In this session on Old Testament Heroes of the Bible, we are going to hear about a man named Gideon. God had a very special job for him but Gideon didn't think he was important enough do it! Let’s watch the video to see what happened:
Story Video:
© Tommy Nelson. Read and Share Bible. Art by Gwen Ellis.
Time to Think and Pray
Questions
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What was the message God sent to Gideon?
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How did God decide which men should stay in Gideon's army?
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How many men were left?
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What three things did each member of the army need to have?
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What happened when Gideon’s army surrounded the enemy’s camp?
An enemy army were on their way to attack God’s people, so God sent an angel to tell Gideon that God wanted him to save God’s people. Gideon was worried because he thought he wasn’t important or strong enough to do it. But God had chosen Gideon especially for this job! Gideon believed what God had told him and got lots of men together to make up a big army. The Bible tells us he recruited over 30, 000 men, but God told him he had too many! God wanted the army to be small so that everyone would know that it was God who had won the battle and not the people! A lot of men went home, but there were still too many! So God told them to have a drink in the river. Some of the men put their mouths down to the water to drink, but the other men used their hands to scoop up water and drink it. These men who scooped the water were the only men God wanted in the army and he sent the others home. Gideon was left with just 300 men!
God gave Gideon some very strange instructions. Each man in the army needed 3 things: a trumpet, a jar, and a torch (fire). When it was dark, they surrounded the enemy camp. Then they all shouted loudly and smashed their jars so their enemies would wake up and see all the lights from the fire surrounding them. They also blew loudly on their trumpets. The enemy army were terrified! They were so scared and confused that they started fighting each other!
Gideon won the battle and his army didn’t even need to fight! All of God’s people were safe again because Gideon listened to what God said and obeyed him. God speaks to us today too, and we can read lots of His words in the Bible. God knows everything and He is always right. He loves us very much and He always knows what is best for us. So it is very important for us to listen to Him and do what He says, just like Gideon did.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you that you love us and always know what’s best for us. Please help us to listen to you and to obey what you ask us to do, just like Gideon did. Amen.
This Week's Song: Shine
Fire Torch
You will need: Colouring pens or pencils, a glue stick, and a copy of the printable template.
Colour the torch and flames. Cut out all the pieces. Curve the torch round to make a cone shape, fold the tabs and stick them together. One by one, stick flames inside the torch, overlapping them and building them in rows behind each other to make your fiery torch. See the photo below as an example.
Craft by: https://craftingthewordofgod.com
Angels
You will need: Scissors, colouring pens or pencils, a glue stick, sellotape, a straw or lolly stick, and a copy of the printable template.
Colour the angel pieces (or leave them white if you prefer) and cut them out. Stick the wings behind the angel’s shoulders and stick on the face. Use sellotape to stick a straw or lolly stick to the back of your angel so you can hold it up and make it fly. If you have any glitter or decorations you could make your angel sparkle!
