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SESSION 8

A Few Good Men … and Women

God is in the business of bringing sinful people back into relationship with him; sometimes to accomplish this goal, he calls on surprising and unexpected people to help in the process.

Introduction Albert  Einstein  once  said  that  insanity  is  “doing  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again  and  expecting  different  results.”    If  we  use  this  definition,  then  the  people  of  Israel  look  pretty  crazy  in  this  chapter  of  The  Story.    In  the  time  of  the  judges  the  people  of  God  went  through  the  same  cycle  over  and  over  again.    Each  time  they  rebelled  and  turned  away  from  God  they  would  face  the  same  results:  a  foreign  army  would  invade  and  they  would  end  up  an  oppressed,  occupied,  and  broken  nation.    You  would  think  that  after  living  through  this  cycle  two  or  three  times  they  would  have  caught  on.    But  this  chapter  of  The  story  makes  clear  that  they  did  not  learn  from  past  experiences.    Every  time  they  ended  up  oppressed  and  abandoned,  they  were  shocked!    As  we  read  these  Bible  accounts,  it  would  be  easy  to  wag  a  finger  at  our  ancestors  of  the  faith.    But  when  we  look  into  a  mirror  and  examine  our  own  lives,  we  just  might  see  ourselves  acting  a  lot  like  the  people  of  Israel,  wallowing  in  the  same  cycle  of  sin  month  after  month  and  year  after  year.     Talk About It If  you  could  talk  with  an  angel  and  nave  one  “why”  question  answered,  what  would  you  ask?     Watching our Video Session    Discussion 1. Through  our  Old  Testament  survey  we  have  discovered  that  God  loves  to  use  surprising  

people  to  accomplish  his  will.    As  you  read  about  Deborah,  Gideon,  and  Samson  in  today’s  session,  how  is  each  of  these  a  surprising  choice  to  be  a  leader  for  God?  

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2. Contrast  how  God  saw  Gideon  with  how  Gideon  saw  himself  (Judges  6:11  –  16).    How  

does  this  breathe  hope  into  our  hearts  in  the  moments  we  feel  God  could  never  do  great  things  through  us?  

   3. In  the  continual  cycle  that  occurs  in  the  time  of  the  Judges,  God’s  people  kept  embracing  

their  sins,  religion,  and  behaviors  of  those  who  lived  in  the  land  before  they  conquered  it.    In  what  ways  do  Christians  today  embrace  the  sin,  practices,  and  culture  of  our  day  and  end  up  sinning  and  feeling  distant  from  God?  

 How  can  we  identify  the  temptation  to  be  conformed  to  the  world’s  sinful  ways  and  avoid  the  pitfall?  

   4. One  of  the  recurring  themes  in  this  chapter  of  The  Story  is  that  a  new  generation  would  

rise  up  that  did  not  know  God  and  what  he  had  done  for  his  people  in  the  past.    When  they  forgot,  they  wandered.    This  same  tragic  thing  can  happen  in  our  generation.    What  practical  tings  can  we  do  in  our  homes  and  in  the  church  to  help  the  next  generation  know  and  remember  what  God  has  done  in  the  past  so  they  will  hold  on  to  him  in  the  future?  

   5. There  seems  to  be  consequences  when  we  refuse  to  follow  God’s  way.    Why  do  you  think  

we  continue  to  repeat  the  same  sin  patterns  even  though  we  know  the  outcome  will  not  be  good?  

   6. Where  would  you  be  today  if  God  had  never  allowed  his  discipline  to  wake  you  up  to  the  

reality  of  sin  and  drive  you  into  his  arms?                    

God often selects the most unlikely candidate to accomplish his Upper Story plan. Why? So when it is accomplished everyone will know it was God.

Then they will turn to him.

As Christians, we get ourselves into all sorts of trouble because we want to live life the way we want, not God’s way. In the Lower Story we think that God has abandoned us. But in the Upper Story God is waiting for us to return to him. His arms are wide open.

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7. How  did  God  strengthen  Gideon  and  help  him  press  through  his  fears  as  we  faced  the  mighty  armies  of  Midian?    How  does  God  do  this  same  thing  today  when  we  fell  inadequate  and  fearful?  

   8. Have  you  faced  a  situation  when  the  odds  were  against  you,  and  others  said,  “No  way!”  

but  you  held  God’s  hand  and  pressed  on?    How  did  the  situation  turn  out  and  how  was  God  glorified?  

 What  area  in  your  life  is  God  presently  trying  to  get  you  to  the  place  where  you  embrace  the  fact  that  he  is  enough?      

Closing Prayer As  you  take  time  to  pray,  here  are  some  ideas  to  get  you  started:    

• Confess  the  tendency  we  have  to  forget  the  great  things  God  has  done  in  the  past.    Ask  him  to  help  you  remember  his  faithfulness  each  day.  

 • Thank  God  that  when  his  people  repent  and  cry  out  for  help,  he  always  sends  a  

deliverer.    Give  special  praise  that  Jesus  came  as  the  One  who  offers  final  and  absolute  deliverance.  

 • Tell  God  that  you  are  ready  to  follow  him  and  seek  to  do  his  will,  even  when  you  feel  

inadequate  for  the  task.