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0:48When we end chapter 7, Gideon is a biblical role model. And God has raised him from being a scared little boy at the bottom of a wine press, afflicted, oppressed by the Midianites. And God raises him up. He calls him a mighty man of valor. And God infuses him with confidence and courage and faith. Through chapter 7, you see the development of Gideon's faith until at the end of the chapter, he leads 300 men to rout a 135,000-man army to deliver Israel.

1:31And it would be great, to be honest, if the story ended there. That would be wonderful. But Gideon's story goes on. We have another chapter. I was chatting with Trey Levitt last week, and he suggested a title for chapter 8. He suggested, Gideon gets goofy. I think that's pretty good. I like that title. Here's what one commentator has to say about Judges chapter 8. He says, When the plot resumes, something seems to have happened to the character of our hero. In chapters 6 through 7, we have witnessed Gideon's transformation from a fearful private citizen to a fearless agent of God. But the portrait of the man the author paints in chapter 8 takes on a radically different impression. If chapter 8 had been handed down without the literary context in which it is embedded, we would reject Gideon as a tyrant, arbitrary in his treatment of the enemy, and ruthless in his handling of his own countrymen. Does that surprise anyone?

2:37Just about every Bible commentator agrees that a major shift takes place in chapter 8 after Gideon defeats the Midianites. The voice of God, which so imbues chapters 6 and 7, is conspicuously absent in chapter 8. Gideon is clearly the one who's calling all the shots. And with confusion and dismay, we read. Read as Gideon makes one poor choice after another, right up until his death at the end of the chapter. Friends, this is a cautionary tale. What happened? How did someone who God used so mightily fail so dramatically?

3:22I'd like to share a brief story with you. This is a picture of Captain Edward Smith. He was a member of the British Royal Navy, and his vessel would carry British troops in and out of war zones. And for his skill and his bravery, Smith was awarded two medals of valor. After the war, Captain Smith put his maritime skills to good use, and he would sail luxury cruise liners across the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, he was so good at it that he received the nickname Millionaire's Captain because a lot of his wealthy passengers would refuse to sail if anyone else was at the helm. But today, Captain Smith isn't remembered for any of that. Today, he's remembered as the captain who sank the Titanic. Why do I bring this story up? Well, according to some survivors, two days before the Titanic sank, Captain Smith was heard boasting to a few passengers that this ship could be cut crosswise in three places and each piece would float.

4:31Pretty ominous considering what happened. Over the next two days, Captain Smith would be radioed six times from other ships that there were icebergs in the area. But Captain Smith did not adjust course or reduce his speed. And we all know what happened. Now, I don't doubt for a minute that Captain Smith was a brave man. I don't doubt for a minute that he deserved those medals of valor. You might even call him a mighty man of valor. But his life, the lives of those entrusted to him, they all ended in tragedy because of something that affects all of us. And that's pride.

5:18I think everyone can complete this sentence. Pride cometh before a fall. And if you've lived long enough, I think you might have experienced this in some capacity. We know it's true, which is why it's crucial that we all learn to heed the warnings of pride in our hearts. We can acknowledge that Gideon had great faith. Like I said, he's commended for it. But that's not the issue. The issue is that great faith does not preclude a great fall, which is why Gideon's story is a cautionary story. Tale. It's here for our instruction.

6:04So let's beware. Let's heed the warnings. The Titanic could have been avoided if it had heeded the warning signs. So as we read our text today, I'm going to submit four warning signs of pride to watch out for. Four indicators that might indicate pride in your life and in mine. If any one or all four of these show up, then please don't be like Captain Smith. Please consider your speed and your heading, and if necessary, a just course. The first indicator of pride is when you use the ends to justify the means. So let's jump into our text. Judges chapter 8, starting in verse 4. Then Gideon and the 300 men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, weary yet pursuing.

