Farther Course of Gideon - The Ephod at Ophrah - Death of Gideon - Conspiracy of Abimelech - The parable

of Jotham - Rule and End of Abimelech

(JUDGES 7:23-9:57)

THE tide of battle had rolled towards the Jordan. The fugitives seem to have divided into two main bodies.

The quickest, under the leadership of Zebah and Zalmunna, succeeded in crossing the Jordan, and hastened

towards the wilderness, while the main body of the army, encumbered with women and cattle, fled in a

south-easterly direction, trying to gain the more southern fords of the Jordan within the possession of

Issachar, and almost in a straight line with that of Ephraim. The two kings were the object of Gideon's own

pursuit, in which he was joined by those of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who had shortly before been

dismissed from the battle. To overtake the other body of fugitives, Gideon summoned the Ephraimites,

directing them to occupy "the waters," or tributaries of Jordan, unto Beth-barah (the house of springs) and

the Jordan. The success of Ephraim was complete. A great battle seems to have been fought (Isaiah 10:26),

in which the leaders of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb ("the raven" and "the wolf") were taken and slain.

The Ephraimites continued the pursuit of the fugitives to the other side of the Jordan, bringing with them to

Gideon the gory heads of Oreb and Zeeb. Strange and sad, that their first meeting with Gideon after this

victory should have been one of reproaches and strife, on account of their not having been first summoned

to the war - strife, springing from that tribal jealousy which influenced for such evil the whole history of

Ephraim. Nor was the reply of Gideon much more satisfactory than their noisy self-assertion (8:1-3). To us at

least it savors more of the diplomacy of an Oriental, than the straightforward bearing of the warrior of God.

While Ephraim occupied "the waters" and the fords of the Jordan, Gideon himself had cro ssed the river at

the spot where Jacob of old had entered Canaan on his return from Padan-Aram. "Faint yet pursuing," the

band reached Succoth; but its "princes" refused even the most useful provisions to Gideon's men. The

people of the neighboring Penuel acted in the same heartless manner - no doubt from utter lack of interest in

the cause of God, from cowardice, and, above all, from scorn for the small band of 300, with which Gideon

had gone in pursuit of the flower of Midian's army. They had calculated t he result by the outward means

employed, but were destined soon to feel the consequences of their folly. Making a detour eastwards,

through the wilderness, Gideon advanced on the rear of Midian, and fell unexpectedly upon the camp at

Karkor, which was held by 15,000 men under the command of Zebah and Zalmunna ("sacrifice" and

"protection refused"). The surprise ended in defeat and flight, the two Midianite leaders being made

prisoners and taken across Jordan. On his way,270 Gideon "taught the men of Succoth," by punishing their

rulers 271 - seventy-seven in number, probably consisting of either seven, or else five "princes," and of

seventy or else seventy-two elders - while in the case of Penuel, which seems to have offered armed

resistance to the destruction of its citadel, "the men of the city" were actually slain.

The fate of Gideon's princely captives did not long remain doubtful. It seems that he would have spared

their lives, if they had not personally taken part in the slaughter of his brothers, which ma y have occurred at

the commencement of the last campaign, and while the Midianites held Jezreel - possibly under

circumstances of treachery and cruelty, prompted perhaps by tidings that Gideon had raised the standard of

resistance. It may have been to investigate the facts on the spot, that Gideon had brought back 272 the two

princes, or he may have only heard of it on his return. At any rate, the two Midianites not only confessed,

but boasted of their achievement. By the law of retaliation they were now made to suffer death, although the

hesitation of Gideon's son spared them the humiliation of falling by the hand of a young lad.

The deliverance of Israel was now complete. It had been wrought most unexpectedly, and by apparently

quite inadequate means. In the circumstances, it was natural that, in measure as the people failed to

recognize the direct agency of Jehovah, they should exalt Gideon as the great national hero. Accordingly,

they now offered him the hereditary rule over, at least, the northern tribes . Gideon had spiritual discernment