Gideon: Anointed Sinner

NOTES:

Gideon: Anointed Sinner Judges 8

-Pursuing Success – life pursuit (school, sports, workforce) 

-Flying kite as kid – worked hard to get it up. Even harder to keep it up. = Life!

=Nosedive – wed-divorce; baptism-apostasy; company-bankruptcy; influencer-addict 

• Gideon – 3000 yrs ago war in Israel, 7 yrs oppression, God showed up – Victory! 
• Kite is up soaring. Can Gideon keep his kite up? 

Judges 8 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. ² And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.

=Public conflict between Gideon & tribe/extended family 

1. Jealous of success 
2. Critical of leadership decisions 

=Gideon gives backhanded compliment/riddle & they aren’t smart assume + move on 

=Failure & success are hard to manage for different reasons

Judges 8:⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. ⁵ So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶ And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” ⁷ So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” ⁸ And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹ And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”

• Battle won, enemy princes beheaded (Oreb, Zeeb) 120k men dead, 15k fleeing 
• Gideon & “300 men…exhausted yet pursuing”

2 towns -Succoth & Penuel deny food & provisions for soldiers (fear reprisal) 

-Succoth “booths/tents”– Jacob/Esau face-face (Gen 32) = Feast Booths worship week 

-Penuel “the face of God” – where Jesus/Jacob wrestled (Gen 32) = worship site 

=Gideon – no altar or worship (vs Jdg. 6-7). Threatens violence nation God’s people

OPPOSITE – Deborah & Barak after war won lead worship event (Judges 5) 

Judges 8:¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. ¹¹ And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure. ¹² And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic. ¹³ Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. ¹⁴ And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵ And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’ ” ¹⁶ And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. ¹⁷ And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. ¹⁸ Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” ¹⁹ And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” ²⁰ So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. ²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels…24 they were Ishmaelites.)

Bitterness – death in battle of “my brothers” 

VS Forgiveness – let God deal w/them (God had proven faithful & vengeful) 

Murder  “killed the men of the city”

Pillaging cities in own nation “broke down tower”

Attacking fellow believers publicly “elders” (flogging like Jesus) 

Youngest & 1stborn son “Jether” 

“Rise & kill them!”…. “did not draw sword..afraid…young” = bounty rest life 

Judges 8:21-24 “Gideon…took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels…they were Ishmaelites.

1. Ishmaelites 

Gen 16 – Sarah asked & Abraham agreed – marry Hagar [Egyptian] & have Ishmael 

Gen 16:12 – “[Ishmael] shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone…”

• Judges 3000 yrs ago. Muhammed roughly 1500 yrs ago. Demon god “Allah” 
• Palestinians & Hamas terrorists =1^st war Israel 1^s 50 yrs – ISLAMIC HOLY WAR 

2. Demonic symbol “crescent ornaments” = symbol of Islam today 

= Demon Jewish Gideon fought same people/demon today = Arabs/Allah/Islam

I need a crescent symbol from Islam

Judges 8:²² 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.” ²³ Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” ²⁴ And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵ And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. ²⁶ And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. ²⁷ And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. ²⁸ So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

Do nothing out of need, want, or opportunity. Only do the will of God. (Kingly Dynasty) 

Leadership starts w living under God’s rule “the Lord will rule over you”

Blessing & cursing flows down from those leading “rest 40 yrs”

Do not aspire to spiritual leadership. That’s God’s choice. -Gold idol (e.g. Ex. 32:1-4) 

-“ephod” (priestly worn around neck & down) “whored” (spiritual adultery) = “snare”

The last enemy to subdue is yourself. “Midian was subdued” but Gideon was not 

Leaders are like damns that hold back the flood of evil. (children need parents, employees need bosses, students need teachers, citizens need police officers, nations need soldiers) I need BLM cover https://www.dcareaeducators4socialjustice.org/black-lives-matter/coloring-books

Judges 8:²⁹ Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. ³⁰ Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. ³¹ And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. ³² And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ³³ As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴ And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, ³⁵ and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

1. Where there are no leaders, the flood of evil is inevitable

Jdg 8:33-34 As soon as Gideon died, the people…turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god….the people…did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done…

2. We are always 1 generation away from the end of the Church 
3. Sexual sin causes generational crises. 

Judges 9:22-24 “Abimelech [Gideon’s son] ruled over Israel three years. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the violence [hamas] done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal [Gideon] might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.” 

• Gideon – 70 sons (+ daughters) – sired but did not father 
• Israel was not supposed to have a King until David
• Gideon had 70 sons w/multiple women 
• Abimelech – mom “concubine” killed 69 bros, 1 hid, King 3 yrs 
• God had him killed, woman dropped millstone on head, armor bearer killd sword 

BAND UP 

-Men & Women – on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ you are 1. forbidden from sex outside of marriage, 2. marrying an unbelieving man

-Men – on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ you are responsible to father your sons to be men of God & send Spirit-filled leaders into the future! You are a Son of God saved to raise up God’s sons and grandsons to bless women & children by glorifying God. 

It’s not too late for you. Gideon stopped meeting w/God & repenting of worshipping Baal ($ & power) & Asherah (sex & pleasure) & worshipping our Lord and Savior alone! 

Note, the sermon will end “up” with hope & encouragement to not follow Gideon’s path.