Gideon called on the men from the surrounding area to join him and build an army against the midianites. This is rude, and gideon promises hell make them pay when he s done with zebah and zalmunna. The other 9,700 bowed down to the water losing sight of potential enemy attacks. The camp of midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of moreh.
Story 52 gideon and his 300 men story 53 jephthahs promise story 54 the strongest man story 55 a little boy serves god part 4 israels first king to captivity in babylon show more. Gideons army judges 7 september 10 united church of god. Gideon s hometown was ophrah, in the valley of jezreel. Judges 6 gideons struggle to believe gods promise 1. He belonged to the tribe of manasses, and to the family of abiezer judges 6. He judges israel during a time of prosperity, which would be wonderful were it not for the fact that we know that israel gets spoiled really easily.
Although the bible describes him as timid, gideon is known as the. If the battle had been engaged, israel would have attributed the success of the battle to their large numbers. Gideons army judges 7 september 10 the army that gideon gathered numbered 32,000 men, too large for gods purposes. Gideons army hardcover january 1, 1965 by curtis daniel macdougall author 5. These lessons apply to us today when we have to accept gods solutions in the face of physical weakness. Thus strangely was gideons army purged, and modelled, and reduced, instead of being recruited, as one would think in so great an action it both needed and deserved to be. Judges 7 nasb gideons 300 chosen men then bible gateway.
Th story starts out by proclaiming that the lord was angry with the israelites for falling into sin again and worshipping false gods and idols. And they cried out, a sword for the lord and for gideon. An angel appears to gideon and appoints him savior. This is a unit all about the story of gideon s army of 300 men and their miraculous defeat of the midianites. Judges 7 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Judges is a period in the season of bringing the messiah into the world.
Examines the storys context in the period of the judges, the conquest of canaan, gideons victory over the midianites and amalakites, and his final setting up of a gold ephod which became a. We tell the story of gideon from the torahs book of judges. First, those who were afraid of battle would be dismissed. Examines the story s context in the period of the judges, the conquest of canaan, gideon s victory over the midianites and amalakites, and his final setting up of a gold ephod which became a snare to the israelites and his own family. A study of the life of gideon from the standpoint of lessons of faith for disciples. Judges 6 gideon the israelites did evil in the bible.
Explore the themes of obedience to god in difficult situations as you learn the story of gideon. The midianite army was camped in a valley below the israelite army. Gideon defeats the midianites early in the morning, jerubbaal that is, gideon and all his men camped at the spring of harod. When it is about midnight, they all gather around the camp of enemy soldiers. Gideon s army judges 7 september 10 the army that gideon gathered numbered 32,000 men, too large for god s purposes. May 03, 2012 gideon was a former judge of israel who ruled the people after he led a small army to defeat the midianites.
Gideon sent the rest of the men back to their tents, and the 300 men took their supplies. The biblical account moves abruptly from the message of the prophet to the call of gideon in judges 6. They pass through the towns of succoth and penuel, and both refuse to give food to gideons army. Gideon was the fifth judge over israel in the book of judges. An angel came to him and called upon him to save israel from the hand of midian. So gideon, at god s command, sent back to the camp on mount gilboa all the rest of his army, nearly ten thousand men, keeping with himself only his little band of three hundred. Gideon was a former judge of israel who ruled the people after he led a small army to defeat the midianites. Though the midianite army was vast, perhaps 5,000 or more 8. His story is about a man who learned to trust in gods power instead of being overwhelmed by the task god had given him.
Thus, god reduced israels army to a point where defeating the midianites on their own would be impossible. Judges 7 esv gideons three hundred men then bible gateway. But he worries they dont stand a chance against canaanite commander sisera and his modern technology. I cannot deliver midian into their hands, or israel would boast against me, my own strength has saved me. The 300 men in gideons army defeated a massive coalition of the midianites, and the amalekites, and all the sons of the east judges 7. Gideons hometown was ophrah, in the valley of jezreel. Gideon in the bible overcame doubt to answer gods call. Yet god thought his army was too big, and he commanded gideon to invite all who were afraid to go home. The following is in substance the account of gideons judgeship as related. More than 22,000 soldiers volunteered to fight the midianites but with the strength of gd, gideon only needed 300. Abimelech becomes king in shechem 16 jothams parable 721. These were the men whose idols he had destroyed and who had renamed him jerubbaal judges 6. Gideon judge in israel amazing bible timeline with world. Gideon succeeds in recruiting an army of 32,000 men, but god tells him that granting victory to so many could lead to the boast that they had overcome the enemy without his aid.
Study guide for judges 7 by david guzik blue letter bible. Judges 7 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Judges 7, holman christian standard bible hcsb the. Gideons army continues to pursue the fleeing midianites, led by their kings zebah and zalmunna.
Gideon and his army of 300 men defeated a vast army of midianites. We find the account of gideons defeat of the midianites in judges 7. This is rude, and gideon promises hell make them pay when hes done with zebah and zalmunna. So gideon, at gods command, sent back to the camp on mount gilboa all the rest of his army, nearly ten thousand men, keeping with himself only his little band of three hundred. He gives to each man a horn, and a jar with a torch inside it. Gideon s father was joas, and lived in ephra judges 6. The number of them killed in that battle was 120,000, leaving just 15,000 that were defeated later judges 8. Gideons army, old testament bible lessons by poet prints. Ephraimites quarrel with gideon midianite kings pursued and killed 421 gideon refuses kingship 2227 summary of gideons life 2835 9. Let us see how this little despicable regiment, on which the stress of the action must lie, was accoutred and fitted out. In chapters 68 of the book of judges, we read the story of gideon combating the midianites and amalekites, two transjordanian tribes who routinely crossed the jordan river to raid the northern tribes of israel. Gideon then proceeds to assemble an army, but he has far too many soldiers.
