Let The Lord Rule

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 4-22-12

Judges 8:1-21 Lesson 10
Key Verse 8:23

“But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.’” (NIV 1984)

In this passage, we find Gideon and his 300 men exhausted and hungry after winning a great battle and yet they are still pursuing enemy forces. They were met with criticism and indifference, yet were undaunted, continuing the task that God had called them to. Gideon showed himself a focused and determined man of faith who was able to commit himself, mind, body and soul to the Lord and his cause. Others were not like this. When the people of two cities refused to give the Lord’s army bread, because they didn’t want to get involved, Gideon promised to come back and teach them a lesson. The truth is of the matter is, there is no neutrality on the battlefield. There is no standing on the sidelines in the work of the Lord. If we don’t gather with Jesus, we scatter. In this study we will learn the spirit of Gideon, who was driven forward by the Spirit of the Lord. We will learn some qualities of true leadership in the work of God and the importance of placing both feet on Jesus’ side. But most of all we will learn whom we must be ruled by. It is by the Lord Jesus Christ himself for he is the best ruler.

Part 1: Why Didn’t You Call Us? (1-5)

Gideon spoke with the wisdom of God. Look at verses 1. “Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, ‘Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?’ And they challenged him vigorously.” Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join in the main battle, but left them in a place to “clean up” the escaping Midianites. This is referred to as the gleanings. They angrily confronted him. Gideon, being a very gracious leader, answered them with tact and poise. Look at verses 2-3, “But he answered them, ‘What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?’ At this, their resentment against him subsided.” If he dealt with them in a way we might, they could become resentful and uncooperative for many years. But Gideon assured the leaders that their accomplishment was even greater than the accomplishments of his own clan (Abiezer). His diplomatic explanation pointed out that their “behind the scenes work” had managed to capture the enemy generals, thereby cutting off the leaders from their army. He could have rebuked them. He could have dealt with them very harshly. But he was very gracious. Proverbs 15;1 says,‎”A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” and Proverbs 16:23-24 says, “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” May God give you the wisdom to speak healing words at the proper time.

Gideon was also willing be back down and defer honor to them. There is a godly way of dealing with people. It begins with humbling ourselves and seeing others’ good points first. Jesus respects us. He sees us for the good in us. He saw Peter for the good in him. (Mtt 16:18) The disciples wanted to bring down curses on one who was actually preaching the gospel. (Mk 9:39) Jesus set out to help them see the good in that person, rather than the bad.

These leaders from Ephraim may have been resentful for not being chosen to participate in the glorious, initial battle, but the should not have, for not every necessary job in God’s work is a highly visible leadership role. Much of the necessary labor is considered to be dirty work. But such work is vital to getting the big task done.

Let’s look on the positive side if their request. Think about it. They were actually insisting on joining in on the fight. They were mad that they were not being asked. What willingness and what an eager desire to be counted in the work of the Lord! Such volunteerism is every pastor’s dream!

After this incident, Gideon continued on in the strength of the Lord. Look at verses 4, “Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.” These men did not give up the pursuit. They were 300 men pursing 15,000. They were tired hungry and exhausted from the battle (5), but they did not give up. How often do we want to give up? How often do we want to give up the battle against sin, self and the devil? We must never give up. We must run the race as one who wants to win the prize. (Php 3:14) This was the attitude of Christ and of Apostle Paul.

Part ll: Choose Whom You Will Serve

Gideon and his brave band of 300 looked for someone to help them and so they looked to two kings. Let’s read verse 5 together, “He said to the men of Sukkoth, ‘Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.’” It was a sincere plea from servants of God who were giving their whole hearts doing what God wanted them to do. But how did these kings answer them?

They rejected their request. Look at verse 6, “But the officials of Sukkoth said, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?’” The people of Peniel made the same choice in verse 8, “From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had.” These cities were in a precarious position. Whom should they stand with? They would not make a decision because they could not believe that 300 men could defeat 15,000. They thought like this because they did not know God, for if they knew God, and knew God’s history, then they would know that there is nothing impossible with God. (Lk 1:37)

There would be consequences for their indecision. Look verse 7, “Then Gideon replied, ‘Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.’” There would be similar consequences to the people of Peniel. Look at verse 9, “So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.” The people of both towns would be punished for not siding with God and the people of God.

This punishment was carried out after the defeat of the Midianite forces. Look at verses 13-17, “Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 14 He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town. 15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, ‘Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’ 16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.” The story is pretty harsh, but the fact is we have a choice to make. Will it be with Jesus or with the world? The world seems glorious, strong, prosperous and exciting. To many, Jesus and his band of faithful followers seem like the rejected ones. They seem like they are loosing the battle with the world.

Even today, not many will commit their lives and hearts to God and the causes of Jesus Christ. They do not want to loose anything. They think that they are smart. But we need to have eyes to see the truth that the kingdom of God is forcefully advancing. (Matt 11:12) Christianity is the fasted growing religion in the world. The Christian church is the most powerful institution and a great catalyst for cultural change in the world. Jesus and his followers are leading so many institutions in society. Jesus wants us to make a decision to stand on his side, on the side of truth and stand with him in his causes. There is no sitting on the fence. Jesus once said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Mtt 12:30)

There are consequences for standing “on the fence.” God cannot work through us if we are always on the sidelines. We forfeit so many opportunities to grow in faith. We don’t enjoy a fruit bearing life. We are also forfeiting treasure in heaven. We end up struggling with one sin after another. One day we will have to answer to God why we always stood on the sidelines. But God is patient with us. We are saved. We will enter into the Kingdom of God if we have placed our faith and hope in Jesus. We are always God’s precious children. We are loved by God. But we also must know that there are repercussions in this life, for not making a decision. Today, choose whom you are going to serve. Is it the world or is it Jesus? Joshua made the choice for him and for his family. He said, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) May this be your mantra!

