Priscilla shirer gideon biography

Gideon is actually a Bible study, not a book per se.  But I’m reviewing it here because it has been a long, long time since any Bible study punched me in the gut the way that this one has.

Shirer herself has never particularly been on my radar. This isn’t out of a dislike or aversion to her work, but rather a simple shrugging indifference on my part. Introduced to her several years back,  I had read a few samples of her work and found them enjoyable – but it should say something for how they affected me at the time that I can’t remember anything about them now. So I came to Gideon largely because of my mother, who took to quoting chunks of the study on the phone to me because of how much she knew it’d relate to my life.

And boy, did it.

Gideon is two different things at once.  It is, first, a study of Gideon himself, which is valuable since Gideon tends to be one of those Biblical figures people know – but not one of the ones they really know.  Shirer does a wonderful job via sidebars and her “Digging Deeper” sections of sketching out the historical and spiritual context of what, precisely, was going on during the period in which the Bible focuses on Gideon.  The result for me, at least, was that I saw Gideon much more clearly: his worries, his need for reassurance, his flaws, the times he overstepped his bounds.  And through this lens we also get a glimpse of what’s going on with Israel at this point in time and how it relates to the greater cycle of their disobedience to and redemption by God.  If you’re curious about the history and politics and religion at play in the background, you’ll enjoy the chance to dive into it.

It’s easy to understand that Gideon destroyed an altar of Baal; it’s another thing entirely to realize it was his father’s altar he was tearing down and that transformation started not with a nation, but with Gideon’s own family.  It’

A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Priscilla holds a Master’s degree in Biblical Studies and considers it a privilege to serve believers from every steam of the global Church through Going Beyond Ministries. Founded by Jerry and Priscilla nearly twenty-five years ago, the ministry equips believers through books, Bible study resources, conferences and through films like War Room (2015), I Can Only Imagine (2017), Overcomer (2019), and The Forge (2024).

To date, Priscilla has authored more than two dozen books and Bible studies for women and teens on a myriad of Biblical characters and topics including Jonah, Gideon, the Exodus, discerning God’s voice, The Armor of God and, her latest study – Elijah: Faith and Fire. Her books include Discerning the Voice of God, God is Able, and two New York Times Bestsellers – The Resolution for Women and Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer, which was named the 2016 Christian Book of the Year. Her latest offering is a book on discipleship called I Surrender All. Additionally, Priscilla has ventured into the world of fiction with The Prince Warriors, a 4-book adventure series and accompanying 365-day devotional (Unseen) designed to equip tween boys and girls for victory in spiritual warfare.

A terrified young man secretly threshes a meager crop of wheat at an ancient wine press. He is a member of the weakest clan in Israel and he is the youngest in his family. He has never stood up to the Midianites, who dominate Israel. Nothing about him seems destined for greatness. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appears at an oak nearby. The angel declares, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior of courage!”

Now this man is definitely not mighty—he has never even served in the military. He thinks the visitor is mocking him. Then the angel drops the bombshell, “I hereby commission you to go in might and deliver Israel from the Midianites.”

This very ordinary man was named Gideon, and more is written about him than any other judge of Israel. In the years before God’s choosing of Gideon, Israel had committed herself to the worship of Baal and Asherah. Then the Midianites defeated them. For seven years the Midianites plundered the crops and other belongings of the Israelis. When the people cried out to God for help, God sent word to Gideon.

First, he told Gideon to break down the shrine to Baal and offer a proper sacrifice upon the altar. Then He instructed Gideon to assemble an army to fight the enemy. Third, God cut Gideon’s force from 32,000 men to only 300. Fourth, Gideon was sent into battle, not with fearsome weapons, but with pitchers, trumpets, and lamps. Fifth, after the Midianite army fled in fearful disarray, Gideon had to organize combat forces to fight the retreating enemy.

However, this is not the whole story. We must always remember that when God calls an individual to a task, He is there with that person to the end. He knows that we are dust; He will never send us on a mission only to abandon us halfway. When the angel of the Lord first approached Gideon, Gideon insisted on cooking a meal for the stranger. As a sign, the angel promptly burnt up the meal in a ball of fire. But Gideon wanted a further s