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Gideon comes across as a very 
fearful youth. Remember, when he's selected 
for service, he says, oh, my Lord, chapter 6, verse 15, how 
can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest 
in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. When he's 
given the task to go and break down the altar of Baal in his 
hometown of Ophrah in his father's house, we see that he does it. 
He obeys the Lord. But he does it under the cover 
of darkness. Notice in chapter 6 at verse 
27. And then Gideon, even though 
the spirit of the Lord had come upon him in a powerful way, the 
end of chapter 6 records Gideon seeking not the will of the Lord, 
but affirmation or confirmation of God's word to Gideon. Remember, 
we noted that when he set out the fleas, he was not trying 
to discover the will of the Lord. The will of the Lord was crystal 
clear to Gideon. This is what you're supposed 
to go do. You're supposed to go destroy the Midianites. So 
he's not trying to find the will of the Lord. Rather, his faith 
is weak, and he cries out to the Lord to confirm it and affirm 
it with those particular signs. So he's a fearful youth in Judges 
chapter 6. Judges chapter 7, he emerges 
as a heroic warrior. Now certainly, he still has some 
struggles. Remember in chapter 7, beginning 
in verse 9, God gives him an encouragement by way of a particular 
dream that was had by a Midianite soldier. And so this fortified 
Gideon, this caused him to see that in fact this was his calling 
of the Lord, and then he goes and he engages in that heroic 
triumph of bringing to bear God's victory upon the Midianites. So fearful youth, to heroic warrior 
and now he sort of serves as a military judge. He brings heat 
and judgment to bear upon his own countrymen who are not assisting 
in the battle against Midian. And then he serves as something 
as a blood avenger. He's chasing these two particular 
kings because they have guilt over killing people in Israel. So Gideon certainly is developing 
and changing as we move through this particular section of narrative, 
all the way to the very end where we see that he doesn't necessarily 
end well. The making of this ephod, the 
fact that all Israel had played the harlot with it. This does 
not bode well. This is not a good thing. Nevertheless, 
Gideon served the Lord. He's mentioned in the book of 
Hebrews chapter 11. And we do have cause to reflect 
again that the best of men are nevertheless men at best. So let's look at this particular 
chapter beginning in verses 1 to 21, the pursuit of the Midianites. Now Gideon's chief nemesis in 
chapter 6 was Baal because he was told to go in and to destroy 
the altar of Baal. In chapter 7 his chief enemy 
was... Midian. Here he's certainly pursuing 
Midianite kings. There's still a group of 15,000 
soldiers. But in a real sense, his enemy 
in chapter 8 is Israel itself. He's got a problem with the Ephraimites. 
He's got a problem with the city of Sukkot. And he's got a problem 
with the city of Penuel. These are cities or towns within 
the people or within the nation of Israel and they give him resistance 
along the way. So conflict all over and here 
specifically in the nation of Israel. Notice, remember that 
the Ephraimites were not included in the battle against Midian. 
Look back at chapter 6 in verse 35. He sent messengers throughout 
all Manasseh who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers 
to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali and they came up to meet him. 
No mention there whatsoever of Ephraim, the tribe of Ephraim. Look at chapter 7 and verse 23. And the men of Israel gathered 
together from Naphtali, Asher, and Almanassah and pursued the 
Midianites. Again, no reference to Ephraim 
until verse 24. Then Gideon sent messengers throughout 
all the mountains of Ephraim saying, come down against the 
Midianites and seize from them the watering places as far as 
Bethphara and the Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered 
together and seized the watering places as far as Bethphara and 
the Jordan. And they captured two princes 
of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeb. They killed Oreb at the Rock 
of Oreb, and Zeb they killed at the winepress of Zeb. They 
pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gideon 
on the other side of the Jordan." Now notice, with Ephraim in chapter 
8, verses 1 to 3, they complain. They whined, they grumbled. Verse 
1, the men of Ephraim said to him, why have you done this to 
us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites? 
And they reprimanded him sharply. They were put out. Perhaps it 
was an affront to their pride. They didn't want to be left out 
of the consideration of this battle against the Midianites. 
