When Gideon Listens to God, Success Follows -- a study of Judges 7:1-8, 19-23
- mww
- 14 minutes ago
- 14 min read
Don't try to steal any of God's glory.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Judges 7
This week's passage shows us the height of Gideon's success as a leader of God's people and also the seeds of what will be an ignominious fall. God led Gideon and His people into a plan that would force them to rely on Him and give Him the glory when it succeeded. Reading ahead, it seems that Gideon really wanted to keep some of that glory for himself.
and they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” (7:20)
When We Studied This Topic in 2017
You might remember from last week that our 2017 study of Judges combined both of these Gideon lessons into one. Part of that year's post might be helpful to you this week:
Getting Started: Things to Think About
The Craziest Plan You Were Ever a Part of
In this week's passage, we have the bizarre "do they lap the water like dogs?" test, which really had to make Gideon and everyone involved just a bit nervous. What kind of a plan is that? We'll talk about that specific plan below, but for starters, ask your group about crazy plans they were a part of, or plans they didn't really understand.
Obviously, in our passage, God is behind the plan, so any doubts are our fault, not the perfect plan's. But in our lives, with plans formulated by people, sometimes we don't understand the plan because they don't really make a lot of sense. Has that ever happened to you?
Your Favorite David-vs-Goliath Story
In this week's passage, God uses a small fighting force to rout a rather large, entrenched army. David-vs-Goliath before David-vs-Goliath. This is usually a fun topic to get to know your peers. What's your favorite David-vs-Goliath story and why?
Could You Play a Horn Better Than an Ancient Israelite?
Really, this is just your chance to do something annoying. Gideon gave all of the troops in this week's battle "shofars" (ram's horns). To this point in the Bible, we've only read of it being used by a small group of priests to announce the Day of Atonement and to lead the army marching around Jericho. Now, Gideon just gave one to everybody. How do you think that sounded?
If you have access to a kazoo, a vuvuzela, or any number of cheap children's wind instruments, bring them in and see what kind of racket your group can make. How scary is it?
If the group down the hall complains, blame me.
When You Got Too Big for Your Britches
I can't help but peek after our passage when we start to see things go off the rails with Gideon. It seems to be the classic instance of a man who got too big for his britches (breeches?). He started believing his own press clippings. He developed delusions of grandeur. He listened to his own hype. (Should I stop?)
It's a pretty common experience in the human condition. But the fun question is -- have you ever done that? By all accounts (and I mean all accounts), I became rather intolerable during my senior year of high school. Like, moreso than usual. It started when I unexpectedly landed the lead in our senior musical ("Grease"), and it sounds like I just went downhill from there.
Have you had that experience, and what did that look like for you? In other words, when you finally realized what you were doing or had it pointed out to you, what was your behavior like that was so unflattering (unchristlike)? What did you do after that realization?
This Week's Big Idea: 'Ware the Slop
Are You Going to the Source or Someone Else's Summary? Are You Sure That Summary Isn't AI Slop?
It's been a while since I've gone on an AI rant, and I saw two things recently that caught my attention:
Almost 70% of Google searches end with "zero clicks".
More than 20% of YouTube content is verifiable "AI Slop".
Alphabet is the parent company for both Google and YouTube, and they have been all-in on AI for years now. Here's where it's going:
Their point is very simple: Google doesn't want you to read the internet; it wants you to read what it says the internet says. Why? Because when you're on Google, it has your attention, which means it gets all of your ad money. So it has poured its resources into the "AI Overview" you've noticed at the top of your searches. And now, 70% of searches don't end in a click -- people just read the AI-generated summary. The websites that were the source of that information get zero ad revenue because no one went to their site.
You might think that's too bad and not really a big deal. Well, that's where the second statistic comes in. AI has made it easier than ever to create what is called "slop" --
"Slop" is easy to create, and Alphabet's tools have made it very easy for sloppers to plagiarize legitimate channels, diluting the pool and making it harder for "legitimate" creators to connect with their audience. And why is that? Because Alphabet has created the algorithm that connects people on YouTube with content (just like Google search).
What's my point? Let me reword things like this:
When you prepare for a Bible study, are you studying the Bible for yourself or relying on someone else's summary of it? Are you even certain that that summary you're reading was created by a trustworthy person?
Here's where the "zero click" world becomes very dangerous -- many of those websites rely on ad revenue from search traffic to pay the bills. If they can't pay the bills, they stop producing content. And then what will Google search return? It will return the slop content that is still cheap and easy to produce, regardless of quality (or accuracy).
Because our church doesn't rely on ad revenue, we're okay. I'll continue to produce once-a-week Bible study supplements (it's become a crusade for me now) so that at least one site has human-produced trustworthy biblical content (with a few soapboxes).
But none of this can substitute for you spending time in God's Word yourself, letting it sink into your head and heart (memorizing what you can) so that the Holy Spirit "has something to work with".
What's the connection with this week's passage? Really, this topic could be used any of these weeks. The people stopped going to God's Word (law) for themselves; they let men like Gideon tell them what to think and to do. You can get away with that when Gideon was listening to God. But as I'll share in the next section, Gideon stopped doing that as soon as this task was done.