7:01Gideon said to the men of Succoth, Please give us loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Ziba and Zalmanah and the kings of Midian. The leaders of Succoth said, The hands of Ziba and Zalmana, are they already in your hands? That we should give you bread to your army? And Gideon said, All right. When the Lord has given Ziba and Zalmanah into my hands, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness. And with briars. So Gideon went up from there to Penuel and spoke similarly to them. And the men of Penuel answered him, just as the man of Succoth had answered. So he spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, When I return safely, I will tear down this tower. Okay, let's stop there. What's going on? Well, in summary, you could say that Gideon gets hangry. Has anyone ever been hangry? It's okay. I have. We can admit it. It's that feeling when you're so hungry that everything, even the small things, make you uncharacteristically angry. Now, this is directly after the battle of the 300. Gideon and his men have been up all night. They've been chasing the Midianites, pursuing them. I like this little map. I know it's hard to see, but up here in the top left corner, that's about where the battle took place. And the Midianites, you may remember the Israelites, when they came, they didn't even have to draw their swords against them. The Midianites panic and they start drawing their swords against each other. And there's this great slaughter in the valley. And the 135,000-man army is reduced to a whopping 15,000. And those men realize what's going on, so they hightail it out of there. They're gone. They're fleeing back to Midian. And this is an amazing story, but. For context, it's important to realize that the battle is not over. Gideon and his 300 men are still pursuing them.

9:08So where do they flee? Well, we see the little blue arrows. The Midianites are going back home to the land of Midian, so they cross the Jordan River right there in the middle, and they arrive at the towns in the bottom right corner, Succoth and Penuel. And the Midianites keep going. But Gideon and his army reach these towns. They're tired and they're hungry. They're weary yet pursuing. Good for him. Sounds like the Gideon we know and love, the mighty man of valor. Well, Gideon is human. He's hungry. So he knocks at the gates of Succoth and Penuel and asks for bread. Now let's talk about these cities for just a minute. Why are there Israelite cities west of the Jordan River? Wasn't the Promised Land past the Jordan River, towards the Mediterranean Sea? Well, there's a little bit of Old Testament history here. I'll just briefly walk you through it. In Numbers 32, before the battle of Jericho, before the Israelites cross into the Promised Land, two and a half tribes of Israel request to Moses to settle here, now, west of the Jordan. Now, this is a little bit insulting. To Moses, who has been talking up the promised land, and they don't even want to cross over. They feel safer on the west side of the Jordan. And Moses is understandably hesitant to entertain this request. And he's worried that these tribes will neglect their national obligation to go and fight with the rest of the Israelites and drive the inhabitants out of the land of Israel. But as you read through Numbers 32, you find that Moses eventually is convinced and he allows these tribes to settle west of the Jordan.

11:09So, that's Succoth and Penuel. These are Israelite cities that were inhabited by the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Manasseh. And it's important for us to understand this: that when Gideon knocks at the door of these cities, he's not talking to Gentiles here. He's talking to his fellow countrymen, countrymen who should be aiding Israel, who are very much a part of the people of God. It's also important to realize that Moses was right. Ultimately, the men of Succoth and Penuel abandoned their countrymen in their moment of need in the name of protectionism, tribalism, fear.

12:00In Numbers 32, verse 23, Moses tells these tribes as they're requesting to settle here, he says, if you fail to help your countrymen, you will be sinning against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. And that's pretty ominous considering what's about to happen in the book of Judges. So Gideon comes knocking on their gate. Now, the right thing for these men to do would have been to ride off into battle with Gideon, pursue the Midianites until they're gone. But they don't. They don't even give them bread. Why not? Well, it's easy to be hard on them, but put yourself in their shoes for a second. The Midianites, diminished though they may be, they still outnumber the Israelites 50 to 1.

12:52And if in your city, if you lend aid to Gideon and his army, you now become complicit in a war against a major superpower of the time. And so when the Midianites get back home, they reassemble their troops and they come back, who do you think they're going to attack first? Probably the cities west of the Jordan River. So just like Gideon in the last chapter, Succoth and Penuel, they listen to the voice of their fear, and it's rational fear. But they listen to that voice instead of the voice of the fear. Voice of the Lord. And this is wrong. It's characteristic of the suspicion and tribalism that has resulted from everyone doing what's right in their own eyes.

13:44So I think it's safe to say that Suckoth and Penuel are behaving sinfully. But now, everyone looks to Gideon. How is Gideon going to respond to this? And we read what he says. He reacts in verses 7 and 9. For Succoth, he says, I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness. Well, that's interesting. For Penuel, he says, I will tear down this tower. That seems a little bit rash. But here's the critical question that we must consider. Was this what the Lord intended? Is this justice?