Notice specifically that they reprimanded him sharply. They 
are upset about this. Again, this shows internal division 
among the nation of Israel. This is what we see continuously 
in this book of Judges. We see it all ultimately develop 
through the history of Israel. Cogency, coherence, fighting 
together as a unified group, does not seem to be the thing 
that characterizes Israel. And then notice how Gideon deals 
with that. If we saw him as a fearful youth 
and a heroic warrior, now we also see him as a diplomat. Look 
at how diplomatically he deals with this situation, confronting 
him via the Ephraimites. He truly understands Proverbs 
15. A soft answer turns away wrath. He doesn't bark at them. He doesn't 
yell at them. He doesn't reprove them for their 
pride. he actually minimizes his role 
in comparison to theirs. Verse 2, he said to them, what 
have I done now in comparison with you? In other words, what 
you've done in getting the heads of Orb and Z far outweigh anything 
that I've done. And then he cites a proverb to 
show, or sort of, it almost sounds like a bit of a flattery, or 
at least an encouragement of this particular tribe. He goes 
on in verse 2 to say, is not the gleaning of the grapes of 
Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? And then he highlights 
again their role in this particular situation. God has delivered 
into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb, and Zeb. And what 
was I able to do in comparison with you? He speaks as a diplomat. He speaks with wisdom. He speaks 
with prudence. And he speaks with care. And 
then we find that their anger toward him subsided when he said 
that. And as we move through the particular 
narrative, you'll say, why does he deal so harshly with Sukkoth 
and Penuel? Why does Ephraim get off with 
encouragement and just a word of how great they were in relation 
to him? Weren't they whining? Weren't 
they grumbling? Theirs was an evidence, or theirs was a demonstration 
of pride, but their hearts were in the mission. They did cut 
off the heads of Oreb and Zee. They did support Gideon. When 
Gideon told them to go seize those waterways, they actually 
went into business and they did it. What we find in Sukkoth and 
Pehuel is actually treason. Some say that he was very harsh 
in his treatment of these particular men. that he went from fearful 
youth to heroic warrior to bloodthirsty savage or to Canaanite type man. So I thought through this though, 
he is a military officer, he is leading an army to combat 
the Midianites and in a combat situation when people within 
that particular country do not support the mission, that's treason. That is a crime. That is not 
righteous whatsoever. So while Ephraim may have whined 
and had their noses bent because of their pride being hurt, Sukkoth 
and Penuel were not assisting the troops that were giving pursuit 
of the Midianites so that they could destroy that enemy. So 
there is a big difference going on between these two parties. 
Note verse 4 when he comes to Sukkoth. I love the way verse 
4 reads, when Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the 300 men 
who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. I think I heard a preacher one 
time preach that particular clause, exhausted but still in pursuit. Now, we could say, isn't that 
the Christian life? Isn't it? I don't want to psychologize 
it. I don't want to get all weird 
and odd. I don't want to rip it out of its text. But isn't 
that a FITNAP description of what we are? We're exhausted, 
but we're still in pursuit. We're in the battle. We're in 
the war. It rages on, but we persevere by the grace of God. 
We don't give up. We don't give in. This is a great 
paradigm or a great example for us. While we may be exhausted, 
we nevertheless are still to be in pursuit. My friend Richard 
Barcelos, when asked sometimes, says, I'm tired in the work, 
but I'm not tired of the work. There are instances and seasons 
where men of God, where every single one of us get tired in 
the particulars of what we're engaged in, but we're not tired 
of the work, so we continue in the pursuit. This is a great 
example in these 300 men. Again, just a sideline no. We don't want to make too much 
out of that. That's the point of the author here, is to try 
to paint for us how we ought to persevere in the Christian 
life. But they come to the Jordan. 
He and the 300 men who are with him, they cross over. They're 
exhausted, but still in pursuit. He says to the men of Sukkoth, 
please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for 
they are exhausted. And I am pursuing Ziba and Zalmunna, 
kings of Midian. And essentially, the kings or 
leaders of Sukkoth, rather, said no. Where are the palms of these 
particular men? Do you have their palms? In other 
words, have you dismembered them, and can you prove that they are, 
in fact, immobilized? Probably what is driving these 
men is not the fear or not the pride of the Ephraimites, but 
rather it is the fear of being done in by these particular kings. Because you see, if Gideon and 
his 300 men fail, what does that mean? It means that Ziba and 
Zalmuna and the 15,000 remaining troops of the peoples of the 
East are going to converge on Sukkot and start cutting off 
heads and ripping out intestines. And so the leaders of Sukkot 
say, are the hands or are the palms of Ziba and Zalmuna now 
in your hand that we should give bread to your army? So what does 
Gideon do? Gideon says that they will be 
paid back. For this cause, verse 7, when 
the Lord has delivered Ziba and Zalmunna into my hand, then I 
will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and 
with briars. The idea is probably he will 
thrash them. He will beat them. He will hurt 
them, not actually take or pull their skin off with the briars 
of the land. It's probably a physical chastisement 
that's in view. So that's the response in Sukkoth. 
