Please turn with me in your Bibles to Judges chapter 8. The book of Judges chapter 8. We've been looking at this section concerning Gideon, one of the deliverers, one of the judges, one of the men that God raised up to deliver Israel from her oppression. Most of us are familiar with this man Gideon if we've ever stayed in a motel. or in a hotel, or we've gone to the hospital.
It used to be, at least, they would give out these Bibles that were marked Gideons. This is an organization, or it is an organization, that gives out the Word of God. I was just musing on this recently. I think now it's prohibited to take Gideon Bibles to the public schools.
Planned Parenthood can counsel young people on how to have the basest forms of sex and can counsel them on abortion. but you can't give people the subversive Word of God in our generation. Truly, it is disgusting and we ought to pray to God to send forth His Spirit, convicting people to see and appreciate the Word of the Living God. Well, Judges 8 is a large section of narrative. I will read it for us and then we'll break it down into three smaller sections. and hopefully learn some lessons from this instance that are applicable to us in our situation.
Judges 8 beginning in verse 1. Now 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. So he said to them, what have I done now in comparison with you?
Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezar? God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.
When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the 300 men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. Then he said 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 the leaders of Sukkoth said, Are the hands of Ziba and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army? So Gideon said, For this cause, 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.
Then he went up from there to Penuel 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. Now Ziba and Zamuna were at Karkor and their armies with them, about 15,000, all who were left of all the army of the people of the east.
For 120,000 men who drew the sword had fallen. Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of the Noba and Jogbeha, and he attacked the army while the camp felt secure. When Ziba and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them, and he took the two kings of Midian, Ziba and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army. Then Gideon, the son of Joash, returned from battle, from the ascent of Harris.
And he caught a young man of the men of Sukkoth and interrogated him. And 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? And he took the elders of the city and thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with them he taught the men of Sukkoth.
Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. He said to Ziba and Zalmunna, what kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor? 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 would let them live, I would not kill you. And he said to Jether, his firstborn, rise, kill them. But the youth would not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a youth.
So Ziba and Zalmuna said, rise yourself and kill us, for as a man is, so is his strength. So Gideon arose and killed Ziba and Zalmuna and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels' necks. 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. But Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you, the Lord shall rule over you.
Then Gideon said to them, 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. So they answered, we will gladly give them. And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels' necks.
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. Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.
Then Jerobel, the son of Joash, went and dwelt in his own house. Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. and his concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 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 Bezerites. 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.
Thus 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. Nor did they show kindness to the house of Jeroboam, Gideon, in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Our Father in Heaven, we come to consider Holy Scripture and we pray that the Spirit that Pastor Cam reminded us of will come and make these things alive in our hearts and in our minds. We know that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We know it's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. and for instruction in righteousness. I pray that you would thoroughly equip your people unto every good work, and I pray you would thoroughly convict those who are not your people of their sin, and show them their need for a greater than Gideon.
Show them their need for the one who takes away sin, the one who has lived and died and rose again, so that men may have everlasting life. God, show us Jesus Christ in this place today. We thank you for your mercy. We thank you for your grace.
We thank you for your loving kindness. And even now we confess our transgression and our sin and pray that you would wash us and purify us and cause us to receive with thanksgiving your holy scripture. And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Introduction
Well, as we read this particular passage, I wouldn't doubt if it rose up in your head to think, what does this have to do with us in the 21st century in Chilliwack, British Columbia? After all, we are not pursuing Midianite kings. We are not looking for Ziba and Zalmunna in order to finish the business that we started against Midian. Well, there are a lot of lessons in this particular passage that I think are applicable to us.
But first we'll have a brief exposition of the text itself and then make those applications. But it's helpful for us to remember the historical context. Remember that in the book of Deuteronomy, very specifically in chapter 7, in verses 1 to 5, God, through Moses, told the children of Israel to go into the land of Canaan. When they go into the land of Canaan, they are to engage in holy war.
That is the original meaning of holy war. It's not the jihadist, it's not Islamic. We know that that's what they call what they do, but the original form of holy war was what God told Israel to wage against the Canaanites. They were to go into the land.
They were to dispossess the land. They were to make no political alliances with the Canaanites. They were to make no social alliances with the Canaanites. In other words, they were not to marry Canaanite women.
They were not to give their children to Canaanite men. As well, they were to make no religious alliance. They were not to worship Baal. They were not to worship the gods of Canaan.
Rather, as I said, they were to dispossess the land. Under Joshua, this takes place favorably. They go in, they conquer, they do the task, but not completely. Those places where they let Canaanites remain ended up being a scourge to the children of Israel.
By the time we get to the book of Judges, we see great declension in Israel. They are not doing what God has called them to do. they are living in a manner that is inconsistent. At the very end of the book it indicts this generation with this particular statement. The author says, in those days there was no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
So in answer to that, God would raise up these deliverers. He would raise up men like Gideon to save his people from the oppression that they found themselves in. Last week we considered the battle in Midian. Remember that the people of God numbered 300.
