Gideon – a victim of success

Welcome to a time of worship here from Buccaloo. Hopefully only one more week after this thought

of being online and then we're shifting. Hopefully everyone's heard 10.30 morning services, 5.30

evening services, both in the church building, both being live streamed. So that'll be nice

to get the study back into the church building. We've got two weeks to go in our study in the

life of Gideon as well, so we'll get there momentarily. But let me begin reading from

the letter of James chapter 1 and at verse 16, where we read,

James 1 · chapter mention

Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits

of all he created. Let's pray together briefly as we begin. Lord our God, we want to stop and pause

and consider with thankfulness all your gifts to us this day. We thank you for the gift of life.

We know that you are the author and the sustainer of life. We thank you for our health and our strength,

for our families and our friends. For those of us who have opportunities to work, we thank you

for our work. We thank you for money that we have, the food that's in our cupboards and our fridges.

We thank you for the opportunities that we have being in this part of the world. We thank you for

the beauty of the summer months, for the sunshine that we have enjoyed, for hearing and seeing so much of life.

We thank you for the gift of education and healthcare.

And Lord we thank you for the gift of your word in our own language. We thank you for the gift of the church,

for your design of the church as a way to reveal the gospel, the good news,

the good news, for our love in our own language.

As your kingdom, an expression of your kingdom here on the earth.

Lord we thank you for the sending of your son Jesus,

to be that promised saviour who would take away the sin of his people

by dying in our place,

as that sacrifice that would turn away

the wrath that we deserve to face. As Jesus would take that on himself

so that we might be

able to enjoy peace with you and from you

to enjoy eternal life.

So Lord as we spend this time together

will you give us that sense of gratitude and thankfulness?

Especially as we think about

the danger of success and that complacency

that can come in, the forgetfulness of you that can come in.

May we be a people dependent on you.

And we pray that in Jesus' name. Amen.

So we're going to read together from the book of Judges

and Judges chapter 8.

Judges 8 · chapter mention

And we're going to read the first 21 verses

of this section of the Gideon story.

Not such a familiar story perhaps.

The 6 and 7 tend to be well known.

This is in some ways the forgotten aspect of the Gideon story.

But there's important lessons for us in this.

So Judges chapter 8 verse 1.

Judges 8:1

Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon,

Why have you treated us like this?

Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?

And they challenged him vigorously.

But he answered them,

What have I accomplished compared to you?

Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes

better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?

God gave Oreb and Zeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands.

What was I able to do compared to you?

At this, their resentment against him subsided.

Gideon and his 300 men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit,

came to the Jordan and crossed it.

He said to the men of Succoth,

Give my troops some bread.

They are worn out and I am still pursuing

Zeba and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.

But the officials of Succoth said,

Do you already have the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna in your possession?

Why should we give bread to your troops?

Then Gideon replied,

Just for that, when the Lord has given Zeba and Zalmunna into my hand,

I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briars.

From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them,

but they answered as the men of Succothad.

So he said to the men of Peniel,

When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.

Now Zeba and Zalmunna were in Karkor

with a force of about 15,000 men,

all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples.

120,000 swordsmen had fallen.

And Gideon went up by the route of the Nomads

east of Nobat and Jogbah

and attacked the unsuspecting army.

Zeba and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled.

But he pursued them and captured them,

routing their entire army.

Gideon, son of Joash,

then returned from the battle by the pass of Heres.

He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him.

And the young man wrote down for him

the names of the 77 officials of Succoth,

the elders of the town.

Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth,

Here are Zeba and Zalmunna,

about whom you taunted me by saying,

Do you already have the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna

in your possession?

Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?

He took the elders of the town

and taught the men of Succoth a lesson

by punishing them with desert thorns and briars.

He also pulled down the tower of Peniel

and killed the men of the town.

Then he asked Zeba and Zalmunna,

What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?

Men like you, they answered,

each one with the bearing of a prince.

Gideon replied,

These were my brothers,

the sons of my own mother.