14:20And you could say, on the one hand, yes. Gideon has been appointed to lead Israel according to the statutes of the Lord. And part of those statutes is punishing the guilty. And we've established that Succoth and Penuel, they are guilty. Justice must be served, and who better to serve it than God's appointed judge, right? But on the other hand, is this how God wants justice to be served? Where in God's law does it mention being ripped apart by thorns and briars?

15:00It's not there. Where in this narrative does Gideon seek the counsel of the Lord? Where in this narrative does Gideon weep over the sin of his fellow countrymen? It seems clear to me that Gideon's reaction is not motivated by righteous anger, but rather by personal revenge. And we can read what happens next. We're going to jump to verse 15. And Gideon came to the men of Succoth and said, Behold, Ziba and Zalmana, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, Are the hands of Ziba and Zalmana already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary? So he took the elders of that city with thorns of the wilderness and briars, and he disciplined the men at Succoth with them. In verse 17, and then he tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the men of that city.

16:01Now, I remember learning about Gideon in Sunday school. I don't remember learning about this. This is pretty graphic. But again, let's examine this carefully. Was Gideon acting on behalf of the Lord? Or was he acting on behalf of himself? Well, you can make the argument that these cities deserve to be judged. And to be honest, that might have been the argument that was playing out in Gideon's head. Maybe he was thinking, I am the chosen. One. I was personally affected by their sin. And these people and my men, they need to know that God put me in charge. All of these are true statements. But then again, all of these are only half true. Gideon was chosen, but he was chosen by God. Sin is an affront to Gideon, but it's also an affront to God. The people need to know that God reigns over Israel, not Gideon. Now, Gideon here has an opportunity to model his judgeship after the judge, the real authority in the land, but he settles on self-glorification and revenge. As one commentator noted, one cannot miss the contrast between Gideon's impatience and ruthlessness with his fellow Israelites and Yahweh's long-suffering patience and grace with Gideon. Don't you see? Just one day ago, Gideon was just as fearful and sinful as the men in those cities. But did God wipe him out? No.

17:46And Gideon had the opportunity to demonstrate the same kindness and long-suffering that God had just showed to him. But he chooses extreme punishment instead. And not just punishment, not the just punishment. For their sin. Not even punishment according to his vow in verse 9. He kills the men of Pinuel. He didn't say that in verse 9. He's going above and beyond. This is not justice. This is revenge. And by doing this, Gideon becomes the first Israelite to shed Israelite blood in the whole book of Judges. So, what does this have to do with pride? What does this have to do with you and me sitting here today?

18:35Many of you are familiar with Frank Sinatra, his famous swan song, My Way. Don't worry, I'm not going to sing it for you. I think it's possible, even likely, that Gideon justified his actions because he was trying to follow God my way. Remember, Gideon had the Torah, he had the law of the Lord. Gideon had the tabernacle, he had the priests. Gideon was even on speaking terms with God himself. We read that all through chapter 7. God had provided a way for Gideon to lead. So why didn't Gideon consult God before slaughtering his fellow Israelites? Maybe because he was angry, maybe because he was in a hurry, didn't have a matter of time. Time. Maybe because he craved respect, or maybe all of the above. Or maybe he thought that his way was God's way.

19:43This kind of pride is so common among us today. Pride makes us so sure that we're on the side of righteousness that we forget to give God, the righteous one, a seat at the table. Pride affected King Saul this way. You may remember, like Gideon, Saul was appointed to lead Israel against its enemies. And in 1 Samuel 15, Saul is commanded to wipe out the Amalekites, the people, the livestock, everything. But Saul, he had a better plan. He's going to spare the king, maybe as leverage for negotiation. And he's going to spare all of the best livestock. And here's the reason he says, so that I can make sacrifices to the Lord. Saul was following God my way.

20:38And when the prophet Samuel confronts Saul over his sin, he tells Saul, Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. See, God doesn't care about the bull on the altar nearly as much as how the bull got there. God does not want our sacrifices, He wants our hearts. Psalm 51:17, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. You will not despise me. So, friends, let's make this personal. What is your sacrifice to the Lord? Probably not a bull. But do you say, if I can just get this job, if I can just get this promotion, then I can tithe more, then I can give more to the Lord. If I just get this bigger house, maybe then I can be more hospitable. Maybe then I can serve the Lord more. And so we justify stepping on people to get ahead. We become stingy and close-fisted with our giving. We lie, we cheat, and we steal to increase our wealth and our position, all in the name of what? A better sacrifice?

