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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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. 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, 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.