The Rise and Fall of Gideon

The Rise and fall of Gideon(Judges 6-8)
Ive started to write this after i stopped playing NFS Most wanted a car game on the computer
which God told me to stop playing!!!
I actually asked him God do u want me to play this game any further...
And as i just looked down...beside my keyboard was my toothpaste and he made my eyes look on
directly this"""""""""CLOSE UP"""""""""
Then i stopped playing started writing this!!!!!!!!!!

And below is an INTERESTING story of "300" you might have heard or seen this movie...
where just 300 soldiers stand against the strongest armies of tht time...
(((IAM NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD SEE THT FILM....SEEING SUCH FILMS IS PATHETIC AS IT IS OR ANY FILM WHOSE PURPOSE IS NOT TO GLORIFY GOD!!!))
But it was funny to see tht we have the Biblical version of "300".
Read below to know about the biblical version of 300.

Chapter 6


1Again the Israelites did what the LORD
said was wrong. So for seven years the
LORD allowed the Midianites to defeat the
Israelites.
((( If you see the phrase "AGAIN"...if we see in our own lives...
God can say the same about us many times in our life
as we sin even after coming to understand his Love but
forgoing it for our selfish desires.
In this case as you can see the punishment was about 7 years without GOD!!!
Do u think we can ever bear that in our life with the kind of world we are
living today...
If God were to give us the same kind of punishment for going to sin
WE WOULD BE RIPPED APART BY THE DEVIL WHO WOULDNT LET GO OF ANY CHANCE!!!

Praise God and Lord Jesus bcoz of their dispensation of grace this era
in which we live like never before.)))

The Midianites were very powerful ((COZ GOD Gave them power over the Israel only bcoz of Israel's Unfaithfulness))
and were cruel to the Israelites. So the Israelites made many hiding places in the mountains.
They hid their food in caves and places that were hard to find. 3They did that because
the Midianites and Amalekites from the east always came and destroyed their crops. 4They
camped in the land and destroyed the crops that the Israelites had planted. They ruined
the crops of the Israelites as far as the land near the city of Gaza. They did not leave
anything for the Israelites to eat. They did not even leave them any sheep, cattle, or
donkeys. 5The Midianites came with their families, animals, and tents. They were like
a swarm of locusts*! They and their camels were too many to count. They came into the
land and ruined it. 6The Israelites became very poor because of the Midianites. So the
Israelites cried to the LORD for help.The Midianites did all these bad things,
so the Israelites cried to the LORD for help.

(( WE CAN SEE ABOVE HOW THE MIDIANITES TREATED ISRAELITES...But Below we see a wonderful thing)

The LORD sent a prophet to them.

(( THE LORD DID NOT GIVE UP INSOITE OF ISRAEL's FAITHLESSNESS...HE Still talk ed to them...
In the same way HE WONT EVER GIVE YOU UP!!!!

So if the Lord of all the Heaven and earth can spare time for you and think that you can get out of ur Problems...addictions...

Who are you to feel that you cannot....Let not the devil mask you
Do not underestimate the power of God which called you to HIM....
He can EVEN GET YOU OUT OF UR MISERIES GIVE YOU A CHANGED HEART WHICH BEATS ONLY FOR HIM!!!!!!

ALL U HAVE TO DO IS ASK OF HIM AND SEEK HIM AND BEG HIM!!!!!!!!!)))))


He said,
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘You were slaves in the land of Egypt. I made
you free and brought you out of that land. 9I
saved you from the powerful Egyptians. Then
the Canaanites hurt you,


************so I saved you again.**************

I made them leave their land. And I gave their
land to you.’ 10Then I said to you, ‘I am the
LORD your God. You will live in the land of
the Amorites, but you must not worship their
false gods.’ But you did not obey me.”
(( We have a God who talks to fools like us....Cant u see how the KING OF HEAVEN IS REASONING WITH US!!!!
SHould a king a reson about anything at all...why should he care!!!!!!!!
He is TALKING TO US!!!!!!!!!!!! Try to see that it is a huge thing...

