When life went smoothly, the Israelites forgot God's laws again. God did not bless them as in the past. He put them into the hands of the Midianites. The Midianites united with other tribes to take away the Israelites' crops, grapes, olives and their livestock. The Israelites had to hide themselves in the caves or on mountain tops. When they returned to their homes, all the crops and livestock were gone. Nothing was left for them to live on through the winter. It kept happening this way for seven years. When harvest time came, the Midianites came. The Israelites felt so terrible. They prayed to God for his help. A young man, Gideon, belonged to the tribe of Joash. Like other Israelites, he was afraid of the Midianites. He found a way to save some of his harvest. One day when he was processing his wheat in a cave, he looked up and saw a stranger in front of him. Who was that stranger? What did he say to Gideon? Gideon did not believe in the stranger, so he asked for proof. Gideon asked God to give him a sign. What did he asked? Did God give him the sign? The people that lived where Gideon lived still followed Canaan's religion and worshiped Baal. How did Gideon changed their belief and rebuilt the faith in God? With only three hundred men, can Gideon defeated the Midianites? Will the Israelites again believed in God? To find out all the answers, please read the full story: The Story of Gideon.
