#58.4 Stories from the Tanakh: Gideon Needs a Sign

In this lesson we will get to know the judge/leader named Gideon. Gideon was a farmer during a time when the Israelite people were being oppressed by the Midianites. The Midianites had previously attacked during harvesting season and destroyed the Israelites’ produce. Gideon was trying to process the wheat in secrecy when a messenger from God appeared, and told Gideon that he was to be a hero and that God would support him through everything.

On the other side of the Jordan River a great army was amassing, ready to storm through Canaan. Gideon raised an army to fight the people of Midian but God decided the army was too big. God didn’t want the Israelites to think that they had defeated the Midianites on their own. So God whittled the army down from 22,000 to 300 men. Gideon took his 300 men and surrounded the enemy camp. In the middle of the night each of the 300 broke an empty jar and blew their shofar, making a terrible sound rise from outside of the each of the camps. The Midianite people in the camp panicked and turned against each other. Gideon took his army out and routed a few more cities, who didn’t respect the Israelites. When Gideon returned, the Israelites asked him to be their new ruler. He turned down the role of leader and insisted they follow Adonai again.

#1 Watch and Learn: Gideon’s Army 

  1. Who is oppressing the Israelites in this story?
  2. What is the initial “problem” with Gideon’s army?
  3. How does Gideon lessen the size of his army?

#2 Read and Reflect: Gideon Turns Down the Job…

In the book of Judges, Gideon returns after successfully defeating the Midianites with his army of 300 men and their shofars. The Israelites had no king at the time and wanted Gideon to lead them. Read the following lines from the book of Judges and discuss why he might have turned the job down.
“Then the men of Israel said to Gideon,
Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson as well;
for you have saved us from the Midianites. 
But Gideon replied, I will not rule over you myself,
nor shall my son rule over you;
the LORD alone shall rule over you.” 
                                                              (Judges 8:22-23)
  1. What is significant about this passage? Why do you think it’s important for this discussion to be a part of the text?
  2. Do you think it might have been easy for the Israelites to idolize the judges? What would you have thought about the judges if you were a part of the story?

#3 Active Learning: Judges Nightly News

The last line of the book of Judges states:

“In those days there was no king of Israel;
every man did that which was right in their own eyes”
                                                              (Judges 21:25)
In small groups, spend time answering the following questions as if you were putting on the a nightly news broadcast. Have each person, who wants to participate, explain their group’s answer as if it were a headline for a part of the news.
  1. How do you think the majority of modern day people would behave if they followed the thought “each person can do what is right in their own eyes”?
  2. Do you think government would be structured differently? What is we were still Israelites being ruled by an opposing nation like the Midianites or the Canaanites? How do you think we would react?
  3. How might you portray a modern day judge? What characteristics would you highlight? How would you like to see them working to resolve conflict?

Use the scripts the groups come up with to put on your own “Judges Nightly News” show!

#4:Review and Response

  1. Who is the judge in this story?
  2. What is the plan Gideon shares with his men after he makes the army smaller?
  3. What happens when Gideon’s army plays their shofars/music?
  4. Can you tell this story in 8 words?

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