“Let God Rule”
Lesson Text: Lesson: Judges 7:2-4, 13-15; 8:22-25
Background Scripture: Judges 6-8; 21:25
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Devotional Reading: Psalm 81
Judges 7:2-4, 13-15
2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
Judges 8:22-25
22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.
23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.
24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey
OBJECTIVES
To show that God helped Gideon and his people understand that the Lord was still in charge in dealing with the Midianites.
To explain how good leaders can make mistakes.
To teach that because God is in total control of our situation, we must learn to let God rule.
INTRODUCTION
Israel’s Situation
The sin cycle of the story line of Judges is clearly marked in the account of Gideon (see Judges 6:1). Apostasy led to oppression. This is an indication of God’s sovereignty at work in bringing judgment on His sinful people. For seven long years the Midianites, with the aid of Amalekites and the “children of the east” (a nomadic group from the Syrian desert, east of the Jordan River), raided the Israelites at harvesttime in order to take the best of their produce, including livestock (6:3,4). The Israelites resorted to hiding in caves and assembling fortresses to protect themselves from the multitude of marauders (6:2).
LESSON BACKGROUND
Gideon’s Reluctance
Time: 1191 B.C.
Places: Near the hill of Moreh; Near Succoth and Peniel
Like other leaders called by God, Gideon was reluctant. The Mosaic covenant required that there be no testing of God (Deuteronomy 6:16); yet Gideon tested God at least three times.
The first test was just after Gideon was called by the angel of the Lord to save the people (Judges 6:12-14). From the very beginning, Gideon tried to weasel out of his calling (6:7–15). When the Lord insisted that Gideon accept, Gideon asked for “a sign” that this was truly God speaking (6:17). The angel of the Lord complied (6:18–24).
The second test was requested after Gideon was filled with God’s Spirit to lead (Judges 6:34). Gideon requested that a fleece of wool be covered with dew in the morning while the ground around it remained dry (6:37). It happened just that way (6:38), but that was not convincing for Gideon! So in his third test, Gideon asked God to reverse the miracle (6:39). God did so (6:40).
God has a sense of humor, indeed, for during all this God described Gideon as a “mighty man of valour” (Judges 6:12). He declared that Gideon would smite the Midianites in “thy might” (6:14). What descriptions for a reluctant warrior! What Gideon should have listened to were these words: “The Lord is with thee,” “Have not I sent thee?” and “Surely I will be with thee” (6:12,14,16). Fully appreciating the sovereignty and power of God helps us overcome fear and weakness.
GOD’S DECISION (Judges 7:2-4)
1. Why did God tell Gideon that the soldiers for the battle “are too many” (Judges 7:2)?
Having convinced Gideon of His power (chapter 6), God now instructed him concerning how He intended to deliver Israel.
In spite of the fact that the enemy has well over 100,000 men (Judges 8:10), God declares that the 32,000 Israelites (7:3, below) are too many, lest the Israelite tribes take credit for any victory. This foreordained victory must be interpreted as divinely accomplished, and not by human effort. Otherwise, Israel will never learn to depend on God.
2. What was the first test God used to reduce the number of Gideon’s army (v. 3)?
If Gideon’s faith was in the size of his army, that faith was about to be tested.
A simple challenge was thrown out to the gathered men: if any of them were afraid, they could leave and go back home. According to the Mosaic law, there are several reasons why a man can be exempt from warfare (see Deuteronomy 20:5–8). One of these reasons is recounted here: Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return. When two-thirds of the army walks away, it must suck the air out of Gideon’s lungs! Can you imagine the look in Gideon’s face as he watched 22,000 men leave and only 10,000 remain? No military leader can fathom this. Usually, it’s “the more, the better.”
3. What follow-up test did God have Gideon to do to further reduce the size of his army (v. 4)?
But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
Just as Gideon tested God, by now three times (see the Lesson Background), so God tests Gideon. Surely Gideon cannot believe that more men have to be sent away! Judges 7:5 (not in today’s text) specifies the procedure for determining who shall stay and who shall go, based on differing procedures for drinking water. The result is that only 300 remain. Obviously, you cannot use 300 soldiers to make a conventional frontal assault on an army of over 100,000! Something different will have to happen.
God is teaching Gideon to depend upon divine power regardless of circumstances.