It was Gideon and his 300 men and they went in and they did battle. As we learn in this passage, they destroyed a hundred and 20,000 persons. There are 15,000 that still remain and so Gideon must pursue them, specifically the kings, to break their back completely so that they will no longer scourge the children of Israel. And so that's what we find here in chapter 8.
Pursuit of the Midianites
we find first the pursuit of the Midianites in verses 1 to 21, secondly the final days of Gideon in verses 22 to 23, and then the state of Israel after Gideon's death in verses 33 to 35. So that's where we're going this morning as we consider chapter 8.
Ephraim, Sukkoth, and Penuel
The first thing, when we see Gideon pursuing with these 300 men, We need to appreciate something that is going on in chapter 8. In chapter 6, Gideon had to battle against Baal. Remember, this was his first aspect in terms of his calling. You need to go back to your hometown of Ophrah.
You need to take that altar that is standing to Baal and you need to rip it down. You need to burn it. You need to sacrifice unto the Lord God of Israel. So he battles Baal in chapter 6.
He obviously battles Midianites in chapter 7. Now he's got to battle Israel in chapter 8. And I think something that the book of Judges highlights is that we're always beset with enemies on the outside, but there's enemies on the inside as well. There are three people groups mentioned in chapter 8.
Ephraim, Sukkoth, and Penuel. These are all Israelites.
Enemies Within the Covenant Community
These are all part of the covenant community. These are all persons that should support Gideon and should stand behind the war effort and should help to engage the Midianites so that they can deal with that oppression. We see first that the Ephraimites complained to Gideon. These were the primadonnas in Israel.
These were the kinds of people that wanted the attention. They wanted accolades. They wanted affirmation. Initially, when Gideon rallies up the troops to go to battle against Midian, he doesn't call on Ephraim.
And when it comes time to chase down these particular princes, it is at this point that he calls Ephraim. Ephraim then responds, thankfully, and takes the heads of Zeb and Horeb and hands them to Gideon to show that they have defeated the enemy. But notice in chapter 8, verse 1, now 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. Why weren't we called?
Why weren't we included? Why weren't we part of this particular posse? Why didn't you look to us to grant assistance and aid in this whole situation? Now notice Gideon.
We see something of his maturation in terms of his leadership ability. He diffuses the situation very effectively. He's a diplomat. if we read on. Notice in verse 2, so he said to them, what have I done now in comparison with you?
Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? This is a bit of a proverb. Isn't it better to glean grapes in Ephraim Just collect the leftovers, then get the entirety of the harvest in his small town. And then he uses this opportunity to say, 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 diffuses the situation. Ephraim is happy now, and they're no longer upset with him.
So far, so good as he deals with people in Israel. Now, as he's pursuing these two particular kings, what does he do? He goes through two Israelite towns, and instead of helping, they resist him. This is what the text is indicating.
This is something that we ought to glean and gather from this particular passage of Scripture. It is good when brethren dwell together in unity. This is what the psalmist says. The Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians says that we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We are to prize it, we are to delight in it, we are to guard it, and we are to fight for it. What we find with Sukkoth and Penuel is disunity. They're more concerned about their well-being personally than with the good of the whole. Now, I'm not trying to sound like a communist here, but there is something more important than your individual happiness.
There is something more at stake than your personal fulfillment. There is something grander and greater than you reaching your potential. And that something greater is the glory of God Most High and the strength of His Church. And as individuals, we ought to strive to promote the glory of God and the strength of His Church.
So Gideon and his 300 crossed the river Jordan, and now they're on the east side of the river. And I love the way the text says this. They were exhausted, but they were still in pursuit. Doesn't it describe the Christian life?
Sometimes you're exhausted, but you're still in pursuit. Sometimes you're beaten down and weary, but you still get up. Sometimes everything argues against it, but you say, I must serve my master. There's a resolution here with these 300.
There is a decisive commitment among these 300. These men are the real deal. These men are the kinds of men that you want in the church. that you want on Israel's side. These are the kinds of men that though battle weary, nevertheless give pursuit to the enemies of God.
And so what happens?
Sukkoth and Penuel Refuse Aid
He comes first to Sukkoth. He makes this request, give us bread. What do the men of Sukkoth say? We're not giving you bread.
They were afraid. What happens if they give these 300 men bread? And Gideon isn't successful in killing Ziba and Zalmunna. Ziba and Zalmunna and the 15,000 other Midianites will come back to Sukkoth and say, wait a minute, you assisted Gideon in the war effort.
And he would cut their throats, or they would cut their throats and utterly destroy them. Sukkoth says, no deal, Gideon. Now you ask the question, what's the difference between Ephraim and Sukkoth and Penuel? Ephraim at least did the job.
