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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how God transforms our weaknesses into strengths through the life of Gideon, showing us that God delights to use unlikely people to accomplish His mighty work.

Key Verse

Judges 6:14: Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

Introduction

After Israel entered the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, they were ruled by judges for four hundred years. During this period, Israel repeatedly fell into a destructive pattern of spiritual failure and restoration. The book of Judges clearly describes this cycle that dominated Israel’s history during these centuries:

Judges 2:16-19: Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

These verses reveal the pattern that runs throughout the book of Judges:

• Peace under godly leadership
• Rebellion against God’s commands
• Judgment through enemy oppression
• Repentance and crying out to God
• Deliverance through a judge

The Bible mentions fifteen judges who ruled Israel during this period. Some we know much about—like Samson with his incredible strength, or Samuel who was both judge and prophet. Others we know very little about, like Tola or Jair, who are mentioned in just a few verses. These judges came from remarkably different backgrounds: farmers, warriors, left-handed men, and even one woman—Deborah. This diversity shows us something beautiful about God’s character: He delights to use all kinds of people to accomplish His purposes, regardless of their background, gender, or natural abilities.

Among all these judges, Gideon stands out as one who perfectly illustrates how God transforms weakness into strength. In this lesson, we’ll trace Gideon’s remarkable journey through three stages of his life. We’ll also compare Gideon to another judge, Deborah.

• Gideon the fearful farmer
• Gideon the reluctant warrior
• Gideon the wise judge
• Gideon compared to Deborah

Through Gideon’s story, you’ll see that the God who called this frightened farmer to become a mighty deliverer is the same God who can use your life in ways you never imagined possible.

The Fearful Farmer

Gideon’s story begins during one of Israel’s darkest periods. Because of their continued rebellion against God, the Lord allowed the Midianites to oppress His people severely. These raiders would swoop down like locusts, destroying crops and livestock, leaving Israel impoverished and afraid.

Judges 6:1-6: The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

This destruction of Israel’s harvest reminds us of how our spiritual enemy operates. Satan is constantly trying to destroy the good work that God wants to do in our lives and through us.

Matthew 13:24-26: Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”

Matthew 13:38-39: The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

In response to Israel’s cry for help, God first sent a prophet to confront their sin and call them to repentance:

Judges 6:7-10: When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

We don’t know the name of this prophet, but his message points us forward to all the prophets who would later promise that the Messiah would come. Gideon himself becomes a picture of Christ—the ultimate Deliverer who would rescue God’s people from their greatest enemy.

When God was ready to raise up Israel’s deliverer, He found Gideon in the most unlikely place, doing the most unlikely thing:

Judges 6:11: The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

Picture this scene: Gideon was hiding in a winepress, secretly threshing a small amount of wheat to keep it from the Midianite raiders. Winepresses were built low in the ground to catch grape juice, making them completely impractical for threshing grain, which needed wind to blow away the chaff. But Gideon was so afraid of the Midianites that he was willing to work inefficiently rather than risk being discovered.

Notebook Moment: When have you felt like you were “hiding in a winepress”—trying to serve God or do what’s right, but feeling afraid and ineffective because of circumstances beyond your control?

Yet this is exactly where God chose to call His next great deliverer! The conversation that followed reveals several important lessons about how God works:

Judges 6:12-16: When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon asked, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

First, God calls unlikely people who don’t feel qualified. Gideon had no position or power, no military experience, and certainly no courage. He was from the weakest clan in his tribe, and he considered himself the least important person in his family. By every human standard, he was completely unqualified to be Israel’s deliverer.

This is exactly how God loves to work! He chooses weak vessels so that He receives all the glory when great things are accomplished. The apostle Paul explains this principle:

1 Corinthians 1:27-29: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Consider other examples: Amos was a shepherd when God called him to prophesy. Peter was a simple fisherman when Jesus chose him to lead the early church.

