And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle, from the ascent of Heres.
Gideon has captured the two kings of Midian and now turns back from the chase. Waiting for him are two towns of his own people who refused his men bread — and the question of what a servant of God does once the fighting is over.
Gideon did not break off the chase to settle his grievance. He finished the work first.
He asked for food for the three hundred, but he met taunts and insults. Gideon remembered this, and it cost them later, for it was heartless. Once the victory was won, what was needed to answer the outrage done to Jehovah's people while they were doing His work has its solemn place. Israel was called to be the stage where God displayed His earthly righteousness. That is the true explanation of all these things, which sometimes puzzle Christians who have not been taught how God's ways differ from one age to another.
Succoth was not a foreign city. It bore the name of Israel, and one writer sees the same spirit at work now.
So here, among the people of God, stood a whole city that bore the name of Israel. It had thrown off all shared responsibility with those who were testifying for Jehovah... Many today bear the name of Christ and yet want the world's friendship and alliance. Afraid of compromising themselves, they side with our enemies. They make the road harder for believers and keep them from overcoming... Everything has its time for God's witness. Satan tries to confuse us about this, so as to put obstacles in our way. Zebah and Zalmunna must not escape; the judgment of the rebellious cities would come later.
The men of Ephraim also complained, and Gideon answered them gently. Succoth and Penuel got something else.
The men of Ephraim scold him for not calling them to the battle, and with them he takes the lower place. That is the place of grace, and it is the true, wise and godly position to hold towards those who want to be seen... But he acts very differently towards the men of Succoth and Penuel, who refused bread to the men who were "exhausted yet pursuing." They must receive no mercy. They refused food to the 300 while those men were fighting the enemy. That was against the cause of God, and it took the side of traitors to His name and glory... The principle is the same in both ages. Some cases we must meet and deal with in grace; in others we must contend earnestly for the faith.
Their crime was not open hostility. It was sitting out the conflict — and that, one commentator argues, is a side.
Ephraim had gone out to fight the enemy, but the men of Succoth held back, and so they were on the side of Midian. No one can be neutral at a time when the line between Christ and the world is drawn. No one can be neutral without being on the side of the enemy. "Whoever is not with me is against me," says the Lord. So these men were as much the enemies of God as Midian — more so, because they claimed to be God's people.
Until the victory came, the scorn looked reasonable: three hundred exhausted men against a huge army. One writer applies that mockery to believers today.
Gideon went forward sure of victory, though he knew he was worn out. These princes of Succoth and the men of Penuel would not come to help Jehovah against the mighty. To them it looked foolish to fight three hundred men against such enemies. So we look like fools when we speak of a glory that is certain. We must make up our minds to this. The world has no resources to give us for the conflict we are in.
Gideon comes home a winner. One writer notes that his ruin began here, on the side he was not guarding.
He had energy, to gather and purify the people for battle and for the pursuit of the enemy. He had humility, which freed him from all self-confidence and led him to rely completely on Jehovah. And yet the enemy was about to set a trap for him on the side that seemed to need the least watching. In the end that trap brought about the moral ruin of this great leader in Israel.
- Return. Gideon finished the chase first. He answered the insult only after he had won the victory.
- Refusal. Succoth and Penuel refused bread to men fighting God's battle. They bore the name of Israel but had dropped all shared responsibility with God's witnesses.
- Neutrality. Holding back is not safety. Men who claimed to belong to God stood with the enemy instead.
- Discernment. Gideon met Ephraim's complaint with grace and Succoth's betrayal with judgment. One servant, two responses, each fitted to the case.
- Risk. The road home proved more dangerous than the battlefield. The trap came where Gideon thought no watching was needed.
And he caught a youth of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him; and he wrote down for him the chief men of Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy-seven men.
Gideon has captured the two Midianite kings and is heading home. His road takes him back through Succoth. That Israelite town had mocked him and refused food to his exhausted men. There he catches one young man. That young man gives him the names of the seventy-seven men who spoke for the city.
The names tell Gideon who to hold responsible, and he acts on them at once.
On the way back from the battle, as they came near Succoth, Gideon caught a young man who lived in that city. He wanted to learn from him who the leaders and elders of Succoth were. The young man gave him 77 names (v. 14). So Gideon confronted these leaders with the fact that he had now captured Zebah and Zalmunna. He reminded them of their insulting words (v. 15), and "taught" them with the thorns and briars of the wilderness, just as he had promised (v. 16).
The seventy-seven were not foreigners. They led an Israelite city that had put its confidence in the enemy.