They may have been prima donnas, they may have wanted attention, they may have wanted to be the stars of the show, but when push came to shove, they cut Oreb and Zeeb's heads off and brought them to Gideon. Sukkoth and Penuel not so. And then we read this section, and we say, wait a minute, what's Gideon doing? Gideon says that he's going to take briars, and he's going to scourge the men of this town.
When he gets to Penuel, the same response is evident. They don't give him any bread. They don't assist the soldiers. They don't help them in their battle plan.
Rather, they withhold, they keep these things back because of their fear, because their trepidation, because they don't want to be seen as those who have actually opposed the Midianites. And then Gideon says, I will tear down your tower. And again, we read that from our 21st century positions of peace, and we don't get it. Do you realize that in most nations, I would imagine all nations, but I can't say that definitively, they have laws about treason.
If you betray your country in a wartime scenario, if you engage in that manner of treachery, you will be executed. So what Gideon is rehearsing here isn't outlandish, it isn't barbaric, it ought not to offend our delicate sensitivities, it ought not to make us cry out for flannel graft, Gideon, that would never do anything so horrific, but rather it is an act of war when men in your own camp resist the good of the whole, what Gideon promises them he makes good on." But again, this is something we ought to just glean as we move by. How many times do we see a brother or a sister taking a stand for something that is right and legitimate, and instead of identifying with him, we leave him hung out to try on his own. Just imagine if I preached a sermon against homosexuality and there was press outside of here.
Would you say, yeah, we stand behind what was preached this morning. We're on board with that. Where I preach a sermon as I typically do on Sanctity of Life Sunday against baby murder. And if the press were out there saying, what do you think?
Well, you know, it's a controversial issue. No, I agree with what that brother says. That's why I think the early church used the amen. The early church, at times in the midst of sermons, would say amen.
Why? Because that affirmed that the people were actually on board with what was being preached. It wasn't the case that everybody's kind of looking around saying, is everybody on board with this? Do you actually buy this?
It's wrong to engage in homosexuality. It's wrong to murder babies in their wombs. Do we really believe this? Yes, we believe it.
Amen. The reporter asks you this afternoon, do you believe what that nut said in the pulpit? You say yes. Not Sukkoth and Penuel.
They want to side with the Midianites to protect their own hide. But you know, interestingly enough, when they side with the Midianites to protect their own hide, they suffer the wrath of Israel. You see, you always do what's right. This is something that ought to concern us today.
The lack of objective truth, reality, biblical resolve. There was a day when men died for the truth of Holy Scripture. There was a day, and there is a day, when men die for the truth of Holy Scripture. Have you seen the news?
I'm not talking about one of the Christian organizations that are reporting on the plight in Mosul, Iraq. You know what has recently been decided in Mosul, Iraq? That if you are a non-Muslim, you've got to get out of town. What would you do?
Would you say, well, you know, it's probably a good time to leave off Jesus and side with Allah, because I don't want to miss out on what I have here in Mosul. It's a nice place. It's a lot of amenities. I've got a job here.
I've got a house here. I've got family here. I've got people who love me here. You side with Christ no matter the cost.
We've lost that today. We've missed something. objective standard, objective truth. Are we going to be the men of Sukkoth and Penuel who say, well we don't really want to assist you Gideon, because we're not sure how everything's going to fall out. What does Gideon say?
God is going to deliver Ziba and Zalmunna into my hands and when he does I will come back to Sukkoth and I will teach you discipline with these briars from the wilderness. What all that entails I don't know specifically, but I don't think it was good. and with Penuel, because you've betrayed God, you've betrayed the armies of the living God, I will tear down this tower that you prize, and I will ultimately burn your city." We need to side with that which is right. We need to side with the truth. It is getting to be more increasingly that the biggest criminals in society are those who hold to objective standards of truth.
You can murder babies in their mothers' wombs. You can lie with men as condemned in the Bible. And yet everybody heralds you and proclaims you as some sort of a hero. I mean, there was a fellow in the NBA who came out.
The White House phoned him and congratulated him. Exactly. We ought to scream and cry and weep over such an instance like that. I tell you, as I've gone through the book of Judges, I don't think there's a more relevant book today for the church.
Are we the men of Shewkoth and Penuel? Is our personal safety more important than the cause of God and truth? There's something more than you. There's something bigger.
You're part of a much larger whole. And your task, your privilege, your benefit is to promote God and His glory in the church of Jesus Christ. Davis says this concerning Sukkoth and Penuel. 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.
It's an interesting turn of statement that they say when he goes to Sukkoth. When he goes to Sukkoth and he asks for bread, the elders say, are the hands of Ziba and Zalmunna now in your hand? That's probably literal. are the palms of Ziba and Zalmuna in your hand. That would evidence that now that these men are handless, they're certainly powerless and as a result will give you breath.