If you feel guilty of your mistakes....remember that Our God will as promised give you an undivided heart
WHICH IS MODELED AFTER SEEKING GOD ....when u seek for him!!!!!!!
SEEK HIM ONLY
SEEK HIM TOTALLY
SEEK HIM FULLY
SEEK HIM FAITHFULLY
SEEK HIM LIKE HE IS ALL UVE GOT
SEEK HIM LIKE HE IS EVERYTHING FOR YOU...(not your family, friends, or
anything of life which u feel to seek, Not ur Job , not ur studies,
SEEK HIM AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ALL U NEED FOR A FAITHFUL AND ABUNDANT LIFE IN GOD!!!)))))))))



12At that time the angel of the LORD came to a man named Gideon.
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under an oak
tree at a place called Ophrah. This oak tree
belonged to a man named Joash. Joash was
from the Abiezer family. He was the father of
Gideon. Gideon was beating some wheat in
a winepress.* He was hiding so that the Midianites
could not see the wheat.

The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and sat down next to him.
(((( It happens even today...as God tlaks to each and everyone of us every single day...Provided u are interested and seeking to hear him and to you are desperate to talk to him!!!

The angel greeted him, saying,
“The LORD be with you, brave soldier.”((((((( The words of the angel are of the Lord...GOd called him BRAVE..God looks at us in a different way than we think....coz HE KNOWS OUR TRUE UNSEEN POTENTIAL!!!!!!!

13Then Gideon said, “Pardon me, sir, but
if the LORD is with us, why are we having so
many troubles? We heard that he did wonderful
things for our ancestors.* They tell us
the LORD took them out of Egypt. But now it
seems he has left us and is letting the Midianites
defeat us.”


14The LORD turned toward Gideon and said,
“Then use your great power and go save the
Israelites from the Midianites. I am sending
you to save them.”
15But Gideon answered and said, “Pardon
me, sir.c How can I save Israel? My family
group is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh,
and I am the youngest one in my family.”

((((((((((((((((((((( God looks at us in a different WAY!!!!!!!!! He saw that he had Great power and
that that power enough to bring down an entire nation which was opressing Israel....
we will see what ******Great Power******* God is referring to!!!!)))

16The LORD answered Gideon and said,
“I will be with you, so you can defeat the
Midianites as easily as if they were only one
man.”
(((((THIS IS THE GREAT POWER GOD HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT...The power is "I WILL BE WITH YOU!!"
Because the Strongest force to exist is behind us....God is telling how easily it would be for him
to ACCOMPLISH THINGS WHEN GOD IS ON HIS SIDE!!!!!)))


17Then Gideon said to him, “If you would,
please give me some proof that you really are
the LORD. 18Please wait here. Don’t go away
until I come back to you. Let me bring my
offering and set it down in front of you.”
And the LORD said, “I will wait until you
come back.”
19So Gideon went in and cooked a young
goat in boiling water. He also took about 20
poundsd of flour and made bread without
yeast. Then he put the meat into a basket
and the broth from the meat into a pot. He
brought out the meat, the broth, and the
bread without yeast and gave them to the
LORD under the oak tree.
20The angel of God said to Gideon, “Put the
meat and the bread on that rock over there.
Then pour the broth on it.” Gideon did as he
was told.
21The angel of the LORD had a walking
stick in his hand. He touched the meat and
the bread with the end of the stick, and fire
jumped up out of the rock and burned up the
meat and the bread. Then the angel of the
LORD disappeared.

22Then Gideon realized that he had been
talking to the angel of the LORD.

(((((((((((Sometimes we realize just like this....After the god's prescence leaves us then only we will understand WE were with God all this time..."""))

So he shouted,
“Oh, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the
LORD face to face!”
(( AS i was listening to the song..."Lord How Lovely you are to me...Lovely Lord"..
There came a point when the song lyrics...said "IM LONGING TO SEE U ONE DAY FACE TO FACE AND TO BE WITH YOU ENDLESSLY"""
It was that exact point of time that God made me look at this line which i stopped writing..and as u can see i
stopped writing exactly at the verse of "I HAVE SEEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD FACE TO FACE""

God longs to make himself known to us...Bcoz After all we are his sons...and
any father would love to tell his son of the great heritage and legacy tht his son is part of
and tht is that WE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION!!! A GENERATION THAT SEEKS THE LORD!!)))


