Gideon - Part 9

The arrogance of ministry

Judges 8v1-21

4^th September 2015

We read last time how God gave the 300 men remaining under Gideon's command a great victory over the huge Midianite army, and how Gideon made the mistake of taking some of the credit for himself. God's glory belongs to God, not to us. But Gideon wasn't the only man in Israel who wanted some of the glory for himself:

Judges 8v1
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.

The Ephraimites could have given glory to God for the victory. They could have accepted their role in the operations following the battle. They could have been relieved that they didn't have to take part in the most dangerous fighting. But they chose instead to complain that they didn't get enough glory.

Gideon could have responded by saying that all the glory belongs to God, and he and they were all just humble servants of the Almighty, but perhaps he'd disqualified himself from saying that. Instead, he appealed to their pride:

Judges 8v2-3
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? 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.

Gideon and the Ephraimites were dividing up the credit for what God had done, like the soldiers at the foot of the cross casting lots for Jesus's cloak. But it wasn't their glory.

Let's be clear. When God defeats our enemies, whether they be internal enemies like sin and doubt, or external enemies like demons and persecution, it's God who does it, and God deserves all the glory, all the credit. We can achieve no spiritual victory except in His strength.

Back to the story. Gideon had won the victory, but he was still chasing the remaining Midianites. He reached the territory of the Israelite tribe of Gad, where he discovered that some of his countrymen were unwilling to put themselves at risk by supporting him:

Judges 8v4-7
Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 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."
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?"
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."

God had called Gideon to lead, but his position of leadership had gone to his head. He now thought it was OK for him to abuse people who didn't do what he wanted. He's not the last leader of God's people who make this mistake.

Judges 8v8-9
From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower."

Having had time to think about his reaction to the people who lived in Sukkoth, Gideon arrived in Peniel, where he committed exactly the same sin. So we know his response was not merely a moment of bad temper; he actually imagined that, because God had called him to lead and given him a victory, he had the right to behave like this.

Judges 8v10-12
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. Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

Despite his sinful heart, God gave Gideon another military victory. He then went back to Sukkoth and Peniel to exact vengeance:

Judges 8v13-17
Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 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. 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?'" He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers.
He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.

The leaders of God's people are responsible for them all - for the ones who act as we'd like and for the ones who don't - for the ones who get involved and the ones who can't be bothered. But Gideon, like many leaders today, was more interested in success than love. He was ready to punish those who didn't do it his way.

Gideon's vengeance wasn't done:

Judges 8v18-21
Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?"
"Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince."
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."
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.
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.

Gideon now had "the bearing of a prince". He was no prince - he was a farmer whom God had called to lead in two battles. But he was so puffed up with pride he acted like royalty. And his brothers who, so far as we know, hadn't done much at all, also acted like royalty, just because of the family connection with farmer Gideon. How easy it is for God's grace towards us to make us sickeningly proud!

Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian, had killed Gideon's brothers. For this crime, Gideon put them to death. But Gideon was now a leader in Israel. He should have been concerned for the victims of every crime committed by the invaders. All he seemed to care about was his own family.

And many church leaders give preferential treatment to their relatives, as if Christians are not all brothers and sisters. This is an abuse of the position called has called them to.

This is a tremendously depressing Bible passage. It teaches us that, when God gives us success in any ministry, we must be careful to remember our humble beginnings - we are sinners saved by grace - and to act in love and mercy towards everybody.