Gideon

Gideon the Man of Might and Valor

In the Bible: Judges 6 - 8

Israel was sinning greatly against God by worshipping idols and doing all kinds of other sins. Because of this, He sent the Midianites to rule over them for seven years. Every time Israel planted crops the Midianites would destroy them by moving on to the land and trampling everything.

Israel built camps and moved into caves on nearby hills because there were so many Midianites in the valley. Finally, Israel could take it no longer and cried out to God, "Father, please save us from these people!"

FACT:

Midianites were descendants of Abraham, who lived among them for 40 years.

RELEVANCE TO WHAT IS NOW:

MONEY

JOBS/CARRIER

FAMILY

SELF

God answered them through a prophet, who proclaimed to all the people, "God saved you from Egypt with Moses guiding you through the Red Sea. He brought you out of the desert where you wandered for forty years. After all of this, you worship idols. So, He has sent these people to trample your crops and treat you badly."

A short time after, an angel of God descended from heaven to Israel. He sat under an old oak tree where a man named Gideon was working. The angel said, "The Lord is with you mighty warrior."

FACT:

After the fall of man in Genesis, God often used angels to communicate with his children.

RELEVANCE TO WHAT IS NOW:

THE WORD OF GOD/THE BIBLE

PASTORS & FRIENDS

DREAMS & VISIONS

SITUATIONS

ANGELS

Gideon looked up from his work and replied, "If God is with us then why are the Midianites harming our crops and treating us badly? What happened to all those miracles that our fathers have told us about?"

The angel ignored his questions saying, "Go and save Israel with the strength you have, God is sending you."

FACT:

Gideon was the fifth judge God raised up to defeat the enemies of Israel.

RELEVANCE TO WHAT IS NOW:

YOU

"How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest of all Israel, and I am the...