Notice it's the same thing in Penuel. Then he went up from 
there to Penuel, verse 8, and spoke to them in the same way. 
And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Sukkoth had 
answered. So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, when 
I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower. So you 
see, within Israel itself, they should have been giving him assistance. Remember, In chapter 7, it says, 
or at the end of chapter 6, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon 
him. When he makes that appeal to the various tribes, they follow 
him. They follow him into the battle. 
In this particular instance, however, his own townspeople, 
or the people in the towns, rather, in Israel, are afraid to give 
him assistance. I just want to read a quote from 
Ralph Davis. He says, one can partly understand 
their refusal. If the leaders of Sukkoth or 
Penuel give aid to Gideon's army, and if Gideon, for whatever reason, 
should fail to eradicate the Midianite menace, they would 
invite reprisals on themselves as soon as the Midianites were 
able to recoup. And unlike the Western tribes, 
now Sukkoth and Penuel are on the east side of the Jordan. 
Remember, they've crossed the Jordan now. Now there's a natural 
boundary that no longer exists. He says, and unlike the Western 
tribes, Sukkoth and Penuel have no Jordan Valley to provide at 
least a partial buffer from swift attack. These towns were directly 
exposed to Midianite attack. Prudence, so they held, dictated 
their opposition to Gideon. He says, or was it faithlessness? I think this is perceptive here. 
Sometimes we might think something's prudent, but it could be the 
case that it's faithlessness. And he highlights, it can be 
difficult to distinguish the two. Must our safety always be 
the ultimate consideration? Could Sukkoth and Penuel not 
see that God had granted a signal victory and that they could assist 
in completing it? The story is ironic. The towns 
avoid Midian's wrath, but suffer under Gideon's wrath. Since they 
sided with Israel's enemies, they were treated as Israel's 
enemies. So you see, it didn't do them 
any good to rebuff, to resist, and to reject Gideon. So Gideon 
had threatened upon them that when he captured these kings, 
and he spoke with certainty and confidence, when I capture them, 
when we move back through your particular towns, there will 
be a price to pay for this particular situation. So then he does this 
very thing. Notice, verse 10, Ziba and Zalmuna 
were at Karkur and their armies were with them. About 15,000 
all were left of all the army of the people of the east. For 
120,000 men who drew the sword had fallen. What does that number 
indicate to us? That the total amount of Midianite 
troops was 135,000. How many troops did Israel bring 
to that particular battle? 300. What do we learn from this? Not 
that those 300 troops are excellent, but that God is powerful, that 
God is glorious. They did it without any weapons, 
remember? They had no weapons whatsoever. 
They went in, they broke their particular cisterns, they got 
their torches out, and they said, the sword of the Lord and of 
Gideon. Some suggest that Gideon attaching 
his name there. probably wasn't the most prudent 
thing for him to do. It was the sword of the Lord 
that brought delivery. But 135,000 troops ultimately 
fall to an army of 300 men who do not have military weaponry, 
who do not have advanced strategy. They don't have tanks. They don't 
have fighter jets. They don't have AR-15s. They 
have nothing save the sovereignty and the power of God Almighty. 
Remember what the Lord is demonstrating in this particular section. is 
that his strength is made perfect through our weakness. Yes, Roger? 
And they're hungry, too. And they're hungry, absolutely. 
They can't even get bread in Sukkot. They're tired, they're 
hungry, but they are still in pursuit. So God the Lord does 
not need all of the things that we think that we need. In other 
words, when God tells us to do a specific thing, We are to do 
it in the manner and with the means that he has ordained. When 
he says preaching and prayer and the basic functions within 
the life and context of the church is how he will advance his kingdom, 
then we need to understand that and we need to be compliant with 
that. We need not to reinvent the wheel or to try to make things 
better or to try and improve upon God's particular methodology. Our task is to be faithful to 
the Lord, as we saw on the Lord's Day with reference to the conduct 
of the man of God. We need to faithfully serve him, 
we need to pursue as he says, and we need to understand that 
the battles that we wage and the warfare that we're engaged 
in is ultimately God's. And he will get the victory. 