Part lll: Gideon, A Man Who Could Make An Executive Decision (10-21)

The Lord granted his people complete victory. Look at verses 10-12, “Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. 11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.” After the victory, Gideon revealed himself to be a man of decisive action who could make an “executive” decision. In verses 19-21 spoke to the two captured Midianite kings. “Gideon replied, ‘Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.’ 20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, ‘Kill them!’ But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, ‘Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’’ So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.” This is a very hard scene to think about. It contradicts those who think that the Bible is just a book full of comforting words read by seniors. It actually reads like a very exciting epic film. Though it seems very harsh, let’s look at what is happening here and glean some important spiritual facts.

We can see here the type of leader that God used at this time. Gideon was a man of decisive actions. He was not a person who was afraid of making an executive decision. In any great work, someone has to decide and stand up to be counted. As Christians, we will never do what Gideon did, but there will be numerous times where we are called to make executive decisions, decisions that require commitment and that place us on the cusp of sacrifice. In the hymn, “Stand Up Stand Up for Jesus” verse 2 reads, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; forth to the mighty conflict, in this his glorious day, ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes. Let courage rise with danger and strength oppose.”

What about the request that Gideon made of his son? Some may say that he was placing his son in a very emotionally damaging situation. It was very traumatic for the young man, but we need to see everything in the proper setting. This was ancient Israel. It was about 1300 B.C. But there is a principle here that we can apply. What is it? Gideon was helping his son be a leader who could make executive decisions at the critical moment. In this New Testament time it would be like a father helping his child to make a decision to give his life to Jesus, to help him speak up for the Gospel among his friends, to help him mentor someone towards Jesus. Gideon’s son was not ready at that moment for such a decision. That is o.k. He would find his place later on.

Part lV: Only Jesus, Our Lord Can Rule Over Us (22-35)

The people recognized a good thing and wanted Gideon to form a dynasty. Verse 22 reads, “The Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.’” Gideon saved them from their persistent enemies. Their lives had been ravaged by these marauders. They lived in fear, year after year. They were stripped of the fruit of their land. But God saved them through Gideon’s leadership. Praise the Lord who saves his people in need.

Gideon knew that asking him to rule over them was not right. Look at verse 23, “But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.” Gideon knew that God is the best ruler. He knew that the system raising up judges at the proper time was working. There was no need for a human king at that time. Our Savior Jesus is our ruler. Though he may work through people, it is he who is our strong deliverer. Jesus rules over our lives better than any president can. In Luke 1:68-70 reads, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn[a] of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)” Jesus does raise up people to lead his churches and the populace. But ultimately we must depend on Jesus’ leadership in our lives, in our homes, jobs, nations, and ministries. Let the Lord Jesus rule over your heart and life today.

Gideon asked for, and received a reward. Look at verses 24-27a, “And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.’ (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) 25 They answered, ‘We’ll be glad to give them.’ So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,[b] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks.27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town….” Asking for a reward is OK. Why not be rewarded for hard work? The Bible even says that we should not muzzle the ox while he is treading out the grain. (1 Tim 5:18) Are you taking care of the needs of your pastor as he preaches the Gospel?

Gideon had some good intentions for the gold that he got. Look at verse 27, “Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.” An ephod was a linen garment worn by priests over their chests. It was holy (Ex 28:5-35; 39:2-24; Lev 8:7,8). Gideon made a golden ephod. Maybe it was a statue of a priest wearing one. His intention was good. It was to be a visible remembrance of the victory over the Midianites. But the people began to worship the ephod as an idol. It was a snare to Gideon and his family. A snare is a wire, that if you are caught, the more you struggle, the more it draws shut and eventually strangles the one ensnared by it. This golden ephod was a snare that Gideon and his family could not free themselves from. Sadly, many decisions that stem from good motives produce negative results. In all of our plans and decisions, we must take time to pray and anticipate how our “good idea” might have negative consequences.

God made Gideon a very fruitful man. Look at verses 29-32, “Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.” God makes us fruitful when we follow him. He will produce 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown in our lives. (Mtt 13:8) He was also a strong father who could raise 70 sons and probably as many daughters. I am not so good at raising my own family.

But despite all that God and his sevant Gideon did for the people, they fell back into their old ways. Look at verses 33-35, ”No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34 and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.” Humans are incorrigible sinners. That is, we do things the we shouldn’t, time and time again. We are desperately in need of a Savior. We need Jesus and the salvation that he brings through faith in the gospel.

In this lesson we learned that we need the spirit of God to help us move forward in the work of the Lord. We also learn that there is no standing on the sidelines in the work of the Lord. We must place both feet on the side of Christ and the Gospel cause believing that nothing is impossible with the God. We also learn that, though it is best to respect the leadership that God establishes, we must make Jesus our Lord, King and Ruler.