Judges 8 Bible Study (Gideon Defeats Enemies/Gideon's Ephod & Death) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Father, in Jesus' name, Lord, when we feel like we are being surrounded by so much darkness, we plead with you, Lord. Penetrate it with your light. Come, Lord, with your power and visit us afresh. Lord, we pray that every man would disappear except the God man. Let Christ be seen.

Let him be known. Let him be adored. And Lord, would we even just grab the hem of his garment tonight and receive power, healing power from him, from the word of God? We ask, Lord, that our minds would be open, our hearts would receive, that souls would be saved, that saints would be sanctified. Lord, be exalted in this house tonight.

Be blessed, be exalted. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Judges chapter eight. Judges chapter eight as we continue through the book of Judges.

And oh, with all the noise in the world, it is refreshing to hear the noise of turning pages. I'm a fan of the pages more than the glow of iPads, by the way. It's okay if you have an iPad or a phone, but I'm a I'm a book guy. Judges chapter eight. For the past two weeks, we've been discussing the man Gideon, and his ministry as a savior, not in the sense of our souls, but politically for the nation of Israel.

And it seems as though last week we concluded it. It was done. He he saw a miraculous deliverance by his faith and the faith of 300 men to see God intervene, and God did intervene. And yet, we come to this chapter and realize that there's an entire other section dedicated to this man. Surely, the Holy Spirit has so much to teach us through him.

And indeed, he does. But before we get into this text, we gotta just recollect ourselves here, and and kind of understand where we left off to know why we're getting into this verse. The last thing that we read of was Gideon with the simplicity of what? A horn, a jar, and a torch multiplied by 300, caused an entire camp of over a 100,000 soldiers to scatter, not just scatter, but be confused and turn on each other, and eventually flee the scene, and to try to run away from God's apparent and obvious intervention. And so what's happening now is, Gideon is on the pursuit to take care of the last remaining soldiers, and the kings of Midian.

And the last thing that he does, we're gonna find out a moment, is call upon a specific tribe to intervene and to mop up some of the mess of these soldiers fleeing in a certain direction. And so we come to verse one of Judges chapter eight with that background in mind, and what do we read? As Gideon is pursuing these men, we'd read in verse one, then the men of Ephraim said to him, what is this that you have done to us? Not to call us when you went to fight against Midian? And they accused him fiercely.

For a major portion of this bible study, here's what we're gonna learn. We're gonna learn that when a man, when a ministry, when a group of Christians band together and choose to live their lives to fulfill the purpose of God, oftentimes, it is not as gracious of an experience as we would want it to be. In other words, there are many reasons that would cause us in our pursuit of obedience to feel discouraged, to feel attacked, to feel hindered. And what you and I are gonna learn from Gideon at this point is that oftentimes, sometimes what makes obedience so difficult is those from within the same camp. Those that are from within can oftentimes make the ultimate goal of pursuing and advancing the kingdom much more difficult than it actually should be.

Ephraim is an entire tribe, one of the largest tribes of Israel. They approach Gideon, and the first thing that we're faced with in this Bible study is an accusation of his character and his motives. Hey, didn't you call us to help you when you went out to battle? Now why is that why is that a strange thing for Ephraim to say, in light of last week's bible study? Anybody know?

He did call them. Would you just scroll back a few verses in chapter seven, the last few verses, and look down at verse 24. Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of where? Ephraim. Saying, come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them.

And then we read on, So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they captured the waters as far as Beth Bara and also the Jordan. And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeb. They killed Oreb at the Rock Of Oreb, and Zeb they killed at the winepress Of Zeb. Then they pursued Midian. Then they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gideon across the Jordan.

And then you come to verse one of chapter eight where they go, Why didn't you call us? Why didn't you call us? You just finished delivering the heads of some of the leaders of Midian and you're asking, why didn't you call us? How does this make sense? Does anybody have an idea of what the question really is about?

The initial battle. The initial battle. The initial call. The initial recruitment. The initial opportunity to go out and fight against Midian, the way that Gideon did with the 300.

So go back to chapter six, and look at verse 35. And Ephraim is hinting at this. And he sent messengers, Gideon, throughout all Manasseh, and they too recalled out to follow him, and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. No mention of Ephraim. No mention of Ephraim until the latter part of the miraculous move of God, To come and finish the work.

To come and surround those that were trying to escape and and head towards the border, and to arrest them so that they can finish the job. But Ephraim comes up and they say, hey. Why didn't you call us? And the question really is revealing much about Ephraim. Their concern was, why didn't you allow us to be part of the glorious move and the initial call that you had?

In other words, why didn't you include us because we want to share the glory that you experienced, Gideon? What this is saying is that they were offended. They were offended because they wanted to be a part of the testimony. No. No.