We have the sure promise of our Lord in Matthew 16 that he will 
build his church. The gates of hell itself shall 
not prevail against it. Again, we don't need to improve 
upon it. We don't need to be innovators. We don't need to 
be creative. We need to be faithful and obedient. And that's what 
we learn from these 300 men. Giving pursuit, hungry with their 
bellies, exhausted, but nevertheless God is for them and delivers 
the enemy into their hands. So notice, they pursue. Verse 
11, then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents 
on the east of Noba and Jogbea, and he attacked the army while 
the camp felt secure. Again, the idea is that they 
were in a state of sleep, a state of security, safety. They thought 
nothing of an enemy invader. When Ziba and Zalmunna fled, 
he pursued them, and he took the two kings of Midian, Ziba 
and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army. So this is precisely 
what he had purposed to do. Now notice he goes back through 
Sukkoth and Penuel, and he does precisely what he promised to 
do. Verse 13, And Gideon the son 
of Joash returned from battle, from the ascent of Harris, he 
got a young man of the men of Sukkoth, and interrogated him. He wrote down for him the leaders 
of Sukkoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. Then he came to the men 
of Sukkoth and said, Here are Ziba and Zalmunna, about whom 
you ridiculed me, saying, Are the hands of Ziba and Zalmunna 
now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men? 
What do you think the elders of Sukkoth thought when they 
saw these men. They probably thought, uh-oh, 
they probably thought it would have been more preferable to 
fall into the hands of Ziba and Zalmuna than Gideon, the servant 
and warrior of the God of Israel, because all that the Midianites 
would have done would be to destroy. What God is going to do is even 
worse through his servant Gideon. So verse 16, he took the elders 
of the city and thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with 
them he taught the men of Sukkot. What's the ESV render that? He taught the men. OK, taught 
the men of Sukkoth a lesson. Yeah, the idea is probably that 
he beat them, is what the text probably means there. It was 
a physical chastisement. And then notice, then he tore 
down the city of Penuel, verse 17. And then this is hardcore, 
and he killed the men of the city. That's just, yeah, that's 
pretty amazing. Again, the category I place it 
into is that these peoples were engaged in treason. I think any 
nation, any country at war has a law put into place that an 
act of treason most certainly invites the death penalty. And 
that's probably what is going on in this particular instance. 
And then that brings us to the death of these Midianite kings. 
Note the amplification of Midian's wickedness. Remember their particular 
strategy, according to chapter 6, verses 1 to 10. It indicates what the Midianites 
and the Amalekites and the peoples of the East did. They'd sweep 
through Israel at harvest time or at planting time, and they 
would desecrate the crops. They decimated the food supply 
of Israel. For seven long years, the Israelites 
were going hungry. For seven long years, the Israelites 
had to hide in caves. They had to find a place to escape 
from these Midianites. But notice what verse 18 tells 
us. It wasn't just crop destruction 
that the Midianites were engaged in. They were engaged in killing 
as well. And he said to Ziba and Zalmuna, 
what kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor? So the Midianites 
weren't there just to hinder crop production. They were there 
to destroy Israelites. This is something we need to 
put into perspective because sometimes we can read these Old 
Testament narratives and we see things that surprise us. We see 
Gideon, we see men of God, we see armies of the Lord going 
in and utterly decimating a people group. What we often fail to 
see is that this is an act of justice and an act of righteousness 
for the fact that these people oppressed them severely. Seven 
years is what the Midianites had in terms of oppression over 
these people. And so what we find here is that 
they were wretched, they were bad, and as a result, God the 
Lord brought to bear upon them these 300 men to destroy them. Notice in verse 18, so they answered, 
as you are, so were they. Each one resembled the son of 
a king. Then he said, they were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had 
let them live, I would not kill you. Now notice, he tells his 
son Jether. He says to his firstborn, rise, 
kill them. But the youth would not draw 
his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. 
So there might be something here. This is Gideon before. This is the way Gideon looked. few chapters back. He was a Jether 
that was afraid and didn't want to take the sword to a Ziba and 
a Zalmunna. And in stark contrast, now we 
have a Gideon who's going to take his sword and he's going 
to end Ziba and Zalmunna. It's almost as if Ziba and Zalmuna 
want to have a bit of a philosophical debate, or not a debate, but 
they want to wax philosophically in verse 21. So Ziba and Zalmuna 
said, rise yourself and kill us, for as a man is, so is his 
strength. They want to make this all poetic. The author wants nothing to do 
with that. So Gideon arose and killed them. 
