level, Block 5—Occupying the Land
Week 48
Gideon—The Defeat of Midian
Point to Emphasize: God takes care of us, and we should give Him the credit.
Reference Reading: Judges 7:9-20; 8:22-23
Memory Verse: …I will not rule over you…Jehovah will rule over you. (Judges 8:23b)
Story Sample
Today we will hear a story about another judge. His name is Gideon. After the time of Deborah and Barak, a long time passed and the children of Israel went back to their old ways of doing evil things and not listening to God. So God put them in the hands of their enemy, the Midianites, for seven years. The Midianites treated them so horribly that the Israelites finally remembered to call out to God. Because God is a faithful God, He answered their call once again. He chose Gideon to lead 300 men to go into the enemy’s camp and fight against them.
Our story begins with Gideon and the 300 men encamped above the camp of Midianites and Amalekites. The Bible tells us that the enemy’s camp had so many people that it looked like a swarm of locusts. Gideon had only 300 men and the enemy’s army was that massive! It might have seemed discouraging, so Jehovah told Gideon to do something that would strengthen him. Jehovah told Gideon to go to the edge of the camp of Midian and to listen to what the men there were saying.
So Gideon obeyed God, and he and his helper Purah crept down to the edge of the camp of Midian, and they heard a man there telling his companion of a dream he had. It was quite a dream! He told his companion that a round loaf of barley bread tumbling through the camp of Midian, hit the tent, and caused the tent to collapse. Incredible! But what did the dream mean? When the man’s companion heard the dream, he realized that the barley loaf referred to the sword of Gideon and that God had delivered them into Gideon’s hand.
When Gideon heard this conversation, he worshipped God. He knew the dream was from God. The dream made him bold. He knew that God would do what He said He would do. So Gideon and Purah returned to the 300 men and told them that it was time to strike the enemy’s camp, because Jehovah had delivered the enemy into their hand.
Gideon divided the 300 men into groups of 100. Each man carried a trumpet in one hand and a torch inside a pitcher in the other hand. The pitchers hid the light from the torches, so that the enemy didn’t see all the lights and didn’t know they were coming. That was pretty smart! Then Gideon told his men to watch him and do what he did. He did not give many instructions ahead of time. Everyone had to pay careful attention to Gideon and do as he did.
When they got to the edge of the camp, Gideon and his group blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers so the light from the torches shined out. The other groups watched carefully and did what Gideon did: And they cried out, “A sword for Jehovah and for Gideon!”
What a noise! What a sight! Out of nowhere, the camp was surrounded by sounds and lights! The men in the camp were filled with fear! What was happening? The enemy’s camp was in chaos. They ran and drew their swords. And as the 300 men blew the trumpets, Jehovah caused the enemy to swing their swords at one another. They were running around in confusion, with their swords drawn, and they ended up slaying one another. Wow, Jehovah knows how to fight and win a battle! He can work all things out the way He needs them to be! Even though Gideon had only 300 men, Jehovah won the battle. This is because God does not need a large number; He needs those who obey and take His way.
After that battle, the people were so happy that they wanted Gideon to rule over them. Do you think Gideon accepted this honor? No, he did not. When we accomplish something, it is easy to take the credit, but Gideon knew that he had not won the victory—God had.
Gideon gave the credit to Jehovah, and he worshipped Him. Gideon had not fought the battle so that he could be a ruler. He had done it because he was obeying the instructions of Jehovah. Because Gideon obeyed God, there was rest in the land for 40 years.
One summer, my family and I went to visit my parents. We decided to take a road trip to the Rocky Mountains where we could see God’s magnificent creation. But it was going to be a 9-hour car ride. So we had to prepare for the trip, including making sure that we had a car that would fit all of us and that could take us there and back. My parents had an old van that they knew needed some maintenance, but it seemed like it should be fine for our trip. So we prayed and off we went on our trip. We drove and saw the lakes and the mountains, stayed there for 4 days, and had a lot of fun. After that, we drove back home, another 9-hour trip. When we got back, my parents had an appointment for the van’s maintenance. The mechanic was surprised when they told him that we took the van on a road trip for 4 days. He said there was very little engine oil left and there were a few other problems with the van—including the brakes!—and he couldn’t believe nothing happened on the road. When we realized how bad it could have been, right away we knew that God took care of us to keep us safe. We were so thankful to God. [Storyteller, insert your own story about doing something and giving God the credit, or realizing God took care of you in some situation.]
Just as in the story of Gideon, let us also be those who obey God, trust in God, and are thankful for all He has done and is doing for us.