Judges 8:4 - Meaning and Application

In these verses we see Gideon acting as a brave commander, pressing on after the Midianites and following up his victory. At first, he had made a very heavy blow against the enemy, with 120,000 men who drew the sword falling in battle (Judges 8:10). The Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, were better prepared to escape than the rest, and with 15,000 men they crossed the Jordan before the Ephraimites could secure the crossings. They headed back toward their own land, but Gideon would not be satisfied until he had fully carried out his God-given mission to save Israel.

His resolve is impressive. He took only his 300 men with him, the same men God had promised to use to save Israel (Judges 7:7), and Gideon trusted that promise. He expected more from 300 men supported by God's word than from a large army supported only by human courage. They were exhausted, yet still pursuing the enemy. That is often the condition of true Christians in spiritual warfare, fainting and yet still pressing on.

Gideon also kept going even when people of his own nation discouraged him. If those who should help us in duty become obstacles, we must not let that turn us away. Those who do not know how to value God's approval also do not know how to ignore human mockery and contempt. Gideon also made a long march by way of those who lived in tents (Judges 8:11), either because he hoped for more kindness there than from the people of Succoth and Penuel, or because that route would make his approach less expected. He spared no effort to finish the victory. It was an advantage to have 300 men who could endure hunger, thirst, and hard travel. He seems to have attacked by night, as he had before, when the enemy felt secure. The safety of sinners often leads to their ruin, and danger is most deadly when it is least feared.

His success gave strong encouragement to anyone who will keep working hard in a good cause. He routed the army (Judges 8:11) and captured the two kings (Judges 8:12). The fear of the wicked will eventually come on them. Those who think they can escape the sword of the Lord and of Gideon only run into it. If they escape the iron weapon, the steel bow will still strike them through, because evil keeps pursuing sinners.

We also see Gideon acting as a righteous judge when he corrected the stubborn Israelites, the men of Succoth and Penuel, both towns in the tribe of Gad east of the Jordan. Their sin was serious. Gideon, with only a small band of weary men, was pursuing the common enemy to complete Israel’s rescue. He came first to Succoth and then to Penuel, and he asked only for food for his men, who were close to fainting from hunger. His request was humble and urgent: “Please give some loaves of bread to the people who follow me” (Judges 8:5).

That request was more than fair. These were not just tired travelers. They were chosen and faithful men, honored by God and greatly used for Israel’s good (Revelation 17:14). They had already done much service for their country, and they were still doing more. They were victors, and they had the power to demand support. They were fighting God’s battles and Israel’s battles. Nothing could have been more proper than for their brethren to supply them with the best food their cities had.

But the princes of Succoth neither feared God nor respected people. In contempt of God, they refused the right demand of the man God had raised up to save them. They mocked him, despised his earlier success, doubted his present effort, and did what they could to weaken his hands in the war. They were ready to believe that the remaining Midianites, whose army had passed through their territory, would defeat him. “Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand?” they asked in effect, meaning, “No, and they never will be.”

They also showed no pity for their own brothers. They were as lacking in love as they were in faith, and they would not even give a little bread to those who were close to collapse. Were these men princes? Were they Israelites? They were unworthy of either name, low and corrupt men. They acted as though they were worshipers of Baal, or allies of Midian. The men of Penuel gave the same answer to the same request, and in doing so they challenged the sword of the Lord and of Gideon (Judges 8:8).

Gideon’s warning about their punishment was very fair. He did not strike them at once, because he did not want to lose time chasing the fleeing enemy. He also did not want to seem angry and rash. And he wanted their shame to be greater when he returned after finishing what they had thought impossible. But he told them plainly how he would deal with them (Judges 8:7, Judges 8:9), showing his confidence that God would give him the victory. At the same time, if they had had even a little sense or grace left, they could have repented, humbled themselves, and tried to make amends by sending him help and supplies. If they had done that, Gideon would surely have forgiven them. God gives warning and time to repent so sinners may flee from the coming wrath.

When they ignored that warning, the punishment, though severe, was fully just. The princes of Succoth were made examples first. Gideon got information about them, including the number of their leading men, seventy-seven, their names, and where they lived, all written down for him (Judges 8:14). Then, to their great surprise, when they thought he had hardly even caught up with the Midianites, he returned as a conqueror.

Gideon’s 300 men became the agents of God’s judgment. They captured these leaders and brought them before Gideon, who could now show them his prisoners in chains. These were the men who had thought he was too weak for the task and had refused to help him pursue Midian (Judges 8:15).

He punished the men of Succoth with thorns and briers, though it seems he did not put them to death. In some way, he hurt their bodies, whether by whipping them or forcing them through thorns and briers. They tore his flesh, and now they received a fitting kind of judgment. Those who show no mercy should expect no mercy in return.

He may also have been correcting their pride. They were likely soft, comfortable men who despised Gideon and his company because they were rough and battle-hardened. So Gideon humbled them for their arrogance. Yet the purpose of this discipline was not destruction, but warning and correction, so they would become wiser and better.

In that way, he taught the men of Succoth by thorns and briers (Judges 8:16). The punishment was meant to make them know their own folly, know God and their duty, and know who Gideon was, since they had refused to recognize him through the success God had given him. Many people learn through painful trouble who would never listen any other way. God gives wisdom through discipline and correction, and he uses punishment to open the ear to instruction.

Even our Lord Jesus, though he was the Son, learned obedience through what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8). So every sharp trouble, every painful thorn, and especially any lasting weakness in our flesh, should be understood this way: God means to teach us something through it. The right response is to ask, “What lesson does God want me to learn?”

The punishment of the men of Penuel came next, and it appears Gideon dealt with them more severely, and for good reason, no doubt (Judges 8:17). He tore down their tower, the thing they boasted in and trusted for safety. They may even have mocked Gideon and told him to protect himself there instead of chasing the Midianites. But what people make their pride, God can turn into their shame.

He also killed the men of the city, though likely not all of them. Perhaps he did not kill the elders or leaders, but only those who had insulted him. He struck some of the most bold and abusive men, partly to punish them and partly to warn the rest. In this way, he taught the men of Penuel.