They weren't caught up with the fact that God was glorified and that a miraculous thing happened, that the entire nation is about to experience deliverance. No. The thing that they were so bothered by was that they were not part of the process, and they were not included in the ministry that they wanted to be included in. Essentially, what Ephraim is saying is, we wanted the recognition and you didn't give us a chance to get it. Think about that.

We wanted to be a part of the story of being a hero and you didn't let us be a hero. Goes to show that God was really right when he told Gideon, if you allow too many to go with you, they will boast to themselves and they will boast over me. Remember that was the reason for the trimming? God was right. Shocker.

Right? He actually knew the hearts of men. He actually knew that this was the exact thing that was going to take place. That even if they got a sliver of a chance, if they got the position, if they got the name, if they got the opportunity, they would boast. And Ephraim here is proving that they really are fallen, just like we are.

And we look at this and we think, what's the lesson here? The lesson is very simple. This is a type of a believer. This is a type of a Christian who's disappointed if God doesn't use them or uses someone else in the way that they think they should be used by God. It's a picture of being riddled with insecurity and jealousy.

Coming to a point where you are so caught up with self, even in service to God, that you can't see God being glorified in the midst. You can't celebrate the Lord using a brother or a sister. The only thing that you are caught up by was the fact that you are not a part of the equation, and you're left out of the light. Ephraim here is proving, not a believer that wants to be used by God. Not a believer that says, oh, whatever it takes Lord, hear my gifts and use me.

This is a specific type of attitude. It's an attitude of entitlement. It's an attitude within the church to say, I'm someone special, therefore, I deserve special treatment, And and I want it this way, and if I don't get it this way, then I feel like you're personally attacking me. And that's why Ephraim says what? What have you done to us?

What have you done to us? Is there something about me that you don't like? Is there something about me that the reason why you're not allowing me to come to that place? Why? And you think about it and you wonder, is that reading too much into it?

Maybe they just really wanted to be a part of the whole mission. Right? Maybe we just are we're we're giving too much into this. We're thinking too much about their heart posture, but then all you have to do is go to Judges chapter 12 verse one, and Ephraim as a tribe is reintroduced. And look what you're about to find out about the attitude of these people.

In verse one of Judges chapter 12, This is under a different different leader, Jephthah. Many years later, and look what we read. The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go up with you? We will burn your house over with fire. Woah, that's a little different.

But same heart posture. Same heart posture. Two different leaders, same pride. Do you wonder why Gideon perhaps didn't call them initially? Do you wonder why Jephthah perhaps didn't recruit them initially?

The text doesn't tell us. But we have reason to believe perhaps, they knew their heart posture as a people. And they knew how they thought about serving God. And they knew that their involvement really would ultimately try to bring glory to themselves and to the Lord. And that for them, it was an opportunity to boast.

And if you are a person that wants to approach ministry in such a way or service to God in such a manner, guaranteed you will limit yourself. And not only will you limit yourself, but you will actually make others who want it for the right reason, you'll give them a much harder job to do when they actually want to do it for God's glory. Ephraim, in this case, was so frustrated that they were willing to even burn the house down. You know how many churches been burned down with people like this? You know how many people would rather see ministries destroyed or opportunities destroyed because they think the church is about them having the spotlight?

Again, this is not to criticize a heart that longs to use their gifts or longs to inquire about how they can serve. That's a whole different idea. This is a person that can't even hide the motive of why they wanna do what they wanna do. It's a dangerous thing to have In the church, it's a dangerous thing to have in your own heart. So they accused Gideon fiercely.

They accused Jephthah fiercely. And the question is, how is Gideon gonna respond to this? Imagine imagine a whole tribe after you even did include them, but not include them the way they want to be included, but after you invited them that you honored God, and here they come with a bony finger in your face saying, how dare you treat me this way? I love how Gideon answers. Let's find out together.

And he said to them, verse two, what have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grapes of the harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian or Abinzeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.

How did Gideon answer? With total wisdom. A soft answer turns away wrath. And when Gideon heard this, he didn't retaliate. He didn't turn back and say, you clearly lack spiritual maturity.

You clearly have jealousy in your heart. You're clearly a destructive force to the kingdom of God. Didn't say anything of the sort, and let me go on to say that there are some times where you might have to do that. But oftentimes, there's a wisdom that is required to handle such a situation. You know why?

Because Gideon knew that there was a greater goal, a greater mission, and he wasn't gonna give his energy, and he wasn't gonna choose this hill to die on. A wise man, a wise woman knows how to choose their battles. They know, like Gideon, there are some Midianites that still need to be taken care of. And I clearly see this as a distraction. I clearly see this as a hindrance and I'm not gonna bite the bait.

