Finishing Well: Lessons from Gideon.

Finishing well is important. Yet we learn that Gideon, despite his amazing victory, finished poorly. Learn how from Brian Stapley.

A Complaint From the Ephraimites

Right after defeating the Midianites in battle, Gideon had to settle a complaint from the tribe of Ephraim:

“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?  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 8:1-3) 

Gideon handles the complaint with wisdom and grace. He is now a leader and a diplomat, not because he was on t.v. with Oprah or Dr. Phil but because when God said Gideon was a mighty man of valor, he was predicting the man that God himself would make him to be.

Are you as weak as Gideon? As angry? As doubtful? As fearful? As small? Great!  I hail you – mighty woman of valor. I salute you, conquering soldier. Believe in God. Follow Jesus. 

Hebrews 11:32-34 states that

“Gideon…through faith…(was) made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” Hebrews 11:32-34

Gideon grows from a fearful individual in hiding to a public, daring leader attracting thousands to the battle. By God’s Power. Like us – we are just clay jars. 2 Corinthians 4:7 states: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Gideon’s Grasp at Glory

In the final part of his life, Gideon tries to share the glory with God.  He has his men cry out,

“The Sword of the Lord and Gideon.”

“And Gideon.” He takes part of the credit. Even if this is a small error, a small slip can have big results. An avalanche can begin with a snowflake. A rockslide can begin with a pebble. An atomic explosion begins with one atom.

The Hubble Telescope

The Hubble Telescope is an example. The best engineers worked 12-hour days for 5 straight years to make its mirror perfect to within a millionth of an inch. Unknown to them, a microscopic chip of paint flecked off a measuring rod and the mirror wound up being off by four microns. Four microns. Twenty-five times smaller than the width of a human hair. It cost billions to repair.

The original Hubble was almost junk-piled for a new one. A small mistake. Huge results. Satan may be more likely to tempt us to fall by a small slip than a shocking sin.

Gideon Did Not Finish Well – Will We?

Gideon did not finish well. How do we finish well? The Bible tells us:

“Run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12: 1-2) 

We can keep on keeping on … by keeping our eyes on Jesus. I can finish well  … by looking to the finisher of our faith. You can run with endurance … by looking to Jesus. Worn out by people who make fun of your faith? Bring Jesus to mind before you react. He despised the shame, but endured the cross. Tired of people who seem inferior to you but act so superior? Pray to Jesus who is the only human being who knew what his true status was. 

Given the lowest place by sinful men, he is now “seated at the right hand of the throne of God” – the highest place. Feel like you can’t put up with suffering any longer?  Turn your heart to the Lord Jesus who endured the worst suffering – the cross – Why?  “For the joy that was set before him.” Jesus is your anchor to that same hope – If Jesus is your Savior, there is pure joy ahead, forever.

Do you think finishing well is possible even after we make big mistakes? Share with us. Contact us at HopeStreamRadio,  or comment below.