Davis says, It is partly understandable, he's not justifying it, but listen to the logic. If the leaders of Sukoth 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. Makes sense, doesn't it? Their skin, their lives, their houses, their families, their cars, their boats, their summer homes were more important to them than the glory of God and the good of Israel.
And Davis points out how they were in a very difficult or precarious position geographically. Remember the Midianites were the people from the east. That means they crossed the river Jordan and they came into the main part of the land of Canaan. And it's there that they decimated Israel.
So now these Midianite kings and these 15,000 have crossed the river. They've gone back to regroup. Gideon and his 300 have to cross the river and get back over there. Sukkoth and Penuel are very vulnerable.
They understand what happens if Gideonite fails to carry out this task of eradication. Davis goes on, and unlike the Western tribes, Sukoth 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.
Or was it faithlessness? Listen to this. Well, you know, it would be wise if I didn't identify with Jesus, because then I can do more good. Where does the Bible say that?
It doesn't. You identify with Jesus. Or was it faithlessness? He says it can be difficult to distinguish the two.
Must our safety always be the ultimate consideration? Could Sukkoth and Penuel not see that Yahweh, the God of Israel, had granted a signal of 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.
Safety Pursued, Judgment Received
Since they sided with Israel's enemies, they were treated as Israel's enemies. So you see, when we desperately cleave to our safety, when we desperately hold to our happiness, When we are unwilling to give it up for God Most High and the good of His people, we will find that we sacrifice everything. We will never be the losers siding with Christ. We never lose owning Jesus.
You will never be defeated in Christ. You may suffer, you may have hardship, you may have difficulty, you may have trial, they may ultimately screw a .38 into your mouth and pull the trigger, but what happens from that point on? We are absent from the body and present with the Lord. This is why Paul could say, whether I live in the body or I die, Christ is magnified.
He says, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Again, what do you do with a Paul? You come to his cell in the morning and you say, Paul, we're going to allow you to live another day. He says, great.
I'll continue to write letters to the churches, because that's what Jesus wants me to do. Another day they come in and they rip open the cell door and they say, Paul, come with us, we're going to feed you to the lions. What does He respond this time? Creator!
You say, Paul, are you nuts? Are you crazy? Is something not clicking there? We understand the great when you want to stay on in the body and write for Jesus in your cell.
But we just told you we're going to feed you to lions with big jaws and heavy paws that can whack you and play sport with you until they actually kill you. And Paul says that will be greater. That's gain to me. That's Christianity, you see.
That's what we have in the Beloved. We have everything. Sukkoth and Penuel held to their safety, held to their houses, held to their form of life, held to these things to the detriment of Gideon and his army, and as a result, they became treated like Israel's enemies.
Final Days of Gideon
Now notice, that's an overview of the first point. Let's move on to the second, the final days of Gideon. Actually, Gideon does take care of Ziba and Zalmuna. His son Jether sounds like he did when he was young, doesn't he?
Jether says, I'm just a youth. I don't know that I want to cut the heads off of Ziba and Zalmuna. Sounds just like what Gideon was when he was a youth, when he was called to service. Ziba and Zalmuna say, do it, Gideon.
Bring it. So Gideon brings it. Don't tell a Gideon, go ahead and cut my head off, because Gideon's going to go ahead and cut your head off. He's going to strike first, he's going to strike hard.
So the Midianite oppression is done. He broke their back. He got deliverance from the Lord. Now notice, the final days will divide it up into two considerations, his ephod and his death.
The People's Request for a King
The people, verse 22, desire to make him a king. This isn't the language that they employ, but the concept is present. We want you to rule over us. We want your sons to rule over us.
We want your grandsons to rule over us. That's dynasty. That's monarchy. That's kingdom.
This is what they want from Gideon at this point. He has destroyed an army of 135,000 people with 300 men who lap water out of the river like dogs. Certainly, if you see a man as accomplished as that, he is an attractive character to be your king, isn't he? But look at what 22 says.
And remember 7 too. Why did God whittle down that army to 300 men? He didn't want Israel to take glory for themselves. He didn't want Israel to say, we have accomplished this victory today.
Look at verse 22 in chapter 8. 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. That is not altogether true. God the Lord delivered them from the hand of Midian.
They're ascribing praise and glory to Gideon. instead of giving it to God Most High, where the author does. Notice in verse 28, Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel. It is a passive verb that is used. That means, Midian was subdued by God Most High for the good of Israel.
You see, the author, whether the people there at the time or not are going to give glory to God, the author is going to. He's going to make sure that you and I know where the victory came from against this Midianite army. But the people want Gideon to be a king. They want him to rule over them.
