Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello, everyone! Today we are going to watch a new Superbook adventure called “Gideon.” In our story, we will see what God can do with anyone who trusts Him. Let’s begin our video and see what is happening with Chris, Joy and Gizmo today in the Superbook adventure. I can’t wait!

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (2 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Joy’s parents are in a car accident and need her to send help, but Joy panics because she doesn’t think she can find them.

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

The SuperTruth for today is: “God gives me His strength.” Let’s stand up now and shout that together: “God gives me His strength.”

In our video, Joy was really frightened. Did Joy feel confident about doing what her mom asked her to do?

Have you ever felt that way?

I have! Let’s watch the rest of the video to see what happens!

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (20.5 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Joy, Chris and Gizmo back in time to meet Gideon—an unlikely hero hiding from enemies who have taken over Israel. The Angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, and he is transformed from a coward into a bold leader. Gideon faithfully follows God’s instructions, even when others doubt his wisdom. The children discover how to find courage to face any challenge.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Judges 6:12 (niv):

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

These are the words the Angel of the Lord said when He appeared to Gideon. Do you remember what Gideon was doing before the Lord appeared? Hiding from the soldiers in the winepress.

Yes, he was hiding! Does this sound like a mighty warrior to you? No!

Yet God could see something in Gideon that even Gideon himself didn’t know was there. We will learn more about this later, in your Small Groups.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group. 

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Dear God, Gideon did mighty works by Your power. Fill us with faith and give us Your strength so we can do mighty works for You, too! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let’s go to our Small Groups, where you will try to knock over tents in the enemy’s camp!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

In the Bible story, one Midianite soldier told another about a dream that he had. What was his dream? A loaf of barley bread rolled into the camp and knocked over a tent.

God allowed Gideon to hear a soldier saying what the dream meant. Do you remember what that was? God had given Gideon the victory over the Midianites and all of the other armies.

Today we are going to roll barley loaves—well, not barley loaves, but socks—to try to knock over all of the enemy’s tents!

Divide the children into two teams, which do not need to be exactly equal. Have the teams line up behind the line. Teams play at the same time. Hand the first player on each team two sock balls, representing loaves of barley bread. Each player gets two chances to ROLL—not throw!—the barley loaves into the enemy camp to try to knock over as many tents as possible. After each player rolls, they must retrieve the socks for the next player. The first team to knock over all of the tents in the enemy camp wins! Play another round if time allows.

Note: For faster play, station two sixth grade helpers or other volunteers near the camp to quickly roll the socks back to the next player. The assistants can also fix any flattened tents and stand them upright for additional rounds, until every child has had a turn.

Conclusion: God was merciful and patient with Gideon. He gave Gideon many signs to build his trust and faith in God. Finally, Gideon was convinced! After Gideon heard the interpretation of the dream, he understood that with God’s help, he could indeed be a mighty warrior! Gideon worshiped God and gathered his troops for the battle. Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God gives me His strength.”

Now let’s learn more about Gideon and how we can do mighty things for God, too!

Teaching

In the Superbook adventure, Joy really wanted to send help to her parents after their car accident, but she didn’t feel she was good at dealing with situations like that. The task she was asked to perform seemed too big for her.

Gideon felt that way, too! The Midianites had been attacking the Israelites for seven years, stealing all of their animals and food. That’s why Gideon was hiding from the Midianites to secretly thresh some wheat in a wine press. It was there that the Angel of the Lord came to Gideon. Do you remember what the angel called him? Mighty warrior.

That is in today’s SuperVerse. Judges 6:12:

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

Do you think Gideon was surprised to be called a mighty warrior, since he was hiding from the enemy?

Gideon didn’t see himself as a mighty warrior. It was all he could do to thresh enough wheat just so his family could survive.

Gideon wondered how God could be with him, because the Israelites had not seen a miracle for many years. Gideon may have felt that God had abandoned His people, but the truth is that the Israelites had left God by disobeying Him. They had chosen to worship idols instead of the One True God! Yet the Lord was willing to forgive and restore them. 

