Judges 8-9

1. Judges 8-9 Old Testament Bible Studies True Love Church of Refuge Prophetess Delisa Lindsey May 27, 2009

2. Judges 8:1-21 Zeba and Zalmunna Slain

3. Judges 8:1-3 • The Ephraimites, one of Israel’s strongest tribes, were upset with Gideon for excluding them in the battle against Midian. • The Ephraimites were selfish and wanted to take credit for the whole thing. God knew this aforetime when He called Gideon and his small hometown band of heroes from Abiezar (My Father is Strong). • Gideon told them that the little that they did was more than he and his battalion. • He tells them that their gleanings are more than their harvest. A soft answer turns away wrath, Proverbs 15:11.

4. Judges 8:4-6 • Gideon and his 300 men, exhausted, yet continues the pursuit of Zeba and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. • Nearly fainting, the men approach the city of Succoth where they requested food and drink to nourish them while on pursuit of the two warlords. • The princes of Succoth astonished Gideon with a ridiculous answer that his army had not finished the battle so why ask them for provisions. They taunted Gideon.

5. Judges 8:7 • Gideon, weary, hungry and now very angry, replies that when he returns from his victorious feat against Zeba and Zalmunna, he was going to tear their flesh with thorns (a switchin’ !), as punishment for aiding his company of soldiers. • The facts of the matter were that the people were divided against each other, there was no distinguished person of authority therefore the people did what they wanted. • Israel had no spiritual covering at this time and the condition of the people were indicative of lawlessness, hence the name of the book, Judges, they bring order. A rod for the fool’s back.

6. Judges 8:8-9 • Gideon left the men of Succoth and traveled to Penuel where he made the same request for provisions. • The men responded as the men of Succoth and denied his request. • He angrily replied that when he returns (in peace), he will break down their tower, basically destroying their safety base. What happened to us being our brothers’ keepers?

7. Judges 8:10-11 • Zeba (sacrifice) and Zalmunna (denied shadow) flee to Karkor along with their host of 15,000 men fifteen miles ahead. Their allied forces consisted of 135,000 men of whom 120,000 died in battle at the hands of Gideon’s army of 300. • The men thought they were in safety at Nobah and Jogbehah and felt secured. Gideon and his band pounced on them in surprise and attacked.

8. Judges 8:12-15 • As Gideon’s army attacked their enemies, the strong men, Zeba and Zalmunna escaped. • Gideon chased after them and apprehended them. • Gideon, successfully overcoming his enemies, returned home as the morning dawned. He captured a young man who gave him about the seventy-seven elders of the city. • As he encountered the elders, he informed them that he indeed captured Zeba and Zalmunna on whose accounts the men of Succoth refused to show proper hospitality.

9. Judges 8:16-17 • Gideon makes good on his promise to the men who refused him help. He taught the men a lesson on loyalty and faithfulness with the desert thorns and briers. He wrapped them in thorns and briers and beat them! • Further, he assainated the men of Penuel and destroyed their tower. • After he completes his chastisement of the stubborn and rebellious, he turns his attention to his captives.

10. Judges 8:18-19 • Gideon asks Zeba and Zalmunna who the men were whom they killed at Tabor (broken or fractured). • To Gideon’s horror, they revealed to him that they slew men who resembled him, men who had the appearances of royalty. • When Gideon discovered that these men and their armies ordered his full brother’s death, he was outraged. • He replied that their lives would have been spared had they spared his brothers’ lives.

11. What happened to Gideon’s Brothers? • The allied forces of Midians would invade Israel and utterly take anything or anyone they saw alive. • They forced the Israelites to live in fear and bondage. • Because the Midianite armies death raids, the Israelites starved for fear of being caught farming or herding. • This is precisely why the Lord sat under the tree watching Gideon as he threshed wheat in the winepress. • He was the youngest son left alive of his father, Joash. • Could this be why Joash turned from serving the Lord and instead became a high priest of Baal? • It was out of fear for the Midianite armies that the princes of Succoth and Penuel denied Gideon favor. Apparently they had prior knowledge of the brutal attacks of the Midiante armies and feared retaliation.

12. Judges 8:20-21 • Avenging his brothers’ blood, Gideon tells his oldest son, Jether, (abundance) to kill the Midianite princes. • Jether would not kill the men because he was just a boy. Apparently, Jether was just as fearful as his father once was. • Zeba and Zalmunna mocked Gideon because of his son’s cowardice. They told Gideon to ‘be a man’ and do the slaying yourself. “ As a man is, so is his strength.” • So Gideon stepped forward killed them both and robbed their camel’s necks of their jewelry.

13. Gideon’s Ephod Judges 8:22-27

14. Judges 8:22-23 • As a result of Gideon’s stunning victory over Israel’s enemies, they urged Gideon to be their Ruler. This was the first time Israel desired a king and a central government. They wanted to reward his family with leadership of Israel because he destroyed their enemies. • Gideon declined the offer because he believed that the Lord was their ruler.

15. Judges 8:24 • Gideon requested of every man the golden earrings from the fallen Ishmaelites. • The groups Ishmaelites and Midianites are used interchangeably because they are from the same family. The Ishmaelites born by Hagar and the Midianites born by keturah were sons of Abraham. Their descendants became closely associated.

16. Judges 8:25 • The Israelites gladly gave the offering by spreading out a garment and each man giving a ring. • The weight of the rings yielded 70 pounds of which Gideon made a golden ephod. • They also gave him ornaments, collars, purple material which belonged to kings and the chains off the camels necks.

17. Judges 8:27 • Gideon made a golden ephod out of rings he collected. • The ephod was part of the attire worn by the high priest. It was consulted as a source of divine guidance by using the Urim (Light) and Thummin (Perfection) stones. • The result of Gideon fashioning the golden ephod was that all Israel went into spiritual whoredoms. • Although Gideon meant no harm by his actions, instead of people giving glory to God, they began to worship the spoil of their enemies. • It became a stumblingblock to Israel and a snare (shame) to Gideon.

18. Judges 8:28-32 • Midian was completely subdued before Israel and rose to trouble them no more. The country enjoyed 40 years of peace under Gideon. • He went to live in his own village. • He married many wives and fathered 70 sons. • A concubine in Shechem bore him a son named Abimelech (the king is my father). • Gideon lived a long life and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash.

19. Judges 8:33 • As soon as Gideon passed away, the children of Israel backslid again, chasing after Baalim (false gods). • They made Baal-berith (false god – covenant) their god. In other words, they made a covenant with another god, and broke their covenant with Jehovah, the Almighty God. • They entered into a new act of rebellion and recognized Baal as their new Lord.

20. Judges 8:34-35 • The children of Israel forgot the Lord. They forgot the His hand of deliverance which stretched out towards them. • They also forgot to remain kind and thankful to the house of Gideon.

21. Judges 9Next Week Gideon’s Son, Abimelech