Lesson 16: Gideon’s Story

The story of the ancient judge Gideon is one of my favorites. Midian oppression has driven the Israelites into hiding. God answers their cries for help by calling Gideon, the weakest member of the lowest clan, to leadership. He wants to make clear that he saves them, not their own strength.

First, God demonstrates in numerous ways that Gideon is truly a doubter and a coward. Then he whittles the army from 32,000 down to 300 men. All those who fear are sent home, as well as those who refuse to drink water like a dog.

The 300 are spread around the Midian camp. On command, they all blow trumpets, lift torches, and shout, “For God and for Gideon!” The enemy panics, thinking they are surrounded. They begin to kill one another and then run for their lives. In the confusion, Gideon calls on the rest of the Israelites to annihilate them.

But as so often happens, Gideon cannot handle success. He quickly forgets that his victory is God’s gift. He massacres a number of his own people because they do not do exactly what he wants. He refuses to take responsibility for leading his people, choosing to accept gold instead. Rather than give thanks to God, he builds an altar to Baal.

Paddy Chayefsky came up with a great way to illustrate this in his drama Gideon. In the first third of the play, the troops run through the enemy shouting, “For God and for Gideon.” In the second, they shout, “For Gideon and for God.” In the final, they shout simply, “For Gideon.”

Most of our nation’s founders wrote that The People should not trust kings, but also anyone else who exerts authority over others. They truly believed that power corrupts. As a result, they built all sorts of checks and balances into our government.

Early on in my ministry, I came to appreciate their wisdom. I often dealt with people who failed to see that their success carried any responsibility to share. They used power to get what they wanted. Rather than credit the role other people played in their rise to power, they took advantage of them. Rather than acknowledge blessings, they elected to play god.

That attitude has become toxic recently. Many leaders claim authority to do whatever they want and breakdown the checks and balances that protect us. It’s a time for Christians to teach humility, not as false modesty but as a sense of reality.

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