That's it. It's almost like that scene in 
the Indiana Jones when the guy's swinging his sword and Indy just 
takes out his gun and shoots him. It's done. It's over. We're 
not doing poetry. We're not getting involved in 
philosophy. What happens is Gideon arose 
and killed Ziba and Zalmunna and took the crescent ornaments 
that were on their camel's necks. So the Midianites have been decimated. The Midianites' backs have been 
broken. Verse 28 tells us that Midian 
was subdued before the children of Israel so that they lifted 
their heads no more and the country was quiet for 40 years in the 
days of Gideon. And that brings us to consider 
his final days, his ephod and his death. Some interesting stuff 
in this particular section. Notice in verse 22, Then the 
men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, both you and your 
son, and your grandson also, for you have delivered us from 
the hand of Midian. They are asking him to be a king. They don't use the word king, 
but rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also. That's a dynastic kingly rule. The people are asking, they are 
requesting, they are seeking out a king. As well, the people 
are doing precisely what God said they would do in chapter 
7 at verse 2. 7-2, the Lord said to Gideon, 
the people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites 
into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against 
me, saying, my own hand has saved me. Now certainly, God the Lord 
uses the human instrumentality of Gideon. But who brought victory? It was God, right? 300 against 
135,000. There is no military commander 
that savvy, that strategically aware. Robert E. Lee, Stonewall 
Jackson, the great military commanders in the history of the world could 
not possibly carry out a 300 versus 135,000. There is no mention 
of God whatsoever in verse 22. Rule over us both 
you and your son and your grandson also for you have delivered us 
from the hand of Midian. And what's most disconcerting 
is that Gideon does not correct that. He doesn't say, no, I didn't 
do this, but it was God. It wasn't me, it was Yahweh of 
Israel. So notice, something interesting 
is going on here in verses 23 to 27. I'm not sure I fully understand 
the whole picture, but this much I suspect. They want him to rule 
over them as a king. He formally refuses this particular 
request. Notice verse 23, but Gideon said 
to them, I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over 
you. The Lord shall rule over you. But from 24 to 27, he assumes 
royal status. From 24 to 27, he conducts himself 
as a king. So perhaps he formally refuses. He wants them to phrase it in 
the form that God does rule over, but he'll rule through the monarch, 
Joshua. So he nevertheless, at least 
it appears, that he informally accepts this particular request. Because this series of events 
that follows indicate something that is more akin to royalty 
than to a judge in Israel or to the common citizenry. Notice, 
he does not correct their mistake in ascribing salvation to him. He formally refuses their request 
to make him a king. He says, the Lord shall rule 
over you. All of that sounds really good. But I suggest that 
he informally accepts the offer. What's the first thing that he 
does? Verse 24, I would like to make a request of you that 
each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder, for 
they had golden earrings because they were Ishmaelites. The submission 
of vassals paying tribute to their particular king. Now, also, 
he amasses quite a royal treasuring. This is about 43 pounds of gold. The ephod did not weigh 43 pounds 
of gold. The ephod probably didn't weigh 
that much at all. So what he's done is he has these 
people pay a form of tribute. I know the language isn't there, 
but certainly the concept is there. They pay tribute as vassal. He takes the gold. He has this 
royal treasury. Notice dropping down in verse 
29. Gideon had 70 sons who were his 
own offspring, for he had many wives. This is the practice of 
royalty. This is the practice of kings. 
While forbidden in Deuteronomy 17, nevertheless, the kings of 
Israel engaged in this particular practice. And then it's interesting 
at what he names his son, Abimelech. Do you know what Abimelech means? 
It means my father is a king. No, it could be Abimelech, meaning 
my father God is a king, or it could be Abimelech, my father 
Gideon is a king. So it really seems to at least 
appear that while the formal rejection is made, informally 
everything true of royalty is being carried out by Gideon in 
this particular situation. Kind of an interesting situation 
in my estimation. Notice the ephod. The ephod, 
verse 27, then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in 
his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot 
with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and 
to his house. What's an ephod? Yeah, it was sort of a thing 
that the priest wore on his chest. It was made from gold, this particular 
one. And yes, when the priest had 
the ephod on, there was a breastplate. And in that breastplate, there 
was the urim and the thumi. That was the thing that the priest 
used in certain instances to try and discern the will of the 
Lord. Now, this verse, verse 27, doesn't 
tell us a lot, does it? It doesn't tell us why an ephod, 
