Judges 8 VICTORY AND DEFEAT
The attitude of the elders of Ephraim were so childish that we may have the inclination to discount it as only the foolish ranting of touchy people. There is a lesson for us to learn, however. Disunity is often motivated by jealousy or wounded pride. The danger that follows spiritual victories may come from our fellow believers who for one reason or another feel they compare unfavorably with those who God has used for His sovereign purposes. "A soft answer turneth away wrath," is a good principle to remember and act upon, rather than aggressively defend our actions or throw out a challenge. Satan still seeks to create tension among the people of the Lord. It is far more important to promote unity than to stand up in pride to defend ourselves. When we keep our eyes on the enemy who is seeking to undermine the work of the Lord, we will see who pushes the disunity caused by pride and jealousy.
The Israelites on the east side of Jordan refused even the most basic request, food for the troops fled to the desert, not expecting, to Gideon and those who were "faint yet pursuing." They may have been worried about revenge from the Midianites who had fled to the desert, not expecting Gideon and his men to follow then that far. Both those in Succoth and Penuel feared for themselves instead of having faith and rejoicing in the victory the Lord brought to His people. When we act in a way that is expedient rather than in faith, there are bitter consequences that follow. How good it is when we can share in the work of others, by supplying needs they have in the work in which they are engaged. To support a work of God is a privilege to us and an encouragement to those who are out front in the battle for the salvation of sinners.
Usually we are enthused and even excited when we hear about a work of God that is going on through the efforts of our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no unity when there is only religious sham, and when those who claim they are identified with the name of the Lord reject the truth of the scriptures. There is no unity when our goals are different, and false unity actually hinders the work of God. The Israelites of Succoth didn't appreciate the victory that had been won. They had no trust in God, no knowledge of God - in fact they didn't even mention the Lord. They showed no kindness towards their brethren, and instead of helping Gideon, they mocked him. It cannot be stressed too much that those who labor in the fields of the world deserve our interest and support in every way possible.
God will prevail over every obstacle or every vacuum that is left because the people of God have failed in their responsibility. Even though spiritual ingratitude might have the tendency to discourage us, the victories of the Lord will still be won in spite of indifference and opposition. When there is compromise with the world and people avoid facing the cause of strife, there will be defeat and backsliding. Strangely, even though some may win against strife, rather than giving spontaneous praise to God, people merely breathe as sigh of relief and think they did what was needed by themselves. Instead of thanking God with grateful hearts, the Israelites acted like Gideon had won the victory by himself. They looked at him as the victor rather than the Lord. 300 men winning a victory over 135,000 was obviously a work of God. A praise-less, thankless heart is evidence of carnality. If God is not at the center of our lives, everything is out of balance. It is even possible to acknowledge the work of God in our lives and still not really thank Him.
Indifference to the Lord and what He is doing will bring a just recompense. Disdain of that which is obviously a work of God and disinterest in what is being done elsewhere, has a demoralizing effect on God's people. Never minimize the seriousness of ignoring what God is doing and/or siding with the enemy for fear of repercussions the actions of faith will bring. The fleshly ways of men refuse to give God all the glory for the great things He has done, and will seek to take credit for what has been done. It is imperative that we GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY for the victories He brings to pass in our life and service.
Just punishment took place when the Midianites kings were put to death. However, Gideon was prepared to put the responsibility of doing what he should do in the hands of his son. we should never expect those who are immature to take the responsibility of leadership. Not only is that an unfair burden of responsibility on one who is not ready for it, but it should make those who lead aware of the seriousness of their role in the work of God. He raises up those who He wants to lead His people. We cannot arbitrarily take that position of delegating serious judgments on those who are immature.
The people of Israel gave credit to Gideon for that which he did not do. It was an obvious work of God to bring about victory in the way He did. It was an obvious work of God to bring about victory in the way He did. Gideon knew the Lord was the victor and he knew the Lord was the ruler over Israel. He knew the people made a request that was not God's will. Men must never seek to take the place of God no matter what people say and do, or even what we may wish would happen. Gideon wisely refused to do what he knew was wrong. That great refusal was a good choice on his part. However, he must have recognized the failure of the priesthood in the nation. There is no mention of the right priesthood in the whole book of Judges. Gideon apparently wanted to have a functioning priesthood in Ophrah instead of the one at Shiloh, the place of God's choosing. Perhaps it was his vanity that caused him to want to be a priest because he had offered a sacrifice of the burnt offering, meal offering, drink offering and the Lord had accepted it with fire from the rock. He must have seen his position as a mediator between God and the people as a priest instead of a judge so he made a large ephod out of the gold people brought.
The ephod Gideon made was larger that the one the high priest wore. Sixty pounds of gold with all the trappings must have been very impressive. Making that ephod was a great mistake. Good intentions do not make a thing good or right. Decline in one area leads to a decline in all areas of life. That was spiritual adultery that Gideon had initiated even though his original motive may have been good. The people ended up going after the ephod instead of the Lord. It is an easy step from the idol-worship of an ephod, to Baalism and worship of false deities. Most failures in our lives as believers come in that which is associated with priestly practices. An ephod was a testimony of priesthood. When worldliness and worldly elements are introduced into holy things, a form of godliness with the "power thereof" is the sad result. People would rather have symbols to worship and bow before, then to God. Wrong motives lead to lasting problems.
Gideon led the nation but he didn't lead his family. Wealth and prosperity can carry one away from the Lord today the same way as it led Gideon away. He wasn't a king but lived like a king. He wasn't content with his large family but went after that was not his to have. The result was his whole family suffered. He had a good start but a bad end. It is far better to have a good start and a consistency in pursuing proper objectives in life and have a good end. Partial obedience is really spiritual defeat. What I profess must be followed by consistent practice through life. The objectives before me in my life are to be God's objectives. In our greatest victories we are in danger of our greatest defeats. What we claim as a right for ourselves may be a stumbling block to others. Success in one area of life and service doesn't give us the right of authority over others.