Now, we need to notice something interesting here about this particular section. On the one hand, Gideon refuses, but on the other hand, Gideon accepts. And this, I think, is what leads us to consider his downfall. You don't need to be a Bible scholar to see that Gideon doesn't end well, does he?
It's sad. You get to the end of some of these men's lives, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, you say, come on, what happened? You were doing well. Isn't that disappointing when a leader that you esteem and highly prize falls?
There ain't no new thing under the sun. Gideon doesn't end well. But let's just trace this particular fall. The people want him to rule over.
Verse 23, Gideon said, I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you. That's a good statement. But everything that follows from this point betrays the statement.
Things that are done for royalty are done for Gideon. And Gideon calls for it to be done. On the one hand, there's a formal rejection of kingship, but there is an informal reception. He first calls upon them to give him money.
You complain about paying your taxes today, don't you? This is something as old as the sun itself. People have had to pay taxes to support government officials. Look at what Gideon says in 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.
Now certainly, he takes some of that gold to build this ephod, which we'll look at in just a moment, but certain of the rest of the gold, he puts it into the treasury. We're talking a lot of dough in this particular instance. Let me just find it in my notes. We're talking about 43 pounds of gold.
That's the Royal Treasury, isn't it? What happens when we trace down to the text? Gideon has many wives. What is this indicative of?
Royalty. King. Deuteronomy 17, the instructions given to the subsequent king is that they not multiply wealth and that they not multiply women, because both those things will be a downfall. Both those things will lead to apostasy.
Gideon is acting like a king, even down to the naming of his son Abimelech, the son he has with a concubine, no less. What does Abimelech mean, you ask? It means, my father is king. So on the one hand, Gideon makes this formal refusal, no, I'm not going to be king over you.
But on the other hand, everything he does bespeaks of kingly rule. As we trace through Abimelech, we see there is a dynasty that is left after Gideon. And what I want to suggest in this particular instance is that it's been my impression that very few men can actually handle success and handle the accolades of men. Let me just say that again.
It's been my impression. I could be wrong. I'm off notes at this particular point, so don't hold me to this. But it's been my impression that very few men can handle great success or the accolades of men.
Gideon, with 300, has destroyed 135,000. Gideon, with his own sword, cut the heads off of Ziba and Zalmunna to give the decisive blow to this oppressor. He comes back and the people say, we want you to rule over us. Success and the accolades of man are a strong and powerful tonic for any man.
You see, I think one of the reasons why Spurgeon was so greatly successful and why Calvin was so greatly successful is that God gave them a great deal of humility. Not perfect humility, but enough humility to be able to carry the day when they were very successful and when they received the accolades of men. This is a strong tonic. Gideon is soaking it in.
Gideon's Ephod and Idolatry
And then Gideon makes this ephod. Don't you want to just grab him and say, don't. Don't, Gideon. You're our hero.
You're the victor. You're the deliverer. You've devastated the armies of Midian. Don't go down this path.
Doesn't work yelling at the guys in the Bible. They still do what they're going to do. Much like yelling at people today, they still typically do what they're going to do. Unless the Spirit of God comes and breaks in.
Two ways this ephod could be understood. The ephod was a part of the high priest's garment. Perhaps Gideon was attempting to be a vehicle of the Word of God for Israel. Or it could be just garden variety idolatry.
Either way, it's idolatry. Because the people of Israel, they played the harlot with it. Which again, just as we move by the text, we ought to observe this. It's very difficult to get Baal out of one's blood, isn't it?
It is very difficult to get bail out of one's blood. Perhaps your bail was mammon. Perhaps your bail was sex. Perhaps your bail was family.
Perhaps your bail was whatever. And you get converted unto Christ. Do not think for a moment that I'm safe. Do not think for a moment it can never harm me again.
Do not think for a moment that I will never fall. The apostle tells us just the opposite. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. What was Gideon's first task in terms of preparation?
Go to Ophrah, locate the altar to Baal, locate the Asherah pole, knock them both down, set them on fire, and burn sacrifices unto the God of Israel. We see in that instance the people had Baal in their blood. When Gideon constructs this ephod and sets it back out in the middle of Ophrah, what do the people do? It's almost like moths to the light.
Why do they do that? I'm not a moth expert. I cannot explain it, but I see the phenomena. You're sitting on your porch, the light is on, and moths just get drawn to it.
That's an amazing aspect of God's creational ability. Why did he so fashion the moth that when they see light, they inevitably fly to it? If it's just a regular light, it really doesn't do them any harm. But you see, man is pretty smart.
We've made lights that zap them. They don't know that as they're being drawn to that light, there's a zap at the end. It's idolatry, isn't it? Calvin says our hearts are like idol factories.
We're busy manufacturing new ones each and every day. It's like moths to the light. Moths to the light. Man to his money.
