Break the Ice.
- How well does light shine through a solid wall?
- How well does light shine thought a broken vessel?
Bring the Word.
Information Toolbox: The modern thinking is, “I can do anything I set my mind to.” What a lie! No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be a football star, a pop singer, or a brain surgeon. It’s an evident sign of spiritual maturity when we realize that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Gideon learned that lesson on the battlefield.
Read Judges 7:1-8
- Israel was already outnumbered 135,000 to 32,000 or 4:1. Yet, God tells Gideon he has too many man! Why?
- How does God cull the first round of men?
- Does sending the “trembles with fear” group home serve a purpose? (Deuteronomy 20:8 instructs to dismiss fearful men before battle)
- Do you think the 10,000 men left had no fear, or is there a different between the fear they had and the fear that made men tremble?
- Why does God cull the group for Gideon?
- The 300 men could have been described as “the ones who drank from cupped hands,” but the writer ads the phrase, “like dogs.” Is that a simple visual or do you think it speaks to the quality of those men?
Read Judges 7:9-15
- God’s already talking to Gideon and could have simply told Gideon he was going to win. God could have given Gideon the dream directly, but instead gave it to the solider from Midian. Why do you think God did it that way?
- Where does Gideon worship?
- Have you ever worshipped in a situation like Gideon’s (behind enemy lines; in the face of ridiculous odds; with a promise from God)?
Read Judges 7:16-22
- Gideon instructs the men to yell, “for the Lord and for Gideon.” Considering the interpretation of the dream that God gave the Midian soldier in 7:14, how do you view this battle cry and why?
Bring it Home.
Read 2 Corinthians 4:6-7. (You may want to read in various translations.)
- Gideon gives us a good visual of this passage. What does this mean for us as the “earthen vessel” or “clay jars.”
- Throughout Scripture, when a trumpet sounds God does something incredible. Our only contribution may be a broken vessel for God’s light to shine through. Is there an area in your life today, where God is trying to shine?
- How can we pray for one another?