Gideon

A one act play by Andrew Alder.

The narrator stands at a lectern perhaps, away from the main acting area.

The action starts with the house lights up and some extra lighting on the Narrator, which stays on for the whole script. Lights on the acting area are down at this time.

Narrator reads Judges 6:11-16,36-40.

Narrator: I wonder whether things still happen like that?

House lights down, lights up on acting area.

Scene 1.

Gideon is on stage, threshing wheat by bashing a sheaf against something (a chair would do). Enter the Angel of the Lord.

Gideon: (sings) Oh David was a little man Goliath was a tall, David was a handyman, the handyman of Saul...

Angel: Hail to thee, O mighty man of God!

Gideon: Yeah? Let me tell you, mate, I'm doing a lot more for Israel than God is.

Angel: Gideon, God knows you have cause to complain.

Gideon: Yeah, and I know God knows, and God knows I know, and I know that God knows that I know that God knows! (He resumes threshing, singing in time with the blows.) David took a little sling and half a brick as well And David pulled the trigger and Goliath went to...

Angel: Gideon, what would happen if the Midianites heard you singing that?

Gideon: (Runs finger across throat indicating cutting it with appropriate sound.) But its better than starving like the rest of Israel. God's chosen people, Ha! Chosen for what?

Angel: Gideon, I have the full authority of the Lord God Almighty to instruct you to lead an army to deliver Israel from the Midianites. That's the whole reason I'm here. (Pause.) And I can see I'm going to have trouble.

Gideon: Look, suppose I take you seriously. What credentials can you show me? No, wait, no tricks, I'll pick something. Suppose I leave a sponge here tonight, and you arrange that in the morning the ground will be dry all around but the sponge will be sopping wet.

Angel: And that will convince you?

Gideon: Yeah.

Angel: Fair enough.

Gideon (shaking his head): You know, I'm sorry you agreed to that. I was beginning to hope that you might be for real.

Angel: We'll see, won't we?

Lights down and up to indicate evening and morning.

Scene 2.

Gideon is sitting staring at the sponge. He picks it up and squeezes it (into a bowl perhaps). It is saturated. He does not look happy. Enter the Angel.

Angel: (sings) Oh Ruth she was a lady of the very wildest type She wore tight jeans and she rode a motorbike

Good morning Gideon! (Gideon just stares at the sponge.) You don't look happy.

Gideon: It's pretty impressive all right. And we made a deal.

Angel: But you're not convinced.

Gideon: I guess I didn't think it out too well yesterday. I mean, what if this is some natural phenomenon, not a miracle at all?

Angel: Gideon, did you ever see a natural phenomenon that wasn't a miracle?

Gideon: What I mean is, I want to believe it but I must be sure. So, I'll leave the sponge out again, and this time I want the ground wet and the sponge dry. (Pause.) And then I'll stop giving you orders and start taking them.

Angel: Fair enough.

Exit. House lights up as narrator speaks.

Narrator: Of course we left out verses 17-35, which change the story a bit. We encourage you to read them when you have time.

This is the word of the Lord.

Performance notes

This was inspired by comparing a popular children's script with the bible, and deciding that the script (which we had intended to perform) did not accurately reflect what the bible said. It may not be appropriate to read the passage on every occasion, but it is essential that the entire company read the whole passage (including the omitted verses) early in their preparation.

Of course the use of the song "the Darkie Sunday School" (copyright unknown) to introduce the scenes is a complete anachronism, David (certainly) and Ruth (probably) both living after Gideon, and may not be appropriate if the congregation are not well enough versed in scripture to get the joke.

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Andrew Alder andrewa@zeta.org.au