The men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you treated us this way, that you didn’t call us when you went to fight with Midian?” They rebuked him sharply. He said to them, “What have I now done in comparison with you? Isn’t the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? God has delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb! What was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger was abated toward him when he had said that.
Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing. He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
The princes of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?”
Gideon said, “Therefore when Yahweh has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”
He went up there to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. He spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the children of the east; for there fell one hundred twenty thousand men who drew sword. Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and struck the army; for the army felt secure. Zebah and Zalmunna fled and he pursued them. He took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and confused all the army. Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres. He caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him; and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and its elders, seventy-seven men. He came to the men of Succoth, and said, “See Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’ ” He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. He broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.
Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “They were like you. They all resembled the children of a king.”
He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
He said to Jether his firstborn, “Get up and kill them!” But the youth didn’t draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was yet a youth.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “You rise and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength.” Gideon arose, and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels’ necks.
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, your son, and your son’s son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. Yahweh shall rule over you.”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22 They began to cavil, because he had the glory…
They began to cavil, because he had the glory of the victory.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–23 Jdg 8:1 And the men of Ephraim said unto…
Jdg 8:1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.
Ver. 1. Why hast thou served us thus?] Nay, why have you served me thus? might Gideon for better cause have said: and how is it that you came no sooner to mine assistance in so common a cause? But none are so ready to except and exclaim, as the most faulty.
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And they did chide with him sharply.] Heb., Strongly. They should rather have cried him up for his valour, and blessed God for his victory. But this is merces mundi, the world’s wages: and these Ephraimitcs, pricked on by pride and envy thus to brawl and lay about them, had they not met with a man of a milder temper than themselves, had occasioned a far worse war than the former. If two fires meet, it must needs be a great combustion: it proved so in Jephtha’s days, {Jdg 12:1-6} and these proud Ephraimites met with their match.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Why hast thou neglected and despised us, in not…
Why hast thou neglected and despised us, in not calling us in to thy help, as thou didst other tribes? These were a proud people, Isa 11:13, puffed up with a conceit of their number and strength, and the preference which Jacob by Divine direction gave them above Manasseh, Gen 48:19,20, of which tribe Gideon was, who by this act had seemed to advance his own tribe, and to depress theirs.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 18, 22 No sooner were the Midianites, the common enemy, subdued,…
No sooner were the Midianites, the common enemy, subdued, than, through the violence of some hot spirits, the children of Israel were ready to quarrel among themselves; an unhappy spark was struck, which, if Gideon had not with a great deal of wisdom and grace extinguished immediately, might have broken out into a flame of fatal consequence. The Ephraimites, when they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon as general, instead of congratulating him upon his successes and addressing him with thanks for his great services, as they ought to have done, picked a quarrel with him and grew very hot upon it.
I. Their accusation was very peevish and unreasonable: Why didst thou not call us when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? Jdg 8:1. Ephraim was brother to Manasseh, Gideon's tribe, and had the pre-eminence in Jacob's blessing and in Moses's, and therefore was very jealous of Manasseh, lest that tribe should at any time eclipse the honour of theirs. Hence we find Manasseh against Ephraim and Ephraim against Manasseh, Isa 9:21. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentions are as the bars of a castle, Pro 18:19. But how unjust was their quarrel with Gideon! They were angry that he did not send for them to begin the attack upon Midian, as well as to follow the blow. Why were they not called to lead the van? The post of honour, they thought, belonged to them. But, 1. Gideon was called of God, and must act as he directed; he neither took the honour to himself nor did he himself dispose of honours, but left it to God to do all. So that the Ephraimites, in this quarrel, reflected upon the divine conduct; and what was Gideon that they murmured against him? 2. Why did not the Ephraimites offer themselves willingly to the service? They knew the enemy was in their country, and had heard of the forces that were raising to oppose them, to which they ought to have joined themselves, in zeal for the common cause, though they had not a formal invitation. Those seek themselves more than God that stand upon a point of honour to excuse themselves from doing real service to God and their generation. In Deborah's time there was a root of Ephraim, Jdg 5:14. Why did not this appear now? The case itself called them, they needed not wait for a call from Gideon. 3. Gideon had saved their credit in not calling them. If he had sent for them, no doubt may of them would have gone back with the faint-hearted, or been dismissed with the lazy, slothful, and intemperate; so that by not calling them he prevented the putting of those slurs upon them. Cowards will seem valiant when the danger is over, but those consult their reputation who try not their courage when danger is near.
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II. Gideon's answer was very calm and peaceable, and was intended not so much to justify himself as to please and pacify them, Jdg 8:2, Jdg 8:3. He answers them, 1. With a great deal of meekness and temper. He did not resent the affront, nor answer anger with anger, but mildly reasoned the case with them, and he won as true honour by this command which he had over his own passion as by his victory over the Midianites. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. 2. With a great deal of modesty and humility, magnifying their performances above his own: Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim, who picked up the stragglers of the enemy, and cut off those of them that escaped, better than the vintage of Abiezer - a greater honour to them, and better service to the country, than the first attack Gideon made upon them? The destruction of the church's enemies is compared to a vintage, Rev 14:18. In this he owns their gleanings better than his gatherings. The improving of a victory is often more honourable, and of greater consequence, than the winning of it; in this they had signalized themselves, and their own courage and conduct, or, rather, God had dignified them; for thought, to magnify their achievements, he is willing to diminish his own performances, yet he will not take any flowers from God's crown to adorn theirs with: "God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, and a great slaughter has been made of the enemy by your numerous hosts, and what was I able to do with 300 men, in comparison of you and your brave exploits?" Gideon stands here a very great example of self-denial, and this instance shows us, (1.) That humility of deportment is the best way to remove envy. It is true even right works are often envied, Ecc 4:4. Yet they are not so apt to be so when those who do them appear not to be proud of them. Those are malignant indeed who seek to cast down from their excellency those that humble and abase themselves, (2.) It is likewise the surest method of ending strife, for only by pride comes contention, Pro 13:10. (3.) Humility is most amiable and admirable in the midst of great attainments and advancements. Gideon's conquests did greatly set off his condescensions. (4.) It is the proper act of humility to esteem others better than ourselves, and in honour to prefer one another.
Now what was the issue of this controversy? The Ephraimites had chidden with him sharply (Jdg 8:1), forgetting the respect due to their general and one whom God had honoured, and giving vent to their passion in a very indecent liberty of speech, a certain sign of a weak and indefensible cause. Reason runs low when the chiding flies high. But Gideon's soft answer turned away their wrath, Pro 15:1. Their anger was abated towards him, Jdg 8:3. It is intimated that they retained some resentment, but he prudently overlooked it and let it cool by degrees. Very great and good men must expect to have their patience tried by the unkindnesses and follies even of those they serve and must not think it strange.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–23 And the men of Ephraim said unto him,.... To…
And the men of Ephraim said unto him,.... To Gideon, when they brought him the heads of Oreb and Zeeb; taking this to be a proper opportunity to expostulate and chide with him, when they had done so much service:
why hast thou served us thus; neglected them, overlooked them, which they took as a reproach to them, and as if he had bore them ill will:
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that thou calledst us not when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? that he did not call them first, when he called other tribes, as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, when they were as near or nearer, and more nearly allied, being both the descendants of Joseph; and were the tribe that Jacob had given the preference to; and being of proud spirits they envied the glory that Gideon, who was of the tribe of Manasseh, had got; and by which they were jealous he would advance that tribe above theirs:
and they did chide with him sharply; used rough words and ill language, and threw out many keen and biting expressions, which discovered great anger and wrath, envy and ill will.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Gideon pacifies the Ephraimites, ver. 1-3. Pursues the Midianites,…
Gideon pacifies the Ephraimites, ver. 1-3. Pursues the Midianites, ver. 4-12. Chastises the men of Succoth and Penuel, ver. 13-17. Slays the two kings of Midian, ver. 18-21. Declines the government of Israel, ver. 22, 23. Makes an ephod, ver. 24-27. Keeps the country quiet forty years, ver. 28. Dies, leaving a numerous family, ver, 29-32. Israel quickly forget God and him, ver. 33-35.
Why haft thou, &c. - Why hast thou neglected and despised us, in not calling us in to thy help, as thou didst other tribes? These were a proud people, puffed up with a conceit of their number and strength, and the preference which Jacob gave them above Manasseh, of which tribe Gideon was, who by this act had seemed to advance his own tribe, and to depress theirs.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 The Ephraimites are angry with Gideon because he did…
CHAPTER VIII
The Ephraimites are angry with Gideon because he did not call
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them particularly to his assistance; he pacifies them, 1-3.
Gideon and his three hundred men pass over Jordan, pursuing the
Midianites; and, being faint, ask victuals from the princes of
Succoth, but are refused, 4-7.
They make the like application to the people of Penuel, and are
also refused, 8, 9.
Gideon defeats Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, and
takes them prisoners, 10-12.
He chastises the men of Succoth and Penuel, 13-17.
He slays Zebah and Zalumunna, who had killed his brethren,
18-21.
The Israelites offer him the kingdom, which he refuses, 22, 23.
He requires from them the gold rings which they had taken from
the Ishmaelites, and makes an ephod, which he sets up at
Ophrah; and it became an instrument of idolatry, 24-27.
The land enjoys peace forty years; Gideon dies, having
seventy-one sons, 28-32.
The Israelites fall into idolatry, and forget their
obligations to Gideon's family, 33-35.
NOTES ON CHAP. VIII
Verse 1. The men of Ephraim said] This account is no doubt displaced; for what is mentioned here could not have taken place till the return of Gideon from the pursuit of the Midianites; for he had not yet passed Jordan, Jdg 8:4. And it was when he was beyond that river that the Ephraimites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to him, Jdg 7:25.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Jdg 8:1. Why hast thou served us thus, &c.…
Jdg 8:1. Why hast thou served us thus, &c. — Why hast thou neglected and despised us in not calling us in to thy help? This they considered as very contemptuous treatment, since Gideon had sent to other tribes, that were meaner, and not so able to assist him as themselves. These were a proud people, puffed up with a conceit of their number and strength, and the preference which Jacob gave them above Manasseh, of which tribe Gideon was, who, by this act, had seemed to advance his own tribe, and to depress theirs,
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 The success of Gideon’s enterprise mortified the pride of…
The success of Gideon’s enterprise mortified the pride of Ephraim, as the chief tribe, seeing that they had played a subordinate part. Compare Jdg 12:1.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22 Ephraim. The valour and insolence of these men are…
Ephraim. The valour and insolence of these men are placed together. Afterwards we have an account of the transactions of Gedeon in the pursuit, ver. 4. (Haydock) --- The tribe of Ephraim seems to have had some grounds for being displeased at not being summoned at first, as well as the tribes of Aser, &c., which were farther off; particularly as they sprang from Joseph, no less than Manasses, and had their portion in common. The general answers them with great respect, as otherwise their displeasure might have had very pernicious consequences. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 22 Ephraim’s proud complaint and Gideon’s wise forbearance
Ephraim’s proud complaint and Gideon’s wise forbearance
Jdg_8:1-3
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1And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not when [didst not call out1 to us that] thou wentest [wast going] to fight with [against] the Midianites? and they did chide [quarrel] with him sharply 2[vehemently]. And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes [omit: of the grapes] of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? 3God hath delivered into your hands2 the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger [excitement]3 was [omit: was] abated toward [against] him, when he had [omit: had] said that.
TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL
[1 Jdg_8:6.—Dr. Cassel: “Hast thou the fist of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand,” etc. Bertheau and Keil, in their commentaries, have the same rendering, merely changing Luther’s plural, Sind die Faüste, to the singular. כַּף is properly the hollow hand, the palm; accordingly the Dutch Version renders, rather awkwardly to be sure, “Is dan the handpalm tan Zebah en Tsalmuna alreede in uwe hand,” etc. The word “fist,” even if it did not somewhat alter the metaphor involved, lacks dignity in modern English, although it avoids the tameness of using “hand” twice. For an independent version, De Wette’s would be better: “Hast thou then Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand,” etc.—Tr.]
[2 Jdg_8:10.—מַחֲנֵיהֶם: singular, with plural suffix. Cf. Ges. Gram. Sect. 93, 9.—Tr.]
[3 Jdg_8:13.—מִלְמַעֲלֵה הֶחָרֶס. The above rendering takes no account of the לְ. “At” would be better than “from.” It is literally, “from at” the ascent of the sun. It indicates the point to which Gideon came, and at which he turned back.—Tr.]
EXEGETICAL AND DOCTRINAL
In his dealing with puffed-up Ephraim, even more than by his victories, Gideon approves himself as a true warrior of God, wiser in his humility than his dazzled countrymen in their pride. The service rendered by Ephraim in slaying Oreb and Zeeb, was after all of but secondary merit. They had only smitten an already shattered and terrified enemy: had only captured the game which another had chased into their hands. Where was Ephraim when Midian in full force encamped himself in the country? But inferior merit is the more arrogant. The tribe is so intoxicated by the easy victory over the two princes, that it presumes to reprimand Gideon for beginning a war without them, and thus undertaking to deprive them of the laurels which they would certainly have won. So little does Ephraim understand the true strength with which Israel has conquered, that he accounts it an insult to himself on the part of the smaller tribe to have conquered without him. The pride of the mighty men of the world could not be more clearly depicted. They contend with him vehemently (בְּחָזְקָה), just as the men of Nineveh, repenting, “cry vehemently” (בְּחָזְקָה, Jon_3:8) unto God. They address the great hero fiercely and vociferously. His answer is admirable. He might have humbled them by a few words about his deed; but he will have no strife where Israel needs unity. He says nothing of his own great victory. He does not irritate them by referring to their previous inactivity, although their tribe was so great; or by reminding them that after all he had sent them the word which enabled them to capture an enemy whom he was pursuing. On the contrary, he quiets them by extolling their great merits. He may not conceal that the victory was gained without them; but, his vintage, is it not less than their gleaning? What comparison is there between his spoils and theirs? He, still on this side the Jordan; they, already adorned with the trophies of the “Raven and Wolf!” He lets them know, however, who it is that really gives victory, namely Elohim. But here also the nice discrimination shows itself, with which the terms Jehovah, ha-Elohim, and Elohim alternate, according to the spiritual position of the persons addressed or spoken of. To Ephraim, Gideon says that Elohim gave them victory—as he sometimes gives it even to heathen. He uses this term be cause they lacked humility and faith to know that Jehovah, ha-Elohim, the true God of Israel, gives strength to his people, and that, thus endowed, it is of no consequence whether the militant tribe be great or small (cf. Jdg_8:6, etc.).