it doesn't tell us the function of the ephod, it doesn't tell 
us the thrust, the point, the purpose, or whatever. It simply 
says that Gideon made it into an ephod, he set it up in his 
city Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there. It 
became a snare to Gideon and to his house. So, How did it 
function? Two, at least that I saw, two 
thoughts or views on this particular ephod. Davis says it was with 
the intention of seeking to discern the will of the Lord. The priest 
would have had an ephod. But here Gideon, as a royal figure, 
would have an ephod as well with the attempt of being a channel 
by which God would communicate his will to the people of Israel. Davis suggests that Gideon wanted 
to become a channel of Yahweh's direct guidance in addition to 
the priest and ephod Yahweh had already provided. Whatever else 
can be said, the center of the matter seems to be that Gideon 
hankered after more than what God had given for declaring his 
will. And Israel loved it with a godless 
passion. And then he pursues that line 
of thought and makes a Christian application. How many of us are 
hankering after something additional to God's revelation of His will? We have an ephod for this, we 
have a holy horseshoe for that, we've got a three-leaf clover 
for that. We need to be content with the Word. We need to be 
content with prayer. We need to be content with the 
means that God has given us. The latest craze, the latest 
phase, the latest path, whatever it may be, if it promises to 
us the will of the Lord, we ought to be very suspicious. We ought 
to reject anything that disagrees with Scripture, and we ought 
to settle our hearts solely and alone upon the Word of God. So 
that's one particular view. Daniel Bloch says it was simply 
an idol. the ephod would have been something 
that you would put on the sacred image. So the existence of the 
ephod assumes or presupposes the sacred image. Now, Daniel 
Bloch has some textual evidence to suggest that this was, in 
fact, the case. Ophrah was no stranger to Baal 
worship. Remember it was sort of localized 
in that particular clan in chapter 6. It was in Joash's house. And the people of Ophrah would 
come and worship. But they were idolaters. They 
were bowing to Baal in the land. That's why God said to destroy 
this particular altar. So, if this is the case, and 
Gideon makes this particular ephod, and it goes over this 
particular sacred image, we can understand why all Israel played 
the harlot with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and 
to his house. Now, either way we go, we know 
this. It was bad. Okay, that's the 
Jim Butler version. It was bad. because the children 
of Israel went a-whoring after it. That's what the text says. All Israel played the harlot 
with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and 
to his house. It was not a good thing. In other 
words, when we look at the history of various kings and various 
persons in the Bible, we see that they don't always end well, 
right? You've been doing a study in 
the kings of Judah, specifically. Are there certain men that for 
the most part were good, but perhaps didn't have the best 
end. Can you name a couple of those? Joash. Joash. Who else? Asa. Asa. Very good. Who else? 
Put him on the spot. But you've seen that pattern. 
You've read your Bibles. You've seen. You'll see it. We 
see it in the book of Judges here. We see it with this particular 
man. Not every man who starts off 
well or who does well necessarily ends well. And as I've said over 
and over again, I think one of the points of the book of Judges 
and the entire history of Israel is to point us forward to that 
one who doesn't fail, to that one who doesn't end poorly but 
ends perfectly. It points us forward to the Redeemer 
King, the Lord Jesus Christ, the champion who would save his 
people from their sins and he would do it Through his perfect 
life of obedience to the law, he would never make an ephod. 
He would never cause Israel to play the harlot. He would never 
trouble his home in this sort of a way or in this sort of a 
matter. Davis, again, says this shadow 
of inconsistency and of disappointment frequently hangs over God's servants. It does. I mean, when you see 
David, king of Israel, and he goes into Bathsheba, and then 
he orders the murder of Uriah, doesn't your heart break a little 
bit for that? Or when you're reading about 
Solomon, the man who reigned in peace, the man who extended 
Israel's borders, and then you see him marrying all these women, 
and they turn his heart to other gods. Don't you want to just 
grab him by the collar and say, don't do that, Solomon. When 
you see an Esau, when you see various persons or men in the 
scriptures, you want to reach down there and you want to say, 
wait a minute, stop. And then you look in the mirror, 
you look at your own life, or you look at your own reflection, 
you say, but that's the way I live, and that's the way I function. 
Again, the Bible is teaching us through and through that there's 
only one hero. There's only one worthy of worship. There's only one worthy of emulation 
and imitation and adoration, and it's the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Israel is being taught in this book or this period of Judges. 
They're being taught during the monarchy. They're being taught 
in the exile. They're being taught in the post-exilic 
period to look for the Lord Jesus Christ. We read these books so 
that we can be taught just how important and essential faith 
in the Lord Christ is. He goes on to say, Gideon was 
hardly a rare exception. He says, this is not to excuse 
the sins or errors of the leaders of God's people, but let it temper 
our expectations. Let it cushion our despair. and 
let it lift our gaze to the leader of God's elect, who does not 
disappoint, in whom is no sin, and against whom no charges can 
be brought. We will never find perfection 
of office except in our Lord Jesus Christ. Realizing this 
can save us from cynicism that may come from disappointing servants 
of Christ. Amen a thousand times Every single 
human being that you will ever meet is going to let you down 
Every single person that you ever meet will always prove to 
be a sinner Every single human being that you bump shoulders 
with is going to be proved to be less than perfect. I know it's shocking. I'm sure 
you're surprised. You're probably shattered. But 
this is true, and it's accurate. The best of men are men at best, 
and the Book of Judges displays that to us in all of its vivid 
detail. Notice verse 28, thus Midian 
was subdued. It's an interesting use of the 
theological passive. You see, while Israel ascribes 
victory to Gideon, and while Gideon does not deflect that 
from himself, the author will simply not let that fly. Thus, 
Midian was subdued. The attentive reader, or even 
the half-hearted reader by this time, knows Midian was subdued 
by the virtue and the power and the excellence and the glory 
of Yahweh of Israel. So Midian was subdued before 
the children of Israel so that they lifted their heads no more. They were broke. They were decimated. They were done. And the country 
was quiet for 40 years in the days of Gideon. That means no 
more war, no more skirmishes, no more rape, no more pillage. no more famine because of these 
Midianites for 40 years. This was good. This was a long 
stretch. This was blessed and beautiful. It's been stated previously. 
Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5. However, this is the last 
time in the book that such a statement will be given in the Book of 
Judges. The country was quiet for 40 
years in the days of Gideon." Now notice, we've seen his ephod. 
In the final days, we see his death in verses 29 to 32. His house, Jeroboam, the son 
of Joash, went and dwelt in his own house. Gideon had 70 sons 
who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. And his concubine 
who was in Shechem, that's a bad sign right there, pagan. His 
concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son whose name 
he called Abimelech. Now Abimelech is certainly not 
the child of the year. He is not the honor roll student 
that you put your bumper sticker on your car and boast about. 
Abimelech is a particularly nasty fellow, and God willing, we'll 
look at him in two weeks' time. And then verse 32, now Gideon, 
the son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the 
tomb of Joash's father in Ophrah of the Abizrites. So Gideon is 
dead, and that brings us to the state of Israel after his death. Now, however Gideon ended, and 
the ephod is certainly a testimony to not the best end, however 
he ended, he did exercise a restraining influence on Israel. Look at 
what happens, verse 33. So it was, as soon as Gideon 
was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot 
with the Baals and made Baal, Berit, their god. This is particularly 
disturbing. Berit is the Hebrew word for 
covenant. Yahweh is their covenant god. Now they've entered into worshiping 
Baal-Berith, the god of the covenant, but it's Baal. Truly a bad description 
of the people here. So they played the harlot with 
the Baals and made Baal-Berith their god. Notice their forgetfulness, 
verse 34. Thus the children of Israel did 
not remember the Lord their God. Does that mean they had no concept 
whatsoever of Yahweh? Does that mean that they didn't 
know their catechism? Does that mean they forgot Deuteronomy 
6.4? Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, 
the Lord is one. It doesn't mean that. They had 
him up here cognitively. but they didn't have them experientially. 
It's the same thing we saw in chapter 2, verse 10. They did 
not know the Lord, and as a result, they did evil. They forsook God, 
they went after Baals, they went after the Ashtoreth. The same 
thing is going on here. The children of Israel did not 
remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the 
hands of all their enemies on every side. I mean, they just 
got delivered from Midianite oppression. They had 40 years 
in which to praise and worship and celebrate the living and 
true God. But in that 40 years of peace, in that 40 years of 
quiet upon the earth, what do they do? They forget God. You 
see, herein lies the danger of prosperity. Herein lies the danger 
of living in an affluent society. Herein lies the danger of having 
everything we want. The tendency and the temptation 
is to forget God. Remember, this was told in the 
book of Deuteronomy, when you go into the land, make sure you 
are thankful. It is prosperity that will hinder 
and hurt you in the land of Canaan, in the book of Proverbs, what's 
the wise man say? Give me what? Give me neither 
poverty nor riches. What's my temptation if I have 
poverty? To go out and steal and dishonor 
my God. What's the temptation if I have 
riches? To forget my God. You see, they 
had a 40-year period where they should have worshipped, praised, 
and adored, but what happens instead? They forget the Lord 
altogether. Beware of prosperity. I like what C.S. Lewis says. 
He says sometimes a young man will say he's making his way 
in the world when he doesn't realize that the world is making 
a way in his own heart. Now Paul does not command Timothy 
to command those who are rich to get rid of everything. He 
doesn't say get rid of all that you have and go live under a 
bridge and eat puppy chow. He doesn't say that, but he has 
specific instructions, Timothy to the rich in the church in 
Ephesus. He says, command those who are 
rich not to be proud, not to be haughty, but to be generous, 
to share with those who have need, and to be thankful to the 
true and living God. We need to learn from this situation. 