And so, I will choose a greater battle instead of this one. And that's what he does. And this is what it requires of a person who wants to serve God. There'll be times where you're gonna have to not give in to the bait of dissension. There are times where you're gonna have to find the quickest way to bring a solution.

There are times where you have to ignore the accusation, ignore the slander, ignore the gossip, and just say, there's something far more important than an insecure person that wants to slander my character for the wrong reasons. Listen, if you really want to serve God, it's gonna come. Okay? It's gonna happen. But Gideon here proved something so important.

He was kingdom minded. He was kingdom minded. He didn't try to defend himself. He didn't try to, again, prove himself to be right and crush them in this moment. He does something that perhaps very little people would do in light of this.

He actually praises them. He goes, who can compare to you? Twice he says it. Who can compare to you? Look, we we came in with 300 and we took over, but you guys, you took over the princes.

You killed some of the leaders. Look at what you were able to do. Now Gideon does this carefully because he says, God gave them into your hands. Read it carefully. He's giving glory to God.

He's reminding them of who was really the one that enabled him to do so. And how they wanted to interpret this was up to him. They could either be humble and grateful, reminded that their service, no matter what it was, was ultimately by God and for God, or they could have just allowed it to feed their ego even more. And when you go to chapter 12, you realize that it it didn't really humble them. It actually just fed their ego more.

But on Gideon's side, for character points, Gideon is up one, and Ephraim is zero, but they subsided with their anger. That's what pacified them. That's what satisfied them. What satisfied them? What was it?

Recognition. They got what they really wanted. They wanted the praise. They wanted to be told that no one else was like them in Israel, and you're even greater than the leader of this movement. And they said, yeah.

Yeah. We are actually. Right? We did take over the princes. Yeah.

You're right. What a sad way to live the Christian life. That the thing that satisfies you is the praise of men. The thing that makes you content in your even attempt to serve God, is how people view you, and that you're the best, and that you're the greatest, and that you're the most talented, and you're most sought after, and you're the most popular in the church, and you have the greatest voice, and you have the greatest ability to speak, and you have the greatest ability to do this or do that. And that's the high for you.

Right? That's your reward then. That was their reward, and they got it. And it's a sad scene for Ephraim, but it's a wonderful scene here for Gideon as a wise man, as a wise leader. But then we go on and we realize that it was very short lived because Gideon moves on from that scene and we read in verse four.

And he came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him exhausted yet pursuing. Exhausted yet pursuing. You wonder if Ebrahim added to their exhaustion. Now, this leader, this general passes by a place called Succoth, which is Israelite territory. They're allies.

And in their depleted condition, they ask for some help. And they look over to the leaders and they say, please give loaves of bread, verse five, to the people who follow me for they are exhausted and I am pursuing after Ziba and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. So they're asking for something that should be granted and that's support and aid and and resources, so that they can be fueled to continue to serve God. You and I should expect the same from brothers and sisters in Christ. We should expect the same from the community of faith.

We should come to a place like this and have brothers and sisters throughout our journey, and when we are exhausted as we obey God, to be able to lean on a shoulder and receive support and help. But remember the point I made before we started here, that oftentimes, in the pursuit of obedience, the greatest hindrances can even come from those who are supposed to be allies. And so he asks, and surely he is anticipating and expecting fresh bread and water, and a seat to sit on, and moral support, and words of encouragement, and scripture from the law perhaps to remind him of the power and the faithfulness of God. And as they're there, instead, not only does he get rejection, but he gets scorn and belittlement from them. Look what they say here in verse six.

And the officials of Succoth said, are the hands of Zebah and Zamuna already in your hand that we should give bread to your army? You see what's being said here? You want us to give you bread? Those kings are still alive. We're not gonna give you anything until you complete this victory because if those kings are still alive, then there's a chance of you losing and us losing and we're not gonna be a part of this whole thing.

Come back with those heads and we'll give you what you need. Persecution is painful, but it's expected when it comes from those who have no regenerated heart. Slander from the world, we should expect it. If they called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more his servants? But where's real pain in the Christian pilgrimage?

For the zealous heart, for the faithful. Here's where the real pain is. When a brother, when a sister turns on you, when a leader disappoints you, when a professing Christian says something of the sort, and their relationship with you is more of a discouragement than it is a source of strength. And Gideon here is experiencing that. And what's the whole deal with Succoth?

Not just Succoth, look at verse eight, there's another place. And from there, he went up to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him, and as the men of Succoth had answered. Why are these two cities responding in this way? One simple Actually, let me ask you. Why do you think?