Hold up the mirror. What is a mirror used for?

You know, sometimes in the morning when I get ready for my day, I look into the mirror and don’t really like what I see! Smile.

Gideon didn’t actually look into a mirror; but in his mind, he did not see himself as a mighty warrior! Yet God doesn’t see people the same way that we do. Listen to what God says in the Bible.

Read 1 Samuel 16:7b:

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

God looks into our hearts. He created us and understands everything about us. God knows us inside-out, point to your head and feet from head to toe! 

Hold up the box. Gideon probably thought that before God could use him, he needed to be a leader from a large tribe—or to be a trained soldier—or to be rich, important and respected. Yet God doesn’t think it is necessary for us to be any of those things. This is what God requires us to have. Open the box and turn it upside down so the folded paper falls out. Select a volunteer to pick up the slip and read it aloud. TRUST.

We simply need to trust God. Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God gives me His strength.”

Hold up the hand mirror toward the children. How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself with your human eyes? Do you look at yourself the way you think others see you? Sometimes, like Joy in our video, we don’t think we are good enough to do something. Maybe we don’t think that we have enough experience or talent or brains to do what is asked. Here is another big reason we are afraid to try something—we may feel that others are better at doing it than we are! Have you ever felt that way? God knows this, yet all He requires is that we trust Him! When the Apostle Paul felt weak, this is what God told him.

Read 2 Corinthians 12:9:

Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

The weaker we are, the more God’s mighty power can work through us! So we need to see ourselves the way God sees us. God sees our hearts and what we can be when we have faith in Him! God is all-powerful. He is rich beyond imagination, because everything in the universe belongs to Him. He has all wisdom and knowledge. So, when we trust Him, He gives us everything we need to do what He is asking us to do.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hand out scissors and Pitcher and Torch Patterns to the children, and display the model you made before class. Have the children cut out and assemble the craft, then put the six torches inside the pitcher. Assist children as necessary.

When they are done, have them pull out torches one and two and read them. Ask them to look up the scriptures on the torches before the next lesson, and to think about what the verses mean to them—especially if they feel weak or afraid to do something. Tell them that you will discuss what they learned from the verses next time. 

SuperVerse

What would it be like to suddenly find yourself face to face with the Angel of the Lord?

Gideon must have had many things running through his mind. One minute he was hiding from the soldiers, the next minute he was speaking with God’s messenger! Gideon probably could not begin to grasp what the Angel of the Lord said about being a mighty warrior. He felt very small, helpless and weak. He told the Angel that he was the youngest in his family, and his family was the weakest in their tribe of Israel! No, Gideon did not see himself as a mighty warrior! However, God saw what Gideon could become with God’s help! In the same way, God sees and understands us exactly as we are today, while He also sees what we can become in the future when we trust in Him! 

Have the children sit on the floor, look at the board, and read the SuperVerse aloud together. They should then lower their heads and cover their eyes as you erase two key words of the verse. Have the children look at the board and raise their hands if they can tell you which words you erased. Repeat the process, saying the verse aloud together, erasing two more words each time, until the entire verse is erased and children can say it from memory.

Note: For a variation, change a word or two of the verse to see if the children can identify which words are incorrect, then tell you the correct words to replace them.

Prayer

Israel had disobeyed God’s commands and worshipped idols. Because of this, God had turned them over to their enemies. Instead of enjoying the rich land God had given them, they were now forced to hide in caves and mountains to survive for 7 long years. The Israelites cried out to God for help, and God heard their prayers. He chose Gideon to lead His people into battle against Israel’s enemies. Gideon had probably prayed along with his family and friends for God to rescue them, but he probably never imagined that God would choose him to do such a mighty task!  

God still chooses people today! How would you answer God, if He spoke to you in prayer and said that He has chosen you to do a mighty work for Him? Could you trust Him, even if you feel you are too young, or unimportant, or scared? What would your answer be? Gideon was an unlikely choice to be the leader of Israel’s army, but God does not look at a person’s outward appearance or what someone has to offer—God knows that anyone can do mighty works if they will just trust Him! Are you willing to trust God enough to see what you can become with His help?  