22:05No. God does not delight in these sacrifices. This is not worship. This is pride. This is trying to follow God my way. God's way does not look like that. God's way is that you obey His commandments. And what are His commandments? That you love one another. Let him figure out the size of your sacrifice. So beware of pride when you find yourself using the ends to justify the means. Our second indicator is beware of pride when you find yourself too easily offended. Let's read in Judges 8 verse 18. I know we're jumping around a bit. Judges 8, 18 says, Then Gideon said to Ziba and Zalmuna, What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor? And they said, They were like you, each one resembling the son of a king. And Gideon said, These were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you. So he said to Jether, his firstborn, Rise, kill them. But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. Then Ziba and Zalmuna said, Rise up yourself and fall on us, for as the man is, so is his strength. So Gideon arose and he killed Ziba and Zalmana and took the crescent ornaments, which were on their camels' necks. All right, we'll stop there. What's going on in this scene? Well, Ziba and Zalmana are the kings of the Midianites. Apparently, at some point before the battle of the 300, they had conducted a raid on the city of Tabor. And in that raid, they had killed some of Gideon's family members. Verse 18 is a reference to this event. And this event is not recorded in detail, just this reference. And Gideon brings up this event, apparently, as a reason to put these kings to death, as if he didn't have a good reason already. Now, actually, as I read this, I thought this kind of feels like a Batman movie. You know, the young boy sees his family get killed, and then he grows up to possess a certain set of skills. And then there's always a scene in these kinds of movies where the boy confronts his family's killers, and there's a dramatic moment where he says, Do you remember me?

24:49This whole exchange is really interesting to me, and it's interesting for a couple of reasons. One, on the surface, it seems like Gideon is more willing to show mercy to these foreign kings than he is to the men of Succoth and Penuel. But besides that, why does Gideon need a personal reason to administer justice? I mean, these guys are invaders. They're war criminals. They have attacked the people of God and profaned the name of God. Now, just for reference, the last time the Midianites did this, in Numbers 31, God told Moses, To wipe them completely out.

25:33But it doesn't seem like that was enough for Gideon. What finally gets him over the line? Well, two things. One, a personal score to settle, the death of his family. And number two, an insult to his manhood, verse 21. Now, I think this is very revealing of what was motivating Gideon at the time. He wasn't motivated by the Mosaic law. He wasn't motivated by zeal for God's people. He doesn't really seem to be motivated by God at all. Seems like Gideon was motivated by ego. And what is ego? The Oxford Dictionary defines ego as a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. In other words, ego is what you think about you. And we all have one. We all have an image of ourselves that we want to curate and maintain. But how do we form that image? What happens when that image is challenged? I heard once that ego is like a balloon. When it's overinflated, all it takes is a prick to make it pop.

26:46We've experienced this. I've experienced this. Men, have you ever said to a woman, Hey, you look tired today. Is everything okay? You'll learn very quickly not to say it again. I don't look tired. I look beautiful. How dare you say I look tired? That's ego. And women, have you ever said to a man, hey, maybe you need some help moving this box? I'll tell you, this happened to me last week. And you know how my ego responded? I said, don't you see how strong I am?

27:24I'm a man. How dare you say I need help with this box? Here's one for all of us. Hey, haven't seen you at church in a while. Are you okay? How have you been? Excuse me? How dare you insinuate that I don't love Jesus as much as you do? You see, our egos are reactionary. They're prone to respond first and think later. And the more reactionary we are, the more likely it is that we are being influenced by ego and pride. And by the way, this reaction, it can be fight or flight.

28:12If someone calls you a dirtbag, you might say, How dare they? You're the dirtbag. That's fight. But for a lot of us, it might be, you know what, you're right. I am a dirtbag. And the thing is, both these responses, where is the attention drawn? It's drawn to you, to who you are, who you think that you are. Remember that confidence comes from Christ. Let Him define your self-worth. Let Him tell you who you are and what He's done for you. But this requires trusting in God's judgment over your own.