Because of this, the lord left them in the hands of the destructive midianites for seven years. Because god was fighting for gideons army, the midianites wouldnt stand a chance. Gideon, whose name means cutter or cutter of trees, belonged to an undistinguished family of the abiezrites, but from the angels greeting we can assume that gideon had already proved to be a mighty warrior judges 6. Judges 7 then jerubbaal that is, gideon and all the. After the midianites took over, the israelites turned back to gd. Then, at the same time, they all blow their horns and break their jars, and shout. It was no small feat that gideon managed to enlist his tribesmen, the abiezerites, to go into battle with him. Gideon and his 32,000 men were outnumbered by more than four to one. Inside this packet are a series of games, activities, worksheets, and full lessons that stem from the bible story in the book of judges.
Season of bringing the savior into the world history the book of judges belongs to the history section of the old testament. God said that the 300 would become gideons army to fight against the midianites judges 7. Gideons 300 chosen men then jerubbaal that is, gideon and all the people who were with him. He is placed on the biblical timeline chart at around 1179 1154 bc. Gideon s army continues to pursue the fleeing midianites, led by their kings zebah and zalmunna.
God chose gideon to deliver israel from the hands of the midianites. The book of judges, which means rescuers covers a period of time from the death of joshua to the birth of samuel, an era often called the dark ages of hebrew history covering an. Gideons army of three hundred 6 and the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men. Gideons story ends somewhat tragically, since after his death abimelech, one of his sons, goes fratricidal in a huge way, decimating gideons numerous posterity a. The bible story of gideon verses and meaning bible study tools. The israelites were not perfect people, and they constantly wandered away from god, and he punished them when they departed from him. This seems to suggest that gideons army of 300 was facing an army of at least. Gideons army defeats midian 925 the sword of jehovah and of gideon. Israel, having forsaken yahweh s worship, had been for seven years exceedingly humbled by the incursions of the madianites and of other eastern tribes. Gideons story begins with the israelites not obeying god. Would you prayerfully consider being a part of our gideons army. They pass through the towns of succoth and penuel, and both refuse to give food to gideon s army.
Deborah, one of the most talked about women in the bible, tells barak they should take on the canaanite army. Samson was unique among the judges because he was used as a oneman army against the philistines. In his life, gideon worked as a farmer, military commander, and judge over israel for 40 years. Jan 02, 2020 gideons battle triumph is preceded by gods anointing judges 6. Gideons father said that if baal had been a true god then baal could kill gideon himself. We tell the story of gideon from the torah s book of judges. Gideons father was joas, and lived in ephra judges 6. The following is in substance the account of gideon s judgeship as related in judges, viviii. Gideon was of the tribe of manasseh and was used by god to achieve a mighty victory over the midianites who had been oppressing israel. Judges 7 niv bible early in the morning, jerubbaal that.
He is placed on the biblical timeline chart at around 1179 1154 bc gideons story begins with the israelites not obeying god. Though gideon was a willing servant of god, he needed assurance that it was, in fact, god calling him to this. Gideon was considered to be the least of his fathers house. Shamgar, a earlier judge, killed 600 philistines with an oxgoad 3. God told gideon he had too many soldiers in his outnumbered army.
God instructed him to destroy the alter of baal and to construct a new alter to him. Gideon s story ends somewhat tragically, since after his death abimelech, one of his sons, goes fratricidal in a huge way, decimating gideon s numerous posterity a. In the book of judges, a man named gideon helped israel gain the lords help and. Gideon or gedeon, also named jerubbaal and jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the midianites are recounted in chapters 6 to 8 of the book of judges in the hebrew bible. Other judges of israel led armies to against their enemies, but samson fought alone. His army of 32,000 men was already overmatched by 5,000 midianites. Aug 04, 2014 add 300 trumpets, and youve got the picture. With this in view, before we look to gideons army in the book of judges, turn with me, if you will please, to 2 corinthians 4. Cagan and the lord said unto gideon, by the three hundred men that lapped will i save you, and deliver the midianites into thine hand. He is introduced in chapter 6 of the book while he was harvesting wheat and hiding from the midianites. Already sorely outnumbered the enemy numbered over 120,000 swordsmen, most would see this as a time to go out and recruit more warriors. Were his reduced army of 10,000 to conqueror them in spite of such great numerical superiority, the 10,000 would be. This is a unit all about the story of gideons army of 300 men and their miraculous defeat of the midianites.
Then, at the same time, they all blow their horns and break their jars. This caused the midianites and the amalekites to seek revenge on the israelites. In the seventh chapter of the book of judges, god requires gideon to work with an army of only 300 men so that god alone would get the glory for the victory. The israelites were not perfect people, and they constantly wandered away from. With the help of god, gideon goes on to destroy the altar of baal and miraculously defeat the army of midian with only 300 men. Gideon or gedeon hebrew hewer, also called jerobaal judges 6. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Judges 7 niv gideon defeats the midianites early bible. God chooses gideon story gideons victory over midian story gideon story coloring page.