I turn your attention this morning to the eighth chapter of the book of Judges, the portion of scripture we've read from. The subject today is Gideon, a man who finished badly. Gideon, a man who finished badly. It would be very easy to skip over this chapter. It would seem that it's best to leave in people's minds the idea that Gideon as a hero, and of course he was a hero, clothed with power, leading 300 men to victory over 135,000 Midianites. It would seem more desirable for us to leave the picture of Gideon like that. But there are two reasons, I believe, that we need to study the eighth chapter of the book of Judges. First of all, one of the reasons we know the Bible is inspired, because it tells the truth about its heroes. If men had written the Bible, there would be the tendency to gloss over the faults of heroes and tell only the good points. But the Bible is the Word of God, and God always tells the story just exactly as it is. And the second reason is because you have a real message here on the importance of finishing well. I mean by that that as a child of God, as a believer in Christ, to complete your journey as God's child well. I think it's the desire of every one of God's children that they might finish well. That with Paul, we are able to say, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the feet. It's so important that we do not lapse toward the end of the journey. It's very crucial that we as God's children just continue being faithful to the Lord right to the end. That we do not stumble before we get to the finishing line. It is a sad picture that sometimes God's children can live for the Lord through the years, and then right at the end, they stumble at the finishing line. Judges is a book that tells us about the caving in of the Israelites to the culture of the Canaanites around about them. May the Lord keep us from slipping. May the Lord keep us from stumbling. May the Lord keep us steadfast. May the Lord keep us steady. May the Lord enable us to finish well. The great man of God, Harry A. Ironside, used to pray, oh God, help me not to become a foolish old man. Oh God, help me not to become a foolish old man. I think we need to pray that way. When you read the account of Gideon and this last chapter in his life here, especially you will find that what happens to Gideon is after the great victory he has experienced. And after that great victory he experienced, he experiences defeat. Let us be watchful. that after the victory we remind ourselves that we are most vulnerable and the devil will seek to attack us and the seals. It's a dangerous time sometimes after you've experienced victory because if you aren't very careful you will let down your guard and the devil will hit you at a time when you least expect it. How we need to learn that lesson this morning. We need to learn as God's people that we are expected to be faithful all the way to the end of the journey. Some people may be lovers of cars and car racing. And how often do we hear that A racing driver was disqualified because he broke a rule. People say, in our eyes, he won. But he broke a rule. Therefore, he was disqualified. And that reflects the whole message of the book of Judges, doesn't it? In the book of Judges, it says, every man did that which was right. in his own eyes. But you don't win the racing drive championship if you do what's right in your own eyes. You have to go according to the rules. And sometimes God's older saints get the idea that the battles are all over and there's no more hurdles to be overcome. The temptations of the older believer are just as real as the temptations for the younger believer. You see, my friends, today the devil is very, very smart. He is smarter than any one of us here this morning. And he knows just exactly how to tailor make the temptation to fit your particular age group. So Gideon is one of those who stumbled before the finishing line. Did you ever watch the hurdler athletics? You see these world-class hurdlers taking those hurdles one after another. Sometimes you think it's almost mind-boggling how fast they're going and how they've got it down to a fine art. and then they come to the last hurdle, and they hit the last hurdle, and before they can get up, they have lost the reins. Isn't that a very sad thing to happen? Get all that way to the end, and then, at the last hurdle, stumble and fall. My friends, this morning, A series of circumstances are going to be unfolded in this chapter about Gideon that will show us the hurdles he had in front of him and how he fell at the last hurdle. I trust it will not be so with you or with me this morning, that we will fall at the last hurdle. There are three things that I want to draw your attention to in this passage of God's Word this morning. First of all, criticism. Criticism, how he dealt with criticism. Verses one to three, we've read those verses this morning. And here is the hurdle of criticism. It starts off on the inside, as you'll note from verse one, the men of Ephraim. Now, Ephraim was the largest and most influential tribe of the children of Israel, and they thought they were really something. Some people say they thought they were no goat's toe. They thought they were really something. But they were all out of joint here. And you see the severity of their criticism against Gideon in verse one. And it was a stinging criticism. And they dished it out to Gideon. You remember in chapter seven of the book of Judges that Gideon had called the children of Israel to battle against the Midianites. and 32,000 of them showed up. And he put them through a series of tests and just 300 men were left. Can you imagine how those responded who were sent home? Well, I suggest to you some of them were mad. Some of them were critical. They were finding fault with what Gibeon had done. And you know, the book of Proverbs tells us that a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. And when you get a believer out of joint, it's hard to get them back into a good spirit. It's hard to get them happy again. You