Judges 8

The Lord worked a great victory through Gideon and his 300 men, but any day of spiritual celebration can be destroyed by envy and bitterness among those who should be rejoicing in God. The battle with the Midianites may have been won, but the battle in our souls still rages. Wise leaders see the full range of enemies around us and inside us and seek the Lord's hand in every joy and trial.

Gideon's continuing challenges are recorded for our consideration. The Ephraimites to the north are calmed with kind words, and the men of Succoth and Penuel are chastised. Who has the wisdom to know the right words for every occasion? Unless God leads us, victory will soon turn into defeat.

Massive numbers of Midianite armies and their arrogant kings are not our most formidable enemies. The sin within us that so easily entangles us will soon be our downfall even when the Lord defeats a formidable foreign oppressor.

Gideon has been moved by God from being a fearful slave hiding with his small store of grain in a pit to being the mighty man of valor that God intended him to be. But how goes the battle within his own household? How goes the war within his own soul?

When Israel insisted that this great deliverer should be honored as the head of a new dynasty of rulers, Gideon was able to resist temptation, and to assert the truth in faith. “The Lord will rule over you.” But he so quickly fell into an idolatrous trap, making a golden ephod from the spoils of war. All Israel was led away from God by this strange monument that distracted people from the God who had given them victory. Even Gideon and his family fell into the trap.

The land may have had rest for a generation, but what would happen when Gideon was gone? The schemes of a foolish and wicked son would bring more trouble upon the people of God.

We need a Savior that will not only deliver us from the devil and from oppressive powers that seek to destroy the church. We need a Messiah who will give us wisdom to know what to do when we are perplexed and who will help us in our ongoing struggle with sin. We need a Leader who will show us how to discern the way of life from the way of death. We need a Teacher abiding in us who will grant us the joy that is essential for godly living.

Jesus, our Messiah, is this perfect Savior and Lord. He is powerful, wise, and full of kind compassion for His bride, the church. After He made atonement for sin, He sent forth His Spirit to continue this important battle inside us and to subdue the enemy within. He will come again in glory to establish His kingdom in the fullness of His eternal purpose. His victory over evil will be complete and everlasting. His righteousness is not partial or provisional. It will endure forever.