Succoth turned them away and refused even to give them bread. So here, among the people of God, was a whole city that carried the name of Israel, yet had thrown off all shared responsibility with those who stood as witnesses for the LORD… They put their confidence in the enemy, and would not risk their own position by siding with Israel. Many today carry the name of Christ, and yet look for the world's friendship and partnership. Afraid of compromising themselves, they side with our enemies. They make the road harder for believers, and they keep them from being overcomers.
The names of these two towns carried meaning. Both pointed the opposite way from what their men did.
Remember that Midian stands for the world and its power. Succoth means "tents." It is a pilgrim's word. Men who lived in tents should have been more than willing to help overthrow the power of the world. And Peniel means "the face of God." Men who are looking at the face of God should have been ready to give every help in capturing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. Their behaviour made a lie of their names.
Gideon treats these seventy-seven far more harshly than he treated Ephraim. The difference is where each group stood.
Ephraim had gone out to fight the enemy. The men of Succoth held back, and so they were really on Midian's side. No one can be neutral at a time when the line between Christ and the world is clear. To be neutral is to be on the enemy's side. "Whoever is not with me is against me," says the Lord. So these men were as much the enemies of God as Midian was — and more so, because they claimed to be the people of God.
Gideon's two responses are not a contradiction. Each answers a different kind of opposition.
The men of Ephraim scold him for not calling them to the battle. With them he takes the lower place — the place of grace. That is the true, wise and godly way to treat people who want to be noticed… But he acts in a very different way towards the men of Succoth and Penuel. They refused bread to men who were "exhausted yet pursuing"… They held back food from the 300 while the 300 were fighting the enemy, and that set them against the cause of God.
The thorns were a lesson, and not only for Succoth.
How many of God's people are whipped by the briars and thorns of this life, because they stay neutral in the question between Christ and the world. Are you standing in a neutral place between God and the world? You will get the thorns on your back. You will be taught by thorns, if you will not be taught by the word of God.
- Named. One young man writes down seventy-seven names. The men who mocked Gideon are now known one by one.
- Neutral. Succoth held back from the battle, and holding back was itself taking the enemy's side.
- Name betrayed. A town called "tents" — a pilgrim word — lived as though it had settled down with the world it should have helped overthrow.
- Not one rule. Gideon met Ephraim's complaint with grace. He met Succoth's refusal with discipline. Different opposition needs different treatment.
- Nothing wasted. What God's people will not learn from His word, they end up learning from the thorns.
And he came to the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy men that are weary?
Gideon comes back from battle with the two Midianite kings and walks into the town that had jeered at him. Why does a refusal of bread matter so much, and why is Gideon, so gentle with complaining Ephraim, so hard on his own countrymen here?
Gideon does not argue with Succoth. He produces the evidence they had demanded and quotes them to themselves.
Returning from the battle, as they neared Succoth, Gideon caught a young man who lived in that city. He wanted to learn from him who the leaders and elders of Succoth were. The young man gave him 77 names (v. 14). So he confronted these leaders: he had now captured Zebah and Zalmunna. He reminded them of their insulting words (v. 15).
Their question was not a real question. They wanted proof of victory before they would give any help. Darby hears the same voice in the world's mockery of believers today.
Confident of victory, Gideon was going forward, though he knew he was worn out. Meanwhile these leaders of Succoth and the men of Penuel would not come to the help of the Lord against the mighty. To them it seemed a foolish thing to fight such enemies with only three hundred men. So we seem to be great fools when we speak of certain glory. We must make up our minds to this. The world has no resources to give us for the conflict we are in. The taunt of unbelief says, "You say you are kings and priests to God, and that you are to have glory. But you cannot show us anything for it. When we see you in the glory, we will believe."
Succoth had not joined Midian. It only refused to take sides while the battle was on. Ridout argues that this put the city on the enemy's side.
Ephraim had taken the field against the enemy, but the men of Succoth were holding back, and were really on the side of Midian. No one can be neutral in a time when the lines between Christ and the world are drawn. No one can be neutral without being on the side of the enemy. "Whoever is not with me is against me," says the Lord. So these men were really as much the enemies of God as Midian; more so, because they were the professed people of God.
The refusal is also read as a wish to stay safely on good terms with the winning side:
They had confidence in the enemy, and would not compromise themselves by taking part with Israel. Many today bear the name of Christ and still want the friendship and alliance of the world. For fear of compromising themselves, they make common cause with our enemies. This makes the way harder for believers, and keeps them from being overcomers.
