Transcript Slide 1

“Lesson 24: Gideon,” Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996),106
 I need you to sit in this
chair in front of the
class.
 You will be the judge.
 Some of you will be
given a question to ask
the judge. The judge will
answer each question.
 After Joshua there was no one leader over
Israel. Instead, judges gave advice, made
decisions, and served as military leaders.
 Israel’s covenant showed the mercy and longsuffering of the Lord and would have been the
best possible government in Israel.
 However, under the rule of the judges the
people had to demonstrate loyalty to the Lord
and His commandments for this ideal form of
government to function properly.
 Since Israel usually broke their covenant during
the reign of the judges, the governmental
system did not function properly, and Israel fell
out of favor with the Lord.
 When Joshua and the leaders of Israel
who served under him died, the
national spirit of Israel also died. Tribal
loyalty replaced national unity.
 Joshua’s generation
remained faithful
to the Lord but the
following
generation was
much less faithful.
 “And there arose another generation after
them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the
works which he had done for Israel.
 “And they forsook the Lord
God of their fathers, which
brought them out of the
land of Egypt, and followed
other gods, of the gods of
the people that were round
about them, and bowed
themselves unto them, and
provoked the Lord to
anger.” (Judges 2:10, 12)
 Because they turned away from God, the
Israelites became vulnerable to their
enemies.
 When they suffered
the oppressions of
war, they would turn
to God to be saved.
 Once they were safe
and secure, they
would return to their
former ways and
reject God again.
 They fell into a repeating cycle of
apostasy and repentance.
 From time to time
the Lord called
judges (military
leaders) to deliver
His people from
earthly oppression
and spiritual
bondage (see Judg. 2:11–23;
Bible Dictionary, “Judges, The,” 719).
 Gideon was one such judge.
 The Israelites drove
out many of the
Canaanites and then
made treaties with
them.
 The Israelites began
worshipping idols
because they began
marrying the
Canaanites. The
cycle continued.
 Every year for seven
years a powerful
group of nomadic
tribes would overrun
the land of Israel.
 This was done each year at harvesttime, not
by armies, but with people. They invaded,
pitching their tents and grazing their
animals as they wandered through the land.
 So devastating were these migrations that
they stripped the land of everything that
could sustain life (see Judges 6:1–5).
 The Midianites were like unwelcome distant
relatives who came each year and stayed too
long, eating the Israelites out of house and
home.
 They took the Israelites grain and animals
with them.
 The Israelites
became so poor
and desperate that
they cried out to
the Lord for help.
 What did the Midianites and other
groups do to the Israelites?
 Let’s read Judges 6:3–6
 Why didn’t the Lord help Israel with
these problems?
 Let’s read Judges 6:1, 8–10
 What are some other reasons why the
Lord might not take away our
problems?
 Some of the reasons may be:
– Dealing with them helps us become stronger
and more valiant
– They humble us so we will turn to God
– They are a natural part of mortal life
– They are the consequences of sin or bad
decisions
 The Lord might not take away our problems,
but if we trust in him, he will bless us with
comfort and strength.
Enrichment Activity #4
 The Lord sent an angel to a young man
named Gideon as he secretly threshed
wheat under an oak tree, hoping to keep
the grain hidden from the Midianites.
 The angel said:
“The Lord is with
you, mighty
warrior… Go in
the strength you
have and save
Israel out of
Midian’s hand.”
 Gideon did not think
he was a mighty
warrior. The angel
replied, “Surely I will
be with thee and thou
shalt smite the
Midianites as one
man” (Judg. 6:15–16;
emphasis added).
 To smite as one man means that the vast
masses of Midianites would be conquered as
if they were but a lone man.
 This seemed
unbelievable to
Gideon, so he
asked the angel for
a sign, to prove
that he was truly
sent from God.
 Evidence was duly provided, and Gideon
bowed in humble submission to the Lord’s
call (see Judg. 6:17–24).
 When the angel
came to Gideon,
what did Gideon
ask?
 Let’s read
Judges 6:12–13
 How did the Israelites’ trials help them
turn to the Lord?
 Let’s read Judges 6:6
 Who did the Lord
say would save
Israel from the
Midianites?
 Let’s read Judges
6:14, 16
 How did Gideon react when the angel
of the Lord told him that he would save
Israel?