Amos 7:14-15: Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'”

Matthew 4:18-20: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Second, we should learn to see ourselves through God’s eyes. God already sees in us the work He plans to accomplish. Notice that the angel called Gideon “mighty warrior” before he had ever fought a battle! God spoke about the victory as if it were already accomplished: “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.”

Isaiah 26:12: Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Jesus demonstrated this same principle when He looked at Simon and saw Peter—the rock on which He would build His church:

Matthew 16:18: And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Acts 2:14: Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.”

Third, God doesn’t despise our honest questions. Gideon asked many questions and even requested signs to confirm God’s word. His questions weren’t expressions of doubt but careful discernment of God’s will. When we’re unsure about God’s direction, it’s perfectly appropriate to seek confirmation through prayer, Scripture, and godly counsel.

Judges 6:36-40: Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

God was patient with Gideon because He understands our human frailty:

Psalm 103:14: For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Fourth, God’s work begins small and grows through obedience. Gideon’s first assignment wasn’t to defeat the Midianites—it was to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Only after he proved faithful in this small act of obedience did God give him the greater task.

Judges 6:25-26: That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”

Matthew 25:21: His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The Reluctant Warrior

After Gideon proved faithful in his first assignment, God prepared him for the greater task of defeating Israel’s enemies. But even here, God continued to work in unexpected ways, demonstrating that victory comes through His power, not human strength.

When the Midianites and their allies gathered for battle, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he called Israel to war:

Judges 6:34: Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

Thirty-two thousand men responded to Gideon’s call. By human standards, this would be considered a reasonable army to face the vast Midianite horde. But God had a different plan that would ensure He received all the glory for the victory:

Judges 7:2: The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.'”

Through a series of tests, God reduced Gideon’s army to just three hundred men:

Judges 7:7: The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.”

Notebook Moment: Why do you think God deliberately chose to work with such a small army? What does this teach us about how God wants to work in our lives today?

Even with his reduced army, Gideon still struggled with fear. Once again, God patiently strengthened his faith by allowing him to overhear a conversation in the enemy camp:

Judges 7:9-11: During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

When Gideon heard a Midianite soldier describing a dream about Israel’s victory, his courage was strengthened and he was ready to move forward in faith.

When Gideon heard a Midianite soldier describing a dream about Israel’s victory, his courage was strengthened and he was ready to move forward in faith.

The battle plan God gave Gideon was completely unconventional. Instead of swords and spears, his three hundred men carried trumpets, empty jars, and torches. At midnight, they surrounded the enemy camp and simultaneously blew their trumpets, smashed their jars to reveal blazing torches, and shouted their battle cry (Judges 7:16-22). The result was spectacular: “When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords” (Judges 7:22). The enemy became so confused in the darkness and noise that they began fighting each other instead of Israel, and the entire Midianite army fled in panic. This moment recalls the strategy that God gave to Joshua at Jericho that also led to a miraculous victory (Joshua 6:6–20).

God used Gideon’s small army with an unusual strategy to achieve complete victory. The enemy was thrown into such confusion that they began fighting each other instead of Israel. This demonstrates a principle that still applies today: God accomplishes His greatest works through weak instruments empowered by His Spirit. The Gospel has spread throughout the world not through military might or political power, but through the faithful witness of ordinary believers empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The Wise Judge

After his stunning military victory, Gideon continued to serve Israel as their judge for forty years. During this period, he demonstrated both wisdom and humility in his leadership.

When the men of Ephraim became angry because they weren’t included in the initial battle, Gideon responded with gracious diplomacy rather than pride:

Judges 8:1-3: The Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously. But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

When the people wanted to make him their king, Gideon wisely refused, recognizing that God alone should rule over Israel:

Judges 8:22-23: The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.”

However, Gideon wasn’t perfect. He made some significant mistakes during his later years. For example, he allowed a golden ephod to become an object of worship:

Judges 8:27: Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

He also failed to raise his son Abimelech properly, and this son later brought terrible destruction to Israel:

Judges 9:56: Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.