What does that actually reveal about their hearts, if anything? That's the better question. Fear? Sure. And the fear is the is the presence because of there's an absence.

What's the absence? What's the absence here? What are they missing? Trust synonymous with faith. They don't trust that God is actually gonna bring deliverance.

They don't really believe that this small platoon of men who are clearly beaten down already are actually gonna take over the kings with 15,000 other Midianites. They don't trust God. They don't believe God. They're not committed to God. In fact, some people believe that they are actually traitors.

They're in alliance with Midian, that's why they didn't support. That's a good argument to make. I don't think that's necessarily true. I just think they don't believe. They don't believe.

And how discouraging is it? I can tell you people who are discouraged around The United States, because they are stuck with, or they are surrounded with a people who don't have this faith in God, who don't have this trust in God, who bear the name of God, who who don't have a commitment to God, who are not surrendered to God completely, and it's almost as though they feel, this is what I have to work within my Christian life. God forbid that it would be true here, but it's true for many people in their environment, in their atmosphere, and in their ministries. This is pain to Gideon. Ephraim was one thing, now he has to deal with people that are outright just rejecting them.

I can deal with super sensitive professing Christians, but when it comes to those who clearly have no walk with God or trust in God, there are people who can't move forward because they can't seem to find what they need in this life, and that is a partnership for the faith. And what's amazing is, the one that's really gonna miss out in this whole thing is not Gideon, it's these two towns. Because though it was just bread that they were gonna offer, it was a contribution to the ultimate goal of seeing salvation. And perhaps they failed to see how significant their participation really was. See, you can have Christians in the ministry, in the church, serving God like the 300.

They're on the front lines and they're seeing God do the miraculous. Or like Ephraim, they're not called into that necessarily, but they have a different call and it's it's important. Or just like Succoth and here, Penuel, giving bread just to energize those who are serving, all are important, all are pieces to the puzzle, all are needed, and all are honorable in the sight of God. You know, we think about the gospels. We think about Jesus while he was on the earth, and we think about the disciples that were with him, and how they were sent out into crusades and seeing demons being cast out, and people being healed, and people turning to the Lord, at least to some measure.

But then there's this little text, we can turn to it. You don't have to turn there, but in Luke chapter eight verse two and three, where there's a a mention of a group of women. Some woman who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. And Joanna, the wife of Huzah, and Herod's household's manager, and Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their means. That was their involvement in Jesus' ministry and his ministry team.

They gave out of their means. They provided for them. They fed them. They gave out of their own savings. They weren't sent out like the disciples were necessarily to preach and to see the wonderful marvelous things, but they just were there to to fuel them, and to supply them.

And the Holy Spirit saw it so worthy, and so important that he included in the gospel, so that all people of all generations would see their involvement in the ministry of Jesus Christ. And I wanna say that no matter how you serve God, even if it comes to providing out of your means, if you see a ministry where Jesus is truly present and truly being preached and exalted, and his message is being advanced, Christ will honor your contribution. And it's no small thing. Just like in this moment, though it might have been small for Succoth and Peniel to give bread, it was very much needed for Gideon and his men. So it is with the kingdom of God.

There are things that are required, and it may be small in your eyes, but they are not in his. And we expect that just how Gideon answered Ephraim, that we're gonna have a fresh manifestation of wisdom from this man to know how to deal with these people, so that their anger would subside. And that, he's gonna turn around this whole thing, and he's gonna make them friends, and somehow this is all gonna work out until you read how the man responds to them. And how does he respond? Verse seven.

So Gideon said, well then You know that's bad right there. Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. Is this the same guy that we just read in verse two and verse three? Oh, you think that's bad? I don't even know what that means.

Flare your flesh with with thorns. Doesn't sound pleasant. Verse eight. When the men of Succoth told him that, verse nine, and he said to the men of Penuel, when I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. You wonder if the man's exhaustion contributed to his reaction in this way, but I wanna tell you early on in this bible study about what you and I are seeing right now is the developed unfortunate character of Gideon.

He's not gonna be the same guy that you and I saw in chapter six, and that's showing here. He looks at these men, and he said, when I come back with success, you're gonna wish that I wasn't successful. So stay put and get comfortable, because I'm gonna come with vengeance. What? You know, it's amazing how in one moment we can be in the spirit, and in one moment we can be in the flesh.

It's amazing how in one moment we can be walking like Jesus, and the next, out of the same mouth that came blessing comes cursing. And Gideon here is showing what can happen when enough pain and betrayal and hurt can come into your heart and you're not careful to guard your heart. What Gideon is in fact showing is what can happen to a man or a woman who fails to believe that God will fight their battles and take vengeance for them. Does this scene sound familiar? That the scene of asking for resources while you're passing by and not getting it?

