Ready to dive into an incredible Bible story that proves God can use anyone to accomplish His purposes? Our lesson today centers on Gideon and the Midianites! Found in Judges 6-7, this account is a powerful reminder that “The Battle is the Lord’s”. Gideon certainly didn’t seem like the fiercest warrior, and the army of Israel was immensely smaller than that of Midian. Yet, God used him to accomplish His purposes, allowing His people to have victory through His strength. To help your students remember and reenact this amazing event, we’ve put together two fun and simple crafts! Get ready to create your own “Israelite Pitcher” and “Gideon’s Torch,” recalling the unusual weapons that, with the Lord’s help, won the battle. Let’s get crafty!
The Bible Story: From Hiding to Victory
The Mighty Warrior in Hiding (Judges 6)
The people of Israel were terrified of the Midianites, who kept destroying their crops and taking their food. God’s people were hiding in caves just to stay safe. We meet Gideon while he is hiding in a winepress, secretly threshing wheat so the enemy won’t see him.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appears and says something shocking: “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!” Gideon doesn’t feel like a mighty warrior—he feels small and afraid. But God promises to be with him and commands him to lead the rescue mission.
Trimming down the Army (Judges 7:1-8)
So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
But the LORD told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.”
When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.”
Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.
The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.”
So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon.
Gideon rallies a massive army of 32,000 men to fight the Midianites. But God tells Gideon the army is too big. If they win with that many men, they might brag that they saved themselves!
God tests the army twice to shrink it down:
- The Fear Test: Gideon tells anyone who is afraid to go home. 22,000 men leave! (Only 10,000 remain).
- The Water Test: God brings the remaining men down to a stream to drink. The men who scoop water up to their mouths with their hands, staying alert, are chosen. The men who drop to their knees to drink straight from the stream are sent home.
In the end, only 300 men are left to face an enemy army that covers the valley like a swarm of locusts!
The Midnight Surprise (Judges 7:9-25)
God gives Gideon a strange battle plan. Instead of swords and shields, the 300 men are given three things:
That night the LORD said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them!
But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah.
Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!
Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the LORD . Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the LORD has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.
Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.
As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
Gideon and the Midianites – The Battle is the Lord’s Part 2
These crafts help students remember (and reenact) the story of Gideon and the Midianites, found in Judges 6-7. Gideon might not have seemed like a great warrior, and the army of Israel was immensely smaller than that of Midian. Yet God used him to accomplish His purposes, allowing His people to have victory through His strength. An “Israelite Pitcher” and “Gideon’s Torch” recall the unusual weapons that, with the Lord’s help, won the battle. Let’s get crafty!
Don’t miss the full Sunday School lesson on Gideon and the Midianites.
Craft One: Israelite Pitcher
You will need:
- Cups or small jars
- Construction paper or cardstock
- Glue or tape
- String or pipe cleaner (optional)
- Scissors
- Decorative elements as desired
- Markers or crayons
Procedure:
1. Decorate the cup, jar, or pitcher with markers, crayons, stickers, or other items as desired.
2. Decorate a card with verses or captions for the pitcher.
3. Place the caption card around the cup, if desired, to make it look larger, or attach it to the side.
4. For a handle look, attach a pipe cleaner or paper to the side.
Craft Two: “Gideon’s Torch”
You will need:
- Crayons or markers
- Glue or tape
- Stickers or decorations
- Construction paper or cardstock Paper towel tube
- Tissue paper or streamers (red, yellow, and orange recommended).
- Scissors
Procedure:
- Decorate the tube with stickers, markers, etc.
- Add verses or captions on the tube or a separate paper.
- Place “flame-colored” tissue or streamers inside the tube, coming out to look like fire.
- Use the tube to remember the torches used by Gideon and the Israelites. If desired, place the “torch” inside the “pitcher” to reenact the story.
They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. -Judges 7:21-22
A sword for the Lord and Gideon!
God won the battle against the Midianites! The battle is the Lord’s!
God used Gideon to defeat the army of Midian!
Coloring Page “Gideon, a Brave Biblical Hero”
