Group Notes | July 9
Flannelgraph of Faith: Gideon
July 9, 2017
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Open:
Fear can be a mild stress that causes us worry, or a paralyzing dread that almost immobilizes us, often because we have no control over a situation. Can you share an example?
Today we begin a new series based on the visual teaching from decades ago: the flannelgraph. Although we will use it along with today’s technology, we want to reframe the stories learned from childhood of the heroes of faith, and see how their lives give us insight for applying the lessons to a walk of faith today.
Focal Passages: Taken from Judges 6:1-40, 7:1-25, 8:1-35
Discuss:
The Background:
- Read Judges 6:1,2. Why did God have to chastise the Israelites, who had been in the Promised Land about forty years? What did they do next (vs 2)?
- When things got even worse, what were their actions (vs 6)? How is that exactly like people today (9/11 is a great example!)?
God’s Solution:
- In verses 7-10, God lets Israel know why He was upset with them, but in His grace, He would provide a deliverer. Read verses 14-17, as the Lord calls Gideon. Who does Gideon remind you of, as he tries to get out of the job of delivering Israel (Exodus 3:9ff)?
- How is that like our lack of faith when God calls us to move out of our comfort zone?
God’s Victory:
- By the end of chapter 6, how many men did Gideon have, to fight against the Midianites? In 7:1-7, what conversation does Gideon have with God?
- How many men did Gideon end up with? Will someone explain why God chose those who brought the water to their mouth to drink, to be those who would go with Gideon?
Gideon’s Final Years
- Read Judges 8:22-27. Why is it so unbelievable that Gideon “became a snare” to Israel, after all that the Lord had done for him?
- Asking ourselves the same question, how many times has God done something miraculous for you, only for you to leave Him for a season?
What Are Some Applications?
- Defeating fear requires faith
- Defeating fear requires Focus
- Defeating fear requires Fidelity
Close:
Israel had turned away from the God who had delivered them from Egypt about eighty years prior. They had begun to worship the foreign gods and live as the heathen nations around them. God had to reprimand them for their sinful ways, giving them as slaves to the Midianites until they were ready to turn back to Him.
Gideon, a real person in a real-life situation, teaches us that men’s hearts, no matter the lifestyle or their era, never change. When God chose Gideon to deliver Israel, he begged for a sign that he was doing what God wanted. Today, we also might desire a tangible indication we are in His will, but it is our step of faith that God is looking for. We must discipline ourselves to be in His word so much, that it becomes part of who we are, always listening for Him to speak through the verses.
After Gideon’s miraculous experience with the Midianites, we would assume his time of judging Israel was with a focus of bringing the nation back to the One true God. But Gideon, in a strange move, took his eyes off God and repeated Aaron’s offense by making a golden object of worship. Letting our attention become misplaced onto things of the world is a sure way to get away from God. Israel went through generation after generation of faithfulness, then backsliding—doing evil, being chastised, and back to fidelity. How much God desires that we remain faithful, trusting Him no matter what comes our way! He is not our God only when things are going well: we must have such trust that the greatest hurts we bear are carried, knowing He is working in our lives.
What are your “Midianites,” and are you trusting the Lord to help you defeat them?
Memory Verse: Judges 6:16: And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” (NKJV)