Gideon's Spring, Harod Spring, Israel, Jezreel Valley, Gideon Defeats the Midianites Bible Story

See and learn about the miraculous epic battle between Gideon and the Israelites, and the Midianites.

Location
Gideon’s Spring, or also known as Harod Spring, is located in the fertile Jezreel Valley about 26 miles (42 km.) from the Mediterranean Sea and about 17 miles (28 km.) from the Sea of Galilee. Just to the south of Gideon’s Spring are the Gilboa Mountains.

Historical Background
1. The period of the Judges saw the nation of Israel experience many cycles of obedience and disobedience.
2. They would walk with God for a bit and then fall away.
3. One verse is repeated several times in the book of the Judges that summarizes the mentality of their day: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 21:25).
4. In order to bring the nation of Israel back to Himself, God would send them oppressors to make their lives difficult.
5. As a result, the Israelites would look to the Lord and He would send them a deliverer, or also known as a Judge.
6. Gideon was one of these deliverers that God raised up to deliver the Israelites out of the hand of the Midianites who were oppressing Israel at that time.
7. There were a total of 13 Judges or Deliverers in the book of Judges.
8. Gideon was the 6th Judge.

Places of Interest
1. Hill of Moreh: Hill area where the Midianites camped.
2. Midianite Camp
3. Jezreel Valley
4. Battle Area
5. Gideon’s Spring: Area where Gideon chose 300 men for battle.
6. Gilboa Mountains: Where the Israelites hid out in.
7. Hankin House Museum: Located above spring entrance. ​

Gideon’s Spring in the Bible
1. God gave the Israelites into the hands of the Midianites because they abandoned and disobeyed Him (Judges 6:1–6).
2. God hears the prayers of the Israelites and decides to deliver them (
Judges 6:7–10).
3. God visits Gideon through an angel and chooses to deliver the Israelites through him (Judges 6:11–12).
4. Gideon responds by saying that his family was the least in the tribe of Manasseh and that he was the youngest in his family (Judges 6:15). This is similar to the response of Moses when God called him.
5. God allows the angel to show Gideon a couple of miracles to prove God will help him (Judges 6:21).
6. God commands Gideon to tear down the altars to Baal that his father had erected and to erect an altar to the Lord in their place (Judges 6:28–32).
7. Shortly afterward, many nations gather together to wipe out the Israelites (Judges 6:33–35). The Midianites were the descendants of Midian and therefore, children of Abraham. They settled in “the land of the east.” When Moses fled the wrath of Pharaoh, he traveled to Midian (Exodus 2:15). There, Moses met and married his wife, Zipporah, and served his father-in-law, Jethro, as a shepherd for forty years.
The Amalekites were the first ones to attack the Israelites upon their exodus from Egypt. Genesis 36 refers to the descendants of Amalek, the son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau, as Amalekites. So, the Amalekites were somehow related to, but distinct from, the Edomites.
8. As a result of the nations who had gathered together to wipe out the Israelites, Gideon asks for a sign from God that he will be successful. The sign of the wet and dry fleeces is used by Gideon to seek assurance of God’s help (Judges 6:36–40). However, it reveals a lack of faith in what God had said He would do.
9. God commands Gideon to choose 300 men for battle so that He gets all the glory for the victory (Judges 7:1-7). It's believed God chose those who lapped like dogs because they were less civilized. This would give God even more glory for the victory.
10. The size of the opposing army was enormous (Judges 7:12).
11. God allows Gideon to visit the camp of the opposing army to be assured of victory (Judges 7:13–14).
12. God delivers the nations into the victorious hands of the Israelites (Judges 7:15-25).

Faith Lesson from Gideon’s Spring
1. God often puts us in difficult situations, so He gets all the glory when He helps us with our problems.
2. We, like the Israelites, can worship idols as well. An idol is anything that distracts us from our time and attention on God. What is distracting you away from God at this time in your life?
3. We should look at the size of our God rather than the size of our difficulties.
4. God delights in our faith but is grieved over our lack of it.
5. God chooses the weak things to show His glory: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God (1 Cor. 27-29).
6. Even if we have weaknesses, God can use us if we trust and follow Him.

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