“The Fear of the Great Unknown”
Don’t Judge Me
Wk 4 Gideon:
“Fear of the Unknown”
Judges 6-7
Darin Elquist
May 14, 2023
Message Notes
Gideon and the Original 300
Judges 6:11
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites
- God’s Word Gives Us Assurance
- God’s Word Gives Us Confidence
Judges 6:12-13
When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior. ”
“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
1 John 5:14
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
- God’s Word Challenges
Judges 6:14-15
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you? ”Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. ”
- God’s Word Gives Us Confirmation
- It’s All About God!
“I will be with you”
Genesis 26:24
Joshua 3:7
Isaiah 41 and 43
Jereniah 1:8
Matthew 28:20
And the list goes on… these are all Bible verses that remind us God is ALWAYS with us.
Bottom Line:
Trusting God with your future means there is no need to fear the unknown.
1. What are some ways that fear can take hold of us? What about fear of the unknown (things that we cannot do anything about)? How can fear of the unknown affect our lives? Can we ever get to a point where the fear has more weight than God? Are there times when we feel forsaken by God?
2. What are some things we can do when we feel down and out or feel forsaken by God?
3. Read Judges 6:11, why was Gideon keeping the harvest from the Midianites? At first glance does Gideon come across as someone you would put in charge of your military?
4. Read Judges 6:12-15, how does God’s view of us differ from how we see ourselves? Can God deliver us out of any situation? Do we always believe He will? Is there something in your life
that just seems impossible for you to be delivered out of? Do God’s solutions for our problems always work out the way we thought it would work out? Why or why not?
5. Does the Bible help us in hard times? If so, what are some of the ways it does?
6. Read 1 John 5:14, how do we know what God’s will is?
7. If Gideon went out in his own power to attack the Midianites, what do you think would happen? When we go out in our own power to defeat oppression in our lives, how does that usually work out for us?
8. Do we often have anxiety when we do new things? Can the anxiety turn out to be more burdensome than the actual task? When we do things for God is there anxiety before/during the process?
9. In Judges 7:1-8, God whittles down Gideon’s army to a very small group? Why would God do that?
10. Is there something God has asked you to do for Him but the anxiety seems to outweigh the ability to start? Will you consider taking that step of faith in the direction God wants you to go this week? If you’ve been on the fence about something would you consider asking the group to pray for you for guidance, reassurance and strength?