Option 1: Keep the children together for the prayer, allowing some time for them to think and pray about what God may be calling them to do.

Dear God, we thank You that You still choose people to do mighty works for You! Help us trust You when we are weak. Fill us with Your strength, power, wisdom, and might to do what You are calling us to do. Please show us any people we should reach out to with Your love. Allow a few moments of silence so children can pray and listen to God’s voice in their hearts. Show us if You want us to be bold about something at school. Allow time. Show us if there is any way You want us to step out in faith to obey You. Allow time. We pray all of this in the mighty name of Jesus, our Savior, Amen.

Option 2: Gideon relied on his servant, Purah, for encouragement. Let’s each pair up with a partner for our prayer time today and encourage each other to trust in God! Have children pair up with a partner and find a place in the room to pray with each other. Ask the children to pray for their partners and encourage them to be willing to see themselves as God sees them and to trust God to do mighty things for Him!

Relay Game

Read Judges 6:36–38:

Then Gideon said to God, “If You are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as You promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to help me rescue Israel as You promised.” And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.

Gideon knew how huge the Midianite army was. He did not see himself as the mighty warrior that God saw. So, Gideon asked God for a sign that God was really going to use Him for this mighty work. God patiently and mercifully did as Gideon asked and performed a miracle. The ground was completely dry, but the fleece Gideon had left overnight was so wet that he was able to squeeze out enough water to fill a bowl. Today’s game is based on this scripture passage. 

Divide the children into two teams. They do not need to be exactly equal. Have the teams make two lines behind the starting mark. Hand a washcloth and a plastic or foam plate to the first player of each team. Each player must dip the cloth in the bucket of water, hold it over the plate to catch the excess water, walk quickly to the table, and carefully squeeze the cloth into their team’s bowl. The player then places the cloth on the plate, walks back to the line, and gives them to the next player to take a turn. The first team to fill their bowl to the mark or to the top wins!

That looked like a lot of fun! God truly performed a miracle that day for Gideon. The fleece was soaked with water while the ground surrounding the fleece was completely dry! But, guess what—Gideon still wasn’t convinced! The next day Gideon asked God for still another sign, and the Lord performed a second miracle. Do you know what happened?  This time the ground was wet with dew, but the fleece stayed completely dry.

Activity

Have five volunteers come forward, and give one wheat bundle to each. Have the remaining children cover their eyes while the volunteers hide the wheat stalks around the room. Important:  Volunteers should choose hiding places that are challenging but not impossible to find. Do not place the stalks inside drawers, cabinets, etc.

Next, choose five children to be soldiers to each hunt for and locate one bundle of wheat. Give them one minute to find the wheat. If time expires before all the bundles are located, ask the children who hid the undiscovered bundles to give hints where they can be found. 

Great, now we have all five bundles of wheat! In our Bible story, why was Gideon secretly threshing the wheat? He was hiding from the soldiers so they wouldn’t take it.

Yes, the enemy soldiers would steal or destroy the crops that the Israelites tried to grow for food. Then God did a mighty work through Gideon to defeat the enemy armies that greatly outnumbered the Israelites! It was not Gideon who defeated the armies; it was God working through Gideon, who trusted Him! God used a small army of only 300 men holding jars, horns and torches to defeat thousands and thousands of trained soldiers armed with weapons!

Let’s take a look at other examples of how God has done unusual and mighty works through people who trusted Him.

Give Bibles to five older children who are strong readers or to Sixth Grade helpers. Then, give each one a bundle of wheat with a scripture to look up and read aloud. Lead a brief discussion of each one, and have the children answer the following questions.

After each scripture is read, ask:

1. Who trusted God?
2. What unusual item or method did God use to bring victory?

Wheat Bundles Answer Key

1. Judges 15:14–16:  1. Samson, 2. Donkey jawbone.

2. Exodus 17:8–11:  1. Moses, Joshua, 2. Moses’ arms/staff.

3. 2 Chronicles 20:18–24:  1. King Jehoshaphat, 2. Praise and worship.