Where We Are in Judges: The Rest of Gideon's Story
This week's passage is pretty simple, and the lesson is pretty simple: follow God's plan and good things will happen. Cut-and-dried.
So, I want to spend some time with the rest of Gideon's story. We skipped the rest of chapter 6, which involves three tests from Gideon that God graciously and patiently answered and one rather pathetic show of defiance that Gideon's dad had to rescue him from. All I'm going to do here is cite some verses and make some comments. You do with this what you will.
That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar. (6:32) "Jerub-baal" means something like "let Baal contend". I point this out because later in chapters 7 and 8, Gideon seems to lean on this name -- a name that calls attention to him (and his "heroic actions") and away from God.
Then you will say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ (7:18) Yes, this was a common formula for that day -- "for god and king" -- but it's also a pretty flagrant way for Gideon to siphon glory that should have gone exclusively to God.
Then the men of Israel were called from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites. (7:23) Most of us miss this, but the things that happen immediately after this week's passage counteract what God had just told Gideon to do. There is nothing in that mop-up campaign to suggest that Gideon was listening to the Lord's instruction; it was entirely from him.
Note that the Lord does not make an appearance in chapters 8 or 9.
Gideon replied, “Very well, when the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will tear your flesh with thorns and briers from the wilderness!” (8:7) This is a great example of what I just suggested -- "tearing your flesh" was an Assyrian torture practice. Gideon all but says that it was his idea; God would not have instructed him to do something so inhumane.
Then he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” The youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a youth. (8:20) This is just creepy. This is disturbing on so many levels. Gideon eventually does the executions himself.
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you as well as your sons and your grandsons, for you delivered us from the power of Midian.” But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” Then he said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Everyone give me an earring from his plunder.” (8:22-24) This is a callback to that "for god and king" above -- the people wanted to make Gideon their king. Gideon said no to that. Buuuut.... Gideon did accept what must be called "tribute", something a king would do.
Gideon made an ephod from all this and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Then all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household. (8:27) And what does Gideon do with that tribute? Make an ephod (this is a special garment worn by the high priest; Gideon wanted one for himself). He acted like a king and dressed like a high priest. This is not great.
Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, since he had many wives. (8:30) I know it's low-hanging fruit to pick on someone's polygamy, but what gross polygamy! 70 sons? That's incredibly conceited.
Abimelech used it to hire worthless and reckless men, and they followed him. He went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, on top of a large stone. (9:4-5) And all of those sons (save one) were killed by the very people Gideon "ruled over". Not only did he do a poor job with those sons, but he clearly did a poor job with the people.
So there you go. Gideon got too big for his britches and stopped listening to God. This is a story we see throughout the Bible (and throughout history).
The bad things Gideon did later in life do not cancel out the good things he did in this week's passage. But how much better if Gideon had lived his entire life for God!
Part 1: God's Strength, Not Israel's (Judges 7:1-3)
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him, got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘I saved myself.’ 3 Now announce to the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained.
God spells out the point for us -- the weird stuff we're about to read is so the people can't mistakenly think that they saved themselves. Just keep that in mind.
Bible readers have explained this step in practical terms -- fearful soldiers are very dangerous for their own army, so they should have been sent home. Agreed! But remember that the main thing God is doing here is taking away Israel's self-reliance. Who would be more self-reliant? A brave soldier, or a scaredy soldier? So this is clearly just one of multiple steps.
But don't let your class miss a subtle-but-important point: Gideon, a nobody weakling from a minor tribe, after a rather small act of rebellion, was able to call 32,000 men to fight against the Midianites. The desire to resist was there; the people just wanted somebody to give leadership. Gideon's ego grew immensely from this response, but I think it's clear that anybody else would have had the same response. (And don't forget that God is about to cull this fighting force way down!)
Go back to 6:35 to learn that Gideon called for men from 4 tribes (and only 4 tribes). This map is very helpfully simple:
They were the local tribes, so that kinda makes sense (and reminds us that the judges were more regional than national), but the fact that Gideon only called those tribes will create unnecessary future tension.
Last week, I called attention to the phrase "in your own strength" and asked two questions: what did Gideon think that meant, and what did God actually mean? God's warning here is solid evidence that Gideon really was thinking about himself. In 6:36, Gideon's test is based on his test "If you will save Israel by my hand" (emphasis added). I'm getting vibes that Gideon thought that God chose him for this task because Gideon could get the job done. If that's true (and not everyone gets that vibe here!), then Gideon completely missed the point.
One discussion you could have here is about times when you thought God chose you for a task because of your abilities and how that affected your preparation. At FBC, we have used the "SHAPE" profile from Saddleback Church, so we should understand that God makes use of our experiences, our abilities, and even our unique personalities. But it's when we become self-reliant rather than God-reliant that things become a problem. Follow up with a time that God chose you for a task despite your "abilities" and how that went (sometimes it goes well and sometimes it seems rocky), and most importantly -- what lesson do you think God was teaching you or the people around you through that experience?
