March 21

March 21

Judges 8–9

Scripture Text: Judges 8:1–9:57

Series: Read the Bible in a Year

God does as he wills, and people complain against his leader. The tribe of Ephraim criticizes Gideon for not taking them into the battle against the Midianite alliance. In truth, Gideon had enlisted warriors from Manasseh (Gideon’s tribe), Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali—not Ephraim. They may have had justification for their complaint since the alliance would have come across the Ephraimite territory to raid into Manasseh, just north of Ephraim. So, why had the Ephraimites not fought off the Midianites and Amalekites before this? And why had they not called Manasseh to help them? All this makes their complaint suspect. Ephraim could fight their own battles while Gideon was keeping the incursion from coming further north. But the bottom line was that their complaint was really against God, for it was he who had given the alliance into Gideon’s hands. Further, he required only 300 troops—far more than Ephraim would have sent, let alone what the other four tribes had offered. Ironically, as Gideon and the 300 are chasing the kings of Midian across the Jordan, men from Succoth and Penuel would not even give bread to the exhausted and hungry pursuers, let alone offer to fight with them. It is one thing to complain about not being included when there is nothing to do now, but another thing to actually do the heavy lifting when the going gets tough. 

After the campaign is finished successfully, Israel wants Gideon to be their ruler. His response is inspired, “I will not rule over you…the LORD will rule over you.” However, his actions are far less exceptional; indeed, they are uninspired. God has told him everything to do but now, Gideon follows his own ways. In exchange, it seems, for his leadership he asks for gold. They gladly give it to someone who appears to be able to whip a whole alliance with a few hundred warriors. From this gold, Gideon fashions and puts on display an ephod, a priestly garment that was typically made of linen. This is the will of Gideon, not God, and soon this otherwise priestly garment becomes an object of veneration for the Israelites. They whored after Gideon’s ephod, making it a new idol, instead of worshiping the Lord who had delivered them yet again. 

The remainder of the reading deals with the death of Gideon—an archetype of being a sinner and a saint at the same time—and the subsequent downfall of his house.   

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