Judges 7 – 11
The reading today starts with Gideon and his 300 men going into battle. My mind immediately drifts to the movie “300” where 300 fighting Spartans sacrificed themselves in a devastating battle where they fought huge numbers of Persians for many days. Although the movie had mythical creatures, the actually historical battle raged in 480BC. Interesting this story of Gideon happened around 1100BC or about 600 years earlier. The difference between the two stories is Gideon was victorious, where the Spartans died and became a symbol of courage.
Verse 11:7 gives the Lords blessing to the men going into battle:
And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
From that point Gideon conquers Midian, Zebah and Zaimunna with these 300 men showing God’s blessing on their conquests, since they were overcoming insurmountable odds. God did not want them to win with a large force of 32,000 men that they originally started with. No God wanted there to be no question of His involvement in this conquest.
After this great achievement in verse 8:22 the people asked Gideon to rule over them:
Then 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.”
His response in 8:23 showed Gideon knew the source of his fame:
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.”
The saddest part of this story was when Gideon died the people quickly turned from God and “whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.” (8:33) This amazes me how one nation can flip so easily, but at the same time Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and came back to a mess. This actually shows we are wired to worship God; we just often get confused on who is God and what is just an idol. Our nation today is moving from God at a rapid rate and making things the “gods” of our lives. Don’t let that happen to you.
This disobedience continues in verse 10:6:
The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the LORD and did not serve him.
This continues with the pattern of drifting from God. This is something that we tend to do without thinking when we separate ourselves from a body of believers. It’s easy to do as people live without that reminder. Often we reject churches because of scandal and think we will find God on feelings along. Suddenly the “if it feels good do it” mentally twists God’s intention for your life and has you “feeling” yourself don’t some dangerous rabbit trails.
We end the reading with Jephthah’s tragic vow with God. See he wants victory and makes a vow in verses 11:30 & 31:
And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”
This should be a shining example of don’t make deals with God, humbly accept His blessings. In this case the first person out of the door was his only child, his daughter. The chapter ends with him sacrificing her. Many studies imply this “sacrifice” was keeping her a virgin, the text just says he kept his vow. We see in the above verse that was a “burnt offering”, which implies she was killed to honor the vow.
I think of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, where he would grant wishes with a price. Often the price was much more “costly” than the wish that was granted. I think God is showing us not to make deals without careful consideration of the possible consequences. We could ask for the world, but what good is the world if it costs you your true love? This is another story that can be used as an example for one to think things through.