Man to his sex. Man to his power. Man to whatever it is that holds him captive. Bail in the blood is difficult to rid yourselves of.
That's why you're dependent upon the grace of God. Why you go to the Spirit of God. Why you pray to God. Why you immerse yourself in the Scriptures of God.
Because you cannot do it apart from God. This is how John ends his first epistle, little children. Keep yourselves from idols. The Ophrahites are back at it.
Baal's in town again. Let's bow and worship at his altar." This is the way Gideon ends. Note the summary statement of verse 28. Thus 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. They'd faced seven years of harsh oppression under Midian. Remember, their tact was to come in and decimate their crops. Now they've got 40 years, and this time the press does not see them worshipping the God of Israel, it sees them in apostasy from the God of Israel.
The author then records his death, indicates his house, verse 29, his conduct, again it sounds so kingly, in verses 30 and 31, and then it tells us specifically about his death. Verse 32, Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abizrites. What do we learn as the observant reader?
The Difficulty of Ending Well
It can be hard to end well. See, when somebody says, I just got converted, I believe the gospel, I've come to Christ, I rejoice in that. Our prayer is that God, the Spirit, would come during preaching and would save sinners. It would be wonderful to be standing at the back of the church sometime and have somebody say, wow, I got it!
I heard about Christ, I heard about forgiveness, and by the grace of God, I believe! Praise the Lord. We ought to imitate heaven and be like those angels who rejoice in the sight of one sinner who repents. But then the challenge comes, doesn't it?
You see, if we all just believed on the Lord Jesus and then dropped dead, things would be a whole lot easier, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? There'd be no daily battle against sin. There would be no daily draw to that idol, the way the moth goes to the light.
There would be no daily combat. There'd be no Midianites to have to deal with. There'd be none of that. You'd believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Imagine that as an evangelistic plea. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will drop dead and enter into his presence. I don't know how many people would say, I'm ready to go. I'm not suggesting that we do this ever, because that's not the way it is.
You know, some people get converted when they're 10. Some people get converted when they're 20. Some people get converted when they're 90, and it's close to believe and then die. What of those who typically get converted in their young 20s or in their teenage years?
You've got a long life ahead of you. Is a Christian life easy? Does everybody just wake up and say, oh, it's easy to be holy. It's easy to be godly.
It's easy to avoid those lights that are constantly drawing me in. It's easy to live in a sex-crazed society. It's easy to live in a society where when the sun comes out, the clothes come off, and it's hard to even drive down the road without being compromised. Is it easy?
Anybody in here say, yeah, the Christian life for me is very easy. It's all worth it. It's worth fighting for. The combat is essential and necessary and most blessed.
When the Apostle Paul describes himself at the end of his life, he says, I have fought the good fight. You fight as a Christian. You don't lay down passively and let everything happen to you. You've got to man up.
You've got to face life. You've got to deal with it. You've got to pray to God. You've got to be in the Scriptures.
You've got to beg for the Spirit to fill you so that you can deal successfully in this world. It is tough to end well. Not impossible, though. God Most High reaches down to His struggling saints and He lifts them up.
He encourages them along the way. He refreshes their spirits. See, this is why, I guess, as I'm getting older, I value the Church more. I value the Lord's Supper more, because I see those means as God reaching down and encouraging His saints.
What do you need when you're battle-weary? You need the refreshment of bread and wine. What do you need when you're battle-weary? You need the refreshment of brethren that love you, care for you, that are concerned for you.
You need brethren to say, is there anything I can pray for you about? It amazes me sometimes on Sunday mornings we're praying for brethren that aren't here. I like to know that if I'm lying on my sick bed and I can't make it to a prayer meeting, there are people here shouldering my burdens to the throne of grace. What a blessing!
It's the most excellent society on the face of the earth! So the hymn writers wrote hymns extolling the church. This is why Jesus said, I will build my church. This is why Paul says, endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace in the church.
Because it's the society of the saints of Christ encouraging one another, helping one another. It's God reaching down into the midst of where we're at and giving us those refreshments that we certainly need. It may be tough, but it's not impossible.
Israel After Gideon's Death
Look finally at the state of Israel after Gideon's death. Verse 33. So it was as soon as Gideon was dead. His body still warm.
That's what the author would say if he was more crass like me. as soon as he was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the bales, and made Baal barit, that's Baal of the covenant, their god. Verse 34, Thus the children of Israel did not remember the Lord their God. Again, this doesn't mean they had no cognitive understanding that Yahweh was the King of Israel. They knew that all too well.
It means they didn't have this knowledge experientially. They were not worshipping Him, they were not serving Him, they were not loving Him. You can talk about how much Bible you know. You can tell me that you've read Berkhoff.
