Midian Subdued and Forty Years of Rest

Midian no longer dominates Israel, and the land has forty years of rest in the days of Gideon.

The preceding verse says Gideon's ephod in Ophrah became a snare to him and Israel. The forty-year land rest therefore cannot mean that worship was healed. The following verses record Gideon's large family and death, then Israel's renewed Baal worship, keeping this rest substantial but finite.

The Lord-given rescue brings a measured period of quiet, and Gideon goes home.

Understanding the Big Idea

Midian's power is subdued before Israel and it no longer rises against them in Gideon's days. The land has forty years of rest, and Jerubbaal, Gideon son of Joash, returns to live at home. The notice closes the military conflict and begins the story's quieter biographical ending.

To close the Midianite military conflict with a duration of land rest and transition from Gideon's campaigning to his life at home.

Forty years of land rest is a finite result of this historical deliverance. The gospel of Christ's death for sins and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) announces salvation not supplied by Gideon's quiet years or by the absence of one enemy.

1. What does the narrator say about Midian's power after the campaign?
2. How long does the land rest, and in whose days?
3. Where does Jerubbaal go after the campaign?
4. What detail in verse 27 prevents us from calling the rest complete spiritual renewal?
5. What does Israel do after Gideon's death in verses 33-35?