23But the LORD said to Gideon, “Calm
down!a Don’t be afraid! You will not die!”
24So Gideon built an altar* there to worship
the LORD and named it “The LORD is Peace.”
It still stands in the city of Ophrah, where the
Abiezer family lives.(((((( AS you can see that GIDEON MADE A REMINDER TO HIMSELF THAT
THERE WAS A POINT WHEN GOD TALKED TO HIM!!!!

So u too friends...when God talkt to you in some way or the other...
MAKE SURE U WRITE IT SOMEWHERE AS A REMEMBERANCE TO BLESS YOU AND THOSE WHO
READ IT THAT GOD TALKS TO HIS CHILDREN THT HE CARES>>THT HE LOVES...


25That same night the LORD spoke to Gideon and said, “Take the full-grown bull
that belongs to your father, the one that is seven years old. Your father has an altar*
to the false god Baal.* Also beside the altar a wooden pole was made to honor the false
goddess Asherah.* 26Then build the right kind of altar for the LORD your God. Build it on this
high ground. Then kill and burn the fullgrown bull on the altar. Use the wood from
the Asherah pole to burn your offering.”
((((( ISnt God telling you to BREAK SOME STRONGHOLD IN YOUR LIFE WHICH IS KEEPING YOU AWAY FROM HIM...
SOME IDOL IN YOUR LIFE...
Some Stuff in ur computer...
Some person or set of persons God told you to be away from!!!
Something in your surroundings also God told you remove!!!

Listen to God and DO what he says...DO NOT FEAR WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK...WHAT THIS X or THAT Y THINKS ABOUT YOUR DOING
Whether they will be hurting them or anything...Keep in mind
NEVER COMPROMISE AND HURT GOD!!!

There will be situations where you have to hurt your friends for God but U SHOULD NOT COMPROMISE
Ill give you an example...If you and ur group of your friends have gone outside to have fun...
and suddenly they all thought of going to a bad movie...
and if they force you saying that for their sake and stuff like that....

U HAVE TO DENY IT ANY COST>>>
Coz NEVER HURT THE LORD FOR UR STUPID FRIENDS>...EVEN IF THEY THREATEN TO NEVER TO TALK TO YOU!!!

KEEP IN MIND GOD CAN GIVE YOU BETTER FRIENDS THAN THEY ....WHO WOULD EVEN DIE FOR YOU!!
GOd did!!! HE gave us Jesus as a friend...Who died for his friends...that is poeple like us!!!
JUST KEEP IN MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


27So Gideon took ten of his servants and
did what the LORD had told him to do. But
Gideon was afraid that his family and the men
of the city might see what he was doing, so he
did what the LORD told him to do at night, not
in the daytime.(((((((((( AS you can see you can take help...may to get down some stronghold of your life or pray for deliverance
you can ask your friends to sit and pray with you for that cause and God will manifest his glory through us and give us deliverance!!!


28The men of the city got up the next morning
and saw that the altar for Baal had been
destroyed! They also saw that the Asherah
pole* had been cut down. It had been sitting
next to the altar for Baal. They also saw the
altar* that Gideon had built. And they saw the
bull that had been sacrificed on that altar.
29The men of the city looked at each other
and asked, “Who pulled down our altar? Who
cut down our Asherah pole? Who sacrificed
this bull on this new altar?” They asked many
questions and tried to learn who did this.
Someone told them, “Gideon son of Joash
did this.”
30So the men of the city came to Joash and
said, “You must bring your son out. He pulled
down the altar for Baal, and he cut down the
Asherah pole that was beside it. So your son
must die.”
31Then Joash spoke to the crowd that was
standing around him. Joash said, “Are you
going to take Baal’s side? Are you going to
rescue Baal? If anyone takes Baal’s side, let
him be put to death by morning. If Baal really
is a god, let him defend himself when someone
pulls down his altar.” 32Joash said, “If
Gideon pulled Baal’s altar down, let Baal argue
with him.” On that day Joash gave Gideon a
new name. He called him Jerub Baal

((((((( AS YOU CAN THE PEOPLE COULDNT DO ANYTHING!!!!!!! GIDEON COULDNT HAVE IMAGINED THIS SITUATION THAT HE WILL BE ABLE TO GET AWAY AFTER DOING THAT!!!