 Let’s read Judges 6:15
 Who else have we studied this year who
felt as Gideon did?
 What qualities did
Gideon have that would
help him fulfill this
calling?
 Let’s read Judges
6:12
 Also, he lived his life so
he could receive the
guidance and direction
of the Lord.
 The first task the Lord gave Gideon was not
to save all Israel from the Midianites but to
cleanse the sin of idolatry from his father’s
household.
 This he did bravely, going forth by night
with 10 friends and destroying the altar and
grove of trees of the false god Baal used by
his father and the community leaders.
 In it’s place they built an altar to the Lord.
 This made the leaders angry.
 What did the Lord
tell Gideon to do to
the altar of Baal
that his father had
built and the grove
that was by it?
 Let’s read Judges 6:25–26
 Gideon’s father and others worshiped
false gods and were sinning when they
used the altar of Baal and the grove.
 Joash defended his son before the hostile
crowd, saying, “If Baal really is a god, he can
defend himself when someone breaks down
his altar.”
 Gideon’s service in his new calling as a
“mighty warrior” not only confronted
idolatry, it awakened spirituality in his own
father.
 This earned Gideon a new name, Jerubbaal,
which means “he that striveth with Baal” (see
Bible Dictionary, “Jerubbaal,” 712).
 What did Joash say to the men who
wanted to kill his son Gideon?
 Let’s read Judges 6:31
 Although Joash
had worshiped
Baal, he realized
that if Baal were a
real god, he would
have the power to
defend his altar.
 Gideon became more confident in
doing what the Lord commanded.
 As harvesttime neared, the Midianites
again gathered, this time in the valley
of Jezreel (see Bible Dictionary, “Jezreel,” 713).
 “The Spirit of the Lord came upon
Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,”
mustering an army of 32,000 men from
throughout Israel (see Judges 6:34).
 Gideon then asked for
and received a
spiritual confirmation
that the Lord would
save Israel (see Judges
6:36–40).
 So off to battle they
went, camping at the
well of Harod.
 What did Gideon ask the
Lord to do to the fleece of
wool so he would know the
Lord would be with him?
 Let’s read Judges 6:37–40
 Gideon was not seeking a
sign to know if Heavenly
Father was the one true
God. He needed to be
assured that the Lord would
be with him in battle.
 Why do you think
Gideon reversed
the conditions of
the sign the second
night?
 He knew that it was
truly an act of God
and not a natural
event or chance.
 The 32,000 Israelite
warriors that gathered
were more than enough
for the purposes of the
Lord at the time.
 The Lord was concerned
that when the battle
was won, the Israelites
would think that they,
not the Lord, had gained
the victory.
 The Lord told Gideon to send home
anyone who was “fearful and afraid.”
Some 22,000, almost 70 percent, left
for home.
 There were still too many, so the Lord
commanded Gideon to have his troops
quench their thirst at the nearby
spring.
 President Boyd K. Packer President of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
 “Gideon had an interesting
way of selecting his recruits.
When the men drank water
at a stream, most ‘bowed
down … to drink.’ Those he
passed over. A few scooped
up water in their hands and
drank, remaining completely
alert. They were the ones
chosen.”
 Out of an army of 32,000 men that had come
together to fight the Midianites, the Lord
wanted only 300 to fight the battle.
 How was Gideon to reduce the number of his
army?
 Let’s read Judges 7:3, 5–7
 Why did the Lord want only 300 men?
 Let’s read Judges 7:2
 Vaunt means to boast or brag. The Lord
wanted the Israelites to trust in him, not in
their own strength.
 How might
Gideon’s faith
have been tested
by this?
 How might you
have felt if you
had been left in
Gideon’s situation
with such a small
army?
 At night, Gideon awoke his
men and organized them
into three groups. He gave
each man a trumpet
(ram’s horn) and a clay
pottery jar with a burning
lamp inside.
 He told them to take
positions on the hillside
above the Midianites and
at his signal blow their
horns and break their jars.
 Normally only a small number of men in an
army carry trumpets.
 As the Midianites lay
sound asleep, the sound
of 300 trumpets blaring
and jars breaking jolted
them to their feet to see
the blazing lamps nearby.
 The battle cry “The sword of the Lord, and of
Gideon” reverberated through the valley (see
Judges 7:20).
