Facing temptations that come with success (Judg 8:4-17)

A man was looking for a parking space in a busy carpark. He prayed, ‘Please, Lord, help me find a space, pleeeeaaase’. He kept circling round but saw no opening and his prayer got more frantic with every minute. ‘Please, Lord, I really need this, please give me a space, please.’ Then, as he almost gave up, he turned a corner and spotted one not too far down the row. He relaxed with a sigh and said, ‘You know what, Lord, don’t bother, I have found one.’ In a cheeky way, this story illustrates our propensity to become complacent when we overcome difficulties and forget our earlier helplessness and God’s provision. Gideon, too, having won a decisive victory and dealt with dissent graciously is undergoing a change as he moves across the Jordan to pursue the two enemy kings (probably one Midianite and the other Amalekite; Judg 8:4-5).

At this stage, we do not know why he chases them so relentlessly, but the Israelite cities, Succoth and Penuel, that he encounters on his way in the Transjordan clearly do not support him (see map in my last post here). Possibly, they are afraid of repercussions from the Midianites if Gideon is unsuccessful, but beyond self-preservation, there is a decidedly mocking tone to their refusal (Judg 8:6). Gideon, however, is no longer a timid young man and his response is unexpectedly harsh (Judg 8:7, 9). Hunger and fatigue may add an edge to his answer, but the severity of his words is a stark contrast to his gracious handling of the Ephraimites earlier (Judg 8:1-3). The man who was once unsure of his suitability for leadership is now acting almost like a king meting out punishment to disobedient subjects.

Although he continues to speak of God, his actions increasingly veer away from humility and dependence on the Lord. Gideon invokes God and expects Him to give the victory over the enemy kings (Judg 8:7), but the passage is otherwise silent about God’s involvement. Our talk often lags behind our real attitudes and keeps up the appearance of godliness for a while even when we have drifted away from faithfulness to God. Even more troubling is Gideon’s persistence to carry out retribution once he returns with the captured kings in tow (Judg 8:13-14, 16). Extracting the names of Succoth’s elders from a captured youth (probably a junior official who knew the leadership) suggests determination – his earlier threats were no rash words spoken in the heat of the moment when stung by the cities’ contempt. Worse still, he not only tears down the tower of Penuel, but he kills the men there too (Judg 8:17). Given that both places responded in similar fashion, taking life in the second instance is disproportionate punishment. While Gideon had the right to discipline those who acted as an enemy, there are ominous warning signs here of moral decline. The killing of Israelites foreshadows later strife and civil war in the period of the judges (Judg 12:1-6; 20:1-48).

Success has transformed Gideon from a fearful servant of God into a confident leader, but this self-assurance has its shadow side. The pattern he illustrates is one that Moses warns Israel against on the threshold of the Promised Land (Deut 8:1-20). He describes how dependent they were on God in the desert and exhorts them never to forget that the source of their life was the Lord. In fact, occasions for remembering this are built into Israel’s religious calendar, most obviously Passover (God’s redemption of them when they were helpless slaves) and Tabernacles (recalling their living in tents in the wilderness). Without actively reminding themselves of their need of God, they will become proud and self-sufficient. As Christians, we too remember in the Lord’s Supper and at Easter especially that we were saved by God’s grace and our life is sustained by God alone who gave Himself for us in Christ.

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