What have I done now in comparison with you? The vain tribe, which only smarted at the thought that an insignificant member of Manasseh should reap greater glory than Ephraim, is quieted when this person himself disclaims the glory. Vanity that prides itself on seeming merits, is always contracted. The Ephraimites do not understand the modesty of Gideon, which, in denying, as it were, his own real merits, necessarily pours the contempt of irony on their pretended deserts. But Gideon’s object is gained. They allow themselves to be pacified, and go home to bask themselves in the sunshine of their achievements. Gideon, for his part, teaches that victory alone does not suffice to save a people; but that he is the real hero who is truly humble, and for the sake of peace overcomes himself. To conquer, he must know how to bend.
The narrative stands here in its proper place. It does not presuppose anything that happened later; but connects, historically and morally, what goes before and what follows after. Gideon is still in the midst of his campaign, when Ephraim attacks him with its pride. But his subsequent career of victory, speaks louder than envy. The statement of Josephus (Ant. v. 6, 6), that Ephraim was afterwards punished for its pride, rests on no Scriptural authority; but the confusion to which they are put by the subsequent deeds of Gideon, to whom after all they were indebted for their own achievement also, is a discipline of the sharpest kind.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Ephraim is jealous of Gideon. Jealousy is a quality which only seeks its own. It is a characteristic of unbelief, which envies God his power and love.
Starke: He acts wisely, who prefers to forego somewhat of his own rights, rather than by a contrary course to invite the opposition of others, and so debar himself from attaining a greater good.—Gerlach: Gideon’s answer, as modest as it was prudent, quiets the Ephraimites. He appears here, as afterwards, as a high-minded man, free from low ambition and domineering tendencies.
[Bp. Hall: I did not hear the Ephraimites offering themselves into the front of the army before the fight, and now they are ready to fight with Gideon because they were not called to fight with Midian: I hear them expostulating after it. After the exploit done, cowards are valiant. Their quarrel was, that they were not called. It had been a greater praise of their valor to have gone unbidden..… None speak so big in the end of the fray as the fearfullest.—The same: Ephraim flies upon Gideon, whilst the Midianites fly from him; when Gideon should be pursuing his enemies, he is pursued by brethren, and now is glad to spend that wind in pacifying of his own, which should have been bestowed in the slaughter of a common adversary. It is a wonder if Satan suffer us to be quiet at home, whilst we are exercised with wars abroad. Had not Gideon learned to speak fair, as well as to smite, he had found work enough from the swords of Joseph’s sons; his good words are as victorious as his sword; his pacification of friends, better than his execution of enemies.—Scott: In those things which pertain to the truth, authority, and glory of God, Christians should be unmoved as the sturdy oak; but in the little concerns of their own interest or reputation, they should resemble the pliant willow, that yields to every gust.—Henry: Very great and good men must expect to have their patience tried, by the unkindnesses and follies even of those they serve, and must not think it strange.—Bush: The incidents mentioned afford a striking illustration of two emphatic declarations of Scripture: 1. That “only by pride cometh contention;” and, 2. That “for every right work a man is envied of his neighbor.”—Tr.]
Footnotes:
[1]Jdg_8:1.—לְבִלְתִּי קְרֹאות לָנוּ כִּי הָלַכְתָּ. It is not necessary to take כִּי in a temporal sense, which at all events it has very seldom. The קְרֹאות is followed by the objective clause of that which the persons addressed are notified of.
[2][Jdg_8:3.—“Into your hands,” with emphasis. Hence the Hebrew puts it first: “Into your hands (lit. hand) God gave the princes of Midian,” etc.—Tr.]
[3]Jdg_8:3.—רָפְתָה רוּחָם, like חֶרֶף מֵאַף, Psa_37:8. רוּחַ denotes violent, panting excitement
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22 he said unto them, What have I done now…
he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you?--His mild and truly modest answer breathes the spirit of a great as well as good man, who was calm, collected, and self-possessed in the midst of most exciting scenes. It succeeded in throwing oil on the troubled waters (Pro 16:1), and no wonder, for in the height of generous self-denial, it ascribes to his querulous brethren a greater share of merit and glory than belonged to himself (Co1 13:4; Phi 2:3).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 ANGER OF THE EPHRAIMITES, Jdg_8:1-3.
ANGER OF THE EPHRAIMITES, Jdg_8:1-3.
1. The men of Ephraim — Those who had captured and slain Oreb and Zeeb.
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Said — This conversation occurred when the Ephraimites brought the heads of these princes to Gideon, and after the latter had crossed the Jordan. Note, Jdg_7:25.
Chide with him sharply — Fiercely and violently rebuked and blamed him. Theirs were the words of injured pride and jealousy. They felt that their tribe had been ignored and neglected in this war.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Ch. Jdg_8:1-3. Gideon appeases the men of Ephraim
Ch. Jdg_8:1-3. Gideon appeases the men of Ephraim
1. the men of Ephraim … did chide with him sharply] A similar outburst of jealousy is recorded in Jdg_12:1 f., and in much the same language; but it need not follow that the one passage is merely a reproduction of the other; probably there were plenty of tales about the notorious temper of the great tribe. Thus early in the history Ephraim begins to assert itself. The want of unity among the tribes at this period is evident.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–23 (1) The men of Ephraim.—The arrogance of this tribe…
(1) The men of Ephraim.—The arrogance of this tribe was derived partly from its strength, and partly from the memories of their ancestor Joseph; from the double portion which Joseph had received in memorial of his pre-eminence; from the fact that Jacob, in his blessing, had preferred the younger Ephraim before his elder brother, Manasseh; and from the almost regal influence which had been so long exercised by their tribesman, Joshua. This arrogance was destined, as we shall see later, to bring on them a terrible humiliation (Jdg_12:1). The complaint was fiercely urged, probably at the time when, by bringing the heads of Oreb and Zeeb (Jdg_7:25), they had proved both their power and their fidelity to the national cause. What they wanted was the acknowledgment of their claims (their hegemony, as the Greeks would have called it) by all the tribes.
They did chide with him sharply.—Literally, with force or violence, as in 1Sa_2:16, so that the Vulg. renders it, jurgantes fortiter, et prope vim inferentes, “strongly reproaching him, and almost treating him with violence.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 The men of Ephraim. It is possible that the…
The men of Ephraim. It is possible that the transfer of the birthright from Manasseh to Ephraim (Gen_48:13-19) may have produced some estrangement between the tribes. It is also possible that Ephraim, in view of their great tribal power, and the distinction conferred upon them by the judgeship of Joshua the son of Nun, (Num_13:8) and the possession of his grave, (Jos_24:30) may have grown haughty and domineering, and perhaps more disposed to rest upon their former glories than to embark in fresh undertakings. Anyhow Gideon did not consult them, nor ask their aid, in the first instance. Now that the war had been so successful, the men of Ephraim were much displeased at not having been consulted.
Vers. 1-3. The blindness of self-love.
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Nobody admires pride, envy, jealousy, and petulance, when they see them pictured in the character and conduct of other men. Everybody, on the contrary, recognises the beauty of humility, gentleness, and forbearance, and admires self-control and patience under provocation, and the postponement of private feelings to the public good. How is it that we so often yield to the passions which we condemn in others, and so seldom and so imperfectly practise those graces of which we see the beauty and excellence? Lord, help us to put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and to put on the new man, which after thee is created in righteousness and true holiness. Help us to be what we approve, and to leave off in ourselves what we disapprove in others.
HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR. Vers. 1-9, 13-17. Dealing with obstructives.
Ephraim, Succoth, and Penuel.
I THEY OUGHT NOT TO BE SUFFERED TO INTERFERE WITH THE CHIEF ENDS AND PRESSING CLAIMS OF DIVINE SERVICE. Gideon hastens after the routed and retreating foe. The sullen apathy of Ephraim, the refusal of Succoth and Penuel to meet the demands of patriotism and humanity, do not turn him aside. When the last blow has been struck and the power of Midian is laid low he will return and mete out to each according to their deserts. This is an illustration of how side issues may often arise, and of the manner in which they are to be dealt with. It is seldom that the difficulties and oppositions of life, however annoying and restraining they may be, can utterly prevent the graver duties or excuse dilatoriness. Frequently the petty nature of the opposition is revealed by steadfast continuance in the path of duty, and solitary resolution. We must do what we can, leaving with others the responsibility for their own conduct. The greatest workers in Christ"s vineyard have had to labour and live on amidst misunderstanding, obloquy, and hindrance; but their work has been achieved nevertheless, and its moral effect has been all the greater.
II WHEN THE PROPER TIME ARRIVES THEY MUST BE DEALT WITH ACCORDING TO THE NATURE AND DEGREE OF THE OPPOSITION. A wise discrimination is needed. Where gentleness will avail, harsh measures are to be avoided. Gideon knew the haughty character of Ephraim, the wound their ambitious spirit had sustained when the leadership was wrested from their hands, and so he exercised forbearance, and was gentle and pacific. Civil war was averted when it might have involved national ruin, and the generous side of Ephraim was appealed to. "A soft answer turneth away wrath." After all, Ephraim had atoned for past misbehaviour by the timely and effective service rendered even in the face of an unexplained misunderstanding. It is wise to credit our opponents with the best motives, and to speak gently and reasonably, abstaining from self-glorification. But where the hindrance had been a national crime and a violation of the first principles of humanity a different course was pursued. Here the functions of the judge were called into exercise. The punishment was stern and exemplary, but carefully meted out. Succoth and Penuel are visited with prompt and terrible recompense. But the princes and elders are punished, as being the chief culprits; the common people, who were helpless, were spared. All heresy and schism, unholiness of life, spiritual opposition, etc., is not to be regarded in the same light. Gentleness may win a brother. A little blame may rest with ourselves. Allowance is to be made for the failings of human nature. But we are to have no fellowship with the profane, the blasphemer, the unbeliever, etc. Difference of opinion may co-exist with real co-operation and fellowship. M.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 6, 18, 22 Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim…
Jdg_8:1-3
Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better.
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The conduct of the Ephraimites
1. Their unthankfulness was great, and the injury which he sustained thereby, who ought to have been much honoured of them for his industry and labour. We ought not to look for our reward and commendation for well-doing from men, but to rest in this, that God knoweth our works, and it is enough that we are sure that from Him we shall receive our reward.
2. Another of the faults of these Ephraimites against Gideon is that they envied him for the honour he got by the victory. Whereby, though they sustained no hurt, neither were the worse, but the better, yet they could not bear it, that Gideon should have the glory of it: where we may see a foul property of envy, and what it is. It is a grief and sadness for the prosperity of others, and namely, of such as be our equals. And when I say envy is a grief at our equals for any eminency or prosperity that they have above us, I mean such as are in kindred estate, years, dignity, or in gifts like us. And the cause of this envy is not for that we are troubled as though any hurt or danger were coming towards us from them whom we envy (for that is another affection, to wit, fear), but for that through a cankered stomach we cannot bear it, that such an one as is no better than ourselves should be lifted up so high and commended so far above us. And is not this a cursed mind in us, that we cannot be willing that another should fare well, we being never the worse, and that we should have an evil eye at that for the which we should rejoice? And because I now speak of the Ephraimites, I think it not amiss to add this of them, that their father Ephraim, the younger being preferred by Jacob before the elder brother Manasseh, the stock and offspring of them exalted themselves since from age to age, and are noted for it oft times in the history of the Old Testament. As in Joshua we read they among others were discontented with their portion, so in the twelfth of this book the posterity of them contended with Jephtha for not calling them with him to battle against the Ammonites after he had overcome them; even as these Ephraimites did here with Gideon. So Esau, himself deadly hating his brother, derived this sin to his posterity, the Edomites; so Ahab did idolatry to the generations that came after him. And hereby we may learn what force some blemishes and corruptions in a flock or kindred have to infect almost the whole posterity, God justly thus punishing the sins of the fathers upon the children to many generations, punishing sin with sin.
3. And yet one thing more note in these Ephraimites, namely, the flights, subtleties, doubleness, and hollowness that lie hidden in mens hearts, till they have occasion to show them, or grace to repent of them. These would now seem to have had great injury that they were not called to the battle, whereas it was their own sin that they went not, for they did forbear for fear of danger, and were willing to stand by, as it were, lying in the wind to wait for the issue. So that if Gideon and their brethren the Israelites that joined with him had lost the day, then all the blame would have been laid upon them by these Ephraimites; but now they had got the victory by Gods direction and blessing, they complain on the other side that they had injury themselves, for that they were not, as they said, bidden to help in the battle. Wherein we may behold deep subtlety and hypocrisy, and how far all such are from simplicity and plain dealing, that according to the proverb, howsoever the world go they will save one, and however it fall out, they will provide for themselves. (R. Rogers.)
