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Wednesday, March 9, 2022

A Sword for the Lord and for Gideon, Junior - I, Lesson - 13

JUNIOR

AGE: 10 - 11 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: V & VI

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LESSON – 13

A SWORD FOR THE LORD AND FOR GIDEON

In the previous lesson we learnt how the Israelites had entered the land of Canaan and had to capture many Canaanite cities before they could inherit and make their home in the promised land. Many years passed, the leader of the Israelites, Joshua, who led them into the promised land also became old and died. In those days the leader of the Israelites was called as a “Judge”. 

The Judge was chosen and revealed by God. Judges were similar to Kings who ruled the other countries, but they also had other important functions to perform. The Judges led the Israelites in battle rescuing them from their enemies and they also served as judges, sorting out issues and delivering justice for any problem that arose between the people. They were also prophets who listened to the voice of God and delivered the word of God to the Israelites.

After Joshua died, the Israelites started to sin against God. Soon the nearby nations started to attack Israel and trouble them and caused a lot of destruction. Whenever it happened, the Israelites would renounce their sins and cry out to God for help and God would raise a Judge to deliver the Israelites. Once it happened that a neighbouring tribe called the “Midianites” cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 7 years. A large army of the Midianites would suddenly invade the Israelite cities and take away all the harvested grains. If their food grains were all stolen, they would starve to death. So, the Israelites were fearful of the Midianites and hid in walled cities, fortresses and even caves. 

    
Moody Publishers / FreeBibleimages.org.

After seven years the Israelites confessed their sin and asked God for help. God was merciful and gave them a new Judge who would deliver them from the Midianites. God chose Gideon, the son of Joash as a Judge to deliver Israelites from the Midianites. During the wheat harvest season, Gideon went to thresh the wheat, but he did it in his father’s winepress, because he feared the Midianites. 

Ancient winepress excavated in Israel, Photo credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

A picture of a wheat threshing floor

To thresh the wheat, a threshing stick called flail was used to hit the wheat so that the grain came loose from the straw; the wheat grains would be used to make bread. While he was working, the angel of the Lord came and sat down under an oak tree right beside Gideon. The Lord spoke to Gideon and told him to go and fight against the Midianites and deliver the Israelites.

   

Gideon could not believe what he was hearing and he tried to give excuses by saying that his family was the weakest and he was the least in his family. But God assured him by saying that He will be with Gideon and he would easily defeat the Midianites. Gideon asked for a sign to confirm that the Lord had indeed chosen him. The sign that Gideon requested was that the Lord would accept his sacrifice. He quickly prepared a young goat and some unleavened bread and placed it on a rock. The angel of the Lord touched the sacrifice using the tip of his staff, and the sacrifice was consumed. 

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he was scared that something might happen to him, since he had seen the Lord face to face. But the Lord proclaimed Peace to him and told him not to be afraid. So, Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it “Jehovah Shalom” meaning “The Lord Is Peace”. That same night, the Lord told Gideon to tear down the altar his father had built for Baal and to cut down an Asherah pole (Asherah pole was a sacred tree or pole that was planted to honour a Goddess called Asherah). Gideon took ten of his servants at night (because he was afraid of getting caught from the people in the town) and tore down the altars and cut the Asherah pole. 

Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org.

The people of his town were furious when they came to know that the altar they had built for Baal had been destroyed. They wanted to kill Gideon. They went and complained to Gideon’s father Joash about what had happened and told him to bring Gideon to be punished. Joash replied and told the people to let Baal take revenge against Gideon. Hearing this, the people left Gideon without harming him and Gideon was called as "Jerubbaal," meaning "Let Baal take action." Of course, there was no revenge against Gideon by Baal, a god who was created by the people themselves. 

A pottery vessel with the name Jerub-baal inscribed on it using Canaanite writing attributed to 10-12th century BC, Photo credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

Gideon still wanted to make sure that he was doing the right thing, so he prayed to God to give him another sign. Gideon put a piece of fleece (or lamb’s wool) outside on the ground. Usually, if fleece was left outside on the ground, then dew would fall on it and make it wet. Both the ground and the fleece would be wet. This time Gideon asked the Lord to do something different. He asked the Lord to make the fleece wet during the night but to keep the ground dry. When Gideon looked at the fleece the next morning, the fleece was wet and the ground was dry! Next Gideon asked the Lord to do it one more time. This time he asked God to make the ground wet and the fleece dry. The next morning, the ground was wet and the fleece was dry. 

Because of these signs, Gideon knew that God wanted him to fight the Midianites. Gideon gathered a huge army from the surrounding tribes with 32,000 soldiers. God told Gideon that he had too many soldiers and reduced it to three hundred men. But this battle is going to be very different because there were no weapons with Gideon and his men. They only had trumpets, empty jars and torches. There would be no doubt that the victory was from the Lord and not the army’s might. That night, at Gideon’s signal, the men blew their trumpets, broke the jars to reveal the torches, and shouted: "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" When the Midianites heard the shout, they started to panic and attack each other. Gideon and his men pursued the raiders and destroyed the Midianites.  The Israelites were free from their oppressors. 

Gideon’s life teaches us that God can use anyone to accomplish great things, if they accept their weaknesses, put their trust in the Lord and follow His guidance.

Bible Reference: Judges 7

Memory Verse: II Chronicles 14:11

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Fill in the blanks:

1. Midianites cruelly oppressed the Israelites for …………… years

2. Gideon threshed the wheat in his father’s …………………, because he feared the Midianites.

3. Gideon quickly prepared a …………………… and some ………………… and placed it on a rock

4. God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to ………………… men.   

Give short answers:

1. Who were the ‘Judges’ in ancient Israel? 

 

2. How did the Midianites oppress the Israelites? 

 

3. What was Gideon doing when the Angel of the Lord visited him? 

 

4. What was the sign requested by Gideon using the fleece? 

Answer in brief:

1. How did Gideon defeat the Midianites? 

 

 

 

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