Gideon’s Story (Part 2)

Judges 6-8

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY

Creation. Abraham. Moses. DAVID. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to Come.

Currently, in our devotional series, God’s Story in God’s People, we are focusing on the leaders of Israel after they conquered the promised land—first the judges, then the kings. The first judge was Othniel, followed by Ehud (known for being left-handed), Shamgar, and Deborah. We have been studying the fifth judge, Gideon.

I believe it's fair to say Gideon was high-maintenance—much like many of us. He needed signs from God to move forward. Before going into battle against the Midianites, he laid a large piece of wool on the threshing floor and asked for God’s assurance of Israel’s victory under his leadership. Gideon requested that the floor be dry and the wool be wet. God delivered. To be certain of success, the next day Gideon reversed the sign, asking for the wool to be dry and the floor to be wet. God delivered again. 

Confident in the outcome, Gideon and 32,000 fighting men set out to defeat the Midianites and the Amorites, who had been oppressing the Israelites for seven years.

Gideon had been making deals with God; now God makes a deal with Gideon. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other armies from the East were “like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance” (Judg. 7:12). They were a formidable enemy, at least five times larger than Israel’s fighting force. Yet God makes this surprising statement to Gideon: “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’” (Judg. 7:2). 

First, God gave Gideon the authority to send home any soldier who was “fearful and trembling.” Twenty-two thousand men accepted the offer, leaving 10,000 to fight against more than 135,000 enemy soldiers. That was still too many for God, so he had Gideon take the men to the spring of Harod near their camp. Anyone who knelt and put their head to the water to drink was sent home. A soldier isn’t alert when his head is in the water, but anyone who crouched like a baseball catcher, scooped water with his hand, and brought it to his mouth—that’s the type of fighter God wanted in the battle. 

Only 300 men stayed alert while drinking from the spring and thus qualified for God’s mission. 300 against 135,000! Those are good odds when God is on your side!

However, God provided one more sign for Gideon. He said, “If you are afraid... go down to the [Midianite] camp” and listen to what the soldiers are saying (Judg. 7:10). Gideon went with his servant and crept close enough to overhear a soldier telling his dream to a fellow soldier. “He said, ‘Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.’ And his comrade answered, ‘This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp’” (Judg. 7:13-14).

With God’s reassurance, Gideon divided his men into three groups and had them carry specific items as they surrounded the Midianites. Gideon instructed the men to—on his signal—break their empty jars for sound effects, hold torches in one hand, blow their shofars, and shout, “For the LORD and for Gideon” (Judg. 7:18). When the jars were shattered and the trumpets sounded, God caused such fear and confusion among the Midianites that the frightened soldiers turned on one another. Gideon and his men captured and defeated the Midianites and Amorites, along with their generals and kings. Gideon also punished the groups that refused to help the Israelites in the battle (Judg. 8:1-21). 

After Gideon’s decisive victory, the people of Israel said, “‘Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.’ Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you’” (Judg. 8:22-23).

This was a remarkable statement from Gideon. He did not seek glory, fame, or power. He understood that Yahweh had secured the victory and that he alone was the rightful Judge and King of the people. This marks a high point in Gideon’s leadership. You might wish the story ended there, but it doesn’t. 

Gideon refused to accept legacy leadership, but he made one request. He asked that all his men give him golden earrings from the spoils of victory. The men willingly gave Gideon about forty-three pounds of gold. He also collected ornaments from the necks of royal camels. These crescent-shaped pendants were associated with the worship of the moon god Shahr.[1]

Then, for some reason, Gideon made an “ephod” from the gold and metals he collected. The ephod was a priestly garment used to discern God’s will. However, Gideon did not become a priest, nor did he use it to communicate with God. Instead, his ephod became an object of worship. Gideon placed the ephod in his hometown and likely draped the royal robes of the Midianite and Amorite kings he had slain over it. 

The note for this verse in the Archaeology Study Bible says, “A similar practice in Assyria involved draping garments over images of the gods. Perhaps this was a clothed sacred image placed in the city.”[2]

The story of Gideon ends with both wins and setbacks. On the one hand, God used Gideon to accomplish his purposes faithfully. Through Gideon’s story, we see that God meets us in our fears and gives us confidence. He provided Gideon with signs that helped him lead effectively and achieve victory. In turn, Gideon credited the glory to God. When the people wanted to make him their ruler, he refused, saying, “The LORD will rule over you.” During Gideon’s lifetime, Israel enjoyed forty years of peace. 

On the other hand, the ephod Gideon made “became a snare to [him] and to his family” and “all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it” (Judg. 8:27 NIV). Gideon had seventy sons from many wives (Judg. 8:30). He also had a son, Abimelech, by one of his concubines, who killed the other sons after Gideon died. However, one son, Jotham, escaped and lived in exile.

Sadly, “as soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god” (Judg. 8:33). Gideon had so much, yet left so little.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on Judges 6-8. How has God recently reassured you in a moment of fear or uncertainty?

Talking to God: Ask God to meet your fear with his confidence.  

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