ENEMY’S DREAM / CONFIRMATION (Judges 7:13-15)
Gideon has every human reason to fear the task that God is giving him: attack a multitude of Midianites with only 300 men (Judges 7:8). Of course, God knows that Gideon fears his prospects. So God instructs Gideon to take his servant and go to the outskirts of the enemy camp to eavesdrop on the talk of the enemy warriors (7:9–12).
Image and Interpretation (vs. 13,14)
4. What did Gideon hear when he went to the Midianite camp (vs. 13,14)?
Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. I had “a dream,” he was saying. A round loaf “of barley bread” came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.
God gives a specific dream to a specific man. Even the pagans believe that dreams can be a form of divine-to-human communication. Gideon overhears the telling of the dream. It is regarding a loaf of barley bread that crushes a Midianite tent.
The man’s friend interprets the parable correctly (v. 14). In the dream, the cake of barley bread represents Gideon, who threshed grain in Judges 6:11; the tent represents the nomadic Midianites. Two more remarkable things must be noted. One is that the Midianite knows Gideon’s name. The other is that the Midianite knows that God is behind Gideon. To realize that you’re fighting against God must be the most demoralizing thing there is! And Gideon is right there within earshot of the enemy soldiers to hear it all.
God’s work in lowering enemy morale is evident, as the dream and its interpretation begin to circulate. Palpable fear is in the hearts of the Midianites before Gideon attacks. We presume that God was also working this way just before the attack on Jericho. The spies who were sent to scout Jericho became aware of low enemy morale in their discussion with Rahab (see Joshua 2:9).
Worship and Action (v. 15)
5. What did Gideon understand the dream and interpretation to mean (v. 15)?
The discovery of his enemy’s fear gave Gideon renewed courage, and upon hearing the interpretation Gideon’s response is humble submission to the Lord by worship. After various tests and revelations, Gideon finally is convinced that God will give him the victory. Therefore, Gideon returns to his camp emboldened to act as the leader he is called to be by God. This must give his 300 chosen men confidence as well, strengthening their hands for the task ahead.
Gideon divides his men into three companies. Each man is to carry a trumpet and a torch covered by an empty pitcher (Judges 7:16, not in today’s text). At “the beginning of the middle watch” (about 10:00 pm, to maximize confusion in the darkness), Gideon instructs his men to blow their trumpets and reveal the torches by breaking the pitchers (7:19,20). The combination of the strange noises of crashing vessels, trumpet blasts, and the flickering lights of the torches that surround the camp causes confusion. The Midianites begin to fight each other (7:22). Also, the dream has its effect when the 300 men cry out: “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” (7:20).
What Do You Think
What was an experience you had of God producing a great victory through limited resources? How did you grow spiritually through this experience?
Talking Points for Your Discussion
- In your church
- In your personal life
- In your family life
- At work
THE BATTLE'S AFTERMATH (Judges 8:22)
Gideon then sends messengers to call his fellow Israelites from the tribes of Manasseh, Naphtali, and Asher. Ephraimites join in to block the escape by the fords of the Jordan (see Judges 7:19–24; compare what the Israelites did in this regard to the Moabites in last week’s lesson). The Ephraimites capture and execute two Midianite princes and bring their heads to Gideon. Later, Gideon pursues two kings of Midian, captures them, and executes them promptly (Judges 7:25–8:21; Psalm 83:11). Victory comes to Gideon, but only God can be given the credit!
An interesting thing to note as we make the transition into our final section is that Gideon leads from the front (Judges 7:17). This may be an important factor in the offer that follows.
Offer (v. 22)
6. What was the request from the Israelites after the battle (Judges 8:22)?
The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also.”
Gideon is being offered a dynastic kingship. This means that the Israelites do not recognize that the victory is the Lord’s. The people view Gideon as a hero, and they want his kind of leadership. Little do they realize what they are asking, for Gideon’s son Abimelech will attempt to be king, with disastrous results (see Judges 9).
Refusal (v. 23)
7. What was Gideon’s response to the people of Israel (v. 23)?
But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.”
Gideon firmly declines the offer, and rightly so. He himself knows who has really gained the victory over the Midianites. The various tests, the success of psychological warfare at night, and the slaughter of the majority of the enemy are evidence of a divine victory, not a human one. Gideon knows that God rules as king and that he can protect his people in the future.
