A Promise Keeper

 

Judges 8: 10-17

 

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.   And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure.   Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah, and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.

Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.   And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men.   And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’”   And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson.   And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Yesterday we discussed that Gideon was a man who kept his promises to God and to men, and today we see that he has kept those promises to the men of Succoth and Penuel.  Do you recall Gideon’s request of the leaders of these towns?  He wanted bread and something to drink for his men so they could capture these two kings; Zebah and Zalmunna, but neither food nor drink was given by the leaders of these two towns.

 

For the rest of the story, first, he captured a young man of Succoth and he got the names of the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men, and when Gideon came back with the two kings in chains he punished those men as he had promised.  Gideon also broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.  We do not know why he did more than he promised, but we must understand that when God's hand is on a person and they ask you to be part of that in some small way, be open to doing so.  It should have been clear to all that God was leading Gideon and his 300 men, and they like many of us were willing to watch and hope for freedom, but these two downs were not willing to do anything to be part of God’s and Gideon’s actions.

 

Do you recall the account of Nabal, who was very wealthy and a fool, for David and his men had for a year protected his sheep and his shepherds and when asked for some food for his men, the fool Nabal sent the ten men of David back after he had disgraced them?  So, David and his 400-armed men were going to kill Nabal and all the men of his household.  But God used  Abigail, Nabal's wife, who was a very beautiful and wise lady to keep David from doing as he had planned in his heart to do.  You can find the account in 1 Samuel 25, and it is a clear message of James 1:20, “Man’s wrath does not work out God’s righteousness.” 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice