Gideon’s hope is that the miraculous victory will deflect Israel’s worship from the false god Baal to the true God of their fathers. Regrettably, it is not God that his army credits for the slaughter. It is Gideon: “Then 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.” Gideon replies, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.”