But in about 140 years, the Israelites will indeed end up with a king. Philistine pressure will prompt the tribes to ask Samuel, the last of the judges, to appoint a king. Samuel will give in reluctantly and anoint Saul as Israel's first king (see 1 Samuel 8:5; 10:1). The people of Israel find it difficult to follow God's rule regardless of circumstances.
Gideon’s Request and the Israelite Warriors Response (vs. 24,25)
8. What did Gideon do that brought harm to himself and Israel (vs. 24,25)?
“And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey…. and they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.”
Although refusing a kingship, Gideon does request some golden earrings of the Ishmaelite warriors. The Ishmaelites are traced through Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 16:15). But here the term Ishmaelites probably refers to a broader group of nomadic people in the east (see Genesis 37:25–28, where Ishmaelites are the same as Midianites).
The tribes involved with Gideon are so relieved to be rid of the Midianite oppression that they willingly reward Gideon with the earrings. This is a small price to pay, since the Midianites have been plundering the Israelites for years. Now true prosperity can return to the land.
The amount of gold is incredible! Depending on the shekel weight, Gideon’s take amounts to somewhere between 40 and 75 pounds of gold. Gideon is wealthy overnight. He also obtains other plunder to increase this wealth (see Judges 8:21, 26b).
Sadly, our story does not end well. Gideon takes some of the gold and makes an ephod (Judges 8:27a), the nature of which we are not entirely certain. It may be patterned after the high priest’s ephod with much gold ornamentation. Or it may be a pure gold replica of the high-priestly garment. More likely, it is a freestanding image of some kind that easily becomes an idol to worship. The second commandment prohibits the worship of God in any form or image (Exodus 20:4). This is a snare to Israel (see Judges 8:27b).
The land has peace for 40 years through Gideon (Judges 8:28). Sadly, the sin cycle will continue after Gideon’s death, when the people return to idol worship (8:33–35).
The Spoils of War
It is interesting to note what soldiers consider to be the spoils of war. In the American Civil War, for example, it was common to quantify a victory by the number of regimental battle flags or artillery pieces that were captured. On more than one occasion, a victory was thwarted or delayed when soldiers stopped to secure a captured cannon rather than pursue the demoralized opponents.
But flags and cannons weren’t the only things prized for capture in that war. Sometimes the plunder was simply food. On the first day of the Battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1862, the hungry Confederates stopped their morning attack to consume the breakfasts that Union soldiers had just prepared but had abandoned under the Confederate assault. This pause and the resulting disorganization may have cost the Confederates the victory in that battle because of a loss of momentum.
Although some plunder is symbolic while other plunder is practical, either kind can be a distraction. The spoils of war that Gideon ended up with had a terrible result (Judges 8:27). Just as the battle itself belongs to the Lord, so also does the aftermath. Remember to pray about both! —J. B. N
CONCLUSION
Some scholars think that Gideon refused the offer of a kingship only out of politeness, but ended up being a ruler anyway. They point to his large harem and 70 sons (Judges 8:30), his use of jewelry and royal clothes, making and using the ephod-oracle, the naming of one of his sons Abimelech (meaning “my father a king”; 8:31), etc.
None of these things prove that Gideon was a king. Perhaps what all this does show is that Gideon had a difficult time letting God rule. The Israelites as a whole also had this problem. After Gideon’s death, the Israelites immediately returned to pagan worship (Judges 8:33), revealing that Gideon’s influence “didn’t take.”
Let this be a warning to us. God can do marvelous things, but will we seek to “grab the gold” when all is said and done? God chose Gideon to be a leader of a certain type to accomplish a certain task. We do well to go as far as God wants us to go, but no further.
PRACTICAL POINTS
1. God’s Plans are designed to bring Him, not His servant’s, glory. (Judges 7:2).
2. Obeying God is always best, even when we do not fully understand His ways or plans (Judges 7:3,4; cf. Isaiah 55:8,9).
3. God’s sovereign work is universal, and His timing is always perfect (Judges 7:13, 14).
4. True faith sees that God is at work and responds in worship and obedience (Judges 7:15; Hebrews 11:6).
4. Wise is the person who knows when to say no (Judges 8:22).
5. When it come to others generosity towards you, …know your boundaries! (Judges 24,25).
PRAYER
Our Father, You are our powerful king. Change our weakness into strength, our fearfulness into courage. May we not waver in difficult times, In Jesus’ powerful Name. Amen.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
Follow God’s leading as you accept his rule
