Gideon, living during a time of oppression under the Midianites, was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Despite his initial doubts and fears, Gideon put his trust in God and embarked on a remarkable journey.
One of the notable features of this story is Gideon’s encounter with the angel of the Lord, who appeared to him while he was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the
The story of Gideon in the Bible is a story of faith, courage, and deliverance in the Book of Judges. God called Gideon, a judge and prophet, to free Israel from the Midianites’ oppression. He was the son of Joash, from the Abiezrite clan in Manasseh. Gideon was a man of faith, but he was also a man of doubt. He questioned God’s plan and asked for signs to confirm that he was truly being called to lead Israel. Despite his doubts, Gideon remained faithful to God and led Israel to victory over the Midianites.
The story of Gideon begins with the Israelites doing evil in the sight of the Lord. As a result, God allowed the Midianites to oppress them for seven years. The Midianites would come and destroy the crops and livestock of the Israelites, leaving them with nothing. The Israelites cried out to God for help, and God sent them a prophet to remind them of their covenant with Him. God then called Gideon to lead Israel to victory over the Midianites.
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The Story About Gideon In The Bible
Gideon was the son of Joash, from the Abiezrite clan in the tribe of Manasseh and lived in Ephra (Ophrah). As a leader of the Israelites, he won a decisive victory over a Midianite army despite a vast numerical disadvantage, leading a troop of 300 “valiant” men.
Gideon was initially hesitant to accept God’s call. He was from a small clan and did not believe that he was capable of leading Israel to victory. Gideon asked God for a sign to confirm that he was truly being called to lead Israel. God responded by causing a fleece to become wet with dew while the ground around it remained dry. Gideon then asked God to reverse the sign, and God did so. Gideon was convinced that God was truly calling him to lead Israel.
Gideon then gathered an army of 32,000 men to fight the Midianites. However, God told Gideon that the army was too large and that He would not give the Midianites into their hands. God instructed Gideon to send home all of the men who were afraid, and 22,000 men left. God then instructed Gideon to take the remaining 10,000 men to the water and observe how they drank. Those who drank with their faces in the water were sent home, and only 300 men remained.
With only 300 men, Gideon led Israel to victory over the Midianites. God instructed Gideon to divide his men into three groups and to give each man a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside. They were to surround the Midianite camp, blow their trumpets, and break their jars, revealing the torches. The Midianites were thrown into confusion and began to fight each other. Gideon and his men pursued them and defeated them.
The story of Gideon is a powerful reminder of the love and grace of God. Despite Gideon’s doubts and fears, God remained faithful to him and used him to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Midianites. Gideon’s story is a testament to the power of faith and the importance of trusting in God’s plan. It is a symbol of hope for all who seek Him.
Gideon Story Bible Verse
Judges 6:15 ESV / 50 helpful votes
And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Judges 8:23 ESV / 39 helpful votes
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”
Judges 7:1-25 ESV / 35 helpful votes
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” …
Judges 6:36-40 ESV / 34 helpful votes
Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
Judges 6:11 ESV / 31 helpful votes
Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 7:2 ESV / 30 helpful votes
The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
Judges 6:12 ESV / 30 helpful votes
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Hebrews 11:32 ESV / 28 helpful votes
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—
Judges 6:1-40 ESV / 28 helpful votes
The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. …
Judges 6:13 ESV / 26 helpful votes
And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
Hebrews 11:1-40 ESV / 23 helpful votes
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. …
Judges 8:10 ESV / 19 helpful votes
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.
Judges 7:15 ESV / 19 helpful votes
As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
Judges 7:20 ESV / 18 helpful votes
Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
Judges 6:39 ESV / 18 helpful votes
Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
Judges 8:22 ESV / 17 helpful votes
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
Judges 7:22 ESV / 17 helpful votes
When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
Judges 6:19 ESV / 17 helpful votes
So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them.
Judges 6:1-8:35 ESV / 17 helpful votes
The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. …
Judges 8:30 ESV / 15 helpful votes
Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.
Judges 7:7 ESV / 15 helpful votes
And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
Judges 6:34 ESV / 15 helpful votes
But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.
Judges 6:14 ESV / 15 helpful votes
And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
Judges 7:14 ESV / 14 helpful votes
And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
Judges 7:13 ESV / 14 helpful votes
When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
Judges 6:27 ESV / 14 helpful votes
So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
Judges 6:24 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Joshua 1:5 ESV / 14 helpful votes
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
Judges 8:4 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing.
Judges 8:1-3 ESV / 13 helpful votes
Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.
Judges 7:18 ESV / 13 helpful votes
When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
Judges 7:9 ESV / 13 helpful votes
That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.
Judges 7:4 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
Judges 7:1 ESV / 13 helpful votes
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
Judges 6:35 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
Judges 6:32 ESV / 13 helpful votes
Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.
Judges 6:22 ESV / 13 helpful votes
Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.”
Judges 6:16 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Judges 8:21 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
Judges 8:7 ESV / 12 helpful votes
So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”
Judges 8:1-35 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” …
Judges 7:2-3 ESV / 12 helpful votes
The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV / 11 helpful votes
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Judges 8:32 ESV / 11 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Story of Gideon In The Bible KJV
Judges 8:28 ESV / 11 helpful votes
So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
Judges 8:24 ESV / 11 helpful votes
And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
Judges 7:25 ESV / 11 helpful votes
And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.
Judges 6:7 ESV / 11 helpful votes
When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites,
Exodus 3:12 ESV / 11 helpful votes
He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
John 14:1-31 ESV / 10 helpful votes
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” …
Isaiah 42:8 ESV / 10 helpful votes
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
Judges 8:24-27 ESV / 10 helpful votes
And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
Judges 8:22-23 ESV / 10 helpful votes
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”
Judges 8:13 ESV / 10 helpful votes
Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.
Judges 7:24 ESV / 10 helpful votes
Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.
Judges 6:36 ESV / 10 helpful votes
Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said,
Judges 6:29 ESV / 10 helpful votes
And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
Judges 6:17 ESV / 10 helpful votes
And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.
John 16:33 ESV / 9 helpful votes
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Judges 8:9 ESV / 9 helpful votes
And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”
Judges 6:25 ESV / 9 helpful votes
That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it
Judges 6:21-24 ESV / 9 helpful votes
Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Judges 6:5 ESV / 9 helpful votes
For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in.
Judges 6:4 ESV / 9 helpful votes
They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV / 8 helpful votes
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Isaiah 9:4 ESV / 8 helpful votes
For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
Ruth 2:4 ESV / 8 helpful votes
And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”
Judges 7:12 ESV / 8 helpful votes
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.
Judges 6:36-37 ESV / 8 helpful votes
Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
Revelation 1:1 ESV / 7 helpful votes
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Ecclesiastes 3:8 ESV / 7 helpful votes
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
Psalm 83:11 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
1 Samuel 10:7 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
Judges 11:1 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
Judges 8:33-35 ESV / 7 helpful votes
As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.
Judges 8:33 ESV / 7 helpful votes
As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.
Judges 8:20 ESV / 7 helpful votes
So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man.
Judges 8:18 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.”
Judges 8:1 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely.
Judges 7:23 ESV / 7 helpful votes
And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.
Judges 7:19 ESV / 7 helpful votes
So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
Judges 7:5 ESV / 7 helpful votes
So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”
Judges 7:3 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
Judges 6:28 ESV / 7 helpful votes
When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.
Judges 6:25-27 ESV / 7 helpful votes
That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
Judges 6:25-26 ESV / 7 helpful votes
That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.”
Judges 6:20 ESV / 7 helpful votes
And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so.
Judges 6:14-16 ESV / 7 helpful votes
And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Judges 6:6 ESV / 7 helpful votes
And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.
Judges 6:2 ESV / 7 helpful votes
And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.
Judges 6:1 ESV / 7 helpful votes
The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 ESV / 6 helpful votes
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
Acts 17:10-11 ESV / 6 helpful votes
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Zechariah 4:6 ESV / 6 helpful votes
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Isaiah 10:26 ESV / 6 helpful votes
And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, as when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it as he did in Egypt.
Judges 7:8 ESV / 6 helpful votes
So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Judges 7:4-8 ESV / 6 helpful votes
And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Judges 6:33-35 ESV / 6 helpful votes
Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
Deuteronomy 20:8 ESV / 6 helpful votes
And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’
Judges 8:14-17 ESV / 5 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
The Story of Gideon In The Bible Summary
Compared with some of the other judges ruling Israel, Gideon seems to get a lot of press in the Old Testament, covering more than two chapters (compared with some of them only getting part of one chapter). Known as the greatest judge of Israel, readers might be surprised when they dive into the narrative to find a timid ruler. In fact, when we first meet him, he’s hiding from the enemies on a threshing floor.
Gideon, from the least of the least in terms of tribes, receives a call from God to take on the Midianites, a nomadic and huge group of people who depleted Israel’s supplies.
What Can We Learn from Gideon’s Story?
1. God can work with a little bit of faith.
Overall, we can learn that God can work through anyone, even timid believers of little faith.
A leader doesn’t always mean the boldest and most extroverted. God often works through believers who come from the least of the least, like Gideon. When we’re hiding from what scares us most, God compels us to tackle it head-on.
2. But God wants us to trust Him.
Second, God doesn’t allow metaphorical crutches. Although he plays along with Gideon’s fleece tests, when it comes to the actual battle, he refuses to let Gideon have a cushion of a bulky army. Reducing him to the bare essentials of 300, they know they have to rely on God for victory.
The same happens in our lives.
We can often have various cushions that offer comfort. Maybe we have jobs that provide enough income for a cozy retirement or other members of the church who step up into leadership roles we’d rather not fill ourselves. We can only hide on the threshing floor for so long before God pulls us out of our comfort zones to do His amazing work.
No matter what the case, God will reduce our “numbers” down to 300. When He does so, we have to rely on Him to do what we thought was impossible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the story of Gideon in the Bible is a story of faith, courage, and deliverance. Gideon was a man of faith, but he was also a man of doubt. Despite his doubts, Gideon remained faithful to God and led Israel to victory over the Midianites. The story of Gideon is a powerful reminder of the love and grace of God, and it is a symbol of hope for all who seek Him.