BUT THE LORD HELPED HIM OUT!!!
AS you can see God works in ways far more wonderful and simply beautiful for us humans to comprehend!!!))))


{{{{a 6:23 Calm down Literally, “Peace.”
{{{{b 6:23 You will not die Gideon thought he would die
{{{{because he had seen the LORD face to face.
{{{{c 6:32 Jerub Baal This is like the Hebrew words
{{{{meaning “Let Baal argue.” The same verb is translated
{{{{“take one’s side” and “defend” in verse 31.

33The Midianites, Amalekites, and other people from the east joined together to fight
against the Israelites. They went across the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley.


34The Spirit of the LORD filled Gideon.
(((((((((( AS YOU CAN SEE THAT IT IS THE POWER OF GOD THAT FILLS U UP TO FIGHT THE EVIL ONE!!!!!!!!))))))))

So Gideon blew a trumpet to call the family of
Abiezer to follow him. 35He sent messengers
to all the people of the tribe of Manasseh and
told them to get their weapons and prepare
for battle. Gideon also sent messengers to the
tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. The
messengers took the same message to them.
So they also went up to meet Gideon and his
men.
((((Gideon did some foolish things but God beared with him...its the same in our lives...
even though we say believe God is powerfull....

WE KEEP DOUBTING WHETHER GOD CAN DO SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE>....
ASK OF THE LORD TO FILL YOU UP WITH HIS SPIRIT!!! AND THEN HE WILL KEEP YOU FROM DOUBTING!!! By revealing his prescence every moment in ur life!!!)))))

36Then Gideon said to God, “You said that
you would help me save the Israelites. Give
me proof. 37I will put a sheepskin on the
threshing* floor. If there is dew only on the
sheepskin, while all the ground is dry, I will
know that you will use me to save Israel, as
you said.”
38And that is exactly what happened.
Gideon got up early the next morning and
squeezed the sheepskin. He was able to drain
a bowl full of water from it.
39Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t be
angry with me. Let me ask just one more
thing. Let me test you one more time with
the sheepskin. This time let the sheepskin be
dry, while the ground around it gets wet with
dew.”
40That night God did that very thing. Just
the sheepskin was dry, but the ground around
it was wet with dew.

(((((( This is a small thing for the Lord...But God showed that He being King of Kings
is ready to do anything have us in him!!!!!!!!
This is really foolish from the view point of God...But yet he did Just as he died for us...
It was foolish thing to die for EVERYONE>....He died for everyone and not just for those who will get saved in the end...
So it implies he ven died for those people who never understand the Love of God all their lives!!!!!!))))




*******************************************300**************************************

1Early in the morning Jerub Baal (Gideon) and all his men set up their camp at the
spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped in the valley at the bottom of the hill called
Moreh, north of Gideon and his men.

2Then the LORD said to Gideon, “I am going
to help your men defeat the Midianites, but
you have too many men. I don’t want the
Israelites to forget me and brag that they
saved themselves. 3So make an announcement
to your men. Tell them, ‘Anyone who
is afraid may leave Mount Gilead and go back
home.’”(((((( God wants us to understand tht its all about HIM AND NONE OR NOTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!))

At that time 22,000 men left Gideon and
went back home, but 10,000 still remained.
4Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are
still too many men. Take the men down to the
water, and I will test them for you there. If I
say, ‘This man will go with you,’ he will go.
But if I say, ‘That one will not go with you,’
then he will not go.”
5So Gideon led the men down to the water.
There the LORD said to him, “Separate the
men like this: Those who drink the water by
using their tongue to lap it up like a dog will
be in one group. And those who bend down
to drink will be in the other group.”
6There were 300 men who used their
hands to bring water to their mouth and
lapped it like a dog does. All the other people
bent down and drank the water. 7The LORD
said to Gideon, “I will use the 300 men who
lapped the water like a dog. I will use them
to save you, and I will allow you to defeat the
Midianites. Let the other men go home.”
8So Gideon sent the other men of Israel
home. He kept the 300 men with him. Those
300 men kept the supplies and the trumpets
of the other men who went home.
************ YOU MIGHT SAY WHY WOULD GOD EVEN THAT 300 men to deafeat the armies of midianites ...cant he do with just one man or no man at all...
Well then keep in mind...if God does things tht way...people will take God for granted..
We are all his attention...He is doing everything for us...so that we will LEARN SOMETHING!!