You should, if you've been in this bible study, especially in the Pentateuch. Where does this come from? Anybody have an idea of how this sounds familiar? Think of a group of people traveling through a wilderness, and coming near the promised land. Yes.

In part, but even even more specific. It wasn't even the enemies. Numbers 12. Numbers 12, more specifically? Yes, there's that where Moses responds in anger.

True. But I want you guys to focus in on the scene with Moses when they pass by a certain group of people needing something and didn't get it. Edomites. Numbers chapter 20. Remember?

The Edomites are blood brothers with the Israelites. And what are they what are they seeking after as they're passing by their territory? You come down to verse 19 and you figure out that they just want water. They just want simple resources and, hey, we will go up by the highway and if we drink of your water, I am my livestock, then I will pay for it. Do you talk like that to a brother?

If you have a brother, I hope that's not how you have to talk to them. I hope that you should expect support and help when you need it. And he's just saying, let me only pass through on foot, nothing more. Sound familiar like Gideon. Right?

Hey, we just need bread so that we can move on and continue to do and go where God wants us to go. And how did the Edomites respond? Look at verse 20. But he being Edom said, you shall not pass through. And Edom came against against them with a large army with a strong force.

Now pause there. This is not the king of Og or Bashan. These are not enemies. This is relatives. And this is how they're responding.

That hurts. And listen, servant of God. You want to serve God? Expect to be hurt from people who call themselves your brothers and sisters. Is that the standard?

No. Is that an excuse for us to act in a certain way with one another? No. But I know many people who have literally closed themselves off to even being able to read their bibles, because of somebody who professed to be a believer and hurt them really really badly. Be careful.

How does Moses respond to what even Gideon faced very similarly? Look at verse 21. Thus, Eden refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him. When Moses clearly saw that they were they were concrete in their refusal to help them, that there was no wiggle room there, that there was no even chance of it happening, he doesn't say I'm gonna flail your flesh. He didn't say I'm gonna come and destroy you.

He doesn't go up on the mountain and call upon God to strike some kind of a plague on them. Moves on. It's the glory of a man to be able to hear an insult, and not let it affect them. That's what Proverbs says. It's the glory of a man to be offended, to be hurt, and for it to bounce off of your heart, because you know that God is gonna take care of it, because he heard it, because he saw it.

Surely, this man was meek. Surely, this man was humble. Surely, this man is an example to us. You look at him in comparison to Gideon, you say, Gideon, how did you get there? Let's take it further.

You think this is old testament reality? You think this is old covenant people who are the flesh? They didn't have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit? Let me tell you about a man named Apostle Paul. In second Timothy four sixteen, he makes a remark and he says this, at my first defense, no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me.

All deserted me. He's not talking about Caesar. He's not talking about the Judaizers. He's talking about those who were supposed to stand by him, and didn't. You look at Gideon's reaction, and that reaction, that feeds the flesh.

That feels good. That temporarily satisfies the itch of getting your way. Then you look at Moses, and Moses simply ignores the situation, and it is a glorious thing. But let's see a new covenant man when deserted by those who are called to support him. Not only does he not insult them, not only does he write about him behind their backs, you realize so and so didn't come and support me.

Can you believe it after all the teaching and the discipleship? Look at this guy. Scum, right? Yes. No.

None of that. Nor does he even ignore them and he could have, and he doesn't even say, oh God, would you? Would you afflict them? Would you judge them? Lord, I won't do it.

I won't say a word but you can, so why don't you take vengeance on my behalf? And sometimes we can call upon God for justice. The man goes beyond all that. He says, may it not be charged against them. May it not be charged against them.

Lord, what they did to me was wrong. It was wrong. But I'm asking you, instead of even disciplining them, you would forgive them. Don't charge them with this offense. Overlook it, Lord.

That is what the Holy Spirit can do in our heart. That is what the Holy Spirit can do in your heart, offended believer. The Holy Spirit can so fill your heart with love, that even when it was a 100% unjust, and totally uncalled for, you can still respond with sincerity in your bosom to say, God, don't hold it against them. Now I look at Paul, and I look at Gideon, and a lot of people love Gideon. You know why a lot of people love Gideon's story?

Because they see God's miraculous intervention taking 300, destroying a 100 and something thousand people. God taking a weak man and using him to be a mighty general and a mighty warrior, and we go, oh God, I long to see you do something like that. I long to see you flip my circumstances. I long to see you make the impossible look possible. I long to be used by you to bring many to deliverance.

