GROUP GUIDE: Judges 6-8

The entire worldview of the people in the book of Judges is summarized in Judges 17:6: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. The same verse is repeated as the last verse of the book of Judges (21:25). This is the primary reason that we see the people of Israel in the shape that they are in, in Judges chapter 6. The Israelites have yet again turned from the way of God and have turned to their own way. And yet again, it is a bad situation. The Midianites have come to town and have become a giant bully to the Israelites. Anytime the Israelites plant crops, they can’t harvest them fast enough before the Midianites storm in and take all of it. On top of all of that, the Midianites have taken all of the Israelites’ livestock. The people of God are reduced to hiding in caves to escape the terror of Midian.

This is where we meet Gideon. An angel of God appears to Gideon and tells him that God will use him to deliver the nation of Israel. When Gideon first meets this holy messenger, he immediately questions God’s faithfulness because they are being oppressed by the Midianites. Gideon then doubts that God could use him to deliver Israel, due to his low social status. The messenger eases Gideon’s doubts by revealing that he is indeed an angel of the Most High.

Next we find Gideon on the eve of beginning his military career. He has sent messengers to the surrounding tribes asking for volunteers to join his army. Gideon’s countrymen have responded, and Gideon has gathered a large army for himself. However, Gideon asks God for a sign as a way of showing that this is really God’s plan. He lays out a fleece on the ground, and he states that if it is God’s will for him to lead an army against Midian, then, come morning, the fleece will be soaked with water and the ground around it will be dry. God granted this request and, come morning, the fleece was wet, and the ground around it was completely dry. As if this was not enough assurance, Gideon asked God for another sign. Except this time, He asked God for the fleece to be dry and the ground around it to be wet. God granted this request, and in the morning Gideon found what he had asked for. We cannot be completely sure of the motives of Gideon in this scene, but what we can be sure of is that God was gracious to Gideon and showed him that He was powerful and faithful.

In the third and fourth scenes that we observed in the life of Gideon, we saw Gideon actually rising to the challenge and embarking on a successful military campaign against Midian. However, God caused Gideon to do this with an army of only 300 men. This shows us that God often accomplishes things in ways that seem unlikely and impossible to man. Allowing Gideon to defeat the Midianites in such an unlikely way reminds us that God is the one who should truly get the credit for everything good in our lives. Next, we see Gideon at the end of his life. However, it is not the happy ending that we would have hoped for. The people of Israel asked Gideon to rule over them as King. Gideon refused, stating that only God is king. But then Gideon proceeded to act just like a king when he collected a treasure for himself and made his property a house of worship.

Gideon’s life should help us clearly see that Christ is the one we should put our hope and trust in. While Gideon was used by God in unlikely ways, it was Jesus who was used by God in unlikely circumstances to save people from their sins. When we see Gideon ask for a sign, we should be reminded of Jesus Christ, who was the true sign of the Messiah. Gideon was indeed used by God to deliver a people from their bondage, but it was Jesus who was used by God to deliver a people from the worst bondage of all, sin. And when Gideon did not finish well, it is Jesus who ran his race perfectly. He did so to the degree that Scripture refers to Him as the “pioneer and perfector of our faith”. One of the main themes of the book of Judges is indeed the fact that everyone did what seemed right to them, but the overall theme is that of a Savior who is about His glory and the good of His people.