Judges 8:29 - Meaning and Application

This is the end of Gideon’s story. He lived quietly, (Judges 8:29). He was not proud of his great honor, and he did not ask for a palace or a castle to live in. Instead, he went back to the home he had lived in before he was lifted up. Like the Roman leader who was called from the plow in an emergency and returned to it when the battle was over, Gideon returned to private life.

His family also grew large. He had many wives, which broke God’s law, and by them he had seventy sons (Judges 8:30). He also had a concubine, a secondary wife, and by her he had one son named Abimelech, which means “my father is a king.” That son became the ruin of Gideon’s family (Judges 8:31).

He died with honor, at a good old age, after he had lived as long as he could serve God and his country. Who would want to live longer than that? He was buried in the tomb of his fathers.

After his death, the people soon turned away and ruined themselves. As soon as Gideon was gone, the man who had kept them close to the worship of the God of Israel, they felt no restraint. Then they went after Baalim, false gods (Judges 8:33). They had already gone astray by using another ephod, a priestly garment tied to worship (Judges 8:27), and Gideon’s own careless actions had given them reason to do that. Now they went after another god. False worship leads the way to false gods.

They chose a new god, a god with a new name, Baal-berith, which means “lord of the covenant” (Judges 8:33). Some think Berith was Berytus, the place where the Phoenicians worshiped this idol. Perhaps he was given that name because his worshipers bound themselves to him by a covenant, like Israel had bound itself to God. The devil copies God’s ways.

In this turning away from God, Israel showed great ingratitude. They did not remember the Lord, who had handed them over to their enemies to correct them for their idolatry, and who had also rescued them to call them back to his service (Judges 8:34). They forgot both his judgments and his mercies. The lessons they should have learned from both were lost.

They also showed great ingratitude to Gideon (Judges 8:35). He had done much good for Israel, like a father to the nation, so they should have shown kindness to his family after his death. That is one way we repay those who have helped us, by being kind to their children and descendants when they are gone. But Israel did not show that kindness to Gideon’s family, as the next chapter will show. Those who forget God soon forget their friends too.