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Judges 6:1-16

Service Resources

Judges 6:1-16 NIV

1 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 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. 5 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. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.
7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 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. 9 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. 10 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.”
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. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
13 “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.”
14 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?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

MAIN IDEA

God see's us through the lens of who we are through him.

GOING DEEPER
Questions from this weeks message.

1.  What insight, principle or observation from this week’s message did you find to be most helpful, eye opening or troubling?  Please explain. 

2.  What are some of the fun nick-names people have called you? What are some of the names others of called you or you have called you that aren’t so fun, yet you have believed?

3. What are some inadequacies you feel you have that you have had to come face to face with? What brought that about? How has God’s call on you caused you to face your own inadequacies in the past or your present?

4.  Read Judges 6:1-11. The nation is in a tough spot, and God is about to come to Gideon and call him to step in. Why do you think God loves to use people to do some of his best work?

5. Read Judges 6:12. Considering what Gideon is doing, would you have named him what the Lord names him? What might you have named him? Do you think God is just blowing smoke?

6.  Read Judges 6:13-14. What about Gideons response is interesting, and what about God’s response to Gideons response is surprising to you? Can you relate to this part of the story with part of your story? 

7. Read Judges 6:15-16. How can you relate to Gideons excuses and why he isn’t the right person? What excuses have you used when God has called you or you feel pulled to step out? According to this passage, who is going to make up the difference between Gideons inadequacies and the task he is called to do? 

8. What has God called you to where you feel inadequate? What are some of the things right now that scare you about faith and living it that you need God to step in and make the difference?

9. How can the group pray for you to trust God more as you step beyond where you are comfortable?

SUMMARY POINTS

  • Some of the things God leads us to or calls us into force us to come face to face with our inadequate selves.

  • God loves to use people to do some of his best work.

  • Just be you and God will make up the rest.

  • God often calls us beyond where we are comfortable.

  • Why does God call us beyond? It shows HIS power when it is accomplished.

  • God see’s us through the lens of who we are through him.