Judges 8 — Gideon’s courageous peak then idolatrous slide

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Daniel Agee shows how the initially unassuming judge, or champion leader, of Israel called Gideon completed the victory God gave his 300 men over the 180,000-strong Midianite invading army. However, the lure of idolatry was so strong in the land of Israel that even Gideon’s best intentions to remain humble and pure before God unraveled starting with the attempted creation of a monarchy by his son.

Food for thought from the audio discussion

Does the crescent ornaments on the camels’ necks of the Midianites, who were called Ishmaelites, show an early sign of the moon worship that later became the god of Islam?

After complaining about not being called to fight Midian (Judges 8:1), why didn’t Ephraim didn’t cross the Yarden (Jordan) River to pursue the fleeing Midianite forces? Why is God a “disappointment” at this point in their history?

How did Gideon succeed at capturing the Midianite king?

What is the history of the towns of Sukkot and Penuel (Peniel)? What do thorns and briars mean prophetically? Why did Gideon kill the men of Penuel but not the men of Sukkot? How did the men of Penuel die? Why did Gideon punish those cities before he punished the two Midianite kings he captured? Why did Gideon ask those kings what kind of men they slaughtered at Tabor?

What did the Midianite king’s plea in Judges 8:21? Why would the kings prefer to die at Gideon’s hand rather than at the hand of his son?

Why do they use the Hebrew word for “rule” rather than the word for “reign” (Judges 8:22)?

What was Gideon’s downfall (Judges 8:24-27)? Did other judges of Israel put up monuments? Why did those judges do so? What were those monuments made from?

What does Abimelech’s name mean in Hebrew? How does that name match or clash with Gideon’s proclamation in Judges 8:23?

What does it mean when Judges 8:35 that the people of Israel didn’t show kindness to Gideon’s family?