28:551 Peter 2:23 talks about Christ. There it is. And while being reviled, Jesus did not revile in return. While suffering, he uttered no threats, but kept entrusting himself to who? To him who judges righteously. You see, when we realize that God is sovereign and righteous and that he perceives every slight done against us, we don't have to be reactionary. Why? Because vengeance belongs to the Lord. Romans 12, 19, he will make all things right in the end.

29:38So, if you find yourself getting too easily offended, my advice to you is beware. Beware of pride. It might be that your actions are motivated by anger or revenge or self-pity, but in any case, I think your ego might be. Ruling your life. So beware. Adjust course if needed. The next indicator of pride. And beware of pride when your words and your actions don't match up. Judges 8:22, back in our text. The men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian. But Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you. Let's stop there briefly. This is a great response. Good job, Gideon. This is exactly how the nation of Israel was supposed to function. The Lord would dwell among his people, he would rule over his people, and he would administer justice through the law, through the priests, and the prophets. A human king would just be redundant. A human king would get in the way. You remember when the people asked Samuel for a king? And the Lord says to Samuel, they have rejected me from being king over them. So, credit where credit's due. Good job, Gideon, for publicly recognizing God's right to rule. But here's the problem: Did Gideon privately recognize God's right to rule? We're going to jump a few verses to verse 29. This is the end of Gideon's life. Verse 29 says, Then Jerubbabel, which is Gideon, the son of Joash, went and lived in his own house. Now Gideon had 70 sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many wives. His concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. And Gideon, the son of Joash, died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah, the Abizirite. Okay, so Gideon dies at a ripe old age. John, what's the point? Here's the point. We see later in Gideon's life that despite publicly rejecting kingship, Gideon is privately living like a king the whole time. Now, how do we see this? Well, a few reasons. One, he had many sons. Now, a household of that size would require great amounts of wealth. And we know from chapter 6, from Gideon's introduction, that he does not come from a family of means. So how did he get that wealth? Well, in verse 24, which we'll read a bit later, we'll read that Gideon levies a tax on Israel, a tax on their spoils from the Midianites. This is something that only a king would do.

32:54Gideon uses that tax revenue to centralize government where? Not around the tabernacle. In his hometown. This is also something that only a king would do. And even though Gideon's not using the word king, he's certainly not shy about leveraging the political powers of a king. Another indication is that Gideon had many wives. We read that here as well. Polygamy was a very common practice among pagan kings in the ancient Near East, and here's why. One, to generate offspring so that you have someone who can rule in your stead. But also, pagan kings would have many wives as a form of governing. And they would establish strategic alliances with the nations around them. They would often do that through intermarriage. And Gideon seems to have done this too. We read in verse 31 that Gideon had a concubine from Shechem. Now, Shechem at this time was not a part of Israel. This was a Gentile town. And they have a son, and Gideon names this son Abimelech. Do you know what Abimelech means? It means, my father is king.

34:12So, did Gideon really reject being a king over Israel? It's a valid question. Maybe he wanted to. Maybe he knew in his head that it was the right thing to do, but in his heart, those perks of being a king looked. So good. A sure indicator of pride is thinking that what you say applies to everyone else, but not you. Jesus gets on to the Pharisees about this particular flavor of pride. Jesus says in verse 3 of Matthew 23, he says, All that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds. For they preach and they do not practice. A few verses later, Jesus describes where this attitude comes from. In the anecdote, he says, Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. So you see, pride and hypocrisy, they go hand in hand. Jesus said that the Pharisees love the place of honor. They love it when people look up to them and call them teacher. But Jesus says, There's only one teacher, and we are his servants. Now, friends, this hits home for me because I'm in training for ministry, and I feel the seduction of this platform, of this microphone. My flesh loves recognition, and I'm in the danger zone.

35:56The only way I can survive is if I Don't just preach the word, but I live it. I practice it. And for you, everyone who is not training to be a preacher, let me just ask: are you a Christian? Have you made a profession, a public profession, to follow Christ? Do you know it's one thing to say that Jesus is Lord? It's another thing to live like He is. I would even say it's pretty easy to be a Christian in college station, comparatively speaking. It might even score you some points. Make sure that your life agrees with the faith that you profess. Don't profess Christ as Lord publicly, but privately live like you are the king of your life.

