Ideas and questions for group leaders and members to study Judges 6

Judges 6 Questions

First, ask the group to break into pairs.

Second, discuss the following icebreaker question: Has there been a time in your life that someone saw potential in you that you did not see? On the other hand, have you helped someone else by seeing potential in them they did not realize they had? God saw in Gideon what he could not see.

Judges 6:1–10

1. Look for examples to follow and examples to avoid in the life of Israel and Gideon.
2. Why did Israel do what was evil yet again? That indeed is a complex question. One possible answer to that is same answer as to why some Christians today lead defeated lives. It’s the difference between a carnal Christian and Spirit-led Christian. In the Old Testament era, the Holy Spirit had not been given. Ask group members for their ideas.
3. What was God’s solution every time? He would raise up an enemy to punish them. In this case it was the Midianites.
4. What do we learn in 6:2 as to how the oppression of the Midianites affected the Israelites? They hid anywhere they could.
5. What finally made the Israelites cry out to the Lord for help? Their food sources were being destroyed, leaving them nothing to eat.
6. Why did the Lord send an unnamed prophet to Israel? 
   1. To prepare the way for Gideon
   2. To remind them how good the Lord had been to them, but they still disobeyed him.

Judges 6:11–14

1. Who was this angel of the Lord? Most believe it was either God the Father or Christ appearing in the form of an angel, but also this angel appeared as a traveler carrying a staff.
2. Why was Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress which is normally below ground level and not in an open space as it normally was done? Hiding from the Midianites. 
3. How do you think Gideon felt to be called valiant warrior? You got the wrong guy.
4. What was Gideon having difficulty understanding? If the Lord was really with them, then why had he abandoned them and given them over to the Midianites. 
5. Have you ever felt abandoned by God and under what circumstances? Most all of us adults have and it usually was is some type of crisis, i.e., death of family member, serious or extended illness, job loss, family crisis, etc.
6. What is the meaning of “go in the strength you have and deliver Israel”? All of us have strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps the Lord was saying to Gideon to utilize the strengths he had given him, but did reassure him that his presence would go with him.

Judges 6:15–16

1. What excuse did Gideon make to the Lord’s calling on his life? He didn’t think his family group was worthy of such a high calling. 
2. Have you ever known someone who had a low self-esteem simply because of the family they belonged to? Ask group members to respond.
3. What insight does Matthew 28:20 give us into Judges 6:16? As Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission, he promised to be with them. He promises the same to us.  
4. Do you ever feel inadequate to carry out the Great Commission, specifically in sharing the Gospel in a one-on-one opportunity? No doubt we all do. We should pray that the Lord would give us more boldness and take advantage of training in sharing our faith.