The Holy Spirit does not dwell upon this part of Gideon's biography. However, enough is said for us to realise what happened. The man who refused the throne adopts a very kingly lifestyle.

First, there is his ″royal″ harem (Judges 8:30). Occasionally, an ordinary Israelite might have more than one wife, but large-scale polygamy was practised only by rulers who could afford it. Gideon adopts not only the Canaanite idea of having a harem but apparently their moral standards as well, because he has a concubine in Shechem (v. 31). Gideon also lives in ″royal″ prosperity. He had begun his career as the ″weakest in Manasseh″ (Judges 6:15), but he ends his life in great luxury. This is exactly what God warned against in Deuteronomy 17:17. The final evidence of Gideon's backsliding is found in the name he gave his son-Abimelek (″My father is king″, v. 31). The boy is claiming for his father what Gideon had apparently renounced in verse 23. Later on, chapter 9 reveals that his family receives the impression that the next king would come from among Gideon's sons. How far away Gideon's great victory is now!

The ending of Gideon's story is a sad one, but it has some important lessons for us today:

One, we cannot compromise our obedience to the Word of God, as Gideon did with God's commands. The path of partial obedience is the way to spiritual defeat, and the path of compromise means that the Lord will not be able to use our lives to make a permanent impact for Jesus Christ. We cannot alter God's Word, and we cannot choose to obey only what we deem appropriate. His Word must be supreme.

Two, the most glorious profession of the lordship of Jesus Christ must be followed by the consistent practice of that lordship (see 1 Corinthians 10:12). The evidence of our dedication to the Lord must be worked out in our lives over the course of time. Gideon professed the kingship of God over Israel in clear, unequivocal terms, but then he felt free to alter the King's clear commands. How has your dedication to the Lord altered your life? Is it only a glorious profession, or is it a habit of life? There is no substitute for hard-nosed, consistent obedience.

Three, the only safe place to keep our spiritual eyes is on the Lord Jesus. Even Gideons may backslide. The most spiritual Christian may fail. God the Holy Spirit calls us to run the race before us, looking away from all else to Jesus, the source and protector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). He alone is our unfailing example.