The reason for choosing those 300 may be those people were the ones God delighted in...
And he wanted to bless each one of them to show what God can do through each one of them..

Its a blessing to be a chosen one to fight for the Lord...************



The Midianites were camped in the valley below Gideon’s camp.

************ Below is where the Lord talks to Gideonm when he was scared and worried about the war tomorrow!!!!!!

During the night the LORD spoke to Gideon and said, “Get up. I
will let you defeat the Midianite army. Go down to their camp.
*** God knows ur deepest feelings..he knew that Gideon dint have faith enough to go alone thts y he told also who take with him.



********************************************God always does things WITH RESPECT TO US!!!!!!!!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^^^^^&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

If you are afraid to go alone, take your servant Purah with you.
Go into the camp of the Midianites. 11Listen to
what they are saying. After that you will not
be afraid to attack them.”

So Gideon and his servant Purah went
down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12The
Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the other
people from the east were camped in that
valley. There were so many people that they
seemed like a swarm of locusts.* It seemed
like they had as many camels as there are
grains of sand on the seashore.


13Gideon came to the enemy camp, and
he heard a man talking. That man was telling
his friend about a dream that he had. He was
saying, “I dreamed that a round loaf of bread
came rolling into the camp of the Midianites.
That loaf of bread hit the tent so hard that the
tent turned over and fell flat.”
14The man’s friend knew the meaning of
the dream. He said, “Your dream can only
have one meaning. Your dream is about
that man from Israel. It is about Gideon son
of Joash. It means that God will let Gideon
defeat the whole army of Midian.”
15After he heard the men talking about
the dream and what it meant, Gideon bowed
down to God. Then Gideon went back to the
camp of the Israelites and called out to the
people, “Get up! The LORD will help us defeat
the Midianites.” 16Then Gideon divided the
300 men into three groups. He gave each
man a trumpet and an empty jar with a burning
torch inside it.
(( I THINK SO AS TO NOT LET THE LIGHT BE SEEN TILL REQUIRED!!!!!!))))

17Then Gideon told the
men, “Watch me and do what I do. Follow me
to the edge of the enemy camp. When I get
to the edge of the camp, do exactly what I do.
18You men surround the enemy camp. I and
all the men with me will blow our trumpets.
When we blow our trumpets, you blow your
trumpets too. Then shout these words: ‘For
the LORD and for Gideon!’”


So Gideon and the 100 men with him
went to the edge of the enemy camp. They
came there just after the enemy changed
guards. It was during the middle watch of the
night. Gideon and his men blew their trumpets
and smashed their jars. 20Then all three
groups of Gideon’s men blew their trumpets
and smashed their jars. The men held the
torches in their left hands and the trumpets
in their right hands. As they blew their trumpets,
they shouted, “A sword for the LORD
and a sword for Gideon!”

21Gideon’s men stayed where they were.
But inside the camp, the men of Midian
began shouting and running away.




***********See in UNimaginable ways GOD WORKS....Below is the way tht you couldnt think will possibly ever happen but when you are with the Lord
u get to see uniaginable things happening!!!!!!!**************

When Gideon’s 300 men blew their trumpets, the
LORD caused the men of Midian to kill each
other with their swords.

************

The enemy army ran away to the city of Beth Shittah, which is
toward the city of Zererah. They ran as far as
the border of the city of Abel Meholah, which
is near the city of Tabbath.
23Then soldiers from the tribes of Naphtali,
Asher, and all of Manasseh were told to chase
the Midianites. 24Gideon sent messengers
through all the hill country of Ephraim. The
messengers said, “Come down and attack the
Midianites. Take control of the river as far
as Beth Barah and the Jordan River. Do this
before the Midianites get there.”
So they called all men from the tribe of
Ephraim. They took control of the river as far
as Beth Barah. 25The men of Ephraim caught
two of the Midianite leaders named Oreb and
Zeeb. They killed Oreb at a place named the
Rock of Oreb and Zeeb at a place named the
Winepress of Zeeb. They continued chasing
the Midianites, but first they cut off the
heads of Oreb and Zeeb and took the heads
to Gideon. Gideon was at the place where
people cross the Jordan River.



