The Book of Judges – March 30, 2025
Judges 8:22-33
How does “Successful” become “Dreadful”?
Successful becomes Dreadful when there is a disconnect between:
1. The head and the heart
2. The everyday and the eternal
We’ll be using a man named Gideon as our case study! But specifically, we’re looking at his post-success life. So just a quick recap on Gideon’s life. Gideon is one of the judges of Israel, but he isn’t your typical hero. When we first meet him, he’s literally hiding in a winepress trying to keep his food safe from his enemies. And then an angel pops up and calls him to rescue Israel because they have been dominated by the Midianites for 7 years! But Gideon is a coward. Full of doubts.
He asks God for miraculous signs, twice! And God is gracious and gives it to him. When Gideon said yes to God’s calling, God adds a plot twist and says that instead of 30 thousand men that Gideon had, God reduces the army’s number to 300 and they go into battle with torches, jars and trumpets. And the crazy thing is, they win! They win against 135 000 soldiers (Judges 8:10). And the people of his nation, the Israelites, are so so happy! And they try to raise Gideon as their leader and king. And that’s where our Bible passage begins.