Gideon’s Last Battle
Opening Prayer
I praise You, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth. Reveal to me fresh insights from Your Word as I read it now.
Read Judges 8:22–35
22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)
25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
Gideon’s Death
28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.
29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34 and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“God does not always frustrate our sinful longings. Sometimes he allows us to have what we have been determined to get, but with bitterness and vexation” (David Jackman). A cautionary reminder.
Think Further
Gideon’s battle with the Midianites was not the last he was to fight. In the mopping-up operation afterwards he fought tribal jealousy, criticism, discouragement and outright hostility, all while in a state of exhaustion (1–21). The biggest battle he faced was with himself, however. The Israelites wanted to make Gideon their king. He knew enough and was resolute enough to resist their attractive offer, since God alone was to rule over them (22,23), but he couldn’t resist temptation altogether and asked them to donate gold to him instead, which they gladly did (24–26). One compromise quickly leads to another and with that gold he made “an ephod,” “a sort of extravagant apron” (Leon Wood), which, in turn, quickly became an object of idolatrous worship at Ophrah. Judges puts it bluntly: “All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there” (27). While he passed his final years peacefully with his family, with the nation free from attack, his failure to correct Israel’s idolatry opened the door to full-scale idolatry after his death (28–35).
If we like our heroes to be flawed, Gideon fits the bill. He is yet another illustration of DL Moody’s quip, “I’ve had more trouble with myself than with any other man.” The biggest battles often lie within rather than with more obvious external enemies. Great success yesterday doesn’t guarantee easy successes today. The spiritual battles continue, with the enemy constantly shifting ground and mounting new avenues of attack, often determined by our age or circumstances, until Christ completes his work in us on the day he returns (Phil. 1:6). Unlike Gideon, let us resolve never to rest content with a few victories, however great, but continue well to the end.
Apply
What victories over temptation has God given you in the past? What battles do you face in your current life situation? How can you utilize the lessons learned from past victories in your present struggles?
Closing prayer
Lord, help me break sinful strongholds in my life. I look to Your enabling grace as I seek to live victorious life for You.
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