1The men of Ephraim were angry with
Gideon. When they found him, they
asked, “Why did you treat us this way? Why
didn’t you call us when you went to fight
against the Midianites?”
2But Gideon answered the men of Ephraim,
“I have not done as well as you. You people
of Ephraim have a much better harvest than
my family, the Abiezers. At harvest time you
leave more grapes in the vineyard* than my
family gathers! Isn’t that true? 3In the same
way you have a better harvest now. God
allowed you to capture Oreb and Zeeb, the
leaders of Midian. How can I compare my
success with what you did?” When the men
of Ephraim heard Gideon’s answer, they were
not as angry as they had been.

((((((((((( THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO SPEAK WHEN UR OWN PEOPLE SOMETIMES TURN AGAINST YOU!!!!

IT WAS A BATTLE SITUATION ..WHERE A SMALL MISUNDERSTANDING CAN LEAD TO WARS!!!!!)))))



4Then Gideon and his 300 men came to the Jordan River and went across to the
other side, but they were tired and hungry.Gideon said to the men of the city of Succoth,
“Give my soldiers something to eat. They are very tired. We are still chasing Zebah and Zalmunna,
kings of Midian.” 6But the leaders of the city of Succoth said
to Gideon, “Why should we give your soldiers something to eat? You haven’t caught Zebah
and Zalmunna yet.”

7Then Gideon said, “The LORD will help me capture Zebah and Zalmunna. And since you
would not give us any food, I will come back
and beat you with thorns and briers from the
desert.”

8Gideon left the city of Succoth and went
to the city of Penuel. He asked the men of
Penuel for food, just as he had asked the
men of Succoth. But the men of Penuel gave
Gideon the same answer that the men of Succoth
had given.

So Gideon said to the men of
Penuel, “After I win the victory, I will come
back here and pull this tower down.”
10Zebah and Zalmunna and their army
were in the city of Karkor.




***********AS U CAN SEE BELOW THERE WERE STILL 15000 enemies so at the ratio of 50:1 so there were 50 enemies for every single ISrael Soldier!!! actually the ratio was 400:1 before...WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT!!!
AT such a huge ratio.....Even if they are small kids...they can kill one man....********

Their army had 15,000 soldiers in it. These soldiers were
all who were left of the army of the people
of the east.
120,000 strong soldiers of that
army had already been killed. 11Gideon and
his men used Tent Dwellers’ Road, which is
east of the cities of Nobah and Jogbehah and
attacked the enemy at Karkor.The enemy army did not expect the attack.
(( AS YOU CAN SEE GOD HELPED THEM TO GET A SOLUTION TO SURPRISE THEIR ENEMY!!!
He will giv you wisdom and knowledge and ********************************WHICH ROAD TO TAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He will help you to choose WHICH ROAD TO TAKE IN YOUR LIFE JUST AS GOD DIRECTED GIDEON!!!

Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of the Midianites, ran away.
But Gideon chased and caught them. Gideon
and his men defeated the enemy army.
13Then Gideon son of Joash returned from
the battle. He and his men returned by going
through a mountain pass called the Pass of
Heres. Gideon captured a young man from
the city of Succoth. He asked the young man
some questions. The young man wrote down
some names for Gideon. The young man
wrote down the names of the leaders and
elders of the city of Succoth. He gave Gideon
the names of 77 men.
15When Gideon came to the city of Succoth,
he said to the men of that city, “Here
are Zebah and Zalmunna. You made fun of me
by saying, ‘Why should we give food to your
tired soldiers? You have not caught Zebah and
Zalmunna yet.’” 16Gideon took the elders of
the city of Succoth and beat them with thorns
and briers from the desert to punish them.
17Gideon also pulled down the tower in the
city of Penuel and killed the men living in
that city.
18Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna,
“You killed some men on Mount Tabor. What
were the men like?”
Zebah and Zalmunna answered, “They
were like you. Each one of them seemed like
a prince.”
19Gideon said, “Those men were my brothers,
my mother’s sons! As the LORD lives, if
you had not killed them, I would not kill you
now.”
20Then Gideon turned to Jether, his oldest
son, and said, “Kill these kings.” But Jether
was only a boy and was afraid, so he would
not take out his sword.
21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon,
“Come on, kill us yourself. You are a man and
strong enough to do the job.” So Gideon got
up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. Then
Gideon took the decorations shaped like the
moon off their camels’ necks.


