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“The Corruption Of The Call” • 7.21.14
• Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The battle with the Midianites ended up a
non-event, as in the throes of confusion, the Midianites and their allies found
themselves fighting against each other!
- The remnants of their invasion force were
scattered and their people fled as fast as they could from Gideon's 300 men.
Take a look at chapter verse 24 of
chapter 7.
• Judges 7:24,25 : "Then Gideon sent messengers
throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, 'Come down against the
Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and
the Jordan.' Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the
watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. And they captured two princes of
the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb
they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads
of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan." : The tribe of Ephraim cut off their
exit and then they cut off the heads of these two young princes, which were
brought back to their commander Gideon.
- The victory was nearly complete,
but interestingly, this is where things teeter on the edge of a greater danger
than the battle.
- God has given His man the
victory and now that the threat of the enemy wanes, issues of character come to
the forefront.
- The honor that Gideon receives
is as much a test of his character as the battle was a test of his courage.
Let's take a look at what happens, beginning in chapter 8:1.
Text
• Judges
8:1-3 : "Now
the men of Ephraim said to him, 'Why have you done this to us by not calling us
when you went to fight with the Midianites?' And they reprimanded him sharply. So he said to them, 'What have I
done now 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." : Gideon is still chasing the Midianites, the enemies of Israel,
but the Ephraimites believe that this is the best time to lodge their
complaint!
- Gideon had not invited them to
the battle. He had invited others, but Ephraim was excluded.
- The Bible doesn't tell us why. It
may have been that Gideon only involved those who were directly threatened.
- Whether the slight was actual or perceived, Ephraim came
with a bitter complaint against Gideon, the language indicating a continual
verbal assault.
- They were extremely agitated and
aggressive and wanted a share in the glory, ie. the spoils of the battle that
were now going to be enjoyed by Gideon and his men.
- It's interesting to consider the
topic of criticism, especially from those who had not been involved. Usually,
this type of bitter criticism reveals more about the person than about you.
- But how are we to respond? In
this instance, Gideon replied wonderfully. Instead of answering their vitriol
with equal hostility, Gideon's answer is complimentary and soft.
- The leftovers, the scraps of
Ephraim's harvest was greater than the entire vintage that Abiezer could
produce. Ephraim's inheritance far exceeded the lot given to Manasseh.
- Besides, Gideon had truly not
done anything compared to them! He literally had watched the Midianites fight
themselves!
- Ephraim had chased down the
Midianites and had killed their princes. They had done far more than Gideon had
done!
- That answer brought peace, as
their anger abated. Literally, they relaxed at that answer. Gideon had not yet
read Proverbs 15:1, but he exemplifies it here.
• Proverbs 15:1 : "A soft answer
turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
• Judges 8:4-6 : "When Gideon came to the Jordan, he
and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still
in pursuit. Then he
said to the men of Succoth, 'Please give loaves of bread to the people who
follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings
of Midian.' And the
leaders of Succoth said, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand,
that we should give bread to your army?'" : The remaining Midianite soldiers were still on the run and
Gideon's job was far from over.
- Those that were running with him were
languishing, fading fast, but kept on pursuing. How often have we seen that in
life: I'm too tired to go, but I'm going anyway!
- This was the choice before them: Finish Midian
or face another occupation!
- At Succoth, a city of Gad, Gideon asked for
provisions to continue their pursuit. Food would fuel their continued success.
In a very rude exchange, the people of Succoth refused!
- What is happening here? First, they are
refusing to be hospitable, which is a grave error.
- Second, they are mocking Gideon's effort,
intimating that they do not believe that he is able to succeed. Third, their
allegiance is with the victors.
- Gad's tribe didn't show up in Deborah's time
and here, they are unwilling even to give the very least toward's the Lord's
battle. Such is life on the fringe!
• Judges 8:7-9 : "So Gideon said, 'For this cause,
when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna
into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and
with briers!'
Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the
men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. So he also spoke to the men of
Penuel, saying, 'When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!'" : Notice Gideon's confidence. He
understands their answer as a refusal to acknowledge the Lord's victory. The
Lord will deliver them!
- Because of their insult, when the Lord has
delivered these Kings into his hand, he would then return and bring down the
thunder! Where has this confidence come from?
- From the experience of God's hand over the
Midianites! Our battles and the Lord's victory always gives us confidence in Him!
- When he came to a neighboring area, the area
of Penuel, they answered him as Succoth did, which brought the further promise
of Gideon's rightful severity.
• Judges 8:10-17 : "Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor,
and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all
the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who
drew the sword had fallen. Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the
east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp felt
secure. When
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he took the two kings of Midian,
Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army. Then Gideon the son of Joash returned
from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. And he
caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote
down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, 'Here are
Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of
Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary
men?’ And he took the elders of the city, and
thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of
Succoth. Then he tore down the tower of Penuel
and killed the men of the city." : Karkor is only
mentioned here in the scripture and may have had another name at other times.
If it is where our maps say it is, it represents a strong day's journey and a
very long night for Gideon's crew.
- Did you notice how many Midianites were left?
Only 15,000! 120,000 had fallen in the night!
- God turned things around to such a degree
that Gideon's initial army would now have been twice the size of Midian's army!
- Those 300 were carried along by the power of
God as they had not received any sustenance.
- The Midianite army believed themselves to be
secure. "Surely, they won't have come this far?" But they were routed
and the two Kings were captured.
- Along with the Midianites was a man from
Succoth, who after some interrogation, gave up the names of the elders of his
city to Gideon.
- When Gideon came back into Succoth, he
brought out those elders and beat them with thorns. He also tore down the
watchtower and took revenge upon the city of Penuel.
- Notice that Gideon's response was measured
toward Succoth and unfettered when it came to Penuel. Succoth was guilty of not
doing what was right. Penuel played the traitor to Israel.
- Gideon shows great wisdom in meting out
justice, measuring it according to their guilt.
• Judges 8:18-21 : "And 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.' Then he said, 'They were my brothers, the sons of my
mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.' And he said to Jether his firstborn, 'Rise, kill them!' But
the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a
youth. So Zebah and Zalmunna said, 'Rise
yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.' So Gideon arose
and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on
their camels’ necks." : As
Gideon faced these two kings, his thoughts drifted back toward those that the
Midianites had slain.
- Gideon'svbrothersvwere victimized in a
senseless way by these Kings. There is a personal affront, as well as a godly
responsibility to act as the Kinsman redeemer in bringing justice.
- Zebah and Zalmunna won't give Gideon the
satisfaction of remorse or repentance.
- Gideon at first wants them to experience the
humiliation of being killed by a child but Jether was not ready to live his
life as a hunted man so Gideon ends their lives and takes their jewelry.
- These ornaments were a part of Midianite
idolatry. In essence, these little gods were proxies carried with them in
battle. It's interesting that little gods always seem to bring about big
trouble!
- Rachel stole her Father Laban's little gods in
Genesis 31. Later, before Jacob was to meet Esau, he told his family to
"put away the foreign gods among you." (Gen. 35:2)
- The gods that had come with Rachel had been
found among the rest of the family!
- In Exodus, the theme of idolatry came
through again, when Aaron built a golden calf.
- That calf figures prominently in King Jeroboam's
false worship in the city of Dan! Amos 5:26 tells us that the people
carried their gods along with them in the wilderness!
- Later in history, after Judah is ransacked by
the Babylonians, a group of refugees take Jeremiah along with them on a trip to
Egypt.
- They explain there that they attributed their
downfall to a time when they stopped sacrificing to the "Queen of Heaven
(Ashtoreh)!" Sadly, their husbands knew of this! (Jeremiah 44:15-19)
- Each time foreign gods are introduced and
held for whatever purpose, it turns around to bite the people of Israel in the
back! Gideon's reasoning, whatever it is, is insufficient!