And then you see the Holy Spirit do a work like this, and so possess a man that he is in control when offense floods his soul. And what you have is Christians that are more attracted to the external miraculous, instead of pursuing the internal miraculous of what God can do with a character, and an attitude, and a personality. I look at Paul and I have to tell you, I'm drawn to Paul's spirit more than how the spirit covered Gideon to do mighty works. You think that is personal opinion? Here's what Proverbs sixteen thirty two says, to all of us, concerning how to weigh what a true spiritual successful person looks like in comparison to other things.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty. And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Oh mighty man of valor, Gideon. Should we want to see things like that? God recruiting the weak and the foolish of the world?

Sure. But many people covet to be mighty in this sense. Successful, proving people wrong, having people sing your praises because God has so used you. Here's what the scripture says. Let me tell you what's better.

When you're slow to anger, And when you can control your spirit when it is being provoked, and when it is being attacked and assaulted. And I'm telling you this, that can be possible for you if you just seek it more desperately than anything else. Who cares if you can preach a wonderful message, if you are easily triggered to anger? Who cares if you can sing beautifully if you're a gossiper throughout the week? Who cares how much people love your knowledge when you can't even control your mouth?

I'll tell you what God values more than anything. When a man seeks to be ruled by the spirit in his character, in his language, in his actions, reactions, interactions, more than the accomplishments, that would impress even the carnal. Powerful truth. In Judges eight verse 11, Gideon pursues, he moves forward. There's 15,000 men left.

He has so much faith in God because of what he's seen in the past. Look at verse 11, this little insight. And Gideon went up on the way of the 10 dwellers East of Noah and Jogbeh and attacked the enemy, for the army felt secure. For the army felt secure. One more time, for the army felt secure.

Here's a principle for physical warfare and spiritual warfare. Often times, it's when we feel secure that onslaughts and attacks come. Be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall. Take heed. That's a principle in real warfare and we can apply and parallel it to spiritual warfare.

When you let your guard down, when you become relaxed, when you do not care about your spiritual disciplines, that is when the enemy will come and attack. Do you think he's stupid? Do you think he's gonna he's gonna give all that he has when you're prayed up and when you're filled with the scripture and you're continually walking repentance? No. Let your guard down.

And then the attack comes. The ambush comes. In the thoughts and temptations, and despair, and discouragement, Wonderful insight from even a physical wherefore principle here. Then we move on. He captures the kings.

He comes back to those two towns and he fulfills his word. He punishes them. He disciplines them. He acts out his vengeance and his anger. He would not let go.

And he in fact, killed his own brothers. He killed his own brothers. He destroys the tower and he makes a statement, you can't mess with me. You can't mess with me. Again, it's scary what bitterness and how bitterness can take somebody so far.

That you can even begin to see those who are of your camp, those who are on your side and treat them as enemies. And that's what he does. Then he comes back to these two kings in verse 18. Then he said to Ziba and Zalmunna, where are the men whom you killed at Tabor? They answered, as you are, so were they.

Every one of them resembled the son of a king. So before he's about to execute them, he has one little question. There is an incident that the scriptures did not record, but we are being brought into under the Midianite oppression happened. There is some kind of a slaughter at Tabor and he's trying to get confirmation if it was in fact these kings that implemented and acted upon those sins. And they said, yeah.

We did. They admitted it. He says in verse 19 and he said, they were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you. So you see a man here who is not just motivated by his mission, his commission from God to be the nation's deliverer.

There is a personal hurt here. There is a personal mission here to take vengeance on behalf of his slain brethren, his actual blood brothers. And he got the confirmation to say, you did it? Yeah. We did it.

You're dead meat. And look what he does in verse 20. So he said to Jether, his firstborn, rise and kill them. I'm gonna give you the opportunity, son, to slaughter them. I'm gonna give you the honor to destroy them.

So take my sword and choose your spot, and get him out of the way. And look at the response, but the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a young man. He was still a young man. What Gideon is trying to do here is shame these kings because in ancient culture, if you die by the hand of a child or a woman, it was an embarrassment. And so he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to even make them look worse than they already were in this moment.

And he tries to convince his son to do so. And you wonder how this young man is witnessing all of this. Some argue that Gideon is in the right, because he is doing what the law said. If somebody murders somebody, you have the right to take him out. That's what the cities of refuge were all about, even if the death was accidental.

So some are saying he's in the right, and he's trying to cause Jether to just do what it was he was called to do in essence, and give him the opportunity to do it. Some would say, here's a man who is possessed with bitterness, and when you are possessed with a bitterness, it becomes a horrifying sight. Interesting scene, and I just wanted to make the observation. Because it's the next part that's really amazing concerning Gideon's life. He slaughters them.

He takes them out. Victory is now complete. It's over, but the story isn't. So glorious was this deliverance, so awesome was this salvation, the people were so impressed by Gideon's leadership that they say something in verse 22. And the men of Israel said to Gideon, rule over us.

