You Started Strong, But… | Sunday, April 7, 2024

Now the men of the tribe of Ephraim said to Gideon, "Why have you done this to us, not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?" And they reprimanded him sharply. So Gideon said to them, "What have I done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that. (Judges 8:1–3)

Gideon began as the greatest of Israel's judges—until victory went to his head and revealed how a strong start can end in tragic failure.

The Backdrop of Judges

This year we are spending the bulk of our time going through the Old Testament Book of Judges, a series I've called "Dumpster Fire," because at this point in Israel's history the nation moved from one dumpster fire to another. After the children of Israel came into the land promised to Abraham and took possession of it under Joshua, Joshua died, and the people were left to lead and rule themselves.

Moses had told them in Deuteronomy: as long as you follow the Lord and keep His commandments, you will be blessed. Deuteronomy 28 lists blessing after blessing—blessed in your towns, in your fields, in your storehouse. But in the same passage God says that if you depart from faithfully following Him, He will remove His hand of protection and blessing. I call this the passive judgment of God, where He simply allows you to reap the consequences of your actions.

Judges pictures exactly this reality. Seven times we read that "the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord," turning to the gods of the surrounding peoples. Their idolatry and immorality would slide them into despair as enemy nations oppressed them. They would cry out, and because God is merciful and gracious, He would raise up a deliverer—a judge—to rescue them. We've considered Othniel, Ehud, Deborah and Barak, and then Gideon, whose story occupies chapters six through eight.

Gideon, the Greatest of the Judges

When I introduced Gideon several weeks ago, I told you he was one of the greatest of Israel's judges—we might even call him the GOAT, the greatest of all time. In Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, the first judge mentioned is Gideon. He is a standout, the quintessential judge—until you get to chapter 8.

Everything would be great if the story ended at the end of chapter 7 or even in the first few verses of chapter 8. But it has been observed many times that it isn't how you begin the race or the war that matters; it's how you finish. In 2007 the New England Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, undefeated, and won in the playoffs—until they faced the Giants in Super Bowl 42, and Eli Manning walked away with the ring and the MVP. Tom Brady was an amazing player, a Hall of Famer, but the season comes down to how you finish, not how you begin. Sometimes a player doesn't begin well at all but finishes magnificently.

Point number one: In the end it is all about how you finish and not how you begin. Gideon is still in Hebrews 11, but when you read Judges 8 you have to ask why, because this chapter perfectly illustrates what not to do when you win. In some ways the victory went to his head, and victory can be more deadly and dangerous than defeat.

This brings us back to 1 Corinthians 10:12: "Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall." In Romans 11 Paul tells the Christians at Rome that we stand by faith and trust in God—so do not be high-minded or conceited, thinking your power comes from you. In chapters 6 and 7 Gideon fully acknowledged his own weakness and insufficiency, and that is why he was victorious—because he trusted in God. But somewhere along the line he forgot those lessons.

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath

At the start of chapter 8 it seems Gideon will finish well. With just 300 men he had expelled an army of 135,000 Midianites who came every harvest to plunder the land—not because of his strategy or strength, but purely by the power of God. In fact, God had reduced his army from over 20,000 to 300 precisely so that no one could claim it was their own strength.

As Gideon pursued the fleeing Midianites, he called the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh to help, and then the strong tribe of Ephraim, whose men captured and killed two Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb. But then the men of Ephraim came and reprimanded him sharply: "Why didn't you call us when you went to fight?"

Think how you might respond when someone gets in your face like that. I confess I'm not always tempted to respond in the best way. But Gideon answers beautifully. Using poetic language, he says in effect, "I'm from the little no-nothing town of Abiezer; I've done nothing in comparison with you. Look at what you accomplished—God delivered Oreb and Zeeb into your hands." And their anger subsided.

Gideon proves the truth of Proverbs 15:1—"a soft answer turns away wrath." The verse also adds, "but a harsh word stirs up anger," a lesson every husband and wife would do well to take note of. Gideon responds in humility. If only the story stopped there, we would write "GOAT" over his life.

Knowing When to Stop the Pursuit

When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit... He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give me loaves of bread for the people who follow me, for they are exhausted..." (Judges 8:4–5)

The Jordan River was the boundary of Israel's land; everything to the west was their territory. Gideon's commission was to expel the Midianites from his land—and they had left. In many ways the mission was done. But Gideon crosses over the Jordan with his exhausted 300 men, still in pursuit.

He comes to the Jewish town of Succoth and asks for bread, but the leaders refuse. Gideon puffs up his chest and threatens, "When the Lord delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with thorns of the wilderness and briers." At Penuel he gets the same refusal and makes the same threat.

Point number two: A big part of victory is knowing when and how to stop the pursuit. Have you ever pushed a little too far, gotten out over your skis? Many commentators agree that the Lord was with Gideon only to a point. Once he crosses the Jordan, he seems to function no longer in God's power but in his own strength. There were closed doors—people from his own land unwilling to help him.

Centuries later, Paul wanted to go into Bithynia and into Asia, and the Spirit said no, and he was sensitive to that leading. Here Gideon is not. One indication is his vindictive response to Succoth and Penuel. God never leads in a direction where vengeance and retribution are the ruling passion. If those are what push you forward, that is a time to pause, because God says, "Vengeance is Mine." When God leads you into a win, be careful not to push where He is not leading—and He never leads with vengeance.