God gave Gideon and the Israelites all of the clues that He was trying to protect them from the grave error of self-reliance.
Part 2: God's Strength, Not Gideon's (Judges 7:4-8)
Then the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,’ he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,’ he cannot go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men, and all the rest of the troops knelt to drink water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the three hundred men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.” 8 So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred troops, who took the provisions and their rams’ horns. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Once again, Bible readers have gone to great lengths to try to "explain God's reasoning here", usually something like "the men who lapped were more aware of their surroundings". And that's fine, but I think it's unnecessarily obfuscating the point. (Not to mention that "aware soldiers" were probably more likely to be self-reliant.) I think this is just the method God used to shrink the army numbers as dramatically as possible. He could have just as easily said "choose the men who have their sandals laced with the left one on top". The method of culling was not the point -- the size of the army was.
In this case, an army of 300 against an entrenched army of many thousands (see v. 12) would only have victory with divine assistance. No sane military leader would do this, so the Israelites could only go forward with this plan if they actually trusted God.
That's the point, and Gideon's obedience here speaks well of him. I'm going to call these verses the highlight of Gideon's career as a leader of God's people.
What We Skip
God gives Gideon yet another source of divine reassurance (goodness, Gideon was a nervous nelly) in the form of an admission from a Midianite that was so perfectly-worded to give Gideon confidence that it could only be a God thing. Gideon finally goes back to his troops with confidence.
Gideon then gives his men their instructions:
Blow trumpets. Gideon's personal trumpet (shofar/ram's horn) might have been as a call to war, but everyone else had trumpets as well, and their trumpets were just noise-inducing confusion to make the camp think that many more soldiers were attacking.
Carry jars with torches inside. This would have been purely for effect (and a very cool effect at that!). The jars would have kept the torches dark, so imagine all of a sudden being completely surrounded by torches out of seemingly nowhere, accompanied by a strange cracking sound.
Shout "for the Lord and for Gideon". I already mentioned this as a red flag above. This was a common war cry in that day -- "for god [x] and king [x]" -- so we shouldn't read overly much into it. But I can't help but notice that God didn't say anything about doing this. This is Gideon offering his own instructions, and this one pretty blatantly takes some of the glory that should have gone only to God and gives it to Gideon.
To be fair about my complaint, the Midianite in verse 14 specifically mentioned Gideon, so I think a case can be made that Gideon was taking advantage of name recognition here. Just make sure your group knows that Gideon may have been overreaching by injecting himself into the battle cry.
Part 3: God's Strength Is Sufficient (Judges 7:19-23)
19 Gideon and the hundred men who were with him went to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch after the sentries had been stationed. They blew their rams’ horns and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew their rams’ horns and shattered their pitchers. They held their torches in their left hands and their rams’ horns to blow in their right hands, and they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army began to run, and they cried out as they fled. 22 When Gideon’s men blew their three hundred rams’ horns, the Lord caused the men in the whole army to turn on each other with their swords. They fled to Acacia House in the direction of Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. 23 Then the men of Israel were called from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.
Gideon divided the men into three groups. This was a wise plan made more efficient by the small numbers.
I can imagine Gideon beginning to think, "What a great plan I came up with!" Of course, the only way this plan works is if the Midianites turned their swords on themselves in their confusion, else the stampede alone would have taken out the Israelites. That kind of confusion has to be divinely-assisted. No long-occupying army would disintegrate that quickly. It was an interesting plan, but it only works if God supports it.
Some of the Midianites got to their horses and fled. You can see from the map above the direction they went (there's plenty of debate about the exact location of the named places).
Admittedly, I may be reading too much into this, but I can't help but notice that God is not mentioned again in the rest of Gideon's actions. It seems to me that everything else Gideon does, he does of his own accord. Calling on the men that God told him to send home to help him pursue of the fleeing troops? That's sketchy to me. Based on 8:4, I get the sense that Gideon's 300 could have handled this without help.
Here's the argument in favor of Gideon's choices: Joshua had told the Israelites to finish conquering the Promised Land. Nowhere did Joshua say that God would give them specific instructions, just that God would help them complete the task. Gideon might simply be belatedly leading the Israelites to do what Joshua told them to do hundreds(?) of years before.
But even if that is true, based on the verses I listed above, I think Gideon has drifted into cruelty and self-aggrandizement. None of that was from God. Gideon completed the task God set out for him, then he "left God behind".
The tagline for the Lifeway material is "God provided victory and brought Himself glory through Gideon's army". Okay, yes. But I think we can see that Gideon wanted to get some of that glory for himself. How does that happen today? And how can we stop ourselves from doing so?
You have at least two discussions --
what are times in our lives when we have obeyed God and seen God do something unbelievable through us and/or our church?
what steps do we need to take to make sure that we don't let those accomplishments go to our head and continue to obey God and give Him all the glory?
In that last bullet point, I want to be clear of the different between lip-service and heart-service. It's easy for someone to stand up in church and say "let's give God the glory". What does that actually mean? How do we actually do that?
I believe that the answer to those questions is the key to a healthy church (and Christian). God bless you all!
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