4. 1 Samuel 17:45–50:  1. David, 2. Sling, stone.

5. Joshua 6:1–5:  1. Joshua, 2. Marching in silence, shouting.

Yes, these people accomplished unusual and amazing victories for God against impossible odds because they trusted Him! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God gives me His strength.”

Bible Study

Have children look up the following passage in their Bibles, and have five children each read a verse aloud.

Judges 6:36–40:

³⁶ Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,³⁷ prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.”³⁸ And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.”⁴⁰ So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.

God showed Gideon patience and understanding. He graciously provided sign after sign to increase Gideon’s faith and trust. Even on the night before the battle, God told Gideon to go, but if Gideon needed one more sign, God would give it to him!  Let’s take a look and discuss “putting out a fleece,” or in other words, asking God for a sign so you can believe and trust that He is speaking to you.

Lead a discussion with the children using the questions below.

Ask:

1. Why do you think Gideon asked for so many signs from God? Remember, too, that Gideon also asked for a sign from the Angel of the Lord to show that God was really speaking to him. Lack of trust, unusual during that time for God to speak, Israel in captivity, no confidence in self, afraid, confused, huge assignment.
2. Do you think Gideon was right or wrong to ask for the signs?
3. Why do you think God was willing to give a second sign by causing the fleece to be dry, right after He had given Gideon the first sign, making the fleece wet? God is patient, loving, forgiving, understanding, knows our needs.
4. We have two powerful tools to use when discerning God’s will for our lives. Can you think of what they might be? The Bible, God’s Holy Spirit living in us.
5. How else can we know God’s will for our lives? Our parents, pastors, teachers, Christian friends, the peace we have in our hearts when we know we are doing the right thing.
6. What do you think are some things that can prevent us from knowing God’s will? Sin, our fears, being too concerned about what others think, not spending time with God.
7. Do you think we should always ask for a sign from God before we obey Him? Why or why not? We can find guidance for most of the decisions we will ever need to make in our lives from the Bible, the Holy Spirit gives us peace and joy in our hearts as we obey the Lord.

Read 2 Timothy 3:16–17:

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.

Yes, God has given us all we need to do mighty works for Him when we have faith in His Word! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God gives me His strength.”

Let’s pray: God, You have given us Your Word in the Bible and Your Spirit to live inside of us. Thank You for revealing Your will to guide and direct us. Help us to trust You so that we can do mighty works for You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Study Game

Read Judges 7:17–18:

Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

After hearing the Midianite soldier’s dream, Gideon was finally convinced that God was going to use him to rescue Israel—but only if they followed God’s instructions exactly. Gideon told his 300 soldiers, “Keep your eyes on me and do just as I do!” Now, I am going to be Gideon and you are in my army. You must watch and listen carefully to know exactly what to do! If “Gideon says” to do something, do it quickly. But if you don’t hear the words “Gideon says,” stay perfectly still—no matter what the command is! 

Have the children stand up and spread out, leaving room for their motions. Stand in front of them and read the commands below. Vary the commands between “Gideon says” and doing the motion, and simply saying the command and NOT doing the motion. You may also repeat some of the commands, adding “Gideon says” if you didn’t say it the first time, or omitting it if you said it previously for that command. If children obey a command that was not preceded by “Gideon says” or if they don’t obey a command that they should have, they must sit out of the game for one or two commands, then they may re-enter.

Read:

• Thresh the wheat.
• Look surprised to see the Angel of the Lord.
• Pull down the altar of Baal.
• Look out for enemy soldiers.
• Blow your trumpet.
• Throw your jar on the ground.
• Pick up your fleece and wring out the dew.
• Get down on your knees, scoop water from the river, and lap it from your hand like a dog.
• Hold your torch up high.
• Shout, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
• Quietly sneak in place to the Midianite camp.
• Stand at attention like a good soldier.
• March in place to your position around the enemy camp.
• Be a Midianite who is scared of Gideon’s army, and run around in little circles.
• Worship God on your knees and thank Him for the victory!