This is the final post in a series of studies about “Gideon”, I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today (the form is at the bottom of the page).

Gideon – 31

As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel chased after other gods … The next generation failed the Lord in the same way that their fathers had done. Will we ever learn? Pray for our generation to break out of the cycle, and to move on with the Lord.

Judges 8:33-34

As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel chased after other gods – the Baals – as though they were prostitutes. They made Baal Berith their god. The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all the enemies around them.

The Thought

What a sad end to this piece of history. It ended in exactly the same way that it began. The next generation failed the Lord in the same way that their fathers had done.

Will we ever learn?

Even Gideon himself had fallen into the trap of idol worship by building an ephod. Verse 25 of this chapter says that after refusing to be made king, Gideon asked the people for a gift from each one out of their share of the plunder. (Years previously his forefathers had learned about giving a tithe of their income to God.)

Of course Gideon was much appreciated, and received a huge offering, but he used it for the wrong things! He built an idol, which was a spiritual trap for all the Israelites. We read in verse 27 that they “prostituted” themselves by worshiping it! Strong language!

In the first commandment God tells us that He is a jealous God, and we should have no others (Exodus 20:3-4). It is for our own good that God tells us that. Trying to serve two masters is not possible (Matthew 6:24).

Judges 8 finishes by telling us that Gideon had many wives plus a concubine and consequently had seventy sons!

Action

Pray for our generation to break out of the cycle, and to move on with the Lord instead of going round in circles.

Ask Jesus to reveal to you if there are other gods in your life besides Him.

Ask for His help to get rid of anything else that you are holding on to.

Praise God for His everlasting goodness and patience with His people.