You can tell me that you've memorized the 1689 Confession. You can tell me about all the knowledge that you have in your noggin. If you are not daily putting to death the deeds of your body, if you are not pursuing those things which are pleasing to Christ our Lord, then yeah, you know Him on the one hand, but you don't know Him the way He defines it in John 17.3. This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." Gideon's gone, and they undergo wickedness.
You know, if I was a user of marijuana, and I wanted to smoke a marijuana cigarette, and I came into this back patio to do so, I would like to think it would dawn on me that there's one door with a people, and that there might actually be somebody sitting in there that can hear. I hear people walk into the back, I look through the peephole, and I see them about to engage in their misdeeds. I dutifully open the door and I say, can I help you with something? That's typically enough to send them on their way.
If they thought for a moment that someone was looking through that peephole, or they actually had a moment of utter brilliance and saw cameras up there, the cameras are there not to trace your movement, to guard your cards. They would say, there is a restraining force here such that I ought not to engage in my misdeed. What happens to Israel? Gideon's dead, they bow before Baal.
They got Baal in their blood. They got Baal in their hearts and their ingrates. Verse 35, nor did they show kindness to the house of Jeroboam, that is Gideon, in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. Did Gideon end well?
No, but he secured a 40-year period of peace. Certainly you can speak well of him, speak well to him, and provide a little concern and care for his family. Because later, the apostolic writers will say, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring the gospel of peace. You esteem those men whom the Lord God uses for your good.
Application: Lessons from Gideon
So what do we learn? First, the inconsistency of God's servants. The inconsistency of God's servants. We look at Gideon as a youth, he lavers.
He's fearful. He's got trepidation. He needs affirmation from the Lord our God. The Lord deigns to bless him in certain ways.
He gives him sign after sign after sign. And Gideon mans up. Gideon goes out. Gideon takes care of Midianites.
This is why God approves of Gideon and Samson. Because they knew how to do business. They knew how to get it done. There may be fear and trepidation, but the job will be accomplished with Gideon at the helm.
We notice the failure of Gideon as we move to the end of the passage when the people ascribe to him deliverance, he ought to have deflected it to God. Now I know that's easy for us to say or me to say on this side of it. As I said, success and the praise of men Success! Having done a great thing for God.
Having people tell you, you're doing great things for God. If a man is going to be successful, may God indeed increase his humility. You don't have proud, arrogant wretches that want to be treated like kings. We learn from this as well, the warning for his new covenant servants.
How is Gideon described in chapter 6? He's a man of valor. I realize it's hot. It's one of those hot days in Canada or Chilliwack.
Let's just gird our minds for like seven more minutes, to use Pastor Kim as an example. He always goes seven or eight or three. I typically round five or ten. But in the desire to be a man of my word, we'll go 7 or 8.
No more than 10. And it's not that hot. Mr. Bolt still has his jacket on.
You know it's really hot when he takes his jacket off. What does this teach us about us? If a deliverer of Israel, who is described as a mighty man of valor, can fall, We need to be on our guard. We need to be watchful.
We need to be prayerful. We need to be in this book. We need to be at this table. We need to be supplicants before God Most High.
We need to say, open our mouths and fill them. I already alluded to the text. The Apostle highlights idolatry in Israel in chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, and he says, Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it." We misunderstand that text.
We take that text and we say, well, you know, it's never going to be so bad, but God is going to deliver me. And that is true. And the entirety of the Bible tells us that. But this text very specifically is highlighting and underscoring our responsibility.
Look at what the passage says. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." That's responsibility. You need to consider this and you need to take heed to yourself. He then says, "...no temptation has overtaken you such as is common to man.
But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it." What's the point? You must pursue that way of escape! He doesn't say you're going to fall into temptation and God's going to click his cosmic fingers and lift you out of it. The scripture says that you're going to be in the midst of temptation.
You're going to see gate A that says sin, depravity, wickedness, and debauchery. It's going to be like that light in the moth. And there's going to be a gate B that God put there. Watch Paul say, go through B.
Take the exit! Flee from idolatry! That's what he says in verse 14. God doesn't just snap us out of a problem.
God says, move it! Secondly, there is a stark contrast between Gideon and Paul. What does Paul say at the end of his life? Paul says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Isn't that impressive? Isn't that beautiful? Could Gideon say that at the end? No, he couldn't.
Paul could say that in the eleventh hour because he was faithful every step of the way. You see, Paul always persevered, not perfectly, but Paul got out of bed, Paul did what God called him to do, and Paul always supremely prized Jesus Christ over everything and anything. Paul didn't want the praise of men. He didn't want his own glory.
He didn't want his own honor. He was a genuinely humble man that was about the glory of God Most High and about the good of the Church of Jesus Christ. So Paul is able to say something that Gideon himself couldn't say. Who do you want to be in your life?