We'll see this again with Samson. In Judges 16:20 the Lord departed from him, and Samson did not know that the Lord had left him. I think Gideon had the same lack of awareness that he was now operating outside the will and call of God.

When Victory Follows Unrighteous Actions

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. (Judges 8:10)

The Midianite army that numbered 135,000 had been reduced to 15,000, fleeing for home. Gideon attacked the camp while it felt secure, captured the two kings Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.

Sometimes we are tempted to overlook and justify the actions of our heroes. But here we see point number three: True victory never follows unrighteous actions. There's no way to spin it; Gideon is functioning in a place where God was not with him. Character and integrity matter, and Gideon seems to show neither here.

And it gets worse. He returned and caught a young man of Succoth, who wrote down for him the seventy-seven elders and leaders of the town. Then he confronted them—"Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me"—and with thorns and briers he "taught the men of Succoth a lesson." Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of that city. He is on the warpath, filled with rage and vindictive, retributive "justice," taking matters into his own hand and killing the people of God.

Vengeance, retribution, and gloating are not in the list of the fruits of the Spirit; they are more akin to the works of the flesh. Always remember that people are watching our lives closely—coworkers, neighbors, and especially our children. It's a devastating reality that pastors wrestle with. I've met many a pastor's kid whose father's testimony was one way before the church and another way at home, whose example did not cross from the church doors to the doors of their home. Some no longer walk with the Lord because of it. We must always be aware of the example we set, and Gideon here was not.

The Killing of Zebah and Zalmunna

Then he said to Zebah 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." (Judges 8:18)

The Midianites, perhaps trying to flatter Gideon and save their lives, said the men they killed at Tabor each resembled the son of a king. Gideon answered, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you." Then he told his firstborn son, Jether, to rise and kill them. But the boy would not draw his sword, for he was just a youth and was afraid. So Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise yourself, and kill us"—and Gideon arose and killed them, taking the crescent ornaments from their camels' necks.

James says that "the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." One lesson here is that we should never ask others to do wickedness on our behalf. Gideon turns to his young firstborn son and tries to involve him in his own vengeance and retribution.

The Ephod That Became a Snare

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." (Judges 8:22–23)

Gideon's approval rating was sky-high. The people wanted him as their first king and his family as a dynasty. Now God had said through Moses that Israel was not to have a human king—God would be their King. And Gideon seems to answer the right way: "The Lord shall rule over you." But his actions betray his words.

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." (Judges 8:24)

He didn't want the responsibility of being king, but he didn't mind the reward. The Midianites, as descendants connected to Ishmael, wore gold earrings, and the spoil was vast. The earrings alone weighed 1,700 shekels of gold—about 42 pounds, worth roughly $1.6 million at current prices—besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, purple robes, and chains.

Gideon made all this into a golden ephod, the outer robe traditionally worn by the priest, and set it up in his city of Ophrah. There he had once torn down the altar to Baal and Asherah back in chapter 6; now he sets up a new altar—in effect, an altar to himself. He takes the glory and the credit that belonged to God, making himself an idol. "All Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house."

Point number four: God's true victors know that the glory belongs entirely to God.

Then Gideon 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. (Judges 8:29–31)

He began to live like the kings of the peoples around him. Keep the name Abimelech in mind, because it becomes important next week. Gideon used the Lord's victory as an opportunity for immorality, and when all was said and done—seventy sons by many wives and one concubine—he left it all to be dealt with by his wicked, boneheaded son. Not a good plan, especially when you have been such an abysmal example of what you ought to do.

How You Finish

The story of Gideon is challenging because the first two-thirds are wonderful. He understood his weakness, his insufficiency, his frailty, and therefore relied on the Lord. But at a certain point he began to trust what everyone said about him, to trust his own strength, to think of himself as royalty. In the end, it is all about how you finish, not how you began.

When you read Hebrews 11 and see Samson, Gideon, David, and Abraham, you sometimes ask why they are there. David had great victories but also low lows. As one great preacher said, "The best of men are men at best." We are and always will be sinners, and without the enabling power of God we are all in danger of falling.

That is why the Hall of Faith is followed by Hebrews 12: "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

These are the keys for you and me. God wants us to run with endurance, and I want to hear Him say at the end, "Well done, good and faithful servant"—and to do that you have to finish well, not just start well. How do we run with endurance? Two things: laying aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares us, and looking unto Jesus, with our eyes and hearts fixed in the right place. Would to God that we be able to do that.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for the sobering message of Gideon here in Judges chapter 8, and I pray that You would cause these lessons to be in our minds and hearts as we seek to follow You. There are so many things in this world that can distract and trip us up, but God, I pray that You would help us by Your enabling power, by Your Spirit, to lay aside those sinful snares and to fix our focus firmly upon You. Jesus, You are the great example, the one we ought to imitate and pattern our lives after, because even the great examples of old and throughout church history had great victories as they trusted in You, yet also fell. You are the one we ultimately need to look to and emulate. Give us the enabling power by Your Spirit today to lay aside every weight and sin and to pursue You, looking to You. Thank You for this story; help us to learn from it. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agreed said, Amen.