Judges 8

Judges 8:22

FORTY YEARS OF PEACE UNDER GIDEONChapter 8 is a continuance of the record of Gideon, the judge. Here you find events that came to pass after the remarkable deliverance that God gave Gideon over the Midianites. The children of Israel are free again and, as a result, they are prosperous. Zebah and Zalmunna, Midianite kings, have been pursued and slain. The Israelites are being blessed for the first time in a long time, and they are so grateful to Gideon for all that he has done that they want him to rule over them. This is the first indication given to us in Scripture that the children of Israel wanted a king to rule over them. God told them at the beginning that He did not want them to have a king like the nations round about them. But because Gideon had delivered them from bondage, they wanted him to accept the position of king. He apparently is the first one to have been offered this high position, and he turned it down. Later on we will discover that Israel asks for a king again. In fact, they insist upon having a king, and finally they demand one.

Then God tells Samuel (who is the last of the judges and the first in the line of the prophets) that he is to anoint a king for them. Also God makes it clear that Israel is not rejecting Samuel, but is rejecting God. God wanted to rule over His people. The form of government for Israel was to be a theocracy. In this case, it was God who had used Gideon so remarkably, but it is Gideon whom Israel wants to rule over them. They not only want Gideon to rule, but his son and his son’s son also.

This means that they want a king like the nations around them. Notice the remarkable answer that Gideon gave the people.

Judges 8:23

Gideon certainly had learned a lesson; there is no question about it. This young man who threshed grain down by the winepress, recognized that he was a coward. He knew that it was God who had given him the victory. He knew he had no strength in himself to win the battle, but he realized God had raised him up for this purpose. Gideon was indeed a remarkable person. He is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 where the “Heroes of the Faith” are listed.

In fact, he leads the list of judges. He is also ahead of David in the list. “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens” (Heb_11:32-34). The writer of Hebrews says that time would fail to tell everything about these men, and he wanted to tell about Gideon. God raised up Gideon to perform an extraordinary task. It teaches us that any man or woman that God uses has to be used on God’s terms. And He chooses the weak things of this world. It seems as though each judge had some glaring weakness and in most cases God used it. Gideon’s weakness was the fact that he was a coward. At times I have felt very close to this man in my ministry. When I became pastor of the great Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, California, in 1949, I preached my first message on Gideon. I put myself in his class. I came to that congregation in weakness.

The only reason I could see that God called me was because I was like Gideonweak and cowardly. I have rejoiced in the fact that God did for me what He did for Gideon. God certainly was with me, and I have always been grateful to Him. I have discovered that when I get in the way (and I do sometimes), then I stumble and fall. But as long as I am willing to let God have His way, it is remarkable what He will do. I give God all of the glory for my radio ministry, friend.

I never sought it. I did not start out after it. Like Topsy, it “just growed.” God has blessed it, and I rejoice in it. He has been wonderful. I wish we could end the story of Gideon here, but he had another weakness.

Judges 8:30

Gideon had many wives and a concubine besides. He had a total of seventy-one sons. That is a real blot on this man’s life. Now someone will say, as they did about Solomon, “How could God use a man like this and why did He use him?” Well, Gideon took these many wives and had all these children after the battle. And the fact of the matter is that God used him in spite of this. God did not approve of what he did. The record makes it clear that his actions brought tragedy to the nation of Israel. The next chapter brings that out. God had forbidden intermarriage outside the nation. He had forbidden the Israelites to have more than one wife. God did not create several Eves for Adam. He created only one. God did not remove all of Adam’s ribs. God took out only one rib. Abraham, you remember, took a concubine, that little Egyptian maid named Hagar and, believe me, it caused trouble. God never sanctioned it. Through Abraham’s son Isaac came the nation Israel. The Arabs are descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar. I talked to an Arab guide in Jericho who was very proud of the fact that he was a son of Abraham. He was also a Moslem.

He said proudly, “I am a son of Abraham through Ishmael.” That is true. That was the sin of Abraham, and God never blessed that, friend. God did not bless Solomon’s actions in this connection, and He is not going to bless Gideon either. In fact, Gideon’s actions split the kingdom and caused real tragedy. This is the blot in his life. God does not hide anything.

God paints the picture of man as it is. Now if a friend of Gideon had been his biographer, he probably would have left this part of his life out of the story. God, however, did not. He paints mankind in all of his lurid, sinful color.

Judges 8:33

CONFUSION AFTER GIDEON’S DEATHThis is the same old story, is it not? The hoop of history continues to roll as it is rolling today. At first they were a nation who served God, then they did evil, forsook God, turned to Baal, and God sells them into slavery and servitude. Then they cry out to God. Then they repent, and God raises up a judge to deliver them. Here goes Israel again.

As soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel, turned from God and went a-whoring after Baalim. That is the sad, sordid story of Israel, and also the story of His church today. This up and down business is the story of nations, churches, and individuals. Today many of us are just rolling a hoop through this world. One day we are up, and the next day we are down. God never intended our spiritual lives to be that way.