Judges 8:1-15 “Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently. But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.
Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit. So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”
“Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briars of the wilderness!” From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth. So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen. And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.
After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres. There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’” Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briars of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth. He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.”
EASILY OFFENDED!!! The Ephraimites were incensed! Why hadn’t Gideon called them out to the main battle? Why didn’t Gideon allow them to have the chance for LOTS of loot? For the answer, we must return to Gideon’s conversation with the angel of the Lord. When the angel gives Gideon his assignment to defeat the Midianites, Gideon reminds him that he, Gideon, is from the smallest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. Gideon wasn’t certain that anybody would come if he called. By the time Gideon called the tribe of Ephraim to control the Jordan River, he had chalked up some successes and could show the Ephraimites that it was worth their trouble to join him. But Gideon gives an extremely tactful answer: he points out that by controlling passage across the Jordan River, the Ephraimites have been able to capture both Midianite princes. Once these commanders have been captured, their forces must flee or surrender. Demonstrating commendable humility, Gideon points out to the Ephraimites that theirs is a critically important victory, without which anything Gideon has done would be worthless.
What about the men of Succoth and Penuel? These Israelite cities lie east of the Jordan River. The Midianites have been looting these cities as well as those on the west side of the Jordan. An Israelite victory will preserve these two cities as well. In addition, the Israelites who have claimed land on the east side of the Jordan have made a covenant with the rest of Israel that anytime those on the west bank of the Jordan need assistance, those on the east bank will come quickly to their aid. But the city fathers of these two cities have conveniently forgotten that covenant and are now hoping for cheap deliverance to which they will not have to contribute. Perhaps the men of Penuel and Succoth may even be plotting to attack Gideon’s forces as they return in exhaustion from chasing the Midianites, collecting as much loot as possible in the process. In the end, the men of Succoth are whipped with briar branches while the men of Penuel are destroyed.
APPLICATION: There are several lessons to take from this passage:
1. When you are called to help, don’t quibble about your assignment. The Ephraimites were incensed because they weren’t called earlier; however, the job given to them was critically important and they did it well. Had Oreb and Zeeb not been captured, they could have regrouped and returned to attack Israel.
2. Don’t trash talk someone who is saving you! The men of Succoth and Penuel were crazy! All they had to do was to give Gideon and his men food and water; Gideon was not asking them to fight, even though by the ancient covenant, he could have.
3. Don’t break covenants. In Biblical times, covenants were considered sacred. The men of Succoth and Penuel ignored their covenant obligations and paid dearly for it. Was Gideon being too harsh? Assistance from Israelites on the east side of the Jordan could mean survival or annihilation for the rest of Israel. By the way, where were the men of Succoth and Penuel when the Midianites were passing by in the first place? While we may feel that the punishment meted out to these two cities seems harsh, we must remember that God was directing Gideon. God wanted to teach all of Israel that covenants were made to be kept.
These days, individuals, companies, political parties, and even countries appear to feel no need to keep covenants. Promises are readily thrown away, leaving those who have counted on those promises with little or no recourse. Jesus told His disciples “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ ” (Matthew 5:37) No matter what those around us do, we should maintain integrity, realizing that if we remain faithful, God will bless us and if we break covenants and oaths, we have removed ourselves from God’s protection.
PRAYER: Father God, we lift up those around the world who have trusted in promises made by governments and other groups and who are suffering due to broken promises. Lord, help us to be people of truth and faith and to act on our covenant agreements, even when it is difficult to do so. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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