Ephraim quarrelled with Gideon and got a soft answer; Succoth met a hard one. The difference is not temper but the nature of the offence.
But toward the men of Succoth and Penuel, who refused to supply bread to the "exhausted yet pursuing," he acts very differently. They must receive no mercy. They refused food to the 300 while the 300 were fighting the enemy. That was against the cause of God, and it took the part of traitors to His name and glory. The principle is the same in both ages. Some cases we must meet and deal with in grace. In others we must contend earnestly for the faith.
Gideon did not turn aside to settle the score when the insult was fresh. The kings were caught first; Succoth was dealt with afterwards, exactly as he had said.
The man of God kept on his way; the shameful conduct of Penuel no more stopped him than that of Succoth. Everything in its time for God's witness. Satan seeks to bring in confusion about this, so as to make obstacles for us. Zebah and Zalmunna must not be allowed to escape; the judgment of the rebellious cities will be carried out later.
Darby applies Succoth's mockery to every believer who is laughed at today.
We have not one thing to show, nothing the natural man can take notice of. Our wisdom is foolishness. We must go on feeling our weakness, confident of victory. By and by the tables will be turned. The taunts and reproaches of the world will bring down judgment on their own heads. One special thing the Lord is coming to judge is "all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 15). There is no present ridicule of His saints that will not be counted as against Himself in that day.
- Taunt. Succoth demanded proof before it would help. Gideon brought the proof and gave them their own words back.
- Unbelief. The same voice still says it will believe when it sees the glory, and gives the believer nothing until then.
- Neutrality. Refusing to take sides puts a person on the enemy's side — and worse, when that person carries God's name.
- Answer. Ephraim's complaint met grace; Succoth's betrayal met judgment. The answer fits the offence.
- Reckoning. God counts every taunt against His people as a taunt against Himself, and He will answer it in His day.
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
Gideon has captured the two Midianite kings and comes back to the town that had mocked him and refused his exhausted men a meal. The verse calls what he does to its leaders "teaching" — so why treat fellow Israelites so harshly, and what were thorns meant to teach?
Succoth was not enemy territory. The refusal came from inside God's own people.
Succoth rejected them, refusing even to give them bread. So here, in the middle of the people of God, was a whole city bearing the name of Israel. It had dropped all shared responsibility with those who were bearing testimony for the Lord. They said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?" They trusted the enemy. They would not compromise themselves by taking Israel's side.
Their sneer was about evidence. Gideon had three hundred worn-out men and no captured kings to show, so backing him looked like a bad bet.
Gideon was going forward in the confidence of victory, though he knew he was faint. But these leaders of Succoth and the men of Penuel would not come to the help of the Lord against the mighty. To them it seemed a foolish thing to fight such enemies with three hundred men. So we seem to be great fools when we speak of certain glory. We must make up our minds to this. The world has no resources to help us on in the conflict we are engaged in. Unbelief taunts us: "You say you are kings and priests to God, that you are to have glory. But you cannot show us anything for it. When we see you in the glory, we will believe."
Gideon announced the punishment on his way out and carried it out only on his way back. The order matters: he crushed the enemy first, then dealt with the traitors at home.
He does not stop for the punishment he threatens them with: "faint yet pursuing," they press on.
Gideon first had to find out who the town's leaders were. The verse says he "taught" them, and the lesson landed on their bodies.
As they neared Succoth on the way back from the battle, Gideon caught a young man who lived in that city, to learn from him who the leaders and elders of Succoth were. The young man gave him 77 names (v. 14). So he faced these leaders with the news that he had now captured Zebah and Zalmunna. He reminded them of their insulting words (v. 15), and "taught" them with thorns and briars of the wilderness, as he had promised (v. 16). This meant the thorns and briars tore their bodies (v. 7) — certainly a painful punishment, to say the least! Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city (v. 17), likely meaning the leaders among them. We are not told why the punishment of the men of Succoth differed from that of Penuel, but no doubt Gideon had a reason for this.
Ridout turns the scene on the reader who wants to stay uncommitted:
How many of God's people get whipped with the briars and thorns of this life, because they are neutral in the question between Christ and the world. Do you take a neutral place between God and the world? You will get the thorns on your back. You will be taught by thorns, if you will not be taught by the word of God.
Earlier in the same chapter, the men of Ephraim complained to Gideon, and he gave way to them. Why did Succoth get thorns instead?
