Judges 6-8
Judges 6-8
The book of Judges emphatically presents the sovereignty of God. He allowed Israel’s enemies to dominate them, and when they cried out to Him for deliverance, He sent judges to deliver from oppression. The record of Gideon’s leadership further demonstrates that God was reigning over the events in Israel—He was unwilling to share His glory with those whom He used to deliver His people.
Gideon was called to deliver Israel from Midian—a nation related to Israel through Abraham (cf. Gen 25.1-3). They had ruled God’s people for seven years (6.1), and their situation was so bad that they had been reduced to cave-dwellers and “became poverty-stricken” (6.2-6). God reminded the people that their situation was not His intent, but rather the result of their disobedience (6.7-10). It was to this situation that the Angel of the LORD called Gideon (6.11-14), who questioned, “how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house” (6.15). Gideon was so weak in faith that he asked for signs to affirm that God was speaking with Him (6.17-24), and that God would indeed deliver Israel through him (6.33-40). Gideon’s tepid spirit caused him to destroy his father’s altar to Baal only under the cover of the night (6.25-32); he was hardly a mighty warrior.
In delivering His people from Midian, God not only chose a feeble Judge, but also an undersized army and awkward battle strategy. While Gideon and company were camped just south of Midian, “The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag: ‘I did it myself’” (7.2). After thinning the troops of Israel at the spring of Harod (7.4-8), the LORD fortified Gideon’s feeble heart as he and Purah heard the Midianites fearful confession that God had given Midian into the hands of His people—by the sword of Gideon (7.9-14). Indeed Gideon’s saber was left spotless as, “the LORD set the swords of each man in the (Midianite) army against each other” (7.22) when the pitchers were shattered and the Israelites blew their 300 trumpets (7.15-23).
The remainder of the story of Gideon shows what happens to a man who—although nothing in-and-of himself—becomes proud when mightily used by God:
- He began to compare his success with that of others (7.24-8.3)
- He began to use his allies for his own glory (8.4-21). Gideon’s pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian, was not immoral; they had oppressed Israel for seven years (cf. 6.1). But when Gideon threatened the men of Succoth (vv. 4-7) and Penuel (vv. 8-9)—and intimidated his firstborn son (vv. 18-21)—he overstepped the bounds of Providential blessing; these were all undertaken without any reference to the LORD
- He gave lip-service to God while diligent for his own reputation (8.22-27). The narrative displays the change of heart that had taken place in Israel’s leader; he said: “‘I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you’…(but) Gideon made an ephod from all this (the contribution of gold earrings) and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Then all Israel prostituted themselves with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household” (vv. 23, 27)
In the end, Israel resembled Gideon: just as he had used people for his own ends, likewise “they did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel” (8.35). Despite the unfaithfulness of Gideon’s later days, his story was memorable for the author to the Hebrews (cf. 11.32); Gideon was the first of four Judges listed in the famous ‘Hall of Faith.’ But the author to the Hebrews had more in mind than simply recalling his audience to the sublime story of Gideon’s leadership. He wished to make clear that Gideon’s ministry took place before the days of perfection, before the promises were fulfilled, before God provided better things in Christ. In Heb 11, like so many places in the New Testament, the argument is from the lesser to the greater; if God used Gideon—of the weakest family in his tribe and least in his father’s house (cf. Jdg 6.15)—to accomplish so much, what might He have for those who live in the days of fulfillment? Heb 11 concludes: “All these (Gideon and the Old Testament saints) were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be perfect without us” (vv. 39-40).
*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com