Gideon started out in humble circumstances being very unassuming. As his confidence grew, so did his abilities. He was a good judge. God used him to make things happen when the time of miracles had seemed to have ended. He became a strong leader and with that comes infamy.
When Gideon's fight was over, his victory was short lived. The Ephraimites made it known that he had hurt their feelings by not even asking if they wanted to be a part of their national fight. Gideon's confidence had been built up and he had become a true politician. He used words to flatter them and remove their resentment.
Gideon and his 300 men continued on their venture without the aid of anyone else. He had not lost one of his men when it was 300 against 120,000. They slaughtered all of them. This made him the most famous of all the Israelites since Joshua.
The people wanted to make him their king. His confidence at this point had peaked and was now overflowing into a full blown ego. He declined being their king, but that did not stop him from acting as if he were their king. He knew God did not desire a king to rule over them. God wanted His people to look to Him for leadership, not a fickle human.
Israel enjoyed 40 years of peace. Gideon had 70 sons with many wives. He was old when he died. As soon as he died, the people returned to their old ways because under Gideon's leadership he acknowledged God as the leader, but allowed the people to look to him instead. They forgot all God had done for them and became arrogant. They were not kind to Gideon's family.
Judges 8
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