As sure as the Lord lives,

if you had spared their lives,

I would not kill you.

Turning to Jether, his eldest son,

he said, Kill them.

But Jether did not draw his sword

because he was only a boy

and was afraid.

Zeba and Zalmunna said,

Come, do it yourself.

As is the man, so is his strength.

So Gideon stepped forward and killed them

and took the ornaments off their camels' necks.

Amen.

This is God's word.

So we're thinking today about the danger of success.

I guess if we grew up in church,

in Sunday school,

we would have loved the Gideon of chapters 6 and 7,

the humble hero and his remarkable victory from God.

Chapter 8, however,

it doesn't often feature in our thinking,

doesn't often make its way to our Sunday school lessons.

But there is an important lesson from Gideon

and it's a reminder of the danger of success.

Because what happens in Gideon's life?

There is a gradual,

well, in many ways,

a quick slide into forgetfulness

of God's grace,

that it was God who had won this remarkable victory.

There is a movement,

a swift movement towards self-importance,

where he's putting himself centre stage,

trust me,

trust my strength,

not trust God.

And the impact

is that his dealings with his enemies

and with his friends,

with the people of God,

become ugly.

Because Gideon and not God

is central.

We've probably seen,

we've probably read stories

where someone is a victim of their own success,

as it's often called.

Maybe the young footballer

who quickly becomes the global star

but can't handle the pressure

and his career never takes off

and perhaps personal life spirals.

The business professional

who enjoys quick promotions,

rapid rise,

a rising star in their industry.

They start believing their own hype

and they become a terrible boss.

Well, our focus today

isn't so much on that,

it's on the danger of spiritual success,

where perhaps we enjoy

some kind of success

as a gift from God

but we're taking glory to ourselves,

where we're taking God for granted,

where we're basing our identity

not on the reality

that we're saved by God's grace

but we're basing our identity

on our success.

And so to help us

to see the danger of success,

we're going to look at the good,

the bad and the ugly

in Gideon's dealings with others.

So let's begin with the good

in the way that he deals with Ephraim,

the people of Ephraim

in the first three verses.

Now one backdrop we begin to see

in the story of Gideon

is that God's people

are slipping into old and bad ways.

The book of Judges

has got this cycle

that God raises up a judge

and the people sort of

turn back to God

but as soon as that judge is gone

they turn back,

they start worshipping false gods,

they turn to evil

and God sends oppressors

and then the people cry out

and God sends another judge

in his grace.

Well, we see God's people

even here slipping

into old bad ways.

We see disunity,

we see a lack of trust

that Ephraim here has

towards Gideon.

Here there is tension

after the battle.

So Gideon and his 300

remarkably,

that is God who wins the battle,

are dominating Midian.

Midian's on the run.

Ephraim are called out

and they capture these two leaders,

important leaders,

Oreb and Zeb.

But there's tension

straight after the battle

because Ephraim's saying

why didn't you call us out first?

The implication is

we are the elite, Gideon.

There is pride going on

in the hearts of this people group

and what we see,

and we see it so often,

don't we,

pride is ugly

and pride tends to damage

and sometimes even

to destroy relationships.

Now we see relations strained

because of Ephraim's pride

but Gideon's response

is one of grace.

This is where he makes

a good response.

Proverbs chapter 15

Proverbs 15 · chapter mention

says a gentle answer

turns away.

Rah.

That's what Gideon's answer

is like, isn't it?

What have I accomplished

compared to you?

Aren't the gleanings

of Ephraim's grapes

better than the full

grape harvest of Abiezer?

Your leftovers

are better than my feast,

Gideon is saying.

He's humble

and he's gracious

and the outcome

is that the temperature

in the room is cooled.

He keeps God's people

together for now.

This is a case of

so far so good.

But then there's a turn,

verse 4,

all the way to verse 17

we can see the bad

as Gideon deals with

Succoth and with Peniel.

And again,

as we see sort of issues

within the people of God,

what we see from them

is fear

and also a lack of faith.

