Judges 6-8

[Josh]

Post your comments, questions, and discussion starters on Judges chapters 6 through 8 as replies to this post.

[Josh]

Great teaching today Robin!

A couple observations:

I love, of course, how the Gideon story underscores how God chooses the lowliest (the weak things of the world) to shame the strong and worldly wise.

I had never thought about he significance of Gideon's offering to the Lord (the one the Angel of the Lord burned up). Thanks for going into the value of what Gideon gave up- that really adds depth to the story.

A couple further reflections:

1) Judges 6:13

"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."

Anyone who has ever wondered about why God does or doesn't perform miracles in their own experience can relate to this verse.

2) When Gideon destroyed his father's altar, on the surface, it seemed like disobedience. But the reality is that his defiant action actually honored his father more than remaining obedient to the pagan system he was growing up in.

3) The Prodigal Son story of Luke 15 has some striking parallels with the book of Judges- how God's people strike out on their own, "doing what is right in their own eyes", and then come to ruin and end up begging for God to accept them once again. And God graciously receives them back.

So, Robin, what were your thoughts on chapter 8?

[Josh]

When Vio was asking today about any possible significance to the fact that those 300 that lapped the water out of their hands were chosen to fight for Israel, I thought, I bet the early church fathers had some theories on that! And sure enough, I was right.

These are kind of a stretch, but interesting:

Augustine:

These 300 are like dogs, and dogs are commendable

The Greek letter representing 300 is T, the sign of the cross.

Evagrius of Pontus:

"Limiting one's intake of water helps a great deal to obtain temperance." ;D

Gregory the Great:

They were chosen because they stood to drink, representing uprightness, as opposed to those who knelt to drink, which represents weakness of conduct. He cites Hebrews 12:12 here.

[robin]

So, Robin, what were your thoughts on chapter 8?

I was intending to focus on Israel's desire to anoint Gideon King. This was an early indication that God's people were prepared to reject Him and become like the nations around them. Despite God's efforts to reveal himself through the miraculous events around Gideon's story, the people themselves would not see the victory as God's, but rather Gideon's. It's truly sad to see that God's people were not willing to have the best, and would rather settle for an inferior imitation of a ruler.

[Josh]

Judges 8:25-27

So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family


What do you make of the whole "ephod"* thing? Do you think it was wrong of Gideon to have it made it the first place? Why exactly was it a snare to Gideon?


* A vestment worn by ancient Hebrew priests

[robin]

So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family

What do you make of the whole "ephod thing"? Do you think it was wrong of Gideon to have it made it the first place? Why exactly was it a snare to Gideon?

By asking for and taking the Gold, Gideon was feeding the Idea that he deserved some of the credit for the victory that belonged to God. Also since an ephod was to be worn by a priests, Gideon had no right to make one for himself. Unfortunately because of Gideon's action the people of Israel decided to forsake their true place of worship (Shiloh) for Gideon's home town, which in my mind is idol worshiping.

[Josh]

Of this, Matthew Henry says:

Many are led into false ways by one false step of a good man.