Giddy Giddy Gideon

On your marks

Gideon was an unlikely hero of God. He came from the smallest family of the smallest tribe of Israel and he was full of doubts about his ability to do what God asked of him. But God had chosen him to become a judge and a rescuer of his people. Gideon struggled, like so many of us, to accept God’s choice and so he put God to the test many times. God often chooses unlikely people to do amazing things and this is one way in which we clearly see God at work in the world.

Get set

The following version of the call of Gideon is one you can use with young children. It has rhythm and repetition, and you should encourage your group to twirl around on those lines in bold italics in the story that follows, picking up on Gideon’s uncertainty and fearfulness about responding to God. (This idea was written by Fay Garrett, who works in schools in Essex, and is reproduced here with her permission.)

The first part of the story of Gideon can be found in Judges 6:11-40. There is a retelling of this story in The Barnabas Children’s Bible (see stories 90-94).

For further ideas to develop this session , see For the Lord and for Gideon

It might be helpful to have a visual aid to help the children understand what a fleece is – for example, a sheepskin blanket or rug.

Go!

Giddy Giddy Gideon – Going in circles for God
Have you ever found it hard to decide?
Difficult to choose?
Impossible to make up your mind?
Felt you were going round and round in circles?

Meet Gideon
God’s giddy superhero
Giddy giddy Gideon.

God’s people were getting their just deserts;
Not pudding… but a pounding!
They had decided to ignore God.
They had chosen to do things their way.
They had made up their minds to follow wicked ways and evil gods.

God was not pleased.
He tried to warn them but they wouldn’t listen.
So he let them be pounded by their enemies;
And now they were homeless, hungry and down hearted.

They need a superhero to rescue them.

Meet Gideon (dah dah)
Or not…

The Angel of the Lord (in all his heavenly glory) appears to Gideon
‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’

Giddy giddy Gideon
Takes one look and starts an argument – with an angel
With AN ANGEL!

The angel looks at Gideon and Gideon gets giddy again
‘God has chosen you to be his superhero and save his people.’
Giddy giddy Gideon can only gulp
‘I am too weak.’
Giddy giddy Gideon can only gasp
‘I am too little.’
Giddy giddy Gideon can only gulp (noise)
‘Give me a sign.’

‘Put your food on this rock’ says the Angel of God.
Fire blazes from his staff.
Flames consume the food.
Light burns from his face.
He vanishes!

Gideon is convinced…?
NO.
Giddy giddy Gideon is scared stiff.
He realises that it was the Angel of God.
‘Oh no, I will die, I saw the Angel’ he wails.
Giddy giddy Gideon.

God himself speaks to Gideon.
You will not die – build me a proper altar and worship me alone.
Gideon gets going.
Gideon gets building.
Gideon makes the altar, BUT
Because he is giddy giddy Gideon, he does it all in the dead of night.
Giddy giddy Gideon
Is still too frightened to be God’s superhero.

But God does not ignore him.
God has chosen Gideon.
God has made up his mind.
Giddy giddy Gideon is God’s own superhero.

God’s spirit calls to Gideon again… ‘Be my superhero, save my people.’

Gideon listens, he does not ignore God.
Gideon asks for one more sign.
Giddy giddy Gideon
He gets out a sheep’s fleece and lays it on the ground.

‘Wet fleece, dry ground and I’m your hero’ says Gideon.
In the morning – wet fleece, dry ground it is!

Gideon looks at the fleece, he looks at the ground,
And round he goes – giddy giddy Gideon
One more time.

‘Dry fleece, wet ground and I’m your hero’ he says.
In the morning – dry fleece, wet ground it is!

Gideon looks at the fleece, he looks at the ground,
And round he goes;
Round and round
But this time it’s different
This time giddy giddy Gideon is giddy for God
God’s own giddy giddy superhero!

And what did he do?… Well, that’s another story…