Gideon and the men of Ephraim
The scanty information that we have leaves the impression that in speaking as they did the men of Ephraim were entirely in the wrong. If they were the foremost of the tribes, why had they not organised resistance themselves? If they had neglected duty, what right had they to complain that others had discharged it? If Gideon had invited them, would they not have equally resented such an unwarrantable piece of presumption in a mere Manassite? But how few men in Gideons place would have made allowance for them as he did! It shows how grace had got the better of nature in him. It shows how little he cared for his own interest or honour; how much for the welfare of Israel and the ruin of its foes. That in the very moment of victory he who had been the instrument of it all should be reproached instead of honoured by his countrymen, and even by the very men who had been thinking only of themselves when he was planning and enduring and risking everything to save them all--this was trying in the extreme to flesh and blood. But Gideon knew that an angry reply might kindle mere discontent into a flame, and that even a continuance of jealousy would defeat his purpose of following up the pursuit and effectually terminating the war. His answer, therefore, was one calculated not only to soothe Ephraim, but even to restore their self-respect. The answer was in an important sense a true one. God had overruled for good the very slowness of Ephraim to come forward. It was their seizing the line of the Jordan that had turned defeat into irretrievable overthrow; and, as plain matter of fact, those slain by Ephraim must have been far more numerous than all that Gideon and his men had beaten down. The answer was true, no doubt, but not on that account the easier to give. To acquiesce in a statement of the case, nay, even to suggest it, in which no credit was given for those preparatory trials and schemes, and risks and conflicts, without which all the direct hard fighting of Ephraim would have been perfectly useless--this showed a moderation that nothing can have inspired except the deep sense that the real glory belonged to another altogether, and that Ephraim on the one hand, and he and his men upon the other, were only instruments that God employed, each in the way that He deemed best, for working out His own designs. When he thus effaced himself, and gave up the glory without a murmur that by all fair human standards was righteously his own, Gideon stood at a pitch of moral grandeur that few of the choicest saints in Scripture have exemplified. When we remember that he was no quiet, meditative spirit, but a mighty man of war, rejoicing in his prowess, keenly sensitive to dishonour, and animated by not a little of the fierce vindictive spirit of his age, the triumph of faith and grace within him becomes all the more conspicuous. (W. Miller, M. A.)
The gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim
The gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim. This is the portion that falls to us. We are living in a glorious day. Our fathers gathered the vintage with strife and travail, and garments rolled in blood. It is for us to stand at the waters of Beth-barah and gather up the fruits of victory. The world is at its very best. If life was ever worth living, it is worth living now. Great is the privilege, and correspondingly great the responsibility, of those who are appointed to glean the grapes of Ephraim.
I. Ours is the golden age of truth.
1. The body of truth is larger than that of any former times. Aristotle, one of the most learned of the ancients, if he were to return to-day, could hardly pass a preliminary examination for admission to one of our grammar schools. The results of past research and controversy along the past have accumulated into a great treasury of knowledge. Each generation has contributed its part. History is not a treadmill, wherein men go round and round, getting nowhere; but a thoroughfare, the Kings highway, whereon we journey like a royal troop, league by league, laden with the spoils of the conquest, until we come to the palace of the King.
2. The great body of truth thus accumulated is held in a truer spirit of toleration than the past ever knew.
3. Along with this goes a truer orthodoxy than of old. The denominations may differ, and indeed do differ, with respect to minor matters, but they are loyal to old landmarks.
II. Ours is also the golden age of morality, particularly in its larger sense as touching all the relations of man with his fellow-men.
1. The industrial reform may be cited in evidence. Capital has rights, for which it tenaciously strives; labour has rights, for which it vigorously contends. Out of this conflict must come the solution: an honest days wage for an honest days work; corporations with souls, and labourers with rights.
2. The temperance reform. This was almost unheard of a century ago. For this we have to thank the fathers who gathered the vintage of Abi-ezer, who in the controversies of moral suasion and legislation wrought out these more salutary methods and passed on their achievements to us.
3. Political reform. We hear much of civic corruption in these days, of bribery, blackmail, etc. In the time of William
III. bribery was so commonly practised that the king publicly announced his inability to dispense with it, saying, Under the existing order of things, to refuse the common practice would endanger the crown. The municipal corruption which is so arousing the popular indignation at this moment would have been made little of in former days. It is a good sign--this stirring about the Augean stables.
4. Sociological problems. All branches of the Christian Church are concerned in the discussion of questions which touch the welfare of the community; the betterment of home and society; the care of the poor, the aged, and all incapables. The liberalitas of the ancient world has given way to the caritas of our religion. We are beginning to understand the song of the angels, not merely in its ascription of glory to God, but also in its expression of goodwill toward men.
5. As to personal character. We make more of character and less of adventitious prominence than of old.
III. This is the golden age of moral energy. Truth and ethics are changed into power by a fire burning beneath them. The Church works with a purpose. A man, aside from his creed and personal graces, must in these times have something to do.
1. There was a time when good people were chiefly concerned about their personal salvation. Each for himself was the shibboleth of those days.
2. At other times the people of God have been chiefly concerned for the preservation of the Church. This was the meaning of the Crusades; in them we find a stern endeavour to rescue the Holy Sepulchre, and so vindicate the majesty of the Church and avenge her wrongs. The effort was not to convert the infidel, but to destroy him root and branch.
3. In our time we speak of the kingdom. This is the missionary age. All are summoned to work--men, women, and children. All are summoned to work for the evangelisation of the world--the deliverance of souls from sin. We seem to be dwelling in the early twilight of the last days. The victory of Christ is a foregone conclusion. His glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. (D. J. Burrell, D. D.)
The gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim is better than the vintage of Abi-ezer
In other words, the smallest experience of the joys of Gods people--mere vintage-gleanings--is worth far more than the richest world-clusters. (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v22 THE great victory of Gideon had this special significance,…
GIDEON THE ECCLESIASTIC
Jdg_8:22-28
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THE great victory of Gideon had this special significance, that it ended the incursions of the wandering races of the desert. Canaan offered a continual lure to the nomads of the Arabian wilderness, as indeed the eastern and southern parts of Syria do at the present time. The hazard was that wave after wave of Midianites and Bedawin sweeping over the land should destroy agriculture and make settled national life and civilisation impossible. And when Gideon undertook his work the risk of this was acute. But the defeat inflicted on the wild tribes proved decisive. "Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more." The slaughter that accompanied the overthrow of Zebah and Zalmunna, Oreb and Zeeb became in the literature of Israel a symbol of the destruction which must overtake the foes of God. "Do thou to thine enemies as unto Midian"-so runs the cry of a psalm-"Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb: yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession the habitations of God." In Isaiah the remembrance gives a touch of vivid colour to the oracle of the coming Wonderful, Prince of Peace. "The yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor shall be broken as in the day of Midian." Regarding the Assyrian also the same prophet testifies, "The Lord of Hosts shall stir up against him a scourge as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb." We have no song like that of Deborah celebrating the victory, but a sense of its immense importance held the mind of the people, and by reason of it Gideon found a place among the heroes of faith. Doubtless he had, to begin with, a special reason for taking up arms against the Midianitish chiefs that they had slain his two brothels: the duty of an avenger of blood fell to him. But this private vengeance merged in the desire to give his people freedom, religious as well as political, and it was Jehovahs victory that he won, as he himself gladly acknowledged. We may see, therefore, in the whole enterprise, a distinct step of religious development. Once again the name of the Most High was exalted; once again the folly of idol worship was contrasted with the wisdom of serving the God of Abraham and Moses. The tribes moved in the direction of national unity and also of common devotion to their unseen King. If Gideon had been a man of larger intellect and knowledge he might have led Israel far on the way towards fitness for the mission it had never yet endeavoured to fulfil. But his powers and inspiration were limited.
On his return from the campaign the wish of the people was expressed to Gideon that he should assume the title of king. The nation needed a settled government, a centre of authority which would bind the tribes together, and the Abiezrite chief was now clearly marked as a man fit for royalty. He was able to persuade as well as to fight; he was bold, firm, and prudent. But to the request that he should become king and found a dynasty Gideon gave an absolute refusal: "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; Jehovah shall rule over you." We always admire a man who refuses one of the great posts of human authority or distinction. The throne of Israel was even at that time a flattering offer. But should it have been made? There are few who will pause in a moment of high personal success to think of the point of morality involved; yet we may credit Gideon with the belief that it was not for him or any man to be called king in Israel. As a judge he had partly proved himself, as a judge he had a Divine call and a marvellous vindication: that name he would accept, not the other.
One of the chief elements of Gideons character was a strong but not very spiritual religiousness. He attributed his success entirely to God, and God alone he desired the nation to acknowledge as its Head. He would not even in appearance stand between the people and their Divine Sovereign, nor with his will should any son of his take a place so unlawful and dangerous.
Along with his devotion to God it is quite likely that the caution of Gideon had much to do with his resolve. He had already found some difficulty in dealing with the Ephraimites, and he could easily foresee that if he became king the pride of that large clan would rise strongly against him. If the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim was better than the whole vintage of Abiezer, as Gideon had declared, did it not follow that any elder of the great central tribe would better deserve the position of king than the youngest son of Joash of Abiezer? The men of Succoth and Penuel too had to be reckoned with before Gideon could establish himself in a royal seat he would have to fight a great coalition in the centre and south and also beyond Jordan. To the pains of oppression would succeed the agony of civil war. Unwilling to kindle a fire which might burn for years and perhaps consume himself, he refused to look at the proposal, flattering and honourable as it was.
But there was another reason for his decision which may have had even more weight. Like many men who have distinguished themselves in one way, his real ambition lay in a different direction. We think of him as a military genius. He for his part looked to the priestly office and the transmission of Divine oracles as his proper calling. The enthusiasm with which he overthrew the altar of Baal, built the new altar of Jehovah and offered his first sacrifice upon it, survived when the wild delights of victory had passed away. The thrill of awe and the strange excitement he had felt when Divine messages came to him and signs were given in. answer to his prayer affected him far more deeply and permanently than the sight of a flying enemy and the pride of knowing himself victor in a great campaign. Neither did kingship appear much in comparison with access to God, converse with Him, and declaration of His will to men. Gideon appears already tired of war, with no appetite certainly for more, however successful, and impatient to return to the mysterious rites and sacred privileges of the altar. He had good reason to acknowledge the power over Israels destiny of the Great Being Whose spirit had come upon him, Whose promises had been fulfilled. He desired to cultivate that intercourse with Heaven which more than anything else gave him the sense of dignity and strength. From the offer of a crown he turned as if eager to don the robe of a priest and listen for the holy oracles that none beside himself seemed able to receive.
It is notable that in the history of the Jewish kings the tendency shown by Gideon frequently reappeared. According to the law of later times the kingly duties should have been entirely separated from those of the priesthood. It came to be a dangerous and sacrilegious thing for the chief magistrate of the tribes, their leader in war, to touch the sacred implements or offer a sacrifice. But just because the ideas of sacrifice and priestly service were so fully in the Jewish mind the kings, either when especially pious or especially strong, felt it hard to refrain from the forbidden privilege. On the eve of a great battle with the Philistines Saul, expecting Samuel to offer the preparatory sacrifice and inquire of Jehovah, waited seven days and then, impatient of delay, undertook the priestly part and offered a burnt sacrifice. His act was, properly speaking, a confession of the sovereignty of God; but when Samuel came he expressed great indignation against the king, denounced his interference with sacred things, and in effect removed him then and there from the kingdom. David for his part appears to have been scrupulous in employing the priests for every religious function; but at the bringing up of the ark from the house of Obed-Edom he is reported to have led a sacred dance before the Lord and to have worn a linen ephod, that is, a garment specially reserved for the priests. He also took to himself the privilege of blessing the people in the name of the Lord. On the division of the kingdom Jeroboam promptly assumed the ordering of religion, set up shrines and appointed priests to minister at them; and in one scene we find him standing by an altar to offer incense. The great sin of Uzziah, on account of which he had to go forth from the temple a hopeless leper, is stated in the second book of Chronicles to have been an attempt to burn incense on the altar. These are cases in point; but the most remarkable is that of Solomon. To be king, to build and equip the temple and set in operation the whole ritual of the house of God, did not content that magnificent prince. His ambition led him to assume a part far loftier and more impressive than fell to the chief priest himself. It was Solomon who offered the prayer when the temple was consecrated, who pronounced the blessing of God on the worshipping multitude; and at his invocation it was that "fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices." This crowning act of his life in which the great monarch rose to the very highest pitch of his ambition, actually claiming and taking precedence over all the house of Aaron, will serve to explain the strange turn of the Abiezrites history at which we have now arrived.
"He made an ephod and put it in his city, even in Ophrah." A strong but not spiritual religiousness, we have said, is the chief note of Gideons character. It may be objected that such a one, if he seeks ecclesiastical office, does so unworthily; but to say so is an uncharitable error. It is not the devout temper alone that finds attraction in the ministry of sacred things; nor should a love of place and power be named as the only other leading motive. One who is not devout may in all sincerity covet the honour of standing for God before the congregation, leading the people in worship, and interpreting the sacred oracles. A vulgar explanation of human desire is often a false one; it is so here. The ecclesiastic may show few tokens of the spiritual temper, the other worldliness, the glowing and simple truth we rightly account to be the proper marks of a Christian ministry; yet he may by his own reckoning have obeyed a clear call. His function in this case is to maintain order and administer outward rites with dignity and care-a limited range of duty indeed, but not without utility, especially when there are inferior and less conscientious men in office not far away. He does not advance faith, but according to his power he maintains it.
But the ecclesiastic must have the ephod. The man who feels the dignity of religion more than its humane simplicity, realising it as a great movement of absorbing interest, will naturally have regard to the means of increasing dignity and making the movement impressive. Gideon calls upon the people for the golden spoils taken from the Midianites, nose rings, earrings and the like, and they willingly respond. It is easy to obtain gifts for the outward glory of religion, and a golden image is soon to be seen within a house of Jehovah on the hill at Ophrah. Whatever form it had, this figure was to Gideon no idol, but a symbol or sign of Jehovahs presence among the people, and by means of it, in one or other of the ways used at the time, as for example by casting lots from within it, appeal was made to God with the utmost respect and confidence. When it is supposed that Gideon fell away from his first faith in making this image, the error lies in overestimating his spirituality at the earlier stage. We must not think that at any time the use of a symbolic image would have seemed wrong to him. It was not against images, but against worship of false and impure gods, that his zeal was at first directed. The sacred pole was an object of detestation because it was a symbol of Astarte.
In some way we cannot explain the whole life of Gideon appears as quite separate from the religious ordinances maintained before the ark, and at the same time quite apart from that Divine rule which forbade the making and worship of graven images. Either he did not know the second commandment, or he understood it only as forbidding the use of an image of any creature and the worship of a creature by means of an image. We know that the cherubim in the Holy of Holies were symbolic of the perfections of creation, and through them the greatness of the Unseen God was realised. So it was with Gideons ephod or image, which was however used in seeking oracles. He acted at Ophrah as priest of the true God. The sacrifices he offered were to Jehovah. People came from all the northern tribes to bow at his altar and receive divine intimations through him. The southern tribes had Gilgal and Shiloh. Here at Ophrah was a service of the God of Israel, not perhaps intended to compete with the other shrines, yet virtually depriving them of their fame. For the expression is used that all Israel went a whoring after the ephod.
