Judges 8 Defusing Jealous Ephraimites

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
Judges 8:1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.

2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.​

This is from Bibletrack.org.

Now they want to help! Where have they been for the last 7 years of oppression? These leaders of Ephraim complain to Gideon about the fact that they were not called upon to supply troops in Judges 6:28-35 (see notes). They were called upon for clean-up operations in Judges 7:19-25 and were responsible for catching and executing those pesky Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb. In verse 2, Gideon's a gentleman about their challenge and uses a harvesting-grapes metaphor to describe their actions compared to his; he compliments their bravery, and because of Gideon's diplomacy, they drop the whole issue.​

My daughter's boyfriend would use the word "blister" to describe the Ephraimites. A blister comes around after the work is done.

These are cousins.... These are the descendants of Joseph.... Ephraim was one of Joseph's sons.

Don't you have a jealous [or overzealous] cousin? They are in charge of everything... their families are the richest... they have the best cars... they would give you the shirt off their back [but they would remind you about it every time they saw you].... but they want all the good vibes...

They bake the best pies.... they throw the best parties..... but if you were to throw one magnificent bash.... they would be devastated...... That's what kind of cousin Gideon was dealing with....

Remember.... the Bible is like a family tell all.... and the family is really, really, really dysfunctional.... just like some of our families today!

:coffee:
 
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