1. Gideon Judges 6-9

2. Solo? See if you can tie your shoes with one hand… How does this relate to trials?

3. Gideon The Lord can answer our prayers through the words of the prophets. To have the Lord’s help, we must remove unclean and evil practices. He will help us overcome our challenges.

4. Judges 6 According to Judges 6:1, what blessing did Israel lose as a result of their evil choices? Judges 6:2–6 : Look for what the Midianites and others did to oppress the Israelites. Read Judges 6:7–10 How did the Lord answer Israel’s cries? ◦ What can we learn from the Lord’s response to Israel’s prayers about one way He might answer our prayers?

5. Judges 6 According to Judges 6:15, what were Gideon’s concerns about his call to deliver Israel? According to Judges 6:16, what did the Lord say that might have comforted Gideon? According to Judges 6:25-26, what did the Lord command Gideon to do? ◦ What principle can we learn from the Lord’s instruction to Gideon?

6. Judges 6 Look for Gideon’s attributes in Judges 6:11-16. “Satan selects his disciples when they are idle; Jesus selected his disciples when they were busy at their work either mending their nets or casting them into the sea.” J. Longden (April 1966)

7. Judges 7 Read Judges 7:1–8, looking for what the Lord instructed Gideon to do to further reduce the size of the army.

8. How could these items be used to fight in a battle? Read Judges 7:15–23 What principle can we learn from this? Think of times when you overcame challenges with the Lord’s help because you followed His counsel. Read the chapter headings for Judges 8-9 to finish the story

9. Application President James E. Faust: “The Lord has a great work for each of us to do. You may wonder how this can be. You may feel that there is nothing special or superior about you or your ability. Perhaps you feel, or have been told, that you are stupid. Many of us have felt that and some of us have been told that. Gideon felt this when the Lord asked him to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon said, ‘My family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ He had only three hundred men, but with the help of the Lord, Gideon defeated the armies of the Midianites. “The Lord can do remarkable miracles with a person of ordinary ability who is humble, faithful, and diligent in serving the Lord and seeks to improve himself. This is because God is the ultimate source of power” (“Acting for Ourselves and Not Being Acted Upon,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 47).

10. Think of a story from the life of Christ that fits with Gideon’s story

12. Gideon The Lord can answer our prayers through the words of the prophets. To have the Lord’s help, we must remove unclean and evil practices. He will help us overcome our challenges.

13. Gideon Judges 6-9