Pastor Ralph

Q3. (Judges 8:24-27) Why is spiritual unfaithfulness looked at as prostitution or adultery? What is the concept of God's relationship to his people which underlies this analogy? What kinds of temptations to spiritual adultery do you face today? (This is not a place to dump on denominations or sects, but to examine your own personal temptations to spiritual adultery.)

Q4. (Judges 8:24-27) What is a snare? In what way does Gideon's ephod ensnare his family and the people of Israel? How can something be a sin if we don't see it as a sin? What was the essence of the sin the Israelites committed? What is the essence of Gideon's sin?

What is an ephod? (8:24-27) What might the gold ephod have looked like?

Q2. (Judges 8:24-27) What does Gideon ask for his reward? Was Gideon wrong to take a reward? Where did the sin begin?

Q1. (Judges 8:22-23) Why does Gideon refuse to be king over Israel? In what sense would becoming king be treason? Why didn't the Israelites see bestowing kingship as treason?

Q5. (Judges 8:18-21) Why does Gideon slay Zebah and Zalmunna? Is he unjust or fulfilling his just obligation? (Numbers 35:16) Why does Romans 12:19 prohibit Christians from taking vengeance?

Q4. (Judges 8:4-17) Why do the cities of Succoth and Peniel refuse aid to Gideon's army?Why does Gideon punish these cities later? What is their sin? Is Gideon just? Can you think of a circumstance when a Christian might be guilty of the sin of Succoth and Peniel?

Q3. (Judges 8:10-12) Why must Gideon vanquish the Midianite force of 15,000 men in Karkor? What danger do we face when we deal with problems only half-way?

Q2. (Judges 7:24-8:3) What does Gideon ask the Ephraimites to do? Why are they so angry? What do you learn from Gideon's approach to the Ephraimites' arrogance?

Q1. (Judges 7:16-22) Why does Gideon divide his army into three companies? What is the strategy with the trumpets, the empty jars, and the torches? Why did this strategy work?

Q6. (Judges 7:13-14) What does the rolling barley loaf mean in the Midianite's dream? Why does the Lord show Gideon this dream?

Q5. (Judges 7:5-6) What significance, if any, do you see in selecting the "lappers" from the "kneelers"?

Q4. Why do we demand that God's directions make sense to us before we'll follow them? What's the spiritual danger here? We're afraid of being -- or being perceived as -- religious kooks. How can we balance blind obedience with getting confirmation through spiritual people whose discernment we trust?

Q3. (Judges 7:1-3) Why did God feel Gideon's army was too large? Why was shrinking the army's size to a tiny band essential in restoring Israel's faith and allegiance? What kinds of pressures would Gideon be feeling not to obey God in shrinking his army? How was Gideon able to obey God fully in this?

Q2. (Judges 6:36-39) Why does Gideon put out a fleece before the Lord -- twice? Is this a sign of unbelief or of belief? Does this constitute testing God? How does it differ from the sinful testings of God the scripture warns against? When, if ever, should we ask God to confirm his direction with a sign? What is the danger of demanding a sign?

Q1. (Judges 6:33-35) What inspires Gideon to blow the battle horn and summon an army against the Midianites. What does Gideon have in common with other judges and leaders of his era? (Hint: see Deuteronomy 34:9; Judges 3:10; 11:9; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Samuel 11:6.)

Q5. (Judges 6:25-31) What kind of leader has Gideon's father Joash been up to this point? How does Gideon's action affect his father? Shouldn't Gideon have considered the impact on his father? How should this have affected Gideon's action? (See Matthew 10:34-38) In what sense is Joash a follower of Yahweh now?

Can a person be a "disobedient disciple"? Doesn't that represent an oxymoron? Did Gideon have a choice here? Do we have choices?

How are we to obey the commandment to "Honor your father and your mother" in the kind of situation Gideon finds himself? What justification does Gideon have for his action? (Matthew 10:37).

Q4. (Judges 6:25-27) What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole? What positive thing is he to erect in their place? What risks are involved in this action. Why does Gideon do this at night? Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

What is God's answer to Gideon's self-image? (Judges 6:16) Does this spiritual principle apply to our lives as Christians? Can you recall any New Testament passages that teach the same principle? What is an appropriate prayer to pray in light of what God has taught you from this passage?

Q3. (Judges 6:12-16) How did God see Gideon? How did Gideon see himself? Whose self-perception is most accurate? How can our own self-perception prevent us from becoming what God has made us to be? What is God's answer to Gideon's self-image? What might be an appropriate prayer to pray in light of what God has taught you from this passage?

Q1. (Judges

Q2. (Judges 6:13) In what way does Gideon blame God for his troubles in verse 13? Is Gideon's assessment accurate? Why or why not? Why do we blame God? What's the danger and how can we stop short of this in the future?

I'm glad you've signed up for the Gideon study. Please tell us something about yourself. I'm the director of the study, Ralph F. Wilson. I'm the Ministry Development Pastor at Community Covenant Church, Rocklin, California. I have been developing online Bible studies since 1996.