Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16: Lesson 66

Judges 6–8

“Surely I Will Be with Thee”

After the Israelites prayed for deliverance, the Lord called Gideon to deliver them from their enemies. The Lord demonstrated His strength by helping the Israelites defeat an army of over 135,000 soldiers with only 300 of Gideon’s men. This lesson can help students feel a greater desire to rely on Jesus Christ for strength.

Student preparation: Invite students to find a scripture that demonstrates the strength we can receive from the Lord. Come to class prepared to share it.

Possible Learning Activities

Different types of strength

On the board, consider drawing a stick figure holding weights in each hand, like the following:

Ask the following questions. If useful, hand multiple students markers, and have them write one of their answers around the drawing on the board.

• Who are some people you would consider to be “strong”?

• What are different ways a person could be seen as strong?

Explain that one type of strength is a person’s ability to rely on the Lord.

Consider giving students the chance to assess how much they rely on the Lord in challenging situations that they might face. You might use the following situations or think of others more relevant to your students.

Think about how likely you are to rely on God’s strength in different situations. For each situation listed below, determine where you would place yourself on the following diagram.

• Making important decisions

• Dealing with an injury or sickness

• Improving as a person

• Working through challenges with family or friends

As you study about Gideon today, pray for Heavenly Father to help you feel the importance of relying on the Lord for strength in your life. Pay attention to thoughts or feelings that God may send you through the Holy Ghost.

Gideon and the Israelites

To help students understand the context of Judges 6, you might review the graphic of the pride cycle from Lesson 65: “Judges 2–4.” You could also read or summarize the following paragraph.

Judges 6 describes another instance when the Israelites forgot the Lord and lost His blessings. A group of people called the Midianites began to oppress the Israelites. For seven years the Midianites plundered the Israelites’ grain and animals during the seasons of harvest. As a result, the Israelites suffered poverty. In desperation, they turned to the Lord for help. After the Israelites remembered the Lord and cried unto Him, He raised up a righteous man named Gideon to deliver them from their enemies.

To help students see how the Lord blessed Gideon and his army for relying on Him for their strength, consider using the handout “Seeing the Lord’s Strength in the Account of Gideon.” Allow each student to become familiar with the content of each section of the handout. There are several ways you might do this.

One way would be to arrange students into groups of three and assign each member a section of the handout. Students could complete their section and then teach the other group members what they learned. They could go in the order of the sections on the handout.

Another way would be to invite students to work on the first section of the handout with a partner. After sufficient time, students could switch partners and work on the second section, and then again with the third section.

Relying on the Lord

After students have finished the handout, invite them to share a summary of what they learned from Gideon’s story.

Ask a few students to share the truth they wrote for study activity 3. The following is one example: If we rely on the Lord, He will bless us with His strength.

• What are different ways the Lord can strengthen us?

• How can we rely on the Lord today?

To further understand this truth, invite students to imagine their friend texted them. The friend is in a situation where they feel their strength is not enough. Have students share a few examples of what this situation could be. Ask the class to select a situation that they feel would be most meaningful to address today.

Prepare an answer that you could text back. Write it in your study journal. If you want, draw a phone with text bubbles, and write your answer inside. Your answer should include at least two of the following:

1. How the example of Gideon could help.

2. How other scriptures might help your friend rely on the Lord. (Some examples are Proverbs 3:5–6; Philippians 4:13; Alma 26:12; Ether 12:27. You could also look up “Strength” in the Topical Guide or “Trust” in the Guide to the Scriptures.)

3. What you know about the Lord that helps you rely on Him.

4. Experiences you have had when you have felt the Lord strengthen you beyond your own abilities.

Invite several students to share their answers. Look for ways to thank them for their participation and to point out how meaningful their responses can be to you and their classmates.

It might be helpful to share a personal experience about how you have been strengthened by relying on the Lord. You might also show the video “Just Keep Going—with Faith” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) from time code 6:08 to 9:47. Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy shared an experience when he was a new Area Seventy. He was assigned to attend a stake conference with President Boyd K. Packer. When Elder Cook asked President Packer how he wanted to plan the meeting, President Packer said he wanted to follow the Spirit.

Conclusion

Invite students to seek Heavenly Father’s guidance as they answer the following questions in their study journals.

• What is an area in your life where you feel like your own strength is not enough?

• What do you know or what have you learned about the Lord that would help you rely on Him?

• How do you feel about the Lord and His help?

Additional Resources

How can I rely on the Lord?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared:

In many of the uncertainties and challenges we encounter in our lives and in this great latter-day work, God requires us to do our best, to trust in Him, to be anxiously engaged and act and not simply wait to be acted upon. We may not see angels, hear heavenly voices, or receive overwhelming spiritual impressions. We frequently may press forward hoping and praying—but without absolute assurance—that we are acting in accordance with God’s will. But as we honor our covenants and keep the commandments, we can walk with confidence that God will guide our steps. (“Elder Bednar Shares Five Lessons about the Spirit of Revelation with New Mission Leaders,” Church News, July 10, 2018)

What do I need to do to see miracles in my life?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Moroni assured us that “God has not ceased to be a God of miracles” [Mormon 9:15]. Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him. He parted the Red Sea for Moses, helped Nephi retrieve the brass plates, and restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord.

In the same way, the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing” [Mormon 9:21]. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” [Isaiah 40:29]. Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life. (“The Power of Spiritual Momentum,” Liahona, May 2022, 99–100)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Judges 6:25–28. Removing unrighteous influences from our lives

If you would like to spend more time on the story of Gideon tearing down the altar of Baal and building an altar of sacrifice, consider the following.

During Gideon’s time, the Israelites had been worshipping Baal, a false god of the Canaanites. Read or recall what happened in Judges 6:25–27.

• What did the Lord want Gideon to remove, and what did He want to replace it?

• What symbols of Christ do you see in verse 26? (Help students see the symbol of the burnt offering being Christ and it being offered on a rock, also a symbol of Christ.)

• What do you think the Lord wanted the people to recognize from what Gideon had done?

Invite students to think about some of the false sources of strength we sometimes seek. Ask them to ponder how we can replace those sources with a focus on Christ for strength. You might want to share the following clip from President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Overcome the World and Find Rest” (Liahona, Nov. 2022, 97).

Judges 13–16. Samson, a man with great potential

Consider comparing the account of Gideon with the account of Samson by using some or all of the following.

Shortly after Gideon’s success, the Israelites again fell into sin and wickedness (see Judges 8). Eventually the Lord chose another man to deliver Israel.

Examine the pictures below that depict Samson, one of the judges the Lord called to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines.

• What do you know about Samson?

Samson was known for his God-given strength. However, while he sometimes used his gift of strength properly, his life ended in tragedy because he ultimately relied on his own strength and power rather than the Lord’s.

Read two or three of the passages below, which illustrate Samson’s character and priorities.

Judges 14:2 (marries outside the covenant)

Judges 14:19 (destroys men out of anger)

Judges 15:5–6 (seeks vengeance)

Judges 16:1 (visits a harlot)

Judges 16:4–6 (loves a deceitful woman, Delilah)

Judges 16:28 (only worried about vengeance for his own self)

• What can we learn from Samson’s experiences in comparison to Gideon’s?

• What have you learned about relying on the Lord while also using your own strength to the best of your ability?