get some Christian out of sorts a little bit and develop a critical spirit and they can get ugly and they can get very un-Christlike and fault-finding and nitpicking all the time. And that's what you have here with the children of Ephraim. What is Gideon going to do here? These people are criticizing him and they are criticizing him unjustly. They're not telling the whole story about the situation. By the way, when people criticize normally, there's a personal reason down inside that they don't really want us to know about. Most of the time, the criticism has a personal agenda, but they don't really want to have that unfolded. So here is Gideon. He's facing a problem on the inside. Problems on the outside are not nearly as hard to deal with as the problems on the inside. You see, it's not the water on the outside of the boat that you have to worry about. Generally speaking, it's the water on the inside of the boat that causes the real problem. Remember in the early church there in Acts chapter 5, that Ananias and Sapphira were on the inside. They were lying to the Holy Spirit, and that's what caused the problem. And here Gideon is dealing with a problem on the inside. Do you know it must have made old Gideon's blood boil? He must have really got hot on the inside. I have a strong feeling that he was ready to give them a piece of his mind. Have you ever felt like that? By the way, the next time you think about giving somebody a piece of your mind, you better not do it. You need all the mind you've got for yourself. Don't be giving any of it away. Matthew Henry, a great commentator, he said this, wisdom teaches us to wink at many of the injuries that are done to us and act as if we did not see them. There are some things we have to wink at. In other words, overlook. Proverbs chapter 15 verse 1, a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. Notice the tactful response here in Judges chapter 8 of Gideon and verse 2. See how Gideon handles the situation. He gives a soft answer. He responds here to their ugly and hateful and critical spirits. He responds with kindness and humility. He may have been tempted to give them a piece of his mind, but he was wise enough to control his tongue and to control his temper. And that's something all of us need to do. When somebody says something ugly or unkind or critical about you, develop the habit of saying something kind and sweet and complimentary about them. And Gideon is saying, essentially here in verse two, I have done nothing compared to you. So he's stroking them a little bit. He's soothing the ruffled feathers of the Ephraimites. Have you ever apologized for something you didn't do? That's not a bad thing sometimes. Tell them you're sorry even though you didn't do it. It's not bad to give a soft answer, you see. A soft answer. And that's how Gideon dealt with the hurdle of criticism. You see, he shows real leadership here. He demonstrates how he could not only control an army, but he could control himself And many Christians have lost their testimony and their effectiveness for the Lord because they haven't learned to control themselves. Have you a quick temper? Have you learned to control that temper? Have you learned to control yourself? If God would just help us to keep a sweet spirit and to take our hurts to the Lord, and for the sake of the unity of the church of God, to respond with kindness when others are critical of us. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16, verse 32, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. You always come out ahead, dear friends, if you will respond that way to criticism. You see how Gideon overcame criticism. But I want you to see secondly, that he had the second hurdle, and the second hurdle was that of contempt. Contempt. In verse four, you'll notice the words here. And Gideon came to Jordan and passed over he and 300 men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. You see, Gibeon and his men are mopping up the situation now, but they're still pursuing. They're still in the battle. And this ought to be the testimony of every one of God's children when they get weary. Though we may faint, yet we keep on pursuing. The Bible teaches us in the book of Galatians chapter 6 and verse 9. You're not weary and well, do you? for in due season we reap if we faint not. Do you ever get weary? Of course you do. Weary in teaching that Sunday school class, weary in working with the youth. You're tired of it. Do you ever say, I've had a hard day or a hard week? I've got to go down to the church and do something, do some outreach, do something else for the Lord. Of course, God's children get weird. We get weary in the work of the Lord. But we need to be like Gideon and his 300 men. Though we are faint, yet we continue to pursue. Faint yet pursuing. We're still in the battle. You see, God doesn't give any of his children any retirement papers. Now, I know there's a state age of retirement and all that, and I'm not too far away from that. I'm not trying to cover it up. I'm getting there very shortly. Gee, maybe getting new neighbors. But never mind that. Faint yet pursuing, we continue on in the work, whatever aspect it is of the work of God. All the way to the finishing line, it's called commitment. Faint yet pursuing. What a testimony. Gideon and these people had. Along the way, they're hungry. Verse 5, he's saying, here, give a little hospitality. In those days, hospitality was very important. They didn't have a hotel or a restaurant or a coffee shop. Along the way, It's important that hospitality was shown. And the Bible teaches us that hospitality is a spiritual gift. There are some people who have that gift of hospitality. The Word of God says in Romans chapter 12, verse 13, that we are to be given to hospitality. There are people who have this gift to entertain people in their home, to bear witness to them of the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll notice the response here in verse six. And the princes of Succoth said, are the hands of Zeban's Elmana