But while we try to understand we are not to miss the warning which comes home to us through this chapter of religious history. Pure and, for the time, even elevated in the motive, Gideons attempt at priestcraft led to his fall. For a while we see the hero acting as judge at Ophrah and presiding with dignity at the altar. His best wisdom is at the service of the people, and he is ready to offer for them at new moon or harvest the animals they desire to consecrate and consume in the sacred feast. In a spirit of real faith and no doubt with much sagacity he submits their inquiries to the test of the ephod. But "the thing became a snare to Gideon and his house," perhaps in the way of bringing in riches and creating the desire for more. Those who applied to him as a revealer brought gifts with them. Gradually as wealth increased among the people the value of the donations would increase, and he who began as a disinterested patriot may have degenerated into a somewhat avaricious man who made a trade of religion. On this point we have, however, no information. It is mere surmise, depending upon observation of the way things are apt to go amongst ourselves.
Reviewing the story of Gideons life we find this clear lesson, that within certain limits he who trusts and obeys God has a quite irresistable efficiency. This man had, as we have seen, his limitations, very considerable. As a religious leader, prophet or priest, he was far from competent; there is no indication that he was able to teach Israel a single Divine doctrine, and as to the purity and mercy, the righteousness and love of God, his knowledge was rudimentary. In the remote villages of the Abiezrites the tradition of Jehovahs name and power remained, but in the confusion of the times there was no education of children in the will of God: the Law was practically unknown. From Shechem where Baal-Berith was worshipped the influence of a degrading idolatry had spread, obliterating every religious idea except the barest elements of the old faith. Doing his very best to understand God, Gideon never saw what religion in our sense means. His sacrifices were appeals to a Power dimly felt through nature and in the greater epochs of the national history, chastising now, and now friendly and beneficent.
Yet, seriously limited as he was, Gideon, when he had once laid hold of the fact that he was called by the unseen God to deliver Israel, went on step by step to the great victory which made the tribes free. His responsibility to his fellow Israelites became clear along with his sense of the demand made upon him by God. He felt himself like the wind, like the lightning, like the dew, an agent or instrument of the Most High, bound to do His part in the course of things. His will was enlisted in the Divine purpose. This work, this deliverance of Israel, was to be effected by him and no other. He had the elemental powers with him, in him. The immense armies of Midian could not stand in his way. He was, as it were, a storm that must hurl them back into the wilderness defeated and broken.
Now this is the very conception of life which we in our far wider knowledge are apt to miss, which nevertheless it is our chief business to grasp and carry into practice. You stand there, a man instructed in a thousand things of which Gideon was ignorant, instructed especially in the nature and will of God Whom Christ has revealed. It is your privilege to take a broad survey of human life, of duty, to look beyond the present to the eternal future with its infinite possibilities of gain and loss. But the danger is that year after year all thought and effort shall be on your own account, that with each changing wind of circumstance you change your purpose, that you never understand Gods demand nor find the true use of knowledge, will, and life in fulfilling that. Have you a divine task to effect? You doubt it. Where is anything that can be called a commission of God? You look this way and that for a little, then give up the quest. This year finds you without enthusiasm, without devotion even as you have been in other years. So life ebbs away and is lost in the wide flat sands of the secular and trivial, and the soul never becomes part of the strong ocean current of Divine purpose. We pity or deride some who, with little knowledge and in many errors alike of heart and head, were yet men as many of us may not claim to be, alive to the fact of God and their own share in Him. But they were so limited, those Hebrews, you say, a mere horde of shepherds and husbandmen; their story is too poor, too chaotic to have any lesson for us. And in sheer incapacity to read the meaning of the tale you turn from this Book of Judges, as from a barbarian myth, less interesting than Homer, of no more application to yourself than the legends of the Round Table. Yet, all the while, the one supreme lesson for a man to read and take home to himself is written throughout the book in bold and living characters-that only when life is realised as a vocation is it worth living. God may be faintly known, His will but rudely interpreted; yet the mere understanding that He gives life and rewards effort is an inspiration. And when His life-giving call ceases to stir and guide there can be for the man, the nation, only irresolution and weakness.
A century ago Englishmen were as little devout as they are today; they were even less spiritual, less moved to fine issues. They had their scepticisms too, their rough ignorant prejudices, their giant errors and perversities. "We have gained vastly," as Professor Seeley says, "in breadth of view, intelligence, and refinement. Probably what we threw aside could not be retained; what we adopted was forced upon us by the age. Nevertheless, we had formerly what I may call a national discipline, which formed a firm, strongly-marked national character. We have now only materials, which may be of the first quality, but have not been worked up. We have everything except decided views and steadfast purpose-everything in short except character." Yes: the sense of the nations calling has decayed, and with it the nations strength. In leaders and followers alike purpose fades as faith evaporates, and we are faithless because we attempt nothing noble under the eye and sceptre of the King.
You live, let us say, among those who doubt God, doubt whether there is any redemption, whether the whole Christian gospel and hope are not in the air, dreams, possibilities, rather than facts of the Eternal Will. The storm wind blows and you hear its roaring: that is palpable fact, divine or cosmic. Its errand will be accomplished. Great rivers flow, great currents sweep through the ocean. Their mighty urgency who can doubt? But the spiritual who can believe? You do not feel in the sphere of the moral, of the spiritual the wind that makes no sound, the current that rolls silently charged with sublime energies, effecting a vast and wonderful purpose. Yet here are the great facts; and we must find our part in that spiritual urgency, do our duty there, or lose all. We must launch out on the mighty stream of redemption or never reach eternal light, for all else moves down to death. Christ Himself is to be victorious in us. The glory of our life is that we can be irresistible in the region of our duty, irresistible in conflict with the evil, the selfishness, the falsehood given us to overthrow. To realise that is to live. The rest is all mere experiment, getting ready for the task of existence, making armour, preparing food, otherwise, at the worst, a winters morning before inglorious death.
One other thing observe, that underlying Gideons desire to fill the office of priest there was a dull perception of the highest function of one man in relation to others. It appears to the common mind a great thing to rule, to direct secular affairs, to have the command of armies and the power of filling offices and conferring dignities; and no doubt to one who desires to serve his generation well, royalty, political power, even municipal office offer many excellent opportunities. But set kingship on this side, kingship concerned with the temporal and earthly, or at best humane aspects of life, and on the other side priesthood of the true kind which has to do with the spiritual, by which God is revealed to man and the holy ardour and divine aspirations of the human will are sustained-and there can be no question which is the more important. A clever strong man may be a ruler. It needs a good man, a pious man, a man of heavenly power and insight to be in any right sense a priest. I speak not of the kind of priest Gideon turned out, nor of a Jewish priest, nor of any who in modern times professes to be in that succession, but of one who really stands between God and men, bearing the sorrows of his kind, their trials, doubts, cries, and prayers on his heart and presenting them to God, interpreting to the weary and sad and troubled the messages of heaven. In this sense Christ is the one True Priest, the eternal and only sufficient High Priest. And in this sense it is possible for every Christian to hold towards those less enlightened and less decided in their faith the priestly part.
Now in a dim way the priestly function presented itself to Gideon and allured him. Sufficient for it he was not, and his ephod became a snare. Neither could he grasp the wisdom of heaven nor understand the needs of men. In his hands the sacred art did not prosper, he became content with the appearance and the gain. It is so with many who take the name of priests. In truth, on one side the term and all it stands for must be confessed full of danger to him set apart and those who separate him. Here as pointedly as anywhere must it be affirmed, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." There must be a mastering sense of Gods calling on the side of him who ministers, and on the side of the people recognition of a message, an example coming to them through this brother of theirs who speaks what he has received of the Holy Spirit, who offers a personal living word, a personal testimony. Here, be it called what it may, is priesthood after the pattern of Christs, true and beneficent; and apart from this priesthood may too easily become, as many have affirmed, a horrible imposture and baleful lie. Christianity brings the whole to a point in every life. Gods calling, spiritual, complete, comes to each soul in its place, and the holy oil is for every head. The father, mother, the employer and the workman, the surgeon, writer, lawyer-everywhere and in all posts, just as men and women are living out Gods demand upon them-these are His priests, ministrants of the hearth and the shop, the factory and the office, by the cradle and the sick bed, wherever the multitudinous epic of life goes forward. Here is the common and withal the holiest calling and office. That one dwelling with God in righteousness and love introduce others into the sanctuary, declare as a thing he knows the will of the Eternal, uplift the feebleness of faith and revive the heart of love-this is the highest task on earth, the grandest of heaven.
Of such it may be said, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On vv1, 18 THE COMPLETION OF THE LORD’S DELIVERANCE OF HIS PEOPLE.…
THE COMPLETION OF THE LORD’S DELIVERANCE OF HIS PEOPLE. Jdg_8:1-17
CRITICAL NOTES.—
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Jdg_8:1. And the men of Ephraim said, etc.] i.e.—after Gideon had reached the trans-Jordanic side of the river, and when the heads of Oreb and Zeeb were brought to him. It may either have been while he was still pursuing the flying foe, or after he had returned from that pursuit; more probably the former. Though the Ephraimites and the Manassites were the descendants of two brothers, and might have been expected to be on the most friendly terms, the former people had long been characterised by a spirit of jealousy lest they should not have that superiority granted them which had all along been predicted of them from the beginning. Had not old Jacob, when blessing the sons of Joseph, set Ephraim before Manasseh? Had not Moses, in his last blessing, spoken of the ten thousands of Ephraim and only of the thousands of Manasseh? Was not Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim? Was not the tabernacle for a long time placed in Shiloh which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim? And, for a long period, were not their numbers very great so as to justify their being regarded as a leading tribe? (Gen_48:19; Deu_33:17; Num_13:8 with Jos_19:50; Jos_18:1, etc.). Thus envy became something like a besetting sin of the tribe of Ephraim (Isa_11:13; Jdg_12:1).
Sharply-strong and irritating words. Not that they cared for any part of the booty, but they were most sensitive that they should have the traditional priority conceded to them, and certainly that they should not be left in the background. It was really a question of pride, and, while this is offensive at all times, it was especially so, to introduce it in the midst of the Lord’s most solemn deliverance.
Jdg_8:2. What have I now done in comparison of you? Most beautiful! Gideon at once concedes the place of honour to them. He is ready to underrate his own doings, when put in comparison with those of the Ephraimites. He knew the sensitive character of the tribe, and where the sting really lay. Hence without arguing the matter, he at once yields the point of their superiority to Manasseh, or rather, with a refinement of delicacy, he will not commit the whole tribe without their consent, but speaks only in name of his own clan, that of Abi-ezer. He uses a proverbial expression, “Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage (the full crop) of Abi-ezer?” He at once yields the point which they were most anxious to gain—the acknowledgment of their superiority.
While the proverbial expression employed is susceptible of a general application, probably Gideon’s immediate reference was to the signal service which the tribe of Ephraim had just performed. Gideon and his men bad but destroyed the rank and file of the enemy, while they had slain the two leading generals of the enemy’s army, and doubtless, in doing so, had made a great slaughter of their followers. The first slaughter commenced by Gideon and his men was the vintage, and the smiting down of many afterwards by the Ephraimites, was the gleanings. But these gleanings Gideon was willing to reckon of far greater consequence than all that had been done before, both because the two princes had been slain, and also because an enormous slaughter had been made of the enemy by the tribe of Ephraim (Isa_10:26).
The grapes.] The word is not in the Hebrew text, and should be omitted. The reading should be, “Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer.?” [Pulp. Com.]
Jdg_8:3. Their anger was abated.] Lit., their spirit was slackened. “His good words are as victorious as his sword; his pacification of friends better than the execution of enemies.” [Bp. Hall.]
God hath delivered them into your hands.] Whether they should take it well or not, he is faithful to his God in reminding these proud murmurers that the glory of all the achievements of that memorable day really belonged to God.
Jdg_8:4. Faint yet pursuing.] (comp. 1Sa_30:10). They were exhausted partly from want of sleep, and partly from want of food, and partly from their great exertions in running over a distance of several miles, and contending with the flying enemy all the time. The Sept. adopts the word πεινῶντες but that does not cover the whole meaning. They were both hungry and thirsty, and also greatly fatigued. They were greatly in need of physical nourishment (Job_22:7). Keil renders it, exhausted with pursuing; but the English rendering seems a much happier one, and gives the spirit of the passage better. It was an act of bravery and a work of faith. [Lias.] It was more, it was a sacred duty, stern in character, yet imperative in obligation, not to leave a man alive of those who had been guilty of so great a crime, as ruthlessly to despoil God’s own vineyard. Not till he had reached the most eastern extremity of Gilead, did this zealous vindicator of the name of his God feel himself at liberty to regard his work as done.
Jdg_8:5. Succoth.] Booths or tents (Gen_33:17). This town was in the tribe of Gad, only a little way south of the point whence the Jordan emerges from the Lake of Gennesareth, and not far from the brook Jabbok.
Loaves.] Cakes. Such as might be soon baked, and not occasion any interruption to the pursuit. It was also a modest request. He asked for no fruits or wines, or anything costly. He merely wished the simple necessaries of life. And he gave as his reason that which true Israelites ought to have regarded as the best of all reasons. I am pursuing after the kings of Midian. i.e., I am doing God’s work on behalf of His people. I am acting for the public good.