 Believing they
were under attack
from thousands of
Israelites, the
Midianites, in
their confusion
and terror, began
killing each other.
 They fled southward in disarray. Thus the
Lord had vanquished Israel’s enemies
without a single Israelite casualty (see Judges
7:21–25).
 Truly the Lord had kept His promise to Gideon:
“Thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”
 How did the Lord’s instructions help the
Israelites defeat the Midianites?
 Let’s read Judges 7:20–22
 The Midianites became confused and killed
one another in the darkness.
 Because Gideon’s men carefully followed his
instructions and Gideon followed the Lord’s
instructions exactly, they were successful.
 How are we blessed by obeying Heavenly
Father’s commandments?
 Everyone please stand.
–Turn around
–Raise your right hand
–Name some of the specific instructions
Gideon was given
–You may all sit down again
 Because Gideon followed the Lord’s
instructions exactly, he and his army were
successful.
Enrichment Activity #3
 Sometimes we are asked to do things
that may not seem important or even
make sense to us at the time.
 If we are given specific directions by
Church leaders or parents acting in
righteousness, we need to be obedient
and have faith that what we are asked
to do is important and right.
Enrichment Activity #3
 When the men of Israel
wanted to make Gideon a
king, whom did Gideon say
should rule them?
 Let’s read Judges 8:23
 Whom should we follow?
 Who leads the Church today?
 We have a prophet and other
leaders chosen by God to
teach us, but Jesus Christ is
the head of the Church.
 “We can take strength from the example
of Gideon. You will remember how Gideon
and his army faced the overwhelming
strength of forces vastly superior in
equipment and in number. … The outcome
of that mighty battle is recorded in one
short sentence: ‘And they stood every man
in his place …’ (Judges 7:21), and the victory
was won.
Enrichment Activity #1
 “Today, we are encamped against the
greatest array of sin, vice, and evil ever
assembled before our eyes. Such formidable
enemies may cause lesser hearts to shrink or
shun the fight. But the battle plan whereby
we fight to save the souls of men is not our
own. It was provided … by the inspiration
and revelation of the Lord. … I pray that each
of us will stand in his or her appointed place,
that the battle for the souls of men will
indeed be won” (Thomas S. Monson, “Correlation Brings
Blessings,” Relief Society Magazine, Apr. 1967, pp. 246–47).
Enrichment Activity #1
 I’m going to toss this beanbag to
one of you and then describe one
of the battles of life.
 If you have the beanbag, tell what he Lord’s
battle plan would be and then toss the
beanbag back to me. Then I’ll toss in to
someone else to describe a different battle
in life.
 I encourage all of you to follow the Lord’s
plan in deciding how to handle such
situations.
Enrichment Activity #1
they
every
 I’m going to hand each of you a word. I want
you to stand in order so that the message
can be read correctly.
 It was important for each person to stand in
the right place, just as Gideon’s men did, in
order to accomplish what the Lord wanted
them to do.
 What are some other times we can stand in
the right place?
Enrichment Activity #2
1. I want to live the gospel,
To know that its teachings are true,
To follow the plan of my Savior
And live as he wants me to do.
2. I want to live the gospel,
To know I am heard when I pray,
To know that I will be happy
Because I have learned to obey.
Chorus
I will try in all I do and say
To live the gospel more each day.
I will try in all I do and say
To live the gospel more each day.

Words: Naomi Ward Randall, 1908–2001. © 1969 IRI Music: Roy M. Darley, b. 1918. © 1969 IRI
Enrichment Activity #5
 I bear my
testimony of the
importance of
trusting the Lord
and his chosen
servants.
 I encourage all of you to listen to the
prophet and other Church leaders
and to obey the commandments
carefully as Gideon did.
 Images and clipart are from lds.org, sugardoodle.net,
bing & google images and Microsoft Office. Hymn and
lesson materials are from lds.org. The lesson and
activities are from the Primary 6 Old Testament manual.
The story of Gideon is copied and/or paraphrased from
the article The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon by
Elder Manfred H. Schütze in the April 2002 Ensign and
from the Seminary and Institute Old Testament
manuals. The quote by Elder Boyd K. Packer is from the
conference talk The Power of the Priesthood in the May
2010 Ensign.
 No copyrighted materials were knowingly used in this
presentation. Please do not use this presentation for
commercial use.