When we left Gideon in yesterday’s reading he was testing God’s promises with a fleece from a sheep. One night he asked God to make the fleece wet with dew and keep the ground dry. When Gideon wrung out the fleece the next day he filled a basin with water, but the ground was dry. The following night he asked God for a dry fleece surrounded by wet grass. God did just as Gideon asked.

It was a miracle, and now Gideon was ready to trust God with the battles that lay ahead. He summoned the men of Manasseh, Asher, Naphtali, and Zebulun to bring their weapons and form an army to fight the Midianites.

Sorting Out the Troops

Thirty-two thousand men responded to Gideon at Mt. Gilead, but God didn’t want that many soldiers. He didn’t want Israel to believe they won the war against Midian by their own strength.

God told Gideon to send home anyone who was afraid to fight and twenty-two thousand men left. He took the remaining ten thousand to a spring-fed pool and watched how they drank water. The three hundred men who filled their cupped hands with water and lapped it up were the ones God selected to stay and fight beside Gideon.

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.’” Judges 7:7

Gideon didn’t argue. He sent the other 9,700 men home and kept some of their supplies for the remaining soldiers.

A Strange Dream

Israel’s enemies were spread out below Gideon’s camp in the Jezreel Valley and they were as thick as locusts. The Bible says they had as many camels as there were grains of sand on the seashore.

Gideon and his servant Purah crept in close to the camp and overheard a soldier telling a friend that he dreamt a giant loaf of barley bread rolled into camp and smashed his tent. For some reason, the friend interpreted it to mean:

“This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon . . . God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” Judges 7:14

Gideon accepted that interpretation and bowed down and worshiped God. Then he went back to his camp and called to his men, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Judges 7:15

Stealth Attack

God used three hundred men equipped with trumpets, clay jars and torches to rout the vast army of the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern people. Gideon advanced in the night, stationed his men around the enemy camp and told them to follow his lead.

At his signal the men blew their trumpets and broke the jars in their hands, revealing the flaming torches. They grasped the torches in their left hands and used their right hands to continue blowing their trumpets. And they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” Judges 7:20

The startled Midianites cried out and fled into the darkness. Some of them turned in confusion and drew swords on each other in the camp. As Gideon’s army pursued them he sent word to the northern tribes who came to join them in the fight He also sent word ahead to the men of Ephraim to seal off the Jordan River crossings before the Midianites got there.

The men of Ephraim were successful in holding the west bank of the Jordan and they captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb.

Trouble Between Brothers

Ephraim and Manasseh were kindred tribes descended from Joseph. When the men of Ephraim brought Gideon the heads of Oreb and Zeeb, they demanded to know why Gideon hadn’t called them into the fight earlier. Was he trying to get all the glory for himself and for Manasseh?

A misunderstanding like this between brothers could quickly escalate into deep estrangement, but Gideon wanted to avoid that. He soothed the Ephraimites’ feelings by complimenting their prowess in battle and praising them for capturing the big prizes, Oreb and Zeeb. It worked.

“At this, their resentment against him subsided.” Judges 8:3

Sukkoth and Peniel

Gideon’s three hundred troops were exhausted, but he pushed on because he wanted to capture Midian’s two kings Zebah and Zalmunna. He crossed the Jordan River and went into the town of Sukkoth looking for provisions. Sukkoth was a Manassehite town and he should have been made welcome there, but instead they insulted him.

“Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?” Judges 8:6

The neighboring town of Peniel gave him the same response. Perhaps these towns were afraid that Gideon, with his small, exhausted army, would not be able to defeat the Midianites. They didn’t want to be on the wrong side when this war was over. They had already had a lot of trouble with the eastern nations.

Gideon promised he would be back to avenge himself on Sukkoth and Peniel when he succeeded in his mission. He went on to capture Zebah and Zalmunna and when he marched them back through Sukkoth and Peniel, he carried out the punishment against the towns.

Gideon wanted to know if the Midianite kings were the ones who killed his brothers in one of the raids on Israel. When they confirmed that they had done it, Gideon commanded his young son to kill them, but he was afraid. Zebah and Zalmunna taunted Gideon and he carried out the sentence himself.

Gideon was no longer the timid man with low self-esteem hiding in a winepress.

Gideon Retires

“Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace for forty years.” Judges 8:28

The Israelites wanted Gideon to rule over them and start a dynasty that would pass to his son and grandson, but Gideon said, I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” Judges 8:23

However, he did request tribute from his countrymen and they lavished him with gold. He used it to create a shrine in his hometown that eventually became an idolatrous snare to Gideon, his family and all of Israel. Immediately after Gideon died Israel returned to Baal worship.

“They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.” Judges 8:33-34

Gideon’s Heirs

Gideon married many wives, and had concubines as well. He ended up with seventy sons and one of his sons, Abimelek, set himself up as the logical successor to his father’s legacy. He went back to Shechem, his mother’s hometown, and recruited support from her family.

He asked them,

“Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man? Remember, I am your flesh and blood.” Judges 9:2

There really wasn’t any reason for any of Gideon’s sons to rule in Shechem. Gideon had declared that none of his descendants would ever rule in Israel. But Abimelek was a clever salesman. He secured Shechem’s support and got money from them. He hired scoundrels to help him and then killed almost all of his brothers in one day.

The people of Shechem were convinced that Abimelek was a powerful and intimidating leader, so they crowned him their king. The neighboring town of Beth Millo joined in, probably to stay on the safe side of the situation.

Brother Jotham’s Parable

Jotham managed to escape from the slaughter of his brothers by hiding. When he heard that Shechem had crowned Abimelek he traveled to Mt. Gerazim that overlooked Shechem and shouted a parable to the city.

He talked about how the trees decided to anoint a king from among their number. After the best, most fruitful trees turned them down, they chose a thorn bush. The thorn bush accepted the honor, but then threatened the trees. If they ever turned against him he would retaliate with fire, so much fire it would consume even the great trees of Lebanon.

Jotham wondered whether Shechem understood what they had done by making Abimelek their king. He was a villain who killed his own brothers. Was this the right way to honor the family of Gideon who had done so much for them?

Abimelek was a thorn bush that Shechem had made its king. If this was a good decision, Jotham said, they would bring joy to each other. But if it was a bad decision, Shechem and Abimelek would soon consume each other by fire.

After he finished his parable, Jotham escaped again and went to live at Beer, far down in the southern end of Israel. He was justifiably afraid of his brother Abimelek.

Tomorrow we will find out whether Shechem found reasons to regret their decision to make Abimelek their king.