Jdg_8:6. Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand?] Instead of showing patriotic sympathy suitable to the occasion, they consulted only their own petty selfish interests. They did not believe, notwithstanding all the wondrous feats of that night and morning, that the kings of Midian were within the grasp of Gideon and his handful of followers. Just as many who stood around the grave of Lazarus, and saw how stern death yielded up his victim at the command of the Lord of life, did not believe in the true character of Jesus, but went their way and told the Pharisees. There are always hardened unbelievers of some kind in the midst of God’s mighty doings. These craven-hearted men of Succoth, overlooking the mighty arm of God which had just been laid bare before all eyes against the Midianitish oppressors of His people, still thought it was absurd to think of 15,000 men being at the mercy of 300. They rather thought that these kings would turn on Gideon’s men, and swallow them up, in which case it would go hard with themselves, should it become known to the kings that they had succoured the small army of their pursuers. Rather than run the risk of falling out with the enemies of their God and their people, these princes will not move a finger to assist the man whom God was employing to reckon with His enemies, and the enemies of His people.
The reply given was not a bare refusal to grant what every true Israelite should have been forward to give. It was not even the language of common respect, but a scornful taunt. This to a man who was performing a duty on which his God had sent him, was a contempt not so much against the servant as against the master. It was adding insolence to unkindness, and that in the special presence of God. The cowardice was the least of it; it was treason to Israel’s God. Compare Nabal’s churlishness (1Sa_25:8-11) and by contrast the conduct of Barzillai (2Sa_17:27-29; 2Sa_19:33-40).
Jdg_8:7. Tear your flesh with thorns (Amo_1:3), or thresh your bodies with thorns and briers. It was a cruel mode of putting to death which was practised in these times. “Thorns of the wilderness” meant those that were strong, the desert being the natural ground for yielding thorns and thistles. When captives were thus put to death, the briers and thorns were laid on their naked bodies, and then some heavy implements of husbandry were drawn over them, so crushing them to death. Or sometimes they were whipped, stroke on stroke, with thorns and prickly plants. The Chaldee version has it, “I will mangle your flesh on the thorns, and on the briers.” It was an old punishment “to tie the naked body in a bundle of thorns and roll it on the ground” [Roberts] (2Sa_12:31; Isa_41:15).
The word דּוּשׁ here used means to punish severely.
When the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand. He does not doubt for a moment but that it shall be so. He is sure of victory, though he has only 300 against 15,000—one man to fifty!
Gideon’s threat seems to have made no impression on the men of Succoth. They remained stubborn in their unbelief. “Reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool.”
Jdg_8:8. Went up thence to Penuel.] A place rendered for ever sacred by the fact, that it was the ground where Jacob their father wrestled with the angel and prevailed (Gen_32:30-31) It was a sad indication of degeneracy, when the very ground under their feet spoke of the victory of faith, that they should distrust the God of Jacob, as if he would not be mindful of His covenant! Penuel was higher up towards the mountains than Succoth, which indeed was in the valley. The “tower” was built to repel invaders from the east, who generally came along the course of the Jabbok. It was a town in Gad, and not far from Succoth.
Jdg_8:10. Karkor—a town on the eastern frontiers of Gad—as far away as they could get from the Israelitish army, which had now swollen as a river, from the rush of men out of all the tribes. It was the first spot of ground they had reached since the frightful panic they had experienced in Jezreel, where they reckoned themselves safe, for being now almost beyond the boundary line of the country, they did not suppose the Israelites would care to pursue them farther. The host was secure. They felt they could now draw breath, and were glad to take some repose, after the terrible trouble through which they had passed.
Jdg_8:11. Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents—by the usual route taken by nomads and travellers. He seems to have gone round about somewhat, so as to come upon them from the north-east, which would be a great surprise, and being the season of night, it would renew the terror of the previous night. Not having yet recovered from the panic, they would feel as if new terrors would spring up mysteriously wherever they went, and so they would be unnerved for fighting. They would also very likely be unarmed and laid down to sleep, thus being unprepared for battle. The strength too of Gideon’s army would be unknown to them in the darkness, and doubtless they thought it far larger than it really was. But the principal element of weakness was the superstitious dread they had of Gideon and of Gideon’s God. A mysterious awe fell upon them in connection with the name Jehovah, and with the name of Gideon as His servant.
Jdg_8:12. Discomfited all the host.] Struck terror into them. In the previous verse it is said, he smote the host, implying that he put them to death.
He took the two kings of Midian.] Zebah and Zalmunna were the kings proper of Midian. Oreb and Zeeb were but princes, or generals of the army.
Jdg_8:13. Returned from battle before the sun rose.] The word Heres here translated the sun, is used with the same meaning in ch. Jdg_14:18.; comp. Gen_19:15, when the morning arose.
Jdg_8:14. Described unto him the princes of Succoth.] Rather he wrote down the names of the princes. Seventy-seven men, so that there would be no mistake in punishing the right persons.
Jdg_8:15. Ye did upbraid me.] Ye loaded me with reproach as if God could not deliver these kings into my hand. Now behold them!
Jdg_8:16. He taught the men of Succoth.] The elders, or chief men יֹּדַע caused them to know to their cost, or by personal experience. He gave them a severe lesson, viz., what a dangerous thing it was to make light of God’s works, or to trifle with the glory of His name. Some think he put them to death, as he did the leading men of Penuel.
Jdg_8:17. Beat down the tower.] Their “tower” was their pride. Of that are they first stripped, then of their lives. Gideon was no doubt acting by God’s directions in what he did. It was one of the days of the Lord, when He rises up to vindicate the honour of His name, and when every transgression and disobedience receives a due recompense of reward.
MAIN HOMILETICS.—Jdg_8:1-17
I. The hateful character of envy and jealousy.
The view here given of Ephraim’s character is humiliating; yet it has two redeeming points.
(1) This tribe did respond to the call made to take part in the Lord’s deliverance from the presence of the oppressor, and they did materially contribute to the great triumph that was gained over the enemy. For they not only slew Oreb and Zeeb, but they effected a great slaughter of these foreign oppressors at the same time.
(2) They did acknowledge Gideon as the captain of the Lord’s choosing on the occasion, for it was in obedience to his call that they came forth, and when the victory was gained they presented the heads of the princes to him. These were two important features in a picture here given of Ephraim’s character which is otherwise dark. Their conduct forms an unseemly exhibition of envy and jealousy at a solemn moment in the history of the nation. To call it nothing worse, the moral meanness of their present action was to their lasting discredit.
1. They cowardly stood aloof in the moment of danger. We do not hear of the slightest movement made in that tribe when Gideon blew the trumpet to summon volunteers to fight the Lord’s battle. If they were to be the foremost in wearing the honours they ought to have been the foremost in meeting the dangers. Why did not shame fill their faces that they, the so-called mightiest tribe tarried at home till the victory was won, and then only they bestirred themselves to help their brethren? We should have thought they would come to Gideon on this occasion, with many apologies on their lips, and expressions of regret that they had not acted a more manly and a more loyal part to their God than they did. Yet they chid with Gideon sharply, as if they were the injured parties! “They should rather have cried him up for his valour, and blessed God for his victory.”
2. They made little account of Gideon’s Divine commission. They overlooked the fact that Gideon was but a child in the hands of his God, and that from first to last all the directions as to the steps that were to be taken were given by Him. This was a more serious blot still. The first particular we have mentioned was but cowardice, but this is to overlook the hand of God. In finding fault with Gideon in this matter they were really complaining of the management of Him who guided Gideon in all his movements.
3. Their only object appeared to be to gratify their own ambition. To do this at any time was a gross breach of good manners, but on such a day as this was for Israel, and in the presence of such striking proofs of God’s gracious return to His people, who had so long been lying under the heel of the oppressors, was at once infamous and wicked. Their sense of God’s honour was unspeakably small, and their desire for exalting themselves to honour was all-absorbing.
4. They sought their honours at the most serious risk. Had they not found in Gideon a man of great moderation, meek as regards his own rights, and forbearing as regards the conduct of others, a fire might now have been kindled in Israel itself at the very critical moment, when the enemy was yet only partially routed, and the danger was not all past. Thus the work in which God Himself was taking part might have been marred, and a new evil of civil war might have sprung up in Israel, equally if not more disastrous than that which they had with Midian.
5. Envy is one of many sister evils. Pride, jealousy, and envy, especially go together. Pride, indeed, was the first sin—the aspiring to be a god. From this a whole brood of sins spring, and all have a remarkable family likeness. But the parent is pride, which really means making self the most important of all things, and a desire that all things should become subordinate to self. The true balance of things which God has established is that, while every man should cherish self-respect, he is not to over-value himself, as being a dependent creature, and occupying a certain position which God in His providence has assigned to him.
The evil of this sin is seen, in that it thrust proud Nebuchadnezzar out of men’s society, proud Saul out of his kingdom, proud Haman out of court, proud Adam out of paradise, and proud Lucifer out of heaven. [H. Smith.]
Remember what thou wert before the truth—nothing; what thou wert for many years after—weakness; what in all thy life—a great sinner; what in all thy excellencies—a mere debtor to God, to thy parents, to the earth, to all the creatures. Surely nothing is more reasonable than to be humble, and nothing more foolish than to be proud. [Taylor.]
What is a man proud of—money? It will not procure for him one night’s sleep. It will not buy him back a lost friend. It will not bribe off approaching death. Land? a little bit of it will soon be all he will require. Learning? if he be equal to Newton, he has gathered one little pebble on the ocean’s shore, and even that one he must soon lay down again. [S. T. Treasury.]
Those trees bend the most freely which bear the most fully. As a proud heart loves none but itself, so it is beloved by none but itself. Who would attempt to gain those pinnacles, that none have ascended without fears, or descended without falls? Where the river is deepest, the water glides the most smoothly. Empty casks sound most, whereas the well-filled vessel silences its own sound. As the shadow of the sun is largest when his beams are lowest, so we are always least when we make ourselves the greatest. [Secker.]
Pride is an evil that puts men upon all manner of evils. Accius the poet, though a dwarf, yet would be pictured as tall of stature. Psaphon, a proud Libyan, would needs be a god, and having caught some birds, he taught them to prattle “the great god, Psaphon.” Menecrates, a proud physician, wrote thus to King Philip: Menecrates, a god, to Philip, a king. Proud Simon, in Lucian, having got a little wealth, changed his name from Simon to Simonides, because there were so many beggars of his kin; he also set the house on fire where he was born, that no one might point to it. [Brooks.]
The demon of Pride was born with us, and it will not die one hour before us. It is so woven into the very warp and woof of our nature, that till we are wrapped in our winding-sheets we shall never hear the last of it. [Spurgeon]
Like a snake coiled up in a bed of flowers, there is danger lurking under our fairest attainments; like the inflammatory attack, to which those are most liable who are highest fed, whose bones are full of marrow, and whose veius are gorged with blood, so we may be exposed to spiritual pride through the very fulness of our graces; therefore we ought to watch and pray against the great evil, and study to be humble. [Guthrie.]
A minister who on a certain occasion had preached ably and well, at the close of the service was accosted by a hearer with the exclamation, “That was a noble sermon, sir,” “Yes,” was the reply, “the devil told me that before I left the pulpit.”
6. Envy is an intolerant evil. “Who can stand before it?” It grieves that others should possess the good in which it does not share. It fired the breast of Saul, and he cast a javelin at David. It rankled in the bosoms of Joseph’s brethren, and they first cast him into a pit, and then sold him for a slave to strangers. It inflamed the mind of the wicked Cain so that he rose against his brother and slew him. It burned along with pride in the heart of Haman, and moved him to seek the death, not only of Mordecai, but of the whole race to which he belonged. It grudges even to give that to a man which he has fairly earned by his skill and toil (Ecc_4:4). It refuses even to the closest friends the slightest superiority over one’s self, though it is the Master himself who confers it (Mat_20:24). From its envenomed assaults the best of men are not exempted (1Sa_17:28). It is one of those “roots of bitterness” from which spring “strifes, railings, evil surmisings, and perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds.”
II. The nobility of meek forbearance under false accusation.
What a refreshing contrast have we in the bearing of Gideon to that of the men of Ephraim! His spirit is calm and morally great, beautifully illustrative of Pro_16:32. He stands before us like a giant in the midst of peevish children.
1. He refrains from recrimination. He not only had ground for self vindication, but it belonged rather to him to find fault with his accusers. Why did not the men of Ephraim come forward of themselves long ago, and take the lead in rescuing the country from oppression? Why did they need to be called for at all to take part in such a work? There was no refusal of volunteers for such a cause, and why come in now to raise heart-burnings in the very midst of a solemn Divine interposition on behalf of the sacred nation, when they ought as one man to be prostrating themselves in the dust before Jehovah, and pouring out their gratitude from penitent hearts at the deliverance of their land from the incubus of oppression? But this true man of God refrains from rebuke. He knew that, however strong his case, that course would lead to strife (comp. 2Sa_19:41-43). He therefore wisely left off contention before meddling with it.
2. He had regard to the great interests that were in his hands. It was the moment of Israel’s redemption, when everything depended on union among themselves. To have got into strife now would have been a suicidal policy for the best interests of the country. It might have led to civil war, and plunged Israel into a deeper distress than that out of which they were just emerging. Besides, Gideon felt that he occupied the sacred position of being in God’s employment, His servant appointed to carry into execution a great work. All controversy among themselves, therefore, was not to be thought of, but gratitude and praise he felt should absorb all their attention. It was these things present to his mind that formed the basis of the answer which he gave. Public considerations, not personal; God’s presence, and God’s authority over him; God’s cause, and Israel’s salvation—these were the grounds on which Gideon made his noble reply.
3. He yields the place of honour to those who accuse him. (Php_2:3). “What have I done compared with what you have done? To you be the larger share of merit. If I have been first in the field, your gleaning has been more than my vintage. God has given to me to break up the enemy’s camp, but to you He has given the heads of two of the principal leaders in that great army, along with a great slaughter of the rank and file. What have I done to compare with you?” Here is an instance of the spirit that prefers another in honour to one’s self. He gives up his own claims in a moment, when he finds that they might prove an offence to those around him. No man was more humble of all that fought that day than was Gideon. From the shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people in moral greatness. He that ruled in Israel was willing to take the lowest place. He proves twice a conqueror, first over the hosts of Midian, and then more signally still over himself! The Macedonian monarch conquered the world, but entirely failed to subdue himself. The Bible great man is immeasurably superior to the world’s hero. The one affords a living illustration of “whatsoever things are just, pure, lovely, and of good report.” The other illustrates the case of a man sinking to the level of the brute, acting like a savage to those around him, and at last dying the death of a debauchee. If Gideon is a picture of moral greatness, then this is a picture of moral infamy; and to set it upon a throne is to hold it up to the scorn and reprobation of all time!