The men of Ephraim complain that he did not call them to the battle, and with them he takes the lower place. That is grace — the true, wise and godly position to hold toward those who want to be noticed... But toward the men of Succoth and Penuel, who refused to supply bread to the "faint yet pursuing," he acts very differently. They must receive no mercy. They refused food to the three hundred while those men were fighting the enemy. That was against the cause of God, and took the part of traitors to His name and glory. The same principle holds in both Old and New Testament times. There are cases we must meet and handle in grace; but we are, on the other hand, to contend earnestly for the faith.
- Neutral — Succoth was Israelite soil, yet it cut itself off from those bearing testimony for God. It trusted the enemy instead.
- Unbelief — its taunt demanded proof of victory before it would risk anything. Faith has nothing to show until the glory comes.
- Timing — Gideon finished the war first and settled with the traitors afterward. Faint yet pursuing, he would not stop for revenge.
- Taught — the "teaching" was real thorns on real backs. Refuse to learn from the word of God, and thorns become the teacher.
- Two answers — grace answered complaining Ephraim; firmness answered treacherous Succoth. The same chapter holds both, and we need both.
And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Gideon had warned Penuel what he would do if they turned him away. Now he is back — and two questions stand out: why the tower, and why fellow Israelites instead of Midianites?
Gideon is keeping an earlier promise. One writer looks closely at who was killed.
Then he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city (v. 17), likely meaning the leaders among them. We are not told why there was a difference between the punishment given to the men of Succoth and those of Penuel, but no doubt Gideon had a reason for this.
The tower was not picked at random. It was the town's defence.
Another city in Israel, Penuel, when asked for food, spoke in the same insulting way to Gideon. How sad it is when God's people give no support to those fighting God's battles, and insult them as well! In the case of Penuel, Gideon tells them that when he returned he would tear down their tower. The tower was there to watch for enemy attacks, but Penuel had no interest in opposing the enemy. Then of what use was their tower?
The town's own name should have shaped its behaviour. Both towns Gideon turned on carried names that pointed somewhere better than their conduct went.
They were Israelites, and they were to share in the victory. What a contradiction to their names! Midian, you remember, is the world and its power. Succoth means "tents." It is a pilgrim word, and men who lived in tents ought to be perfectly willing to help overthrow the power of the world. And Peniel means "the face of God." Men who are looking on the face of God would surely be ready to give all the help they could to capture the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna. Their conduct makes a lie of their names.
Penuel had not joined Midian. They had only declined to help. The commentary argues that in a conflict like this, declining is itself a position.
They mock Gideon, and so you find that he had no gentle words for them, as he had for the men of Ephraim. Ephraim had taken the field against the enemy, but the men of Succoth were holding back, and were really on the side of Midian. No one can be neutral in a time when the lines between Christ and the world are drawn. No one can be neutral without being on the side of the enemy. "Whoever is not with me is against me," says the Lord. So these men were really as much the enemies of God as Midian; more the enemies, because they were the professed people of God.
A related reading sees the refusal as a town quietly backing the winning side:
They had confidence in the enemy, and would not compromise themselves by taking part with Israel. There are many in the present day who bear the name of Christ, and yet seek the friendship of and alliance with the world; who, through fear of compromising themselves, make common cause with our enemies.
Earlier in the chapter Gideon answered a complaint from Ephraim gently. One writer sets the two responses side by side.
The men of Ephraim scold him for not calling them to the battle. With them he takes the lower place — the place of grace, the true, wise and godly position to hold towards people who want to be noticed... But he acts very differently towards the men of Succoth and Penuel, who refused bread to men exhausted but still chasing the enemy. They must be shown no mercy. Their refusal of food to the 300, while the 300 fought the enemy, worked against the cause of God and took the part of traitors to His name and glory... Some cases we must meet and deal with in grace; in others we must contend earnestly for the faith.
Penuel's words had been a sneer at a small, exhausted force chasing kings it had not yet caught. The fallen tower is that sneer answered.
We must go on feeling our weakness, confident of victory. In time the tables will be turned. The taunts and insults of the world will bring down judgment on their own heads. One thing the Lord is coming to judge, we are told, is "all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him," Jude 15. There is no ridicule of His saints now that will not count as ridicule against Himself in that day.
- Refusal. Penuel gave no bread to men fighting for them, and mocked them for asking.
- Neutrality. Holding back was not staying out of the fight. It put them on Midian's side — and worse, since they claimed to be God's people.
- Name. Peniel means "the face of God"; their behaviour contradicted the name they carried.
- Tower. Their one defence fell. They had no interest in resisting invaders anyway.
- Measure. The same Gideon who answered Ephraim with grace showed Penuel no mercy. Grace and firmness each have their place — and the kings came first, the reckoning after.