now in thine hand that we should give bread onto thine army. The response of these people to Gideon and all that he was doing and his men and all that they were involved in was one of contempt. It was a response of disdain. They're being ugly about the situation. It's showing total contempt for the work of the Lord and for the things of God. And here, this was some of Gideon's own people. Israelites talking in this way. Now, what was Gideon going to do? Look at verse seven. Gideon said, therefore, when the Lord hath delivered Ziba and Zalmanah into mine hand, then I shall tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with the briars. Whatever happened to the soft answer? Why is he talking now tough? He's just pointing out to us that we have to have a different way of handling different situations. In the first situation, as we noted, with the criticism with Ephraim, that was a personal attack upon him. It was a personal insult to him. But this is an altogether different situation. These people are acting like the enemies of the Lord. They're in opposition to the work of God. And Gideon has enough discernment to know how to deal with every situation in a proper way. What Gideon says here is, just wait until I get back and I'll deal with you. He's very severe with these people. When the work of God is being hurt, you have to handle it in a different way. When some people are actually hindering the Lord's work, are doing damage to the things of God, you have to deal with it in a very different manner. The same thing happens at Penuel if you look at verse 8. Verse 16, the thought is conveyed here that he disciplined him. Verse 17, he dealt with the problem of contempt. And the Apostle Paul is a very clear illustration of this. Sometimes there were personal attacks against Paul in his ministry. And you can read his letters and how tactful he was and how gentle he was. And he gave the soft answer. Other situations you'll find that Paul is very forthright. For example, in 2 Timothy 4, verse 14, he said, Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works. He had to deal very firmly with some people on occasions. It's not an easy thing to do. Had to be done. He dealt very firmly and very forcibly with the church at Corinth. Things that were wrong, things that harmed the work of God had to be dealt with. You have to know when to be soft and when to be tough. You have to pray for the discernment of the Lord when to do the right thing at the right time. And this kind of attitude had to be a great disappointment here to Gideon. And sometimes along the way, Christians disappoint us and let us down and even break our hearts. But don't let that disillusion you. When you see Christians less than they ought to be, don't let that cause you to stumble. The Bible teaches that we're all sinners by nature. We're all sinners. So we can all stumble. The only good thing there is in us is what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. In other words, his grace and salvation. And when we see the bad in other believers, you're just seeing the old fallen nature. When you see good in believers, you're seeing the grace of God in them. And so be understanding of the bad and thank God for the good and praise God for his grace. Remember, no one is perfect. If you're disappointed in someone, go home and look in the mirror. Go home and look in the mirror. If you followed me around this morning, And the rest of this day you'll find many things that you don't like in me. Many, many things. You'll be disappointed. You'll be disappointed. Did you say anything today or yesterday or some other day that you shouldn't have said? Did you do anything today or some other day that a Christian ought not to have done? Have you been a disappointment to others or of a disposition It would be very difficult for people to say on the outside that you love the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be patient one with another. Because God is working in all of us. Praise God, though we may not have been what we ought to be, we're not what we used to be. Because of the grace of God. If we're serving the Lord, for any other reason except for Jesus' sake, will be eaten up with bitterness. Gideon passes the test. He's over the hurdle. He's over the hurdle of criticism. He's over the hurdle of contempt. But now, dear friends, he comes to the last hurdle. What is the last hurdle? It's the hurdle of compromise. Verse 22. We didn't read it this morning for sake of time, but you can read it there. Chapter 8 of Judges, verse 22. The men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou and thy son, and thy son's son also for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. You see, Gideon came home a hero. And you know, people get carried away with heroes. That's a societal thing. And we can often get caught up in that. So-and-so's a hero. And here, Gideon is flattered by the people. The thought came to Gideon's mind, no doubt, that he was better than he really was. They thought Gideon was the greatest thing that had happened to Israel. And no doubt he liked the flattery. Maybe you like a wee bit of flattery. Maybe you like a whole lot of flattery. But it can be very dangerous. You see, it's pleasing to the flesh. But you know, dear friends, flattery is like perfume. It's all right to smell, but you don't swallow it. You don't swallow it. See his reaction, verse 23. He's almost over this hurdle. Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son over you. The Lord shall rule over you. But watch verse 24. And you see, in those days they took the spoils of the battle and when they won the victory, they would strip the fallen soldiers. And in those days, these earrings were part of their worship. They had in their possession these golden earrings. And Gideon requested that they give them to him. And this they willingly did, verse 25. I want you to see something here that's very dangerous. You must be careful that though you may appreciate and respect your spiritual leaders, you don't put them on a pedestal. In the Christian world today, there are some preachers and singers and leaders in church life who have almost celebrity status. Friend, you respect the minister of the gospel for his office and for his work. And you ought to do that. But God's servants are not celebrities. We are not celebrities. The Lord Jesus Christ said this, He that would be chief among you, let him be your servant. Let's always remember that. Don't make celebrities of spiritual leaders. They are just men. We are just human beings. Because we let people down. Keep your eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't look to men. Look to Christ. They're making a celebrity out of And now he says, give me those earrings. You see verses 25 to 27, he got them and he made an ephod. Now what was this? What was an ephod? Well, it was a kind of apron, except it came all the way over the head instead of just around the waist. It was tied together on the shoulders with two precious stones. On the front of the ephod, there was a breastplate that had 12 precious stones representing the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. It was worn by the high priest. And inside that breastplate, they had what was known as the Urim and the Thummim. And these were used to discern the will of God. But Gideon says here, I'm going to make an ephod. The thing is, in verse 27, as it tells us there, that he made it and put it in the city of Ofra. The only problem is this, friend. There was already an ephod in Shiloh, and it was worn by the high priest who would take the sacrifice and slay it and sprinkle the blood upon the altar, and that high priest wore that ephod in connection with the holy things of God. that represented sacrifice for sin. Do you see what Gideon's doing here? He was a magnificent soldier, but he made a miserable priest because God had not called him to be a priest. It's what you call homemade religion. He's compromising religiously. They already had an ephod in China. You see what's happening today? It's religion to suit yourself. Homemade religion. Find out what the people want and give them what they want. We have become a commodities culture, a consumption culture. People go to church to check it out. Like they go to the shopping center. Or go online to get something or another. Check this out, check that out. We all do it. And there's nothing wrong with it in various aspects of life. But a lot of people approach religion like that. They ask, do I enjoy it? Does it make me feel good? Do I like it? Does it help me with my hang-ups? Of course there's a sense. sense in which our needs are met in God's house. And it ought to be so. But the problem is that most people don't even know what their needs are. A lot of people say that the Bible believe in church is answering, not answering their questions. But friend, they're not asking the right questions. Society is not asking the right questions. Today, society wants to know where I can get the latest fix, where I can get the latest psychological twister, where I can get this and that to make me feel good. How can I prepare for death? Don't hear that question asked. How can I deal with the sin problem? Don't hear that question asked. Those are the real questions. The Bible has the answer. A Bible will even church has the answer to those real questions. And maybe you've got a question about your sin this morning. Maybe you've got a question about the life that you're living. Maybe you've got a question about how you can prepare for eternity. The Bible has the answer. The word of God has the answer this morning. The real questions. make a real difference in people's lives, are answered in the word of God. He compromised religiously, sad to say. All Israel went to whoring after this. The Bible tells us verse 27, they prostituted themselves to this kind of religion. It became a snare onto Gideon and to his house. We read also in verse 30, he compromised morally. polygamy. Oh, you say polygamy is in the Bible. Yes, it is, friend. It's in the Bible. There's polygamy all through the Bible. But always keep in mind, there's a difference in what the Bible reports and what the Bible supports. Bible doesn't support that. Those things are written there that we might avoid that. That we He compromised religiously, he compromised morally, he compromised domestically, verse 31 of the Bimelech, and you read down through this passage and you see how he's compromising in his own family. Are you compromising in your family this morning? He compromised culturally, verses 32 to 33. You see the trend of this man who'd been way up here in the minds of people, like a celebrity, but it's all downward. Here's a man who before had torn down the altars of Baal. Compare chapter six. And now he comes to the last hurdle of his life, the hurdle of compromise, and he stumbles and falls. How sad. How sad. The Bible says, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. I want this morning to give you some closing warnings. First of all, as you approach the finishing line, look to Jesus. Don't look to people because people will let you down. Keep looking to Jesus. Keep your eyes upon Jesus. Secondly, don't compromise your obedience to God's word. Disobedience is the road to spiritual defeat. We see it here in this man who had achieved so much. The record in scripture is there, what God was pleased to do through this man, and yet he fell at the last hurdle. Make sure your life and your lifestyle is consistent with what you believe. Don't be a hypocrite. So live that you can say with Paul, I fought a good fight. I have finished the course. I've kept the faith. Gideon was a good man. But he fell at the last hurdle. He finished badly. Will you pray this morning? That this preacher will not finish badly. As I approach the finishing line, that I will not finish badly, but I will finish well. To the glory of God, I don't want people to remember my name, just the fact that I was a sinner saved by grace, a preacher of Christ's gospel. May the Lord bless his word to our hearts.