4. The spirit which he showed entirely pacified the fault-finders. “Their anger was abated when he said that.” How forcible are right words! Nothing more wise could have come from one who had a large knowledge of human nature. He put his finger on the spot where the soreness was felt, and poured on it the most soothing of oils, which at once produced the desired effect. “A soft tongue breaketh the bone.” “A soft answer turneth away wrath.” It was as if some spirit—perhaps that good angel that called him to this work and inspired him in it—had whispered in his ear the words which He long afterwards spake through a New Testament apostle. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourself, but rather give place unto wrath.” On this principle he acted, and so “overcame evil with good, and poured coals of fire on the fault-finders’ heads.” All men of right judgment while they look on, involuntarily exclaim, “The righteous man is more excellent than his neighbour.”
The practical good done to Israel was incalculably great. The spark was burning dangerously close to the tinder, and frightfully destructive must have been the explosion, had not a firm foot been instantly put down to extinguish it. A bitter internecine war was prevented just in time, which might have cost the lives of many thousands of the sons of his people, have kindled a spirit of deep hostility among brethren, and have perpetuated feelings of jealousy and malice for many generations. On Gideon’s brow this day was written in letters of white the motto—“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” He acted from the force of moral principle, to gain precious and Divine ends, and his name shall not die from the page of true fame. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
III. The condition of success in God’s service.
A great work was now being done for God. An enemy had bidden defiance to the God of heaven, had blasphemed His name, and not only wantonly touched, but threatened to extinguish the people whom He had taken into covenant with Himself, and who kept up the knowledge of His name on the earth. For that enemy the day of reckoning was now come. He must be destroyed, and that utterly. The jealousy of Jehovah for His own great name was now awakened. Gideon and his 300 men were the instruments chosen to fulfil the sentence of Heaven on these rebellious ones; and till the work was finished, not a man was at liberty to retire from his post. Though they were all in greater or less degree overcome with fatigue, from long fighting, want of sleep, want of food, and running over many miles of ground, yet they must not relax their efforts. The sacred call of their God was to persevere till their work was done. Thus only could success be legitimately won. It is in this condition that we now find Gideon and his 300 men (Jdg_8:4) “faint, yet pursuing.”
These words contain a Paradox. Those who fight the Lord’s battles often faint, and yet they pursue. They are overcome, and yet prove victorious—their strength is gone, and yet they are more than a match for the foe—they are “cast down, but not destroyed”—the cedars become reeds, and yet are able to weather the storm—the confessedly faint do the work of heroes—each can say, “When I am weak then am I strong”—and can add in explanation, “By Thee have I run through a troop; by my God do I leap over a wall.” Or, in New Testament phrase, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me.”
Here an important principle is laid down for those who would enter into God’s service. It relates to the condition on which success is to be gained. Even when strength is exhausted, there must be the resolution to persevere. Wearied and weak, with small visible resources, while difficulties and dangers are numerous and formidable, the true worker for God must resolutely persevere. He is allowed to think only of victory—never of defeat. Even should his arm become feeble, and he be scarcely able to drag his limbs along, he must ever keep his face to the foe, and assume the certainty of his being a conqueror in the end.
The idea is not simply that of perseverance, but perseverance when human wisdom can see no natural means of holding out any longer. These men had fought till they could fight no more. Yet they followed on, implicitly obedient to the call of Divinely-appointed duty. Though the requirement of rest and refreshment was imperative, the fear of God was upon their spirits, and not a murmur of complaint was heard along their ranks. There was no call for substitutes to take their places, which could easily have been done. The rule was distinct—“By these three hundred will I save you … and let all the other people go every man unto his place” (Jdg_7:7). By them alone they knew the work must be done.
This rule is of general application; for the principles which apply to any one work of God apply to all, and in every age, regard only being had to the change of circumstances. For general use the following particulars are to be noticed:—
1. The condition of success itself—what it is. It implies—
(1.) Every atom of strength must be put forth. Every muscle and bone in his body must be given. Not a drop of blood in his veins must be withheld. Nerves and sinews, all that hands and feet can do, must be absolutely surrendered. It is not enough that there should be a little zeal and some honest work done, or that some great efforts be made, and a man show himself to be in earnest, but a man’s whole being must be given up to the service of his God when the call is given. This, indeed, is simply coming up to the measure of what is reasonable, for we owe to God our whole selves—every faculty we have, and its fullest exercise. He may seldom require us to strain our energies in His service, but absolute dedication to Him of all we are, and have, is simply His just due, so that we are always to hold ourselves in readiness to offer to Him the exercise of our faculties, to any degree that He may require.
Thus as regards work. As to suffering, our Saviour himself is an example of the absolute surrender of every limb and sensitive part, when that is required to illustrate the deep designs of God’s moral government. He submitted to be “poured out like water and to have all His bones out of joint—His heart made like wax, and melted in the midst of His bowels; His strength dried like a potsherd, and brought down to the dust of death” (Psa_22:14-15).
All this is greatly intensified, when we think that our life, which was forfeited by sin, has been given to us anew as the purchase of the blood of God’s own Son.
(2.) When strength is exhausted the fight must be continued by faith. When our resources are exhausted, and the work is not done, we are still to believe that God’s resources can never fail, and that, if the work in hand is really for His glory, and needful to be done, it shall be done without fail, sooner or later, as to time, and in the manner which He sees to be best as to means. To carry on the fight by faith is most glorifying to God, because it trusts His power to bring out the issue though the steps are not seen; it trusts His wisdom to find out the means; and it trusts His faithfulness, that He will never make light of His word of promise. The dependence of the creature on the fountain head is more distinctly seen, and seen to be absolute; while gratitude flows in a purer form, and from a deeper well-spring in the heart (Isa_26:4; Gen_18:14; Psa_147:5; Pro_15:11; Num_23:19). Hence we often find that though God does not despise the use of a man’s natural faculties, for they are His own gift, yet He often blocks up our way that we may see what a short way one can travel when left to themselves, and how necessary it is to keep close to Him who has said, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be,” and who always keeps His word (Isa_40:30-31).
(3.) We must never lose the hope of victory. The true soldier in God’s service must assume that he is invincible while doing God’s work faithfully and from right motives. To suppose failure would be to distrust Omnipotence, or to suppose that a Divine promise could be broken. When God undertakes a work it cannot prove abortive. He is the “Lord of hosts, mighty in battle” (Psa_48:1, etc.; Job_9:4; Psa_9:19-20; Deu_32:30; Isa_46:9-10). Yet, notwithstanding all assurances, faith is often weak and gives way. Even the conqueror of Goliath, when wearied out with perpetual harassment, gave way to despondency, and said “I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines.” A sad illustration of the weakness of faith on the part of one who had been solemnly taken under the protection of the God of Israel, through his being anointed with the holy oil, and who had already for several years been marvellously delivered from the malicious designs made on his life by a bloodthirsty man.
(4.) We must endure every possible hardship for the cause of God. Gideon’s men of faith had to fight all the night long without intermission, without sleep or refreshment, and to travel laboriously over hill and dale for many a weary mile, while they cheerfully submitted to the lines marked out for them. They were required not to “confer with flesh and blood,” but rather to “crucify the flesh” when it was necessary to serve the ends of high principle (Heb_11:36-37; comp. Act_9:16; Act_21:13). Love of our own ease must never exceed our love to the Saviour, or to the cause of our God. We dare not take up the cause of religion merely when it is comfortable, but turn aside when we meet with briers and thorns. Pliable could say, “come on, brother, let us mend our pace,” so long as his ear was soothed with pleasant talk about the crowns and sceptres of the better land on high; but when the Slough of Despond came in his way, he very quickly turned his back on the christian pilgrimage. The man that is wanted for God’s service must work on, even when he begins to faint, must keep to his oars even when he goes against the stream, and must go resolutely forward even when there is a lion in the way. A true servant of our Divine Master must be content to bear a real cross for His sake, never to keep back from duty through fear of man, or dread of the world’s scorn, but at all times to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
(5.) We must never give up till the work is done. It was not enough for Gideon to read the enemy a lesson by crippling his strength and scattering his army. All the members of that proud host had been guilty of a capital crime, and must have the sentence of death executed upon them in the day of the Lord, when judgment was being laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet. Gideon’s commission was to “smite the Midianites as one man” (ch. Jdg_6:16). Their sin in despising the God of Israel was very offensive. All had been guilty, and all must perish, for now the Divine jealousy was awakened. So it was in other cases (Deu_20:16-18; Deu_25:17-19; Jos_11:20; 1Sa_15:3).
2. The difficulty of complying with this condition. Because “fainting” is so frequent an experience of those who are resolved to persevere at the line of duty. This arises from—
(1.) The weakness of the natural faculties. “We are dust.” “Our spirits dwell in houses of clay, and we are crushed before the moth.” “All flesh is grass.” Many of those who are enrolled in God’s service are “bruised reeds.” None can say—“My strength is the strength of stones, and my flesh is of brass.” How is it to be expected that such persons should persevere when real difficulties in the way of duty arise? The most intrepid soldier sometimes trembles; the most robust labourer is not always free from languor; the soul of the most persevering pilgrim is oftentimes “much discouraged because of the way.” So in the discharge of the duties which every good man has before him in his place, partly through their toilsome character, partly through their multitude, and partly through their long continuance; his strength fails, his spirit droops, and he feels utterly unequal to the work set before him. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
(2.) The small success which crowns great efforts. This produces fainting. “I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought.” “We have toiled all the night and caught nothing.” “We have borne the burden and heat of the day,” and only earned a penny. Sometimes the Missionary has but a single convert after years of sacrifice and privation. The Christian Minister, with the most indefatigable toil, can barely keep up his small number of adherents. The Christian Teacher of the young cannot sometimes point to a single case of a striking conversion.
(3.) The opposition of those who know not God. There are still outside the Christian city the Sanballats the (Horonite), and the Geshems the (Arabian), to hinder those who would build the walls of Jerusalem, and the race is scarcely less numerous than of old. Moses met with them in the Egyptian magicians; Hezekiah, in the blaspheming Sennacherib; Daniel, in the princes and presidents set over the kingdom of Darius; Paul, in Elymas the sorcerer, and in Alexander the coppersmith, who did him much evil. The advocates of gospel truth still meet with them in those who would exalt reason so as to destroy faith; in those who would magnify charity so as to efface the distinctions of moral character; and in those who would stretch out liberty, until it become all one with laxity. There are many who openly oppose, and there are still more who would secretly undermine, the pillar of gospel truth. No wonder, if those who are in charge of the building of Sion’s walls, should oftentimes find their hearts giving way, and their souls fainting within them.
(4.) The hanging back of those who ought to be friends. Nothing is more helpful to the Christian cause than the warm sympathy, and timely aid of true fearers of the Lord. How greatly was Paul comforted by the coming of Titus on one occasion (2Co_7:5-6); and how much were his hands strengthened and his spirit cheered by such true yoke-fellows as Timothy and Epaphroditus on another occasion (Php_2:19-20; Php_2:27). But how many hung back. Demas, who loved this present world; Hymeneus and Alexander, who made shipwreck of the faith; Phyletus, Phygellus and Hermogenes, with nearly all that were in Asia, who left their spiritual teacher (2Ti_4:10; 1Ti_1:20; 1 Tim. 2:17; 2Ti_1:15), and a large number undefined (Php_2:21). How much greater would have been the success that crowned the efforts of the Apostles, if those who at first did run well had continued true to the end!
(5.) The stream of circumstances is often against us. It might be supposed to be otherwise, when the cause is God’s own, and His glory is concerned in its progress. Having all events at His disposal, why should not the Ruler of Providence arrange, so that the stream should ever flow in favour of the truth. Yet the balance of circumstances seems much rather to favour its enemies than its friends. So many occurrences are happening to hinder the cause of Christ, so many disappointments take place when there was a fair hope of success, breaches of engagements happen, rival competitors step in, the interests of selfishness come into collision with those of God and His cause, changes of opinion, and still worse, changes of feeling among friends are ever occurring, we are constantly being surrounded by new conditions of life, old friends pass away, and new friends are with difficulty made, strifes and divisions arise, and the gospel chariot is beset with hindrance on all sides.
(6.) Anxieties as to the issue of our efforts. This also leads to fainting, as they are long continued. This anxiety is greater or less as natural fear gets the better of faith. This, however, has in it more of weakness than of unbelief. The timid spirit exclaims—“Who shall roll us away the stone?” But strong faith calls out—“Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.” The Israelites of Ezekiel’s days gave up the cause of God among them as lost. The life seemed to have gone out of the Church, and in their own minds they were likening themselves to a multitude of dry bones, which no preaching could put life into. “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts.” But God, by His prophet, shows them that when the “wind” comes, along with the prophesying, the bones come together, and they stand upon their feet an exceeding great army (Eze_37:11).
(7.) Struggles with indwelling sin (Hab_1:2). “O, wretched man, etc.” (Rom_7:24). Sin is ever destructive of strength. It produces the hiding of God’s countenance, and so cuts off the soul from the supply of its strength. No calamity is so great as to lose the shining of that countenance. How earnestly do those pray for the help of that countenance who know from experience its value (Psa_80:3; Psa_42:5; Psa_51:12; Exo_33:18; Psa_4:6-7). But there is only trouble when that countenance is hid (Psa_30:7; Isa_40:27). Sin produces fear, and so unhinges every faculty. The soul cannot act with the firmness and resolution of one who has well-grounded hope, but is more than half paralysed at the thought that all things are against it. Sin acts like an incubus of mysterious weight upon the soul, crushing it down irresistibly (Psa_38:4; Psa_32:3-4; Psa_39:10).
From all these and many similar causes, it is a frequent experience on the part of those who are engaged in any service for God, to faint in the fulfilment of their duty. Yet the rule is that though faint, they must be determined to persevere.