- He's inviting more trouble than these
trinkets were worth and they will only become a source of more devastation as
each generation passes.
- Think of it this way: If you tolerate it
today, your kids will accept it tomorrow and their kids won't even question it
the next day! That's what happened with Israel and what happens with us!
• Judges 8:22-28 : "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.' 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.' For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites. So they answered, 'We will gladly
give them.' And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the
earrings from his plunder. Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one
thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments,
pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the
chains that were around their camels’ necks. Then Gideon made it into an ephod
and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel
played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and
to his house. Thus
Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads
no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon." : Gideon rightly turns down the
political seat. The people of Israel wanted Gideon's family, both his son and
grandson to rule, a very tempting offer.
- Gideon's answer is textbook, in that he
diverts attention from himself and tells them to devote their attention to God.
Instead of becoming their King, he asks for a reasonable share of the loot.
- When it was all counted, Gideon had over 50
pounds of gold! He melted the metal down and fashioned an Ephod, likely as a
tribute to this period of profound victory.
- The ephod was a vest worn by the High Priest
as he went into the Tabernacle to minister to the Lord on behalf of the Lord's
people.
- Gideon wanted it known that there was a time
when he had a great spiritual connection to the Lord and that it happend in his
city!
- Far from focusing on God, which was likely
his intention, the people focused on the ephod and worshipped it. Over time,
Gideon's family began to accept that and were trapped by it.
- The man God used in a mighty way, was now
using that spiritual celebrity to draw men to himself! It was a trap and Gideon
and all of his house fell into it!
- The Midianites were defeated and the country
was quiet, but there was hardly any holiness!
• Judges 8:29-35 : "Then Jerubbaal 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. Now
Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of
Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. So it was, as soon as Gideon was
dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and
made Baal-Berith their god. Thus the children
of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all
their enemies on every side; nor did they show
kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had
done for Israel." : Gideon
refused to rule Israel and he also refused to rule his own spirit.
- He dwelt in his own house. He lived
comfortably, living out a life that bears a strong resemblance to a King.
- We might be taking this a little far, but as
a judge, Gideon seems to have retired early when the threat level was gone. He
had done his time and given of himself. "Let's enjoy the spoils."
- There is simply one problem with that
thinking: The spoils on Earth spoil you! Jesus warns us when He says,
"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!"
- In his palatial estate, he fathered 70 sons through a plethora
of wives, the final son born from a relationship with a concubine, whose name
means "Son of a King!"
- Celebrity, pride, and a history with God had
blinded him completely to the sins that marked his final years! In what way
could he justify this indulgence?
- "Oh, I'm Gideon. You know, the one God
used mightily to free our country!?" What legacy was transferred? Was God
honored through his final years?
- As soon as Gideon died, the peope went back
to Baal and made Baal-Berith, "Lord of the Covenant," their god! They
cast the Lord who had raised up Gideon and routed the Midianites aside.
- They went back to their harlot's ways, in
part because they had never cultivated a faithful heart to God and in part,
because Gideon failed to exemplify a truly ordered, godly life!
- It's interesting that Samuel continues to use
the names "Jerubbaal" and Gideon. It's a clue that while Baal could
not deal with Gideon, as the name suggests, Gideon did not deal with Baal!
- He did not fight away the sexual urges and
the self indulgence that Baal worship was centered in! His words spoke of
fidelity toward God. His actions spoke of a loyalty to Baal!
- What spoke louder to the people of Israel? They
chose Baal! Their betrayal of God and Gideon would lead them right back to
oppression, which we'll see soon.
Conclusion
- Finish well.
Gideon began well and ran well. He didn't finish well. It's a warning to us!
Keep serving. Keep yourself free from worldly entanglements. Let your treasure
be heavenly!
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