Journey Off the Map VBS July 13-17TH!

The Gospel According to Judges (Judges 8) Questions for Reflection

Dig Deeper

Judges chapter 8 begins following a great military victory by Gideon and his small army of 300 mighty men and ends in spiritual defeat with Gideon’s idolatry ensnaring his people, “Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family” (Judges 8:27). In this chapter Gideon faces five common snares (lures): pride, power, lust and idolatry. What additional insights about these snares are gleaned from the following Scriptures?

(Pride) Proverbs 8:13, 11:2, 16:18; Luke 1:51; Acts 20:19; 1 Corinthians 8:1and Philippians 2:3--

(Power) Deuteronomy 8:17-18; 2 Chronicles 26:16; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 1:19, 3:20; and 2 Peter 1:3--

(Money) Proverbs 11:24; Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 3:8 and 6:9-10--

(Lust) Proverbs 6:25, 7:21; Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:16; Colossians 3:5; 1 Peter 2:11; and 1 John 2:16-17--

(Idolatry) Exodus 20:3,4; Judges 2:1-3; Hosea 3:4-5; Habakkuk 2:18; 1 Corinthians 10:7, 14; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; and 1 John 5:21--

What encouragement do the following Scriptures provide for those desiring to resist such snares?

Romans 8:37--

Hebrews 2:18--

James 1:2-3, 12--

1 John 4:4--

Memorize This

2 Corinthians 4:7-- But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

This spring Club JAM’s (NMBC’s mid-week elementary ministry) focus has been “Wise Choices.” The verses that kicked off this teaching series were Proverbs 3:5-6.

I enjoy hiking and the hiking I enjoy the most is when the trail is clear and straight. On these trails you are able to see your way for a long distance and can anticipate what is ahead. This is not the kind of path most of us walk most of the time. In fact, Jesus said as much when He cautioned His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:33).   He also stated that “narrow the road (trail) that leads to life…” (Matthew 7:14).

Good trails have markings. The portion of the Appalachian Trail I hiked in Pennsylvania was marked

by white rectangles painted on the trees along the trail. No matter how obscure the trail, if you could see these white markings you knew you were on the right path.

Proverbs 3:5 begins, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” For our journey, the Bible is our markings. No matter how difficult or narrow the path we can trust God and His Word. Verse five continues, “and lean not on your own understanding.” In addition to taking God at His Word we must let go of our own understanding. Just like a pilot must learn to trust his instruments above his senses to avoid becoming disoriented, so we must trust God’s Word above our “wisdom.”

Here’s how we summed it up with the kids, “Walk through life with God by your side… His wisdom (not yours) will be your guide.”

Happy Trails!