Year One, July 10

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath1

Judges 8:1-3; 22-27; 32-35

1Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight with Midian?” And they accused [Gideon] fiercely. (When there is a success, everybody thinks that he should have been in on it. They are quick to blame somebody else if they were not included. If Gideon had invited them to join him, would they have accepted? Those who grow angry because they cannot share the honor, are usually the very persons who would have been the least likely to share in the work.)  2And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. (A soft answer turns away wrath. This shows Gideon’s gentle spirit. He obviously had a right to claim the victory all to himself. But rather than coveting all the praise, he gives credit to others; even to the point of overemphasizing the credit they did deserve. Sometimes it is better to give way to people who are being ridiculous, rather than allow their anger to start fights among brothers and sisters in the Lord.)

22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.”

Gideon shines again. He had no desire to become their ruler. He believed the Lord should be their ruler. At the same time, it is natural that our deliverer should be our ruler. If the Lord Jesus has set us free from sin and Satan, then it is not only natural, but also right that he should rule over us.

24And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of the spoil. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels (about 40 pounds) of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

What a pity that so good a man, with so good a motive, should do so wrong a thing. What good reason did Gideon have to make an article of clothing that only the high priest was commanded to wear? A huge amount of evil has come into the world because religious leaders try to dress like a high priest. There is One High Priest above and his ephod is the glory of God. How foolish and how wicked to dream of making priestly costumes for mortal men.

32And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. (From worshiping God in a wrong way, to the worshiping a wrong god, is an easy step. Sadly! Gideon, what evil you did.) 34And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel. (It is no wonder if those who forget God, also forget all others to whom they owe their freedom.)

This chapter warns us to keep close to God’s rules of worship as we find them in the Bible. Even the smallest change may lead to deadly error and terrible evils.

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¹ Proverbs 15:1