But Gideon comes

with his troops

in verse 4.

Gideon and his 300

they're exhausted,

they're pursuing the enemy,

they came to the Jordan,

they crossed over the Jordan

and Gideon said to the men,

he said,

give my troops some bread,

they're worn out

and I'm still pursuing.

And then he goes

and he says the same

to the people in Peniel.

My troops,

they're tired,

they're hungry,

can you give us some food?

Can you refresh us?

And remember,

Gideon and those 300,

they're fighting

the Lord's battle

and remember,

Succoth and Peniel

are in the promised land.

So these are friends,

not enemies.

They are border towns,

they're close by each other,

they're on the outer edges

of the promised land.

But these are among

God's people.

But there is fear.

Fear that comes out

in a sense in disrespect.

Verse 6,

the officials of Succoth

said,

do you already

at the hands of Ziba

and Zalmunna

in your possession?

Why should we give bread

to your troops?

And then Peniel answers

in the same way.

And there's the fear.

Gideon,

we're not sure

that you're going to win.

And if Gideon doesn't win,

then these border towns

are directly

in Midian's firing lane.

And so what they choose to do,

they choose to sit on the fence.

We'll help you.

Come back for bread

once you have won

that victory.

So again,

it's not a great sign

spiritually,

is it?

Here is Gideon

clearly

filled with the Spirit,

appointed by God

to be the people's leader

and judge,

but they don't choose

to follow.

They don't choose

to give aid

in this battle

that God has established

against his enemies.

Now,

how does Gideon respond?

And this is where

we begin to get evidence

of what we're calling

the danger of success.

Verse 7,

because you don't

give me bread,

I'm going to tear

your flesh

with desert thorns

and briars.

Now,

is that a right response?

Is that a gracious response?

No.

And just as important,

is that a command

from God?

No.

Verse 9,

when the people

of Peniel say,

when I return in triumph,

I'll tear down this tower.

Now,

is that an appropriate

response?

Is that an appropriate

measure?

You don't give me bread,

so I'm going to smash

down your city tower.

The problem

that we're beginning

to see is that

when Gideon knew

his weakness,

chapter 6,

chapter 7,

when Gideon knew

his dependence on God,

we see him

as a man

who worships.

And we see him

as a man

of prayer.

We see him

as a man

who entrusts

himself

at every point

dependent on God.

He's been

dependent on God's

strength.

But now that he's

got a sense

of his strength,

that reliance

on God

is gone.

And it's replaced

by a need

to be recognised,

a need for his

strength

to be seen.

He's become,

in that sense,

too tied

to his success.

He's claiming it

as his own.

So now he's

furious

when these

two towns

don't recognise

his power

and the certainty

of the success.

The outcome

is a bad one.

The outcome

is a terrible one.

Verse 13 to 16,

first thing he does

is he captures

a young man

of Succoth.

He interrogates him,

gets this list

of the 77

town leaders

and he gives them

that lashing

that he promised.

And then in verse 17

it gets worse.

He goes to Peniel

and just as he said

he pulls down the tower

but he doesn't

stop there.

In his rage

he engages in murder.

Now it's so important

for us

to recognise

that not every action

in the Bible

is an action

that God approves of.

Not every action

in the Bible

is an action

that comes from God.

At times evil

and folly

are highlighted

and here we see

wickedness

and folly

from Gideon.

What Gideon

discovered

and dealt with

so badly

is the reality

that sometimes

God's people,

people in God's church

will disappoint us.

Sometimes they will

turn on us

and be hostile

to us

if we are

in leadership

perhaps as elders.

people will not

listen

to us

perhaps

but

we must be careful

not to lash out.

We must be careful

not to forget

God's grace

and to pass

that grace

forward.

God's grace

and on the flip

side

we must strive

personally

not to be

the cause

of disunity

not to sap

energy

away from

God's work

because we're

either in pride

or a lack of faith

we're just causing

problems.