It's on the heels of 40 years of peace and quiet that they 
forget the Lord. It's on the heels of 40 years 
of God's blessing in their lives that they forget the Lord. It 
is the case, at times, trials, difficulties and issues in our 
lives generally and typically will send us to our knees and 
cause us to acknowledge our dependence upon the Lord. I'm not saying 
go out and find trouble. Go out and put your finger into 
a light socket. Go out and lose an arm. Go do 
something to really make your life miserable, because then 
you'll be holy. But just beware the tendency and the temptation 
associated with prosperity, especially when we live in a country like 
we do. And then notice, this is interesting, 
verse 35, nor did they show kindness to the house of Jeroboam or Gideon 
in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. Yes, he 
made an ephod. Yes, Israel went and played the 
harlot. Yes, it was a snare to Gideon 
and his house. But he broke the back of 135,000 
Midianites that wanted to keep you from eating. You ought to 
be thankful that God raised up Gideon. You ought to be thankful 
to Gideon, and you ought to show that appreciation to his household. Isn't that intriguing? They forget 
the Lord, and they don't engage in the basic common courtesy 
of gratitude. Again, Davis says, not only did 
Israel forget God, They forgot Gideon, too. Had they treasured 
Gideon and his work, they would have dealt loyally with Gideon's 
family. The writer places much emphasis 
on Israel's ingratitude toward Gideon, alluding to it in this 
introduction, in Jotham's address in chapter 9, verses 16 to 20, 
and in the theological explanations given in chapter 9, 23 and 24, 
and then 56 and 57. And this is what Davis says. When we ignore the instruments 
of God's grace, we demean the giver of that grace. It's very 
perceptive. When we ignore the instruments 
of God's grace, we demean the giver of that grace. Now, when 
I first read Dr. Davis's commentary on judges, 
he uses this particular instance to give an illustration. He says 
there's an author that has benefited me and I've read his works for 
years and I've profited from it a lot and I thought I should 
probably say my thanks to him. So he did, he sent a letter to 
this fellow and said thanks. Well, that caused me to write 
a letter to Dr. Davis and say, thank you for 
your work, because this is what happens in the people of God. Nor did they show kindness to 
the house of Jeroboam or Gideon in accordance with the good he 
had done for Israel. It is not wrong to bless and 
praise and thank God, and to express your appreciation to 
others who have been of benefit to you. I think it's legitimate 
for children to thank their parents when their parents spend the 
time to teach them Bible lessons. It is legitimate when a friend 
or a brother encourages you to thank them for that. It is legitimate 
to show that appreciation and that gratitude to others. And 
this is highlighted not only here, But in chapter 9 as well, 
Gideon did glorious things for Israel, 40 years of rest. And you're not even going to 
say thank you? That is an indicator of base in gratitude. So it's intriguing, idolatry, 
forgetfulness of God, and a lack of gratitude toward human agents 
that God used to do them good. Well, that's the chapter. Again, 
we see in all of this the amazing grace of God. It is the Lord 
who raised up Gideon. It is the Lord who used these 
300 men to go in and utterly destroy Midianites. We see as 
well in this particular narrative the inconsistency of his human 
servants. Yes, Gideon had some trouble 
there at the end. Yes, the ephod was a bad thing. Yes, there were some issues involved 
in the life of Gideon that If he had to do over again, I'm 
sure he wouldn't do it that way. But Gideon is in Hebrews 11. 
Gideon is commended for his faith in the living God and engaging 
in obedience to the Lord in terms of rooting out these Midianites. And then, as we've already quoted, 
Davis, it shows the necessity for the Lord Jesus Christ as 
the one alone who ultimately delivers Israel from oppression. Not the oppression of Midianites, 
not the oppression of Amalekites, not even the oppression of the 
Philistines, but the oppression of sin itself and the devil and 
all things that keep the people in bondage. It's Christ who breaks 
the back of those things and saves His people from their sins. That's what Judges is about. 
Well, let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your 
Word, and we thank You for Your amazing grace displayed in this 
book. I pray that you would encourage our hearts and strengthen us 
with these thoughts of you and help us to go from this place 
rejoicing in our God. Help us not to be forgetful of 
you and help us not to lack gratitude toward those who benefit us and 
those who help us and those who encourage us. Make us to be a 
thankful people, Lord God, and we pray through Christ your Son 
and our Lord. Amen.