3. High purposes are served by this arrangement.
(1.) It shows the worth of the cause in which God’s workers are engaged. The excellence of the cause is to be estimated by what is paid for its maintenance. Here every atom of a man’s strength is first required. To that is to be added his faith, that God will put forth the resources of omnipotence, in so far as that is needed, to make the work a perfect work. The work is supposed to be so sacred that nothing must be wanting that man, the instrument, or God, the worker, can do to have the end accomplished. That end is really the honour of God’s great name. For this the universe arose; for this it stands. The glory of the heavens above, and of the earth around, is the glory of Him who made them. This is the one end of all existence, and the only supreme object for which man lives. Hence all the toil and sacrifice of which a man’s nature is susceptible, is not too much to give for the keeping up of the honour of the Divine name. To require this of a man shows the tribute of reverence which is due.
(2.) It is a test of loyalty to their God. This condition imposed on Gideon’s men showed how far they were willing to go in fidelity to Him whom they accepted as their God. Were they resolved that nothing whatever would turn them from their allegiance? The taunts and sneers of their fellows, the ease and rest which they would have secured, had they obtained substitutes to finish the work which they had begun, the trials arising from hunger and thirst, exposure and weariness, from which they intensely suffered, all were insufficient to make them depart by a single hairbreadth from the prescribed path of duty. The word of their God was more sacred to them than their life was dear, and they were prepared to die at their post, rather than show slackness in their reverence, or fail to carry it out both in letter and spirit. Their language was—it is not necessary for us to live; it is essential that we be loyal to our God.
Similar examples—Paul (Act_21:13), Job (ch. Jdg_13:15), Peter and the disciples (Mat_19:27-29), Jonathan (1 Samuel 14), Mary, in choosing the teaching of Jesus as the “one thing needful” (Luk_10:41-42).
(3.) It illustrates the power of God’s grace in sustaining those men in their heroic resolution. There was more than natural courage, and power of natural endurance in that splendid example of self-sacrifice. There was an illustration given of what Divine grace could do, to sustain the soul under a great trial. Who could deny that the Spirit of the Lord came upon them as upon Gideon (Jdg_6:34), for they shared with him in the doing of this work, so that they needed in some measure the same qualifications. The very fact that they were chosen specially by God Himself for the work implied, that from Him they would receive the qualifications needed (Jdg_7:5-7).
On this needful sustaining grace, all who have any work to do in God’s service may at all times count. The constant assurance is, “I am with thee. I will not fail thee. My grace is sufficient for thee.” It gives victory over “the wicked one” in all that he can do (Luk_10:19; Eph_6:16; 1Jn_5:18; Rom_16:20) victory over the world (1Jn_5:4; Joh_16:33); victory over indwelling corruption; which is in some sense the greatest victory of all, for nothing so hinders the doing of any work for God as the working of sin in the heart. Sin is essentially a rebellion against God, and kills the spirit of obedience. It draws harsh inferences from God’s arrangements, and leads to the cherishing of hard thoughts about God’s character and ways. Yet Divine grace can make the spark of spiritual life exist in the soul amid a sea of corruption, and though it only glimmers like a feeble taper, it must continue to burn, notwithstanding all the rough winds that blow upon it from every side.
But where this seed of the new life exists in the heart, it must show itself in good works in the life to some extent. At any moment too, through some special quickening of God’s grace, there is provision for enabling a man to persevere in the doing of God’s work, even though he is at the point of fainting.
(4.) This arrangement furnishes strong cases of unswerving fidelity to God and His cause. Strong cases are needed to show to what heights true piety can reach. The garden of the Lord not only has its many specimens of little flowers, tender saplings, and all the ordinary growths, but there must also be the noble elms, the tall cedars, and the majestic oaks. So also in the Christian church, there must not only be the children, the feeble, and the mass of the inexperienced, and the undisciplined, but also some types of the strong, the mature, and those of princely features. There must be those who can represent the Christian character to advantage. One such case as we have here is worth more than a hundred, or even a thousand examples of the ordinary type. In regard to these latter cases, little impression is made on the world by them. They differ so little from the world’s own type of a devoted character. But these noble 300 are all of a class whom the world cannot match, before whom it bows and confesses its marked inferiority. Here are a handful of men absolutely overcome with fatigue, only 300 in number, all told, pursuing an army still 15,000 strong. They are parched with thirst, and famishing for want of food, while they have several miles to traverse on foot, ere they reach the enemy. They are all faint as regards their bodily condition, though not one of them is faint in spirit. They have still to fight against fifty times their number, but now they are utterly exhausted and wearied out, whereas then they were fresh and vigorous, so that in reality they were now fighting a more unequal battle than at first, when they had to face a foe nine times multiplied in number. Faith had need to be strong indeed, that could take victory for certain, under such circumstances as these. Truly, “these elders by faith obtained a good report.”
(5.) The creature’s insufficiency without Divine aid must be shown. When human resources dry up like the wady in the desert, and can no farther go, then is brought out the incomparable superiority of the ocean with its exhaustless fulness.
4. Great encouragements to persevere.
(1.) The constant presence of the Captain of Salvation. “Lo, I am with you always.” He was with His people when they were suffering in the iron furnace of Egypt earnestly looking on, for it was the members of His body that were suffering. “He was with the Church in the wilderness,” to protect and lead them; and, in every period of that remarkable history, His presence was made known as the Saviour of His redeemed ones, at one time “taking them by the arms teaching them how to go,” at another, “bearing them as on eagles’ wings,” and on a third occasion, rising up as a wall of fire round about them. They are sacred to Him, one and all, as those who are purchased by His blood, and whom He has received in charge to bring home in due time to glory. He utters all in one word when He says, “I will never leave—never, never forsake thee” (Isa_54:10).
(2.) Divine assurance is given of victory.” I will contend with him that contendeth with thee.” “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, for thou shalt thresh the mountains,” etc. (see Isa_41:14-15, also 10). The enemy at most shall only be able to bruise the heel; thou shalt bruise his head. On this occasion, not one of the 300 men fell down slain; nay, not one of them was wounded. God was “a covering to their head in the day of battle.” “A thousand fell by their side, and ten thousand at their right hand, yet to them it did not come nigh; for the Eternal God was their refuge, and underneath them were the everlasting arms.” Not a hair of their heads was touched. It was special, as when at the exodus from the land of bondage “there was not one feeble person in all their tribes” (Psa_105:37). “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Mat_16:25). Nothing is more uncertain, in most cases, than the issue of a battle. Napoleon said at the battle of Waterloo, “By all the rules of war I ought to have won, but my good genius forsook me.” But all who serve under a greater commander will without fail be able to finish by saying, “We are more than conquerors through Him that loveth us.”
“The weakest saint shall win the day,
Though earth and hell oppose the way.”
(3.) The good man is already begun to be victorious. He is faint, but not down. He is so far from being vanquished, that he is already “pursuing.” The tide of battle is turned in his favour, and ere long the field will be his own. The enemy’s ranks are broken, and he is a retreating foe. The Captain of Salvation has borne the brunt of the contest, and has decided the day; all that remains for His followers, is to follow up the victory. The soldier of Christ often fails to see that the position is won, for he feels himself grappling with circumstances that threaten to overmaster him, and with influences that are ever throwing him back rather than forward. Forces and events come upon him which are too mighty for his unaided strength, so that he is continually made to say, “O! when shall this terrible struggle have an end!” He is like a straw among the giant billows. But all is meant to teach the lesson of absolute reliance on his Saviour God, to bring him through the conflict. The rule is, that where Christ has already overcome, all His people must overcome after Him (Joh_14:19; Joh_16:33; Rom_6:14; Rom_6:4; Rom_6:6; Rom_16:20).
4. Many others have fought and overcome in the service of God. All the good from Abel and Abraham downward to the present hour. Many have passed through a hard struggle, but there has been only one termination in the end. “This is the Father’s will … that I should lose nothing” (Joh_6:39). The twelve times twelve thousand who were sealed in Revelation 7, before passing through the great convulsions recorded in subsequent chapters, all re-appear as the complete number of 144,000 (not a single unit awanting) standing with the Lamb, safe and joyful, on the heights of Mount Sion, free for ever from all the assaults of enemies, in Judges 14.
5. The reward of God’s service is unspeakably great. The world’s hero has for his prize wealth, honours, high station, a name on the page of history, an ovation from the multitude when he appears in public, perhaps a monument to tell to the future world his victorious deeds. Yet all that is but the applause of perishing men. The faithful good-doer in the service of God shall be received into the country of sinless perfection as his home, shall wear an incorruptible crown, shall have angels for his companions and ministering spirits, shall stand for ever in the presence of his Lord, shall receive robes, palms, sceptres, and harps from His royal hand, and shall rejoice for ever in His gracious smile.
5. Applications of this rule.
(1.) To the church of God collectively, in the great work of keeping up a standard for God’s truth in the world, and extending it to the ends of the earth. God’s servants are often “weary and faint in their minds” while endeavouring to fulfil this responsible duty; yet, though surrounded with dark clouds, and disheartened a thousand times, their resolution must be to persevere.
(2.) To any particular church or congregation, whose duty it is to shine as a light, holding forth the lamp of the Gospel to dispel the darkness of error and sin, and to persevere in doing so, even if the flame should be blown out by cold easterly winds, and nothing be left but “smoking flax.”
(3.) To any pious man who embraces opportunities for working among the ungodly, and who tries in the strength of his God to turn the wilderness around him into a fruitful field, but who finds the soil to be very hard, so that his work resembles that of boring through solid rock; yet, though baffled many times, he must not give up, but continue his efforts, hoping on against hope, and laying hold of promised Divine resources, and at last a great success shall come. The exhaustion of his own resources, while there is nothing but failure, proves all the more distinctly the need of prayer and the exercise of faith.
(4.) To all individual workers in the Church—to Christian ministers, to standard-bearers and office-bearers, to teachers, benevolent agents, conductors of prayer meetings, spiritual advisers, messengers of comfort, and good-doers of every class in the church as in the garden, in contrast with the open field whose aim is not only to bring in, but to build up, to nourish, to lead on, to counsel and warn, to stimulate and cheer, to admonish and to encourage. Though, both with the evangelist and the instructor, the work proceeds but slowly, and “all day long” they complain that “they have stretched out their hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people,” yet the motto ever is, Though faint, still pursue.
(5.) To every good man who strives to live a consistently righteous life in an ungodly world. He has constant sacrifices to make for the sake of righteous principle, living among those who know no such principle, or who practically disregard it. His worldly interest suffers, he is assailed with sneers and reproaches, he has to count on the world’s ill-will and persecution, and he has to fight his battles for the most part alone, except such help as he gets from the Divine countenance smiling upon him. Yet, though “rivers of waters run down his eyes while men do not keep God’s law,” and though he often raises the complaint, “Woe is me that I dwell in Mesech,” &c., he must ever resolve to pursue.
(6.) To the fearer of God in carrying on the work of his personal sanctification. While the work of Christ secures to every one who rests on it a complete title to heaven, a change of personal character is not less necessary to secure fitness for that holy world. Every expectant of heavenly bliss is called upon therefore to “work out his salvation with fear and trembling, for God worketh in him” (comp. 2Co_7:1, and 1Jn_3:3). “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” He must become “conformed to the image of God’s Son, and so made meet to become a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light.” To get this work accomplished requires time, many wrestlings in prayer, much diligence in the use of the means of grace, and much of the Holy Spirit’s influences to work on the heart; yet all the while, he “sees a law in the members warring against the law of the mind,” &c. He is faint with struggling against the native depravity of the heart, and yet as the condition of success he must persevere.
Brevities on Perseverance.—One may go far after he is tired—French. Perseverance is rather a state of standing still than going on; perseverance kills the game—Spanish. “Hard pounding, gentlemen; but we will see who can pound the longest”—Wellington at Waterloo. It was perseverance that made Newton, Columbus, Washington, Stephenson, Wilberforce what they were. Perseverando vinces is a time-honoured motto.
IV. The blindness and obduracy of unbelief.
Blindness of mind and hardness of heart always go together. Those who remained deaf to all God’s pleadings with His people in every age are generally said to be a “people of no understanding.” The men who came around the Saviour during His public ministry, and saw most of His mighty works, still remained unconvinced to the end of His Divine character. After they had seen all, they spoke as if they had seen nothing; and near the close of His ministry, they still put the question, “What sign showest thou that we may believe?” “Having eyes they did not see, neither did they understand.”
It is the same here. These men of the tribe of Gad, whose ancestors in the days of Deborah “abode among the sheepfolds” rather than step forward with their brethren to the “help of the Lord against the mighty,” now show themselves utterly unconcerned about the great deliverance which the God of Israel was working out for His people with a high hand and a stretched out arm. The mighty fact which smote on the ears of men with the force of thunder, that in one night 120,000 of the dead bodies of Israel’s enemies were scattered all the way from Jezreel to the banks of the Jordan and beyond it, seemed to make no impression on these callous-hearted men of Succoth and Penuel. They could not discern from this stupendous fact, that this was the hour of Jehovah’s jealousy for the honour of His name, and of His indignation against the oppressors of His people.
They were thus blind because they would not see. They had long been living in the habit of rejecting the God of Israel, for we scarcely ever hear of any revival of the old spirit of loyalty to the God of the Covenant (Jdg_5:17) on the eastern banks of the Jordan up to this period.[6] They seem to have settled down into a chronic state of apostacy, and had become stone blind to all spiritual interpretations of the events of Divine providence. Their hearts were in their pastures and their flocks. They “loved this present world, and the love of the Father was not in them.” The flash of light thrown upon their characters by Gideon’s brief interview with them revealed that.
[6] Gilead means Gad and a portion of Mannasseh (p. 283.)
1. They did not see God’s hand in what was passing before their eyes.
2. They were callously ungrateful for the solemn deliverance wrought by the Divine hand.
3. They stubbornly refused when called upon to take any hand in helping on God’s great work.
4. They measured the issues of the case by sight and not by faith.
No wonder that such obstinacy of unbelief should become a mark for the outpouring of the Divine indignation.
