It appears here that the Ephraimites were kind of jealous or left out of the initial battle, and we read that Gideon used the soldiers he had in reserve, sealing off the enemy escape route eastward down the valley and over the Jordan and his troop’s capture and kill two key enemy officers, named Oreb and Zeeb.
The officials of Sukkoth answered that they would not give provisions to Gideon in response to his request because Gideon hadn’t won the battle yet. Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of the Midian hadn’t been defeated yet. It appears if Gideon were helped, then these kings would return and punish them, Genesis 32:30.
Notice Gideon says the same, he says if he is victorious, then he will return and punish them. Gideon assumed that they should have known that he was fighting God’s battle, and so, they should help God by giving his army provisions.
Here we read that a young man revealed to Gideon all the names, seventy-five in all, of the leaders of Sukkoth, and they would have to pay the price for not assisting the one who was as actually delivering Israel from the hands of the Midianites.
Notice the punishment they received for not helping Gideon, he punished them as an example to others, he punished them ‘with desert thorns and briers’.
Some commentators believe this means they were tortured to death, while other commentators suggest that they were beaten into submission.
The fashion in which they were punished isn’t really important, what is important is that they were punished because of their lack of faith in God to help Gideon and his men when they needed them.
Here we read that the men whom Zebah and Zalmunna had murdered, were actually the brothers of Gideon. The good news is that they openly confessed what they had done, the bad news is because they were next to kin, Gideon had the right legally to declare their judgment of death, Deuteronomy 19:12-13 / Numbers 35:19 / Numbers 35:21.
Here we read that out of gratitude, the throne of Israel is offered to the deliverer. The throne is offered to the slayer of kings and Gideon is urged to become king. But to his credit, Gideon unselfishly declines the offer to be crowned king of Israel. Why? ‘the LORD will rule over you.’
Gideon knew that he was only an instrument of God and that Israel’s real King was the Lord Himself.
Gideon continued to serve as a judge and lived out his days in prosperity. All he asks of his countrymen is a small portion of the captured gold, which he fashions into an ephod, which was a priestly garment used in worship. But what was supposed to be a symbol commemorating Israel’s victory regrettably became an object of worship.
After the defeat of the Midianites, the land had peace for forty years.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The importance of Joash, the father of Gideon is evident in several things. 1. His proprietary rights in the cultic establishment at Ophrah. 2. His definitive word in the altercation. 3. The mention of his sepulchre, the only one mentioned in Judges, and 4. His undoubted wealth. All of these things are a testimony of the wealth, power, and prestige of Gideon’s family, despite Gideon’s protest before the Angel of Jehovah in Judges 6:15.
Gideon certainly required a lot of wealth in order to take care of such an immense family, ‘many wives and 70 sons,’ to say nothing of his relation to that concubine in Shechem who became the mother of Abimelech.
The next chapter reveals that there was a special reason for mentioning Abimelech and his mother, suggesting that there were also many concubines.
The large number of Gideon’s sons is in keeping with the description of other judges. Jair, 30 sons, Judges 10:4, Ibzan, 30 sons and 30 daughters, Judges 12:9, and Abdon, 40 sons, Judges 12:14.
The fact that Abimelech’s mother was Gideon’s concubine living in Shechem calls attention to a type of concubinage in which the concubine continued to live with her parents, and have custody of the children, and permit her husband to visit her.
Note what happens after Gideon passes away, the cycle continues, they get involved in idolatry, they end up in a mess, and they repent and cry out to God for help.
God sends a deliverer, God uses that person to deliver them and everything is great for a while but as soon as that deliverer dies, it starts all over again.
Gideon’s ignorance about the Word of God was a strong factor in his ability to trust God. He totally misunderstood the very nature and character of God. Gideon was a lowly farmer but with the Lord’s help, he became a mighty warrior.
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."