So that's the bad.

Things are going to get

even worse.

Let's think

about the ugly

as he deals

with Ziba

and Zalmunna.

Now we know

this

and we don't have

to go

too far

in history

we can see it

I think

in some of the

stories playing out

in different nations

even today.

Tragic stories

where a leader

or a group of leaders

come to power

and prominence

and they use

that status

use that role

to then

take personal

revenge.

on opponents

to continue

a vendetta

where there's no

concern for

national interest

but just a concern

for settling

personal scores

a level of injustice

see it

and we have seen it

through history

and in our world

but what happens

with Gideon

and these two Zs

Ziba and Zalmunna

he interrogates them

and it becomes clear

is that he's focusing

on one specific

thing

when he asks them

what kind of men

did you kill

at Tabor

Gideon replied

in verse 19

these were my

brothers

the sons of

my own mother

surely as the Lord

lived if you'd

spared their lives

I would not kill you

you killed my brother

so I'm going to

kill you

this has become

this has become

a family thing

and we see

that it's become

a family thing

and it's become

a personal thing

because of what

happens with poor

Jether

Jether

I'm not sure

how to say his name

but Gideon's eldest son

Gideon wants to

as it were

to blood him

to get him

used to

this kind of activity

turning to Jether

he said

kill them

but Jether

did not draw his

sword

because he was

only a boy

and was afraid

and as we read

this

I think the

author wants us

to have sympathy

for Jether

against his

furious dad

Gideon

who's engaged

in this

personal vendetta

but Gideon

concludes this

campaign of

personal revenge

and what we see

is that he's set

in a sense

a sad pattern

that will then

repeat in the life

of Samson

Samson another one

of those famous

judges

but so often

where Samson

is using his

God-given strength

it's to settle

personal scores

it's about his

own self-interest

rather than

the national interest

and we begin

to see that

in the story

of Gideon

and it's ugly

isn't it

the story of

God's victory

against his

enemies who are

oppressing God's

people is now

tainted

by Gideon's

scores settling

in brutal revenge

and so the

danger of success

I hope becomes

clear to us

in the life of Gideon

he lost his

appreciation of

God's grace

so quickly

with the result

that he's claiming

glory for himself

and what we don't

see him do

is we don't see

him pray

we don't see

him seek

God's wisdom

or direction

in this whole

thing

he's going

his own

way

pursuing

his own

course

and so chapter

eight stands

for us

as an object

lesson

both individually

and as a

church

to be on

guard

when things

are going

well for us

so let's just

move it to the

level of personal

just for a few

moments

to examine

our own

lives

how do we

how do you

and I

how do we

handle

success

perhaps

perhaps you

want to put

yourself in

the workplace

setting

in your

career

or in your

field of

study

perhaps you

want to put

it in a

family setting

to think

about

the success

of children

or grandchildren

perhaps

maybe you

want to think

about projects

and plans

that you

have put

in place

and they

have

prospered

when they

go well

when they

have gone

well

do we

see some

of Gideon

in us

where we

can easily

forget

that every

good gift

comes from

God

we forget

his gift

we forget

his grace

towards us

have we

become puffed

up in

pride

where we're

boasting

to others

where we're

lording over

others

because of

our success

where we

use it

as a

springboard

to claim

authority

over others

it's the