You and your son and your grandson also for you have saved us from the hand of Midian. For the first time, we have a desire for a change of government in Israel. We always think that it happened in Samuel's day. Right? When they asked Samuel for a king, they wanted to be just like the nations.

But no, we see early hints of it even here. To say to to Gideon, we want you to be a king means we don't want God to be our king. At this point, they were they were being ruled by God. It was a theocracy. But here, they were so blinded to the fact that God was the one who did everything, that they held on to Gideon and they wanted to promote him and give him a throne.

And up to this point, the reader might be a little nervous because of how Gideon's been responding to a lot of situations. Because just as dangerous as what? People within the camp of Christianity can hinder you, attack you, not show trust in God, and not support you. Here's another danger, when people begin to praise you, and love you, and exalt not Christ in you, you. Do you see all these threats and these hindrances coming at Gideon?

Pre victory, post victory, may God give us the wisdom to know how to continually walk in the fear of the Lord as we pursue obedience, and as we experience the sweetness of the fruitfulness of the harvest of obedience. Be our king. What an offer. How does Gideon respond? Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you.

The Lord will rule over you. Wow. Amazing. Powerful. Bold.

Straight to the point. Temptation came, he didn't even give it a chance. He didn't say I'll come back in three days and think about it. He didn't say, no. He just cut it off right there.

The Lord will rule over you. He reminds them who it was that ultimately brought their salvation. And a man who is to be used by God must develop the discipline and the reflex to continually bring people to the cross. That in light of success and victory, to point people to the one who enabled him or her to be such a fruitful servant of the king. And Gideon does that.

Or does he? You would wish that this is where the story of Gideon ended. Oh, how would have been wonderful despite little hiccups of Gideon that the chapter would have ended there. We would have moved on with the narrative of judges, but it doesn't. The Lord will rule over you.

Impressive. Very noble. Verse 24. And Gideon said to them, let me make a request. Let me make a request of you.

Everyone of you give me their earrings from his spoil. For they had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites. And they answered, we will willingly give them. And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in the earrings of his spoil. And the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold.

Besides the crescent ornaments, and the pendants, and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. The chapter didn't end with the Lord will rule over you. He says it and something happens in his heart. He realizes in light of the scene right here, right now, that he had the hearts of the people in his hand. That he had won the popular vote.

That he had so impressed them, they were so vulnerable, he can direct them as he wished. And in this moment, he realized that something can happen for his benefit, or his ultimate goal. He looks at him and he says, listen, actually, the Lord will rule over you. The Lord will rule over you. But let me make a request.

You know, all the spoil that we got from the enemy? Could you bring that here and give it to me? And they said, we're more than willing to give it to you. Gideon, you can ask us for the very sandals off our feet and we'll give it to you. And they rushed and they took off their earrings and they took off their gold and they gave it to a leader.

Sound familiar? Rewind, rewind, rewind to a moment when a leader asked for the gold earrings, and the jewelry, and the material of those who received it from a spoil. Rewind where? Aaron. Aaron.

Exodus 32 verse two. Give me your earrings. Give me the rings of gold. Bring them to me. And if you realize that as you just did, you wonder if the sequence is gonna follow the same way it did for Aaron under his leadership.

And I have to say, unfortunately, it does. Verse 27. And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city in Ophrah. And all Israel hoard after it there and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. The Lord will rule over you.

I will not be king. Something erupts in his heart. Something triggers him in that moment and a whole plan. You wonder if he thought about it in the moment or you wonder if it was premeditated. He takes their material and he makes something called an ephod.

An ephod, according to the old testament, was the outer garment worn in the upper part of the high priest that would cover the garment. And it was a it was a piece that the high priest would wear. It had special materials and jewels on it, stones on the shoulders, on the chest, but the ephod had a significant pocket with two stones called what? Urim and Thummim. And those two stones would be used by the high priest to inquire of God for guidance or direction, whether for himself or for the people or specific individuals.

That's what the ephod was. Here's the issue. It was for one high priest, it was to be worn by one man, there was supposed to be only one of these ephods, and what he is doing is replicating it, and that's already a wrong thing to do. He creates this efod, and he places it in his hometown, perhaps even by his home. Why is that an issue?

If that's what that piece of clothing symbolizes, why is that a problem? Here's why it's a problem. It was a rival place of worship now, from where the true house of God was in Shiloh. And so instead of the people going where God called them to go to worship and seek him for guidance and direction, they would be divided and they would go to Gideon instead. And Gideon, though we don't know his true motive behind this, we know this for sure.

By creating this efod, is implying that people should come to him, so that he can give them their source of guidance and direction. Because he was the man of God, and he was a special deliverer, and he had a special walk with the Lord that they could benefit from. The Lord will rule over you. And in the very next verse, he dismisses the word of God, the law of God, and he creates havoc, idolatry. You know what's amazing with Gideon is that he represents those that theologically, man, they're accurate.

I will not rule over you. The Lord will rule over you. Your theology is crystal clear. Confessionally, confessionally, who are you? What are you?

I'm confessing what are you? Who's got to you? Let me confess it. Sound. Sound.

Practically, revealing what they truly believe in. And it doesn't match up with their apparent theology or their confession. The Lord will rule over you. You know, it really doesn't mean much anymore for people to say I'm a Christian. In fact, when somebody says it, I'm hesitant to believe it right away.

This might offend you, but I'll back it up with Bible in a moment. It's not even very impressive for somebody to say, Jesus is Lord. That doesn't mean much anyway. Jesus is Lord. That's wonderful, sister.

Prove it. Jesus is God and He came to die on the cross for our sins, to be the atonement for us. And He rose from the dead on the third day and He will return. That's wonderful, brother. Your theology is so sound, just like Gideon.

The Lord will rule over you. Confessionally beautiful. Prove it. Saying, brother, you're being a little harsh. Are we not saved by confessing with our mouth and believing in our heart?

Absolutely. But if confession was really the thing that would impress God, never mind man, then you have problems with many of those on that day who will say what? Confessionally, Lord, Lord. Lord, Lord. That sounds like confession.

That sounds like identifying the true Lord, and personally, not just once, but twice, declaring it emphatically, declaring it absolutely, Lord, Lord. The Lord will rule over you. And then he goes on to act as though he was really the one that was ruling over the people. You shall know them by their fruits. You shall know them by their fruits.

It's a simple lesson. And you know what you find? Something that we've never seen before in the book of Judges. Verse 27. And Gideon made an ephod of it, and put it in his city in Ophrah, and all Israel hoard after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

Whenever you try to get a people to worship God, outside of the prescribed manner of worship, it will always lead to idolatry. When you veer off the word of God and start to give your ideas and your wisdom and your creativity, and you will always lead people to worship a false God. Even if his name is Jesus. But he's not the Jesus of the Bible. What do we see here for the first time?

This is my final question tonight. What do we see here from that verse for the first time in the book of Judges? Anybody realize it? Yeah, Murphill. All of Israel?

That's arguably true, I guess. This is what you and I noticed for the first time in the book of Judges. That the entire nation of Israel or the people of Israel for that matter, slid into apostasy while the judge was still alive. Remember the cycle. Right?

Turning from God, oppression, because of a discipline act from God, raising up a deliverer, being delivered, a time of peace, going back and turning their backs on God, once the ruler died. That's the cycle. Every time the ruler died, the people would turn their backs on God. And for the first time in the book of Judges, we are met with such a craving for idol worship that even while Gideon was alive, they still worshiped a false god. You know what that's telling us in our bible study as we continue in this story?

If you think it's been bad up to this point, it's about to get really bad with God's judges. And whatever level we think we have reached in terms of depravity and unfaithfulness, we have now opened the door into a new section. We're not only the people of Israel are showing a new level of darkness, but the leaders that are supposed to deliver them also. So brace yourselves. It's about to get intense.

Let's bow our heads. Father, we think about the judges that we've seen up to this point, and help us always at the end of these stories to look at Christ, the ultimate savior. The one who is faithful in the task of delivering a people, the one who has no deceit found in his mouth, the one who did not revile when he was reviled, the one who was perfect and spotless in his character, in his actions, reactions, interactions. Lord, tonight, we see the failure of another man, showing us that men cannot save and we cannot save ourselves. Showing us that no matter how God might use a man in our lives or use a woman in our lives, they're still capable of falling and not just falling, but falling hard.

Lord, we pray that after a study such as this, we would not only look at our own hearts and take the principles of holiness, but we would ultimately look to Christ and see him as the one that will never fail us. That will deliver us and deliver us and deliver us and deliver us over and over again when we cry out for deliverance. Lord, we pray for those in this place that are trying to live the Christian life but are hindered by even those who claim to be Christians. Disappointed, discouraged, beaten down. Lord, may we be a community that are so focused on the Midianites that we have no time to look at each other and to see the greater goal and purpose in our walk, in our mission, in our ministries.

Lord, help us see the true enemy. Help us see the true foe in our lives. And help us support and build one another up. Place us exactly where you want us to be and let us be content with it. Lord, we ask in this place that our hearts would be changed and that Lord, we would learn in our own lives what we've heard tonight.

In Jesus name we pray. Amen.