36:55So beware of pride. Beware when what you say doesn't match up with what you do. Here's a final reason. Fourth indicator of pride is beware when you think that you are indispensable. We're going to jump backwards a little bit to verse 24. In Judges 8, verse 24, it says this. Yet Gideon said to them, I would request of you that each of you give me an earring from his spoil. For they had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites. They said, We will surely give them. So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, beside the crescent ornaments, and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neckbands that were on their camels' necks. Gideon made it into an ephod and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and to his household. All right. Since we're jumping around a bit, let's get our timeline straight. This is directly after Gideon returns victorious from defeating the Midianites. And remember, the people's response is to make Gideon king. And Gideon says, no, no, no, God is your king. But then he does something strange that we read about here. Gideon, immediately, upon acknowledging God as king, proceeds to build this golden ephod. What's going on? Anytime someone builds a golden image in the Bible, we should all get our red flags up, right? Why would Gideon just declare God king and then immediately go build an idol? Well, I think it's important to answer that question. We need to.

39:00Talk about what is an ephod? What's going on? Here's an image, and you might recognize this. This is the high priestly guard. And the ephod is actually a part of this high priestly guard. It's the part that you see here that's a little bit yellow and orange, and on it rests the breastplate of the high priest. You can read all about it in Exodus chapter 28. Now, the breastplate, I want to focus on that for a minute, had a couple of functions in the nation of Israel. First, it contained all the names of the tribes of Israel. And this was for the purpose of when the priest would go before the Lord in the tabernacle, he would have a physical representation for Israel over his heart as a memorial before God. Secondly, the breastplate contained a special device called the Urim and Thummen. And this device was used by the high priest to receive instructions from the Lord. So, taken together, we learn a few things about an ephod and how it would function. The ephod was designed by God to be worn only by the high priest to make intercession and receive instructions. So, why would Gideon want to build an ephod for himself? Well, the text doesn't say exactly what was in Gideon's mind, but it tells us the results of what happened. This ephod, even though it could have been well-intentioned, it became Became an idol, a snare to Gideon, to his house, and to the entire nation. Curious how Gideon's ministry began with tearing down idols and ends with him building one.

40:45I have a theory on why Gideon might have chosen to build an ephod. I think it's possible that Gideon wanted to set himself up to be indispensable in God's kingdom. I'll say that again. I think Gideon wanted to set himself up to be indispensable in God's kingdom. Because after all, the purpose of the ephod was to make intercession and receive instructions from God. And all Israel pays the price for this folly. The problem with Gideon setting up an ephod is that this role has already been filled. Remember, Gideon has the Torah. There's already a high priest. There's already a tabernacle. There's already an ephod in the land. And Gideon thinks that his way is better. He thinks that he is the only one worthy, perhaps, to be that intercessor. But here's the. Here's the compromise. If you're going to declare publicly that God is king, then you need to make sure that you're following the king's laws. Gideon should have been the one to say, God is your king. Now go and do what he says. Go worship in the tabernacle. Go keep the feasts and festivals. Go read the word and teach it to your children.

42:26But Gideon builds an ephod. in his hometown. Gideon draws people away from the tabernacle. He makes himself the spokesman for God. In effect, Gideon is saying, God is your king, therefore go and do what I say. And this is a critical error. And we see the result. All Israel plays the harlot with this false ephod, meaning the people loved the voice of Gideon more than the voice of God. And there's no indication that Gideon does anything to correct this.

42:59And we see this most clearly after Gideon dies. What happens to the nation of Israel? Did Gideon set them up for success? No. The nation immediately goes right back to their pagan idols. Gideon might as well never have delivered Israel. God never designed the priesthood to be a cult of personality. Why? Because people die. But the word of the Lord endures forever. Is far greater than you or me or Gideon, any one of us. You see, this is the problem with setting yourself up to be indispensable. When the Christian speaker and apologist Ravi Zacharias was confronted after having multiple illicit affairs, it was reported that Ravi would often warn the people who knew his secret against speaking out. And he would tell them that if word got out, then they would be responsible for the millions of souls whose salvation would be lost if his reputation was damaged.

