Immanuel Lutheran Church Study Forum

40 years of peace and Israel becomes complacent. The sins of the pagan gods of the surviving Canaanites become tempting, and Israel stumbles. Another generation has to learn the hard way. The pagans in adjoining lands raid Israel and burn their crops, essentially putting Israel under siege and trying to starve them into surrender.

Gideon is directly appointed by God to save Israel. Gideon has a hard time believing an ordinary schmuck like him could be given such an important role in God’s plan. God assures him with the fleece tests. Kind of weird, but it worked.

This shows me how God does use ordinary schmucks, like us, in the master plan.

So 4 tribes of Israel sent 30,000 soldiers to fight the Midianites. God wanted Israel to give Him the credit for the upcoming victory so He had Gideon send all but 300 home. The Midianites had 135,000! Gideon didn’t even fight. The Israelites just startled the Midianites ( the famed Gideon’s trumpet) so much in the middle of the night that the Midianites attacked anything that moved, which was their comrades. In the confusion the Midianites retreated and the 30,000 Iraelites which had been headed home turned around and pursued them and destroyed them.

Gideon then made a gold ephod, or breastplate. He set it up on display as a memorial to his victory. He was no longer a schmuck, but considered a king. This was his downfall as the peace God had brought to Israel only lasted until he died. The next generation would have to learn the hard way as we enter an early version of “ The Game of Thrones” as men sought to Rule in place of God.