Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. Judges 8:2-3
Satan attacks relentlessly. Even in the midst of serving the Lord he throws obstacles and snares in our path. Perhaps the worst of those temptations are the ones that come through other people who say they are believers but walk in the flesh. Gideon experiences that test while chasing the remnants of the Midianite army as they flee. After a great victory and in the midst of doing the Lord’s work ,the first of a series of demonic attacks occurs
Then the men of Ephraim said to him The men of Ephraim just
captured and killed Zoreb and Zeeb. Now as they stand in front of Gideon. They have a complaint, a bone to pick with their leader.
What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you
went to fight against Midian? Ephraim wants to know why they were not included in the initial battle. They were impacted by the Midianites, they are fierce warriors – why were they snubbed by Gideon?
And they accused him fiercely Accused shows this is a personal issue. The word means to quarrel or to complain. Fiercely means vigorously or earnestly. The Ephraimites are really letting Gideon have it for “snubbing” them. It appears they are incensed because they did not get part of the glory of the initial victory. (Remember it was God who lowered the numbers. That does not satisfy Ephraim’s pride.)
And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Remember that the Spirit of God came upon Gideon. God is involved in Gideon’s response and perhaps this incident was the
impetus for Solomon to write in Proverbs “A soft answer turns away wrath’. Gideon has no time to spare, he is chasing the enemy. He has no time to explain his actions so he compliments the men of
Ephraim on their great exploit – one he says dwarfs what anyone else has done. Here we see the humility of Gideon giving a soft answer to people who have no cause to be angry with him.
Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? Their harvest (killing of the two princes) was much greater than any other, especially his own family’s.
God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb Gideon gives them sole credit for the great accomplishment of capturing the wolf and the raven – Oreb and Zeeb.
What have I been able to do in comparison with you? Gideon takes the back seat to Ephraim. Nothing he has done compares to their bravery.
Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. Just as God tells us, wrath is turned away, an unnecessary conflict is avoided and Gideon can continue doing what God called him to do.
What can we learn? Gideon’s answer could have been facetious, mocking the Ephraimites for wanting the glory. It wasn’t. Instead he showed a humble spirit because in his heart he knew certain truths. First, God alone gave the victory, not him. Second, he knew the state of his fearful heart – he was not brave, he had nothing to be proud of. So in Gideon’s mind what the men of Ephraim did was much more significant than what he did. That is the basis of humility. We see a principle in dealing with others who want the credit. Give it to them for if they take God’s glory now they will have to answer to Him for that. Satan’s attempt to stop Gideon did not work. When believers fight over who gets the glory and credit, Satan wins the battle.