danger of

success

that can so

easily creep

into our

own lives

what's the

better way

as Christians

what's the

better way

well it's to

remember what

we read

in the James

James 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

that every

good and

perfect gift

is from

God

therefore

should we

receive a

thankfulness

1st

Corinthians

4

Paul writes

to them

with their

tendency

towards pride

what do you

have that you

did not

receive

he says

and why

are you

boasting

since everything

you have

comes as a

gift from

God

so the

right response

is the

response of

humility

of thankfulness

to God

to God

and even

directing

others

away from

praising

us

to see

God's

hand

not in a

pious way

but in a

real way

recognising all

we have comes

from God

and that we

would be

prayerful

because if Gideon

teaches us

anything

he teaches

us that we

need to be

on guard

against pride

because Gideon

seems to change

so quickly

after the

battle

so we need

to be on

guard against

pride

and against

self-reliance

when things

go well

so easy

to work on

the basis

of our own

skill set

on the basis

of our own

personality

or temperament

or record

of success

rather than

being thankful

for those

but constantly

entrusting

ourselves

day by day

situation by

situation

to God

and asking

for his

help

but what

about in

our church

if you're

involved in

a ministry

or a service

how does it

play out then

do we find

that we are

quick to

claim glory

or to look

for the praise

of others

or do we

want to honour

others

and to honour

God most of

all

will we face

opposition of

whatever kind

are we gracious

in dealing

with that

or do we

find ourselves

asserting our

credentials

to say

listen to

me

and follow

my way

will we

gladly

highlight

our

weakness

our

failures

our

absolute

dependence

on God

in order

to celebrate

that God's

grace is

sufficient for

us

and that

his strength

is made

perfect

in our

weakness

let me

read

from

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and at

verse 8

where we

read

for it's

by grace

you have

been saved

through faith

and this not

from yourselves

it's the

gift of God

not by works

so that no one

can boast

so God

saves

by grace

and all

room for

boasting

is removed

and then

verse 10

for we are

God's

handiwork

created in

Christ Jesus

to do

good works

which God

prepared in

advance for

us to do

God

strengthens us

with his

grace

and we

work by

grace

as we

are in

Christ

Jesus

that we

do that

for God's

glory

and not

our own

that we

remain

servants

we don't

think of

ourselves

as kings

and queens

but we

are servants

of our

God

so that

success

wouldn't

change us

and pull

us away

from our

God

and then

as we

close

let's

consider

Jesus

Jesus

the one

who is

the greater

than Gideon

Gideon's

problem as

we've seen

is that he

lost sight

of God's

grace

and he

began to

pursue his

own

campaign

and his

own

agenda

and the

result was

that his

leadership

was tainted

he is a

flawed

leader

what we

see is the

people of

God being

torn apart

rather than

brought together

and it

becomes evident

that Gideon

is not

the kind of

leader that

God's people

need

but Jesus

Jesus is so

different isn't

he

Jesus always

pursued his

father's will

and his

father's glory

now he would

say to the

crowd

I say

and do

nothing

except what

my father

gives me

to say

and do

and that

ultimately

would lead

him gladly

to die

on the

cross

for proud

self-reliant

sinners

like us

and how

does Jesus

deal with

his people's

weak faith

when he

finds it

remember

Jesus'

