Judges 7:23–8:32

January 3rd, 2023| Topic: aBeLOG, Judges | 2

Godliness involves abandonment of self-glorifying vendettas and of power.

After Jdg 7:22, with Israel’s victory over the Midianites accomplished, one would have expected the narrative to conclude with the notice of the Midianites being subdued and the land obtaining rest, followed by an announcement of Gideon’s death and its aftermath. But no, there is an “interpolation” before the end that adds some more unsavory dimensions to Gideon’s life.

The summoning of troops in 7:23–25 harks back to an earlier mustering in 6:35. That first assemblage was not in accordance with divine plan, necessitating a significant reduction of troops at Yahweh’s instigation. Here, Gideon repeats that mistake. He had forgotten the whole purpose of Yahweh’s pruning of Israel’s forces—to keep him and the nation from boasting (7:2). And whence this sudden urge of Gideon to fight, particularly seeing the multitude of his hesitations in the past (6:13, 15, 17–22, 27, 36–40:7:1–8, 9)? Now that the bulk of the enemy has been defeated, Gideon is all valorous and venturesome, the coward become confident. All of this raises suspicions about Gideon’s undertakings.

In any case, there are two military leaders and two kings of Midian who haven’t been captured yet. The two former leaders are captured and executed by the Ephraimites, an Israelite tribe, who were only recently recruited into Gideon’s army, after the events of Judges 7. So even though they participated by capturing the two military leaders—the two kings are still at large—these Ephraimites aren’t happy, since they were called in only later in the war and they didn’t get a slice of the earlier action (8:1). They’re offended, but Gideon diplomatically pacifies them with some syrupy words (8:2–3). But Gideon’s apparently tactful answer to the Ephraimites actually reveals his own glory-seeking obsession. He soothes the contenders with the declaration that the “gleanings” gathered after the harvest (i.e., the killing of the enemy leaders by the Ephraimites [7:25]), was of greater honor and glory than the “vintage,” the harvest itself (i.e., the routing of the army by Gideon’s forces, symbolized by “Abiezer” [8:2]). This was pure and unalloyed hubris. God got the “vintage” (the bronze medal), the defeat of the army; the Ephramites get the “gleanings,” of greater value, the capture of the military leaders (the silver medal); but Gideon was planning to skim off the crème de la crème, of greatest value, the capture of the kings (the gold medal)! Or in other words, God’s work deserved the lowest grade, the Ephraimites’ work merited a middling grade, but Gideon’s own work would win the highest grade. In one fell swoop, he both denigrates God’s help and exalts his own powers and achievements. One remembers that Yahweh’s explicit intention in taking the initiative in the battle was to prevent the Israelites (and their leader, Gideon) from boasting (7:2)—but this was exactly what Gideon was doing now.

Anyway, the kings are captured and killed. And then Gideon appropriates the “crescent ornaments on their camels’ necks” (8:21b). Had he now become interested in accumulating possessions and property? One would have thought that the capture and execution of the Midianite kings was the gold medal Gideon had sought, belittling the silver medal won by the Ephraimites, and depreciating the bronze won by Yahweh. Now he wants more than a gold medal? At any rate, the people of Israel want this hero, Gideon, to be their king (8:22). Gideon refuses (8:23). But he wants all the trappings of kingship: jewelry and ornaments (8:24). BTW, the total weight of the earrings collected, 1,700 shekels of gold (8:26), comes to over 40 lbs of the metal! The very fact that all this loot was counted and weighed indicates a mercenary avarice on the part of Gideon.

And then—surprise, surprise!—Gideon makes the paraphernalia of idol worship from a part of that loot (8:27), and all Israel “played the harlot” (8:27), worshipping Baal (8:33). Israel lapses into florid idolatry and is finally Canaanized!

Oh, and the guy who didn’t want to be king, has a non-Israelite concubine and an illegitimate son, whom he names “Abi-melek,” which means: “My Father is King” (8:29–31). One way or another, Gideon was going to be king!

[For more details, see my Judges commentary.]