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Judges 6:17-32

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SCRIPTURE

Judges 6:17-32 NIV

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 25 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. 26Then 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.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
28 In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! 29 They asked each other, “Who did this?”
When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

MAIN IDEA

Success in the ‘big things’ is determined by obedience in the ‘small things’
The SMALL things have become big!

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.  As you think about life, mechanics, health, cooking, or other areas, what are some seemingly small things that make a big difference? 

3. Read Judges 6:16. What Big thing has God asked Gideon to do? Have you ever been asked to do something big, way beyond what you thought you could?

4.  Read Judges 6:17-24. What is Gideons response to God’s call? Have you ever asked God to prove himself to you or show you a sign?

5. Read Judges 6:25-32. Before God sent Gideon out to defeat the Midianites (a big thing), he asked Gideon to take care of some things on the home front (a little thing). Why do you think God was, and still is, so interested in the small things?

6.  If God came to you and shared something in your life or home front that he wanted you to tear down, change or start what do you think he would say as it relates to your personal life or your family? What needs tearing down (it's taking the place of God or is unhealthy spiritually), what needs changing, or what needs to be started (a new action, like spiritual discipline, or attitude)?

7. Gideon was still afraid…but he followed through with obedience…sneaky as it was. What scares you or intimidates you to move ahead with obedience as you consider your area? What are you going to do about it, how can the group help you?

8. Pray for each other

SUMMARY POINTS
  •  God loves to use people to do his best work.
     
  • We often want God to prove he is with us, God wants us to show we are with him. 

  • Dealing with the ‘small’ things can still be ‘scary’ things.

  • Success in the ‘big things’ is determined by obedience in the ‘small things’ 
    The SMALL things have become big!