Do you want to be a Gideon who, by the grace of God, I believe is in heaven, but he doesn't burst in through the front door? Or do you want to be a Paul who could say at the end of his life, imagine that testimony to your kids, imagine that testimony to your grandkids, imagine that testimony to your great-great-grandkids, when you say, I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, and your whole family there is saying, Amen. They're not saying, when? We didn't see it.
I didn't get it. I didn't see you doing this. When Paul says that, Timothy doesn't say, wait a minute, I haven't seen that to be the case. When Paul says it, he means it.
Choose ye this day, either Paul or Gideon. Too many Gideons in the church. And I mean, I love Gideon. I esteem Gideon.
I want to meet Gideon. When I see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, I want to see Paul. I want to see Peter. I want to see those brothers.
I want to see Gideon and Samson. These brothers are two of my heroes. We can't commend the way he ends. And then you've got to see, in terms of a warning for his new covenant servants, the parallel between Israel under Gideon and apart from him, and children under parents and apart from them.
It's interesting being now an old man. You're supposed to laugh because I'm not an old man. We just started having babies when we were very young. What's the daily struggle for you parents with young people?
How are they going to turn out? What are they going to be like? Kids, we know that when we tell you to go clean your room, you're really not working hard until you hear us walk up the steps. We know that.
We're not that foolish. Go clean your room. OK, you sit there, and now you're probably playing Angry Birds. You used to actually have to play something.
Now you just play something else that's plays. You hear us coming up the stairs, and what happens? Look busy. Mom's coming, right?
That's cute when you're 10, but when you're leaving from under our authority, we don't want you in Baal's lap. We don't want you worshiping Baal. We don't want you bowing to Molech. Look at Israel as soon as Gideon is dead.
And you know it's quite common, at least among us Reformed, When a child or a young person goes astray, we blame the parents. Oh, they were rotten parents. I'm pretty content to say that most of us are rotten parents. God stands in the gap.
He overrules our foolishness, and he does great things nevertheless. But I want to tell you kids, and I want to tell you young people something today. Your parents were the worst things that ever fell out from underneath a rock. It does not excuse you on the Day of Judgment.
You will always stand before God Most High, and you will give an account to Him. Not for how your dad did things, not for how your mom did things, not for how your brother did things, but for how you did things. I feel content at this point to say with Elijah, another of God's prophets, choose you this day, whom you will serve. If Baal is God, bow.
If Yahweh is God, bow. And we ought to appreciate, in the midst of this messiness, the grace of God. They had 40 years of rest. They saw the end of their enemies.
They enjoyed the fruit of the land. God is gracious to his covenant people. And then Davis reminds us of one final lesson. We approach the 10 minute mark here.
I've said before, and I will say again, that Othniel, and Eaglin, and Shamgar, and Beric, and Samson, and Gideon, and Japheth, and all those minor judges, Tola, and Jer, all those judges typify, point forward to the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, we will see, God willing, next week in the birth narrative of Samson. He will save his people from oppression. Sounds just like Matthew 121 concerning our Lord Jesus Christ.
See, the author is preaching Christ all throughout the book of Judges. Davis reminds us of this very important note. He says, this shadow of inconsistency, what happens to Gideon, This shadow of inconsistency and of disappointment frequently hangs over God's servants. Gideon was hardly a rare exception.
This is not to excuse the sins or errors of the leaders of God's people, but let it temper our expectations. Whenever you put a man in the place that belongs to Jesus Christ alone, you're going to be disappointed. I guarantee it. Absolutely, 100%.
I can speak that without even being a prophet. He says, 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.
Gospel Call
If you are not a believer here this morning, you may wonder about Ziba, you may wonder about Zalmunna, but may I encourage you to wonder more about Jesus Christ. You see, Gideon came to save his people from Midianite oppression. The Gospel of Matthew says that Jesus came to save his people, not from Midianite oppression, but from sin. He came to make it such that they're no longer like moths going into that electricity.
He came to break the power of reigning sin. He came to set the captives free. If you ask the question, how does He do that? He did it through His own life of obedience to His Father.
He did it through His own death at Calvary. God was pleased to bruise Him. Jesus took our punishment. Jesus took our penalty, and Jesus exhausted it in his own death.
He was buried, he spent three days in the tomb, and on that third day he rose again. And as the Apostle says, he was delivered up, or he was crucified because of our offenses, but he was raised up for our justification. And the take-home message today is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. What a privilege as a minister of the gospel to be able to promise that to sinners.
Believe and you will be saved. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for its clarity. We thank you for its unity. We thank you for all that it does in terms of giving glory to you and comfort to the people of God.
I pray that you would take these things, you would cause us to learn the lessons that we need to learn and that you would affect us for good. Be merciful as well and reach down in grace and mercy and save sinners here and in other churches here in Chilliwack, throughout Canada and to the uttermost parts of the earth. We pray that your kingdom would come in power and in glory and in might. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.