Judges 8

The Explanation

Gideon and his three hundred men were tired. So tired their legs shook. They had already chased two Midianite kings across the desert, and their stomachs were empty. When they reached a town called Succoth, Gideon asked for bread. "Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me," he said, "for they are faint."

But the leaders of Succoth laughed at him. "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand," they said, "that we should give bread to your army?" They did not believe Gideon would win. So they sent him away hungry. The men of Penuel did the very same thing.

Gideon was angry, but he did not stop. He kept walking. He and his exhausted men found the great army resting, feeling safe. Gideon attacked anyway, and the two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, ran for their lives. Gideon caught them both.

On his way home, Gideon did not forget Succoth and Penuel. He punished the leaders who had mocked him, and he broke down the tower of Penuel, just as he had promised he would.

Then Gideon looked at the two captured kings. "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" he asked. "They were like you," the kings answered. "They resembled the children of a king." Gideon's face went hard. "They were my brothers," he said. Those kings had killed his own family.

Gideon told his young son Jether to kill the kings, but Jether was too afraid, he was still just a boy. So Gideon did it himself.

What Does This Mean?

After the battle, the Israelites were so grateful that they wanted Gideon to become their king, and his son after him. But Gideon said something surprising. "I will not rule over you," he said, "neither shall my son rule over you. Yahweh shall rule over you." Gideon knew that Israel already had a King, and that King was God.

But then Gideon did something strange. He asked the people for gold earrings from the enemies they had defeated, melted it all down, and made an ephod, a shining object once used for worship. He put it in his own town. And Israel began to bow down to it, as if it were a god. The very man who refused to be worshiped as king made something that Israel worshiped instead of God. It became a trap for his whole family.

The Common Thread

Gideon fought bravely and God gave Israel rest for forty years. But Gideon was not perfect, and he could not save Israel forever. After he died, the people forgot Yahweh again and worshiped other gods. Israel needed more than a strong judge for a season. They needed a King who would never fail, never make a golden trap, and never die. That King would come one day, born as a baby, who truly rules with justice and never leads his people into sin. His name is Jesus.

For You

When someone helps you and you feel thankful, that feeling is good. But be careful what you build your thankfulness into. Gideon turned gold into an idol instead of simply saying thank you to God. This week, when someone helps you or something goes well, say a real thank you to God with your own words, out loud, instead of turning to something else.

Talk About It

Why do you think Gideon refused to be king, but still made something Israel could worship?

Have you ever been thankful for something and forgotten to thank God for it?

Praying Together

Lord, thank You for being our true King. Help us remember You when things go well, and not turn to other things instead. Amen.