V. The stern character of Old Testament punishments.
Admitting that the daring impiety of these men of Succoth and Penuel was eminently provocative of the Divine anger, there is an aspect of severity in the punishment to which they were subjected, as compared with the dealings in criminal cases in New Testament times. We hear of no formal indictment drawn out against the evil doers, no jury is empanelled, no witnesses are summoned, no evidence is led, no impersonation of the law sits in the place of judgment to keep the balance even, and there is no passing of a judicial sentence founded on the evidence presented. The one moment records the act of irreverence shown to the God of Israel, the next moment tells of the sentence swift and irremediable, which is to fall on the heads of the guilty. Where God himself is judge, and where conscience is at work, roused from its sleep, there is no need for any forms of law.
But why such severity of punishment? For doubtless Gideon did not now give way merely to a feeling of personal revenge. The moment was too solemn for that. In this, as in all else that he did, in conducting this sacred transaction in the service of His God, he would be guided by the secret directions of that Spirit of God that rested upon him till his work was done. We fear that the aggravated evil of the sin is not sufficiently appreciated by those who imagine there is too much rigour in the sentence inflicted. All sin deserves death; and for daring and defiant sin to God’s own face, it is fit that there should be a special sting in the penalty to correspond with the sting in the sin. It is farther to be remembered that this was one of the “days of the Lord,” when “judgment is laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet,” in order to show, on the one hand, what is due to the majesty and holiness of God, and on the other what is due to the evil of sin (see pp. 296, 297).
The difference of tone and attitude in the Divine dealings with sin under the Old and under the New Testament Dispensations is specially to be noticed. Under the former, there had been as yet no public standard vindication made of God’s claims on His rebellious creatures, so that an aspect of severity in enforcing these claims was absolutely necessary. Now that the Lamb of God has been laid on the altar, and the great propitiation has been made, the jealous God becomes “the God of peace,” and He speaks of repentance and pardon through the blood of Christ (p. 165, also 163–4, 138–9, 378–9).
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 I. Faintness comes to the body by long travel.…
Jdg 8:4
I. Faintness comes to the body by long travel. These men had come a considerable distance, and distance will vanquish the strongest in the end, if there is not adequate renewal of the strength by food and rest.
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It is so with the soul. There is a mysterious spending of its substance and vitality day by day in thought, emotion, will, effort. And if, through long travel, the waste is more than the recruiting, then comes faintness. God takes forty, fifty, sixty years for the ripening of one soul. He takes seven, three, or only one for the perfecting of another. No man can measure God’s work clearly in the soul of another, or even in his own.
II. Faintness comes to the body by rapid movement. These men had come fast as well as far. All earnest natures tend to go by rapid movements, and are in consequence subject to sudden exhaustion. The fainting is the natural fruit of the effort.
III. Faintness comes to the body by the difficulty of the ground that has been trodden, or of the work that has been done. Some Christians go to heaven by the way of the plain, and some by the mountain roads. The mountain men are often faint, and hardly "pursuing."
IV. Faintness comes to the body through lack of sustenance. The soul, like the body, will faint if it is famished. Jesus feeds His flock like a shepherd.
V. Faintness may come to the body by sickness, by disease.
The soul sickens and grows faint when in any way, in any place, it inhales the poison of sin.
The grand word of the text is "pursuing." To pursue in weakness is even better, in some senses, than to pursue in strength. It shows that the life-purpose has taken full possession of the soul, and that God Himself is inspiring it.
A. Raleigh, Quiet Resting Places, p. 163.
References: Jdg 8:4.—J. Baldwin Brown, The Higher Life, p. 288; E. J. Hardy, Faint yet Pursuing, p. 31; E. Blencowe, Plain Sermons to a Country Congregation; 1st series, p. 83; Parker, vol. vi., p. 165. Jdg 8:12, Jdg 8:17.—Homiletic Quarterly, vol. iv., p. 391. Jdg 8:20.—Parker, vol. vi., p. 165; Homiletic Magazine, vol. x., p. 80. Jdg 8:28.—Homiletic Quarterly vol. iv., p. 393.
Jdg 8:21
The purport of these words is not obscure. The desert chieftains meant that, since they must die, they would rather fall by the hand of a strong man and a great commander such as Gideon, than by the hand of a mere stripling like his son; and that, first, because his stout arm would be more likely to despatch them quickly, and save them from a lingering and painful death; and secondly, because such an end would be less ignominious. Like many a wise saw of the olden time, the text contains much truth in small bulk.
I. Plainly, the first meaning of it is, that as a man is physically, so is his strength. Gideon belonged to the order of nature’s nobility. He was a man of splendid figure and bearing, of a tall and commanding presence. Whatever work he undertook, he would do with thoroughness and effect. Although it is true that men cannot give to themselves a handsome mien, or add one cubit to their stature, it is equally true that they can do much to promote their health, to build up their constitution, and even to give dignity to their physical presence. The axiom generally holds good that as the man is, even in outward physique, so is his success and strength.
II. Take it in another way: as a man is intellectually, so is his strength. I use the word "strength" here as meaning power of work, capacity for accomplishing the ends of life, and making the world the better for his existence. In real power of work the skilled artisan leaves the mere labourer far behind, and the thoughtful clerk the mere mechanical penman; so that as a man is in intelligence, so is his strength.
III. As a man is morally and spiritually, so is his strength..
Character and faith, more than anything else, determine your power of overcoming difficulty and of accomplishing good. There must be a foundation of stern principle, or you will be as weak as water. A man with a resolute conscience will always be a power. There is no strength in the world like the strength imparted by a faith which lays hold of the risen and all-sufficient Redeemer.
J. Thain Davidson, The City Youth, p. 69.
References: Jdg 8:21.—E. Paxton Hood, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xix., p. 264. Jdg 8:22-35; Jdg 8:9—Homiletic Quarterly, vol. iv., p. 303.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 The Pursuit of the Kings. Gideon's Subsequent Career and…
The Pursuit of the Kings. Gideon's Subsequent Career and Death
1. Cp. Judges 12. Ephraim claimed to be the leading tribe; later the name was often used as a synonym for the northern kingdom. The natural jealousy of the tribe was appeased by Gideon's ready wit; one might have suspected that, making such claims as these, they would not have left Gideon to take the initiative.
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2. Gleaning and vintage] note the contrast between these. Abi-ezer] Gideon substitutes this for his own name.
4. Having driven the Midianites into the arms of Ephraim, Gideon turns eastwards. Jdg_8:10 implies that a very considerable section of the foe had escaped the trap and was still formidable.
5. Succoth] like Penuel (Gen_33:17) must be E. of the Jordan, near the Jabbok.
6. The chiefs of Succoth evidently doubt whether Gideon is really victorious as yet.
9. Tower] Where a city had no walls, a central stronghold was frequent. In the middle ages the church tower sometimes served this purpose: cp. Jdg_9:46.
10. Karkor] unknown. The other two places are probably SE. of the Jabbok. The Midianites were making for the desert (cp. Num_32:35, Num_32:42). For the numbers cp. Jdg_7:13. Gideon's first levy is said to have numbered 32,000 (Jdg_7:3).
11. The way of them that dwelt in tents] i.e. the road usually taken by the nomads.
12. Secure] i.e. free from anxiety, as in the camp W. of the Jordan (Judges 7).
13. Before the sun was up] RV 'from the ascent of Heres,' i.e. from the way up to Heres (see on Jdg_2:9).
14. Described] RM 'wrote down' a list of the chief men. The elders are heads of families; the princes (cp. Jdg_8:6) are the military leaders.
16. Taught] if right, bitterly ironical. All the early versions read 'threshed,' or 'carded,' as Jdg_8:7 implies.
18. This private wrong of Gideon's is now mentioned for the first time. Tabor] see on Jdg_4:6.
19. According to the law of blood revenge, the nearest relative is bound to avenge the victim's death (cp. Num_35:19).
20. Jether] is the same name as Jethro (Exo_4:18; 1Ki_2:5). To be slain by a boy would be a further indignity for the two chiefs, who meet their death with barbarian courage.
21. Ornaments] RV 'crescents': cp. Jdg_8:26.
22-35. Gideon's subsequent career and death.
22. The fame of Gideon's exploit makes his countrymen desire that he should become an hereditary monarch and not merely a judge. See Intro, to Samuel.
26. Shekels] A shekel is rather less than half an ounce. The whole weight would thus be nearly seventy pounds. Collars] RV 'pendants.'
27. Ephod] see Jdg_17:5. An image of some sort used in consulting the will of Heaven.
28. Forty years] cp. Jdg_5:31.
29. Jerubbaal] i.e. Gideon: see Jdg_6:32.
33-35 The Israelites lapse into idolatry after Gideon's death.
33. Baalim] RV 'the Baalim': see on Jdg_2:11. Baal-berith] i.e. Baal of the Covenant. The alliance between the Canaanites and the Hebrews would naturally be cemented by a common worship, which would involve the latter in idolatry: cp. Jdg_9:46 (El-berith).
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v1 Cf. Jdg 12:1; 2Sa 2:8; 1Ki 12:16. Here begins…
Ephraim
Cf. Jdg 12:1; 2Sa 2:8; 1Ki 12:16. Here begins that deep-rooted division in Israel which culminated in the division of Solomon’s kingdom under Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 CHAPTER 8 Internal Strife, Gideon’s Failure and End
CHAPTER 8 Internal Strife, Gideon’s Failure and End
1. The strife (Jdg 8:1-9)
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2. The complete deliverance (Jdg 8:10-21)
3. Gideon’s failure and end (Jdg 8:22-32)
4. Israel’s failure after Gideon (Jdg 8:33-35)
Internal strife follows. The two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, were slain (Jdg 7:25). Oreb means “raven” and Zeeb means “wolf.” Oreb, the raven, is slain on the rock and Zeeb, the wolf, at the winepress. The raven, the bird which represents darkness and evil, is the type of corruption; the wolf is the destroyer of the sheep. The rock and the winepress typify the Lord Jesus Christ and His Cross. There the victory over both was won.
The internal strife was born in selfishness. Ephraim chided him sharply, because he had not called them to the fight. Gideon’s wise and gracious answer averted the threatening dissension. How beautifully it illustrates Php 2:1-5. All church strifes begin with self-seeking vain-glory. The remedy is “in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves.”
A greater victory follows after the internal strive had been overcome. The men of Succoth and of Peniel, Israelites, mocked Gideon and refused him help. They were really secret allies of Midian. After the victory these mocking, half-hearted Israelites were whipped by Gideon with the briers and thorns of the wilderness to teach them the needed lesson. How often we also in half-heartedness, world-bordering and being occupied too much with earthly things, need the thorns and briers, anxieties, disappointments and sufferings to bring us into line.
When they wanted to make Gideon king he refused. But while he refused that honor he tries to grasp another, the priesthood. He gathers the gold to make a priestly ephod and put it in Ophrah. It became a snare for all Israel as well as for Gideon, for they went “a whoring after it.” The gold was taken from the enemy. It was a self-glorification of the victor Gideon. He and all Israel forgot that the glory belonged to Jehovah. Gideon claimed an honor which did not belong to him. Even so it has been done on Christian ground. A false priesthood with man in place of the Lord and His work, the instruments used in the power of the Spirit of God exalted instead of Him who furnished the instrument, these are the lessons which may be traced here in Gideon’s sad failure. How many a servant of Christ, forgetting 1Co 4:7: “And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” has fallen into the same snare, and as a result lost his power and blessing! The many wives of Gideon and the concubine of Shechem tell the other side. Amalek (the flesh) spoiled him. Like priest, like people. Israel went whoring after Baal and forgot once more Jehovah.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 10, 22 Difficulties with Ephraim and the Cities Succoth and Penuel
Difficulties with Ephraim and the Cities Succoth and Penuel
v. 1. And the men of Ephraim, who had not been included in the order to mobilize their forces, Jdg 6:35, said unto him, Gideon, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? They demanded an explanation for having been slighted by Gideon, as they supposed. And they did chide with him sharply, attacked him in a vehement quarrel.
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v. 2. And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison with you? It was a diplomatic retort, for it placed the exploit of the Ephraimites in capturing the princes Oreb and Zeeb above the defeat of the entire army by Gideon’s band. Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? They had, indeed, had the gleaning of the battle, but this achievement, as Gideon intimates, is to be valued more highly than the victory of the three hundred men whom he called according to the name of his family, Abiezer.
v. 3. God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison of you? As a real hero Gideon was truly humble and thereby, above all, gained his object, that of keeping peace in Israel. Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. They were appeased, their pride and vanity was satisfied, but their jealousy was afterward rebuked most sharply by the deeds of Gideon.
v. 4. And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. Their pursuit of the enemy had rendered them weak and faint, yet they continued on their way in order to complete the overthrow of the oppressors.
v. 5. And he said unto the men of Succoth, near. which city, not far from the mouth of the Jabbok, he had forded the Jordan, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, chiefly from hunger, for they had exhausted their small stock of provisions, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. He and his band were risking their lives for all Israel, including the men of Gad, whom he was here addressing, and therefore his request was by no means unreasonable.
v. 6. And the princes, the rulers or magistrates,of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand that we should give bread unto thine army? Since bread costs money, their covetous hearts referred to the small band of Gideon as a host, and their sneering reference to the fists or arms of the Midianitish kings implied that they first wanted to see the enemy bound before them. Here was utter lack of charity combined with cowardice and even treason.
v. 7. And Gideon said, Therefore, when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers, using these as threshing-flails on their backs.
v. 8. And he went up thence to Penuel, a city some tell miles up the Jabbok, on its north bank, and spake unto them likewise; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him, with the same exhibition of selfishness.
v. 9. And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower, the strongest part of the city’s fortification, upon which they relied. Lack of courage and selfishness are the chief dangers threatening the Church of Christ from within, for they make men unwilling to fight and sacrifice for the Lord.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22 What is this you have done to us?
What is this you have done to us?
The people of the tribe of Ephraim were rebuking Gideon with this rhetorical question for not including them in his army. This can be expressed as a statement. AT: "You have not treated us fairly." (See: Rhetorical Question)
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against Midian
Here "Midian" represents the Midianite army. (See: Metonymy)
they had a violent argument with him
they argued angrily with him" or "they rebuked him severely"
translationWords
Ephraim
Gideon
Midian
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.