heart

Jesus said

I am

gentle

and lowly

you'll find

rest for

your souls

Jesus

Jesus is

the one

who will

not

crush

the

bruised

reed

and so

we see

it with

his disciples

he graciously

restores them

beyond their

failures

beyond running

away

beyond their

misunderstanding

he prays for

them

in their

weakness

and he

shows them

more

and more

of his

love

and his

grace

he draws

them

graciously

to

himself

so we

can take

heart

for Christians

Jesus is not

going to be

the leader

who's going

to whip

us into

shape

who's going

to smash

us

for our

weakness

rather

he will

extend to

us that

gentle

loving

correction

he will

seek to

point us

back to

him

and to

trust

in him

so that

we would

come to

celebrate

more and

more

God's

grace

to us

in Christ

to see

that Jesus

is the one

we need to

trust in

the one

we need

to

look to

so we

are to

beware

the danger

of success

of attributing

it to

ourselves

and losing

sight of

our God

but we

are also

to be

encouraged

be encouraged

by the

success

of Jesus

be encouraged

by the

success

of God's

salvation

plan

that Jesus

has

died

to take

away the

sin of

his people

he has

died

to bring

us to

God

he has

risen

to give

us

eternal

life

he has

sent the

spirit

as he

promised

he will

not leave

us

he will

not

abandon

us

he will

not fail

to save

his

so while

we watch

out for

the danger

of success

and what

that can

do to

our

hearts

we

never

want to

lose

sight

of the

glorious

success

of Jesus

in the

gospel

let's pray

together

briefly

Lord we

recognise

in our

own

hearts

our

tendency

for

success

to be a

difficult

thing to

handle

for the

times that

we become

complacent

or we

become

cocky

for when

we take

glory to

ourselves

and we

forget to

be thankful

for the

way that it

makes us

rely on

ourselves

and think

that we

figured things

out rather

than trusting

you

Lord please

help us to

learn humility

and thankfulness

and prayerful

dependence

help us to

learn from

Gideon

but more

than that

help us to

be looking

to Jesus

thank you

that he

succeeds

where we

fail

thank you

for his

complete

success

of his

rescue

mission

and the

good news

that that

brings

for us

and thank

you that

when we

fail

that Jesus

doesn't crush

us and

condemn us

the way

Gideon

did to

sucketh

and penneil

thank you

that he

is willing

to gently

and humbly

correct

and restore

so please

help us

in this

coming week

to be

looking to

him

we pray

in Jesus

name

amen

well let's

conclude

the time

that we

have together

singing

first of all

yet not I

but through

Christ in

me

a great

reminder

of that

humility

and ongoing

dependence

and then

we'll also

sing

Psalm 63

the first

eight verses

what gift

of grace

is Jesus

my redeemer

there is no more

for heaven

now to give

he is my joy

my righteousness

and freedom

my steadfast love

my deep and

boundless peace

to this

I hold

my hope

is only

Jesus

for my

life

is wholly

bound

to

his

oh how

strange

and divine

I can

sing

all is

mine

yet not

I

but through

Christ

in

me

the night

is dark

but I

am not

forsaken

for by

my side

the Savior

he will

stay

I

labor

on

in

weakness

and rejoicing

for in

my need

his

power

is

displayed

to

this

I

hold

my

shepherd

will

defend

me

through

the

deepest

valley

he

will

lead

all the

night

has been

won

and I

shall

overcome

yet not

I

but through

Christ

in

me

the

no

fate I

dread

I know

I am

forgiven

the future

sure

the price

it has

been

paid

for

for

Jesus

bled

and

suffered

for my

pardon

and he

was

raised

to

overthrow

the

grave

to

this

I

hold

my

sin

has

been

defeated

Jesus

now

and ever

is my

plea

oh

the

chains

are

released

I

can

sing

I

am

free

yet

not I

but

through

Christ

in

me

with

every

breath

I

long

to

follow

Jesus

for

he

has

said

that

he

will

bring

me

home

and

day

by

day

I

know

he

will

renew

me

until

I

stand

with

joy

before

the

throne

to

this

I

hold

my

hope

is

only

Jesus

all

the

glory

ever

more

to

him

when

the

race

is

complete

still

my

lips

shall

repeat

yet

not

I

but

through

Christ

in

me

when

the

race

is

complete

still

my

lips

shall

repeat

yet

not

I

but

through

Christ

in

me

O

God

you

are

my

God

alone

I

seek

your

face

with

eagerness

my

soul

and

body

thirst

for

you

in

this

dry

weary

wilderness

I've

seen

you're

in

your

holy

place

your

power

and

glory

held

my

gaze

far

better

is

your

love

than

life

and

so

my

lips

will

sing

your

praise

my

soul

in

your

love

and

my

love

throughout

my

life

and

raise

my

hands

to

you

in

prayer

my

joyful

lips

will

sing

your

praise

my

soul

is

fed

with

richest

fear

upon

my

bed

I

lie

awake

and

in

my

thoughts

remember

you

I

meditate

throughout

the night

and

keep

your

constant

love

in

view

because

you

are

my

help

alone

in

shadow

of

your

wings

I'll

sing

you

hold

me

up

with

your

right

hand

to

you

oh

God

my

soul

will

cling

the

oh

I

love

you

and

can

you