**************Gideon Makes an Ephod*****************
22The Israelites said to Gideon, “You saved
us from the Midianites. So now rule over us.
We want you, your son, and your grandson to
rule over us.”
23But Gideon told the Israelites, “The LORD
will be your ruler. I will not rule over you, and
my son will not rule over you.”
((((((((((( AS WE CAN SEE THAT THIS WAS A GREAT STATEMENT....
and we might think what a man Gideon was....
But sadly u will see how foolishly he says the next line...))))))


24Some of the people who the men of Israel
defeated were Ishmaelites. And the Ishmaelite
men wore gold earrings. So Gideon said
to the Israelites, “I want you to do this one
thing for me. I want each of you to give me a
gold earring from the things you took in the
battle.”
25The Israelites said to Gideon, “We will
gladly give you what you want.” So they put
a coat down on the ground, and each man
threw an earring onto the coat. 26When the
earrings were gathered up, they weighed
about 43 pounds. This did not include the
other gifts the Israelites gave to Gideon. They
also gave him jewelry shaped like the moon
and jewelry shaped like teardrops. And they
gave him purple robes. The kings of the Midianites
had worn these things. They also gave
him the chains from the camels of the Midianite
kings.

********Even after we have seen God took control of Gideon
and his men and helped them to do great things for the Lord...
They became foolsih in their hearts...
AS Gideon fell prey to richness...after getting through strongest oppositions..
********************

Gideon used the gold to make an ephod,
which he put in his hometown, the town
called Ophrah. All the Israelites worshiped
the ephod. In this way the Israelites were not
faithful to God—they worshiped the ephod.
The ephod became a trap that caused Gideon
and his family to sin.



****The Death of Gideon*********
28The Midianites were forced to be under
the rule of the Israelites. The Midianites did
not cause trouble anymore. And the land was
at peace for 40 years, as long as Gideon was
alive.
29Jerub Baal (Gideon) son of Joash went
home. 30Gideon had 70 sons of his own.
He had so many sons because he had many
wives. 31He had a slave woman* who lived in
the city of Shechem. He had a son by her. He
named that son Abimelech.
32So Gideon son of Joash died at a good old
age. He was buried in the tomb that Joash,
his father, owned. That tomb is in the city of
Ophrah, where the family of Abiezer lives.

As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites again
were not faithful to God—they followed
Baal.d They made Baal Berithe their god.
{{{ 8:26 43 pounds Literally, “1700 shekels” (19.55 kg).
{{{ 8:27 ephod This may have been a special vest
{{{ or coat like that worn by the high priest (see Ex.
{{{ 28:2-14), or it may have been a kind of idol.
{{{ 8:27 were not faithful … ephod Literally, “acted like
{{{a prostitute to it.”
{{{ 8:33 were not faithful … Baal Literally, “they acted
{{{like a prostitute to Baal.”
{{{ 8:33 Baal Berith A name that means “Lord of
{{{the Agreement.”

34The Israelites did not remember the LORD
their God, who had saved them from all their
enemies living around them. 35The Israelites
were not loyal to the family of Jerub Baal,
even though he had done many good things
for them.

**************************So IN THE END WE SEE THAT EVEN AFTER ALL THOSE MIRACLES>....THEY AGAIN BECAME CORRUPT!!!!

Does this ring similar to you....yes it is....bcoz we are nothing better than Israelites and even worse...
Bcoz even after reading revelations like these and God also helping us in many ways in our life...

We again doubt God...forget what God wants and pursue our selfish desires....

So lets pray that the Spirit of the Lord will help us to keep ourselves from sinning ...
and that our understanding of the Love of the lord will be renewed every single day
and help us to enjoy as if it was the last day to enjoy.