44:14Do you consider yourself to be indispensable to the work of God? In the Gospels, as Jesus' ministry began to grow, the people started going to Jesus to be baptized instead of to John the Baptist. We read about this in John chapter 3. And some of John's followers, they asked John about it. They said, What do you think of this Jesus guy? They're taking away our people. You remember what John said? He said, He must increase, and I must decrease.

44:52Does that statement define your ministry? Is that how you think about your legacy? Or is it more like he must increase, therefore I must also increase, so that he can increase. Evan Spencer was a prominent agnostic in the late 1800s, and he went to hear the great Charles Spurgeon preach. And after Spurgeon's sermon, he was asked, so what did you think about the great Charles Spurgeon? And Spencer answered, Who is Charles Spurgeon? All I can think about is his Jesus.

45:32Now, most of us here will never have a platform like Ravi Zacharias or Charles Spurgeon, but every single one of us is building a legacy. What kind of monument are you building? Is it a monument to yourself or to Christ? Do you have the thought, I am the only person capable of doing this? God needs me. If you do, then get out now before you lead more people into a snare. Beware of pride when you think that you are indispensable to God's plan.

46:14Well, we've arrived at the end of Gideon's story, but not at the end of Israel's story. Looking back over Gideon, we see that he has a complicated legacy. And I just put together a few contrasts within the story of Gideon. He was chosen to lead, but he was reluctant to lead. He destroyed idols. He created idols. He demonstrated great faith. He demonstrated great fear. He subdued his enemies. He subdued his countrymen. He rejected kingship. He lived like a king. There was peace in Israel, but his house was in chaos. He did good for Israel. Israel did not do good for him. It's a story of contradiction. Earlier this week, I was chatting with Tracy Frank about the book of Judges, and I made the comment: I said, Man, the book of Judges is so depressing because God uses such broken people. And Tracy, in her thoughtful way, replied, You know, that's why I love the book of Judges, because God uses such broken people.

47:34You see, this isn't Gideon's story. This is God's story. If this was Gideon's story, we probably wouldn't have chapter 8. But I'm glad we do, because I need this warning. I am just as capable of a great fall, just like Gideon. So, what do we make of Gideon, the good, the bad, and the ugly? Why did God give us? This scripture for our benefit and profit? Well, for starters, we read in here as the story of man's depravity. Gideon's, yours, and mine. We are all prone to error and pride. And if God ever blesses you with success, then you might even be more prone to pride. You see, we're all broken people, unworthy to be chosen by God to do great things. And yet, you have been chosen. God is beckoning you to come. Which brings me to the next reason, which is that this is a story of God's providence. Gideon is a messed-up man. We read about it. Israel is a messed-up nation. But through it all, God never abandons them. He is always there, drawing his people back to him. And guess what? God does not abandon you. Romans 5 states that while we were yet enemies of God, that God demonstrated his own love for us.

49:11What a wonderful truth. And that brings me to the last reason that I believe we have Gideon's story: is that this story highlights the need for a better Savior. Gideon's great faith did not save him from a great fall. Gideon did pretty well, but he wasn't good enough. God demands perfection. But here's the thing: God has provided perfection. 2 Corinthians 5:21 may be my favorite passage of Scripture. God made him who knew no sin, that's perfection, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

50:01Pride destroys. Christ delivers. So, my final encouragement to you is this: don't be the sinner of your story. The story of your life is not actually about you, especially if you profess Jesus as Lord. And if it is, if the story of your life is all about you, then it's not too late to adjust course. Please heed the warning signs of your pride before it is too late, and your life and your reputation and your ministry go sinking to the bottom of the ocean. And maybe you're sitting here and you've already hit the iceberg. Maybe your pride has gotten the best of you. Then call upon Jesus because he is a better Savior than Gideon. He humbled himself as an example to us all and is now exalted in heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Will you join him?

51:11Pride destroys, but Christ delivers. Please pray with me. Lord, I ask that you cleanse us of pride. Cleanse me of pride. God, thank you that while we were still sinners, you died for us. You humbled yourself, became obedient to death. I pray that you would give us the wisdom to follow that example, Lord, that if we seek to be great, that we would make ourselves servant of all. Lord, I know that I need help in this.

51:58And I pray that you'd provide that help. And anyone else here who needs help and calls upon you, Lord, please answer. In Jesus' name, amen.