Title: Gideon's Mature Personality/Judges 8:1-3
Contents Tonight, we will focus on the contents of the first part of Judges 8. As we have seen in the last time, Gideon puts aside Ephraim's needless complaints and, by the power of God, with his chosen men, by the power of God, annihilates the Midianite army, he punishes the unbelieving insults of Succoth and the Penuelites to bring Israel to peace. create. Of course, I believe that all of this history is the power of God. After this victory, Israel begs Gideon to become their king. However, Gideon denied that there was only one true King of Israel, Jehovah. (verses 22-23) Because he knew better than anyone that it was God who saved Israel, not his own ability or wisdom. .
However, Gideon also made a mistake, making an ephod out of the gold stolen from the Midianites and making the mistake of deceiving Israel. Nevertheless, Gideon's attitude toward solving difficult problems is very moving and shows a mature image.
Everyone! I hope it will be a precious time to see Gideon's wisdom in solving problems in God and receive grace in difficult times and difficulties.
1. self-deprecating personality
The tribe of Ephraim is dissatisfied with the fact that they did not participate in the war against Midian from the beginning and protests fiercely against Gideon (verse 1). I had a very strong sense of competition. Therefore, they are angry that the leadership of the war was taken away by the tribe of Manasseh, to which Gideon belonged, and that they missed the opportunity to gain the greatest glory for their great performance in the war. So Gideon humbly lowers his and his tribe's achievements in the war against Midian, saying to the Ephraimites in verse 2, "Will the work I have done now compare with what you have done?" The first thing you need in humility is the attitude of acknowledging that the other person is better than you.
2. Personality that elevates the opponent
In verse 2, Gideon says, "Isn't the last grapes of Ephraim better than the first grapes of Abiezer?" "Last grapes" means the grapes left over after harvesting the "firstborn grapes". "Last grapes" are tastier and have a much lower quality than "oldest grapes".
Nevertheless, Gideon said that the “last grapes” from the hill country of Ephraim are much better than the “firstborn grapes” produced in his hometown. Ephraim, who participated in the final stage of the war, was more successful than Abiezer, a member of the Gideon family, in the war against Midian It is a satirical expression of the fact that the tribal contribution is much greater. Of course, there is no doubt that the Ephraimites not only killed the two princes of Midian, but also played a major role, such as blocking the escape route of the enemies (7:24-25). The achievements of Gideon and his family are never inferior to the achievements of the tribe of Ephraim. Nevertheless, it was because of his mature religious personality that Gideon highly valued the merits of the other tribes. He did not want this to cause divisions among the tribes of Israel.
The secret to calming resentment lies in the character that exalts the other person. Even if I have a ball, the character I give to the other person is the secret to loving and living in harmony with the other person.
3. A docile personality
In verse 3, Gideon says to the people of the tribe of Ephraim, "God has given the Midianite princes Oreb and Zeeb into his hand, how can the works I have done compare with yours?" It tells the story of the incident where the tribe of Ephraim, who was guarding the way at the Jordan Ferry, captured and killed the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, when the Midianite army was chased by Gideon's army and fled. Therefore, since God made the tribe of Ephraim an honorable act of killing the two princes of Midian, everything else that Gideon himself did was insignificant compared to that glory. Then their anger was relieved (verse 3). "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up wrath" (Proverbs 15:1).
Gideon was able to solve problems easily with a docile attitude with a mature belief that God really recognized him. May you possess such a docile personality.
I will conclude
The man God used, Gideon, was worthy of God's approval. A person with a mature personality.
He had a personality that could humble himself. I had a personality that exalted others above me. His meek personality makes us discover that he is truly on God's side.
I sincerely hope that you will live such a beautiful life where you can express God by living as a mature person in every corner of your life with such a personality.
Prayer: ▷Put my pride at your feet and give me a gentle and gentle heart.
▷ May the glory of the Lord be revealed by allowing me to possess a mature personality that always exalts others above myself.