Despite these failures, Gideon’s overall leadership brought peace and stability to Israel:

Judges 8:28: Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

Gideon Compared to Deborah

To better understand Gideon’s unique contribution to Israel’s history, it’s helpful to compare him with another judge who also served during this tumultuous period. The table below highlights key similarities and differences between Gideon and Deborah, two judges whom God empowered to lead Israel with both strengths and weaknesses. Their stories show that God uses a variety of leaders—each with unique gifts and limitations—to accomplish His purposes and encourage faith among His people.

Gideon	Deborah
Judge and military leader (Judges 6–8)	Judge and military leader (Judges 4–5)
Called by an angel (Judges 6:12)	Called to be a prophetess (Judges 4:4)
Gained victory over Midianites (Judges 7:7)	Gained victory over Canaanites (Judges 4:6–7)
Hesitant faith and asked for signs (Judges 6:17)	Bold faith that inspired Barak (Judges 4:8–9)
Later leadership struggles (Judges 8:27)	Praised for wisdom (Judges 4:5)

Both Gideon and Deborah demonstrate that God doesn’t look for perfect people. He looks for available people. Gideon struggled with fear and doubt, while Deborah displayed remarkable confidence and wisdom. Yet God used both of them mightily to deliver His people. This comparison reminds us that God has a place in His kingdom for people with different personalities, different strengths, and different weaknesses.

Notebook Moment: As you compare these two judges, which one do you relate to more? Are you more like the reluctant Gideon who needed encouragement, or like the confident Deborah who inspired others? How might God want to use your particular personality and gifts to serve others?

The diversity we see among the judges—including both men and women, both bold and timid personalities, both those from prominent families and those from humble backgrounds—shows us that God delights to work through all kinds of people. What matters is not our natural abilities or social status, but our willingness to trust God and obey His call.

Conclusion

How can we summarize the ministry and leadership of Gideon? His life can be described in three progressive stages:

• He was humble as a farmer
• He became strong as a warrior
• He was wise as a judge

These same qualities that defined Gideon’s life are mentioned in the great faith chapter of Hebrews, where he is listed alongside other heroes of faith—including judges like Deborah, though she isn’t mentioned by name:

Hebrews 11:32-34: And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Three specific phrases from this passage perfectly describe what God accomplished through Gideon’s life, and what He desires to accomplish through ours as well:

“Whose weakness was turned to strength.” Gideon began as a fearful farmer hiding in a winepress, but God transformed his weakness into spiritual strength. The same God who strengthened Gideon can transform your weaknesses into channels for His power.

“Who became powerful in battle.” Gideon learned to fight spiritual battles with faith rather than human weapons. With only three hundred men, trumpets, and torches, he defeated a vast enemy army. God still wins battles today through weak instruments empowered by His Spirit.

“Who routed foreign armies.” Gideon didn’t just survive the conflict with Midian; he achieved complete victory that brought forty years of peace to Israel. When we trust God completely, He doesn’t just help us get by—He gives us victory that blesses others.

Gideon’s story teaches us that God specializes in taking ordinary people with extraordinary weaknesses and accomplishing extraordinary things through them. The farmer who was afraid to thresh wheat in the open became the warrior who defeated Israel’s enemies. The man who asked for multiple signs became the judge who ruled wisely for four decades.

If you feel inadequate for the work God has called you to do, remember Gideon. If you struggle with fear and doubt, remember that God was patient with Gideon’s questions. If you think your background disqualifies you from serving God, remember that He chose the weakest member of the weakest clan to become Israel’s deliverer.

The same God who transformed Gideon from weakness to strength is ready to work in your life today. Like Gideon, like Deborah, and like all the judges who served Israel, you don’t have to be perfect to be used by God. You just have to be available, willing to trust Him, and ready to take the first step of obedience when He calls.

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