What does Judges 8:35 Mean?

Context Summary

The Children of Israel were guilty of great fickleness and instability. They soon relapsed into Baal worship and forgot to show kindness to the family of their great leader. But such is the frailty of the human heart. However hot we may be for Christ today, we may be cold and distant tomorrow. It seems as if the great adversary taunts us with this as he did John Bunyan, to whom he kept whispering. "I'll cool you, I'll cool you." We must take our fickle hearts to our Lord, asking Him to keep us true and hot in our love. There are times when His friendship is the most real thing in life, but then the rainbow-glory fades in the sky. Let it not be so any more, O Lord, we beseech thee!

The terrible crime of Abimelech was extenuated by the people of Shechem, because his mother was one of themselves. Compare Judges 8:31 with 9:1, 18. But the mills of God were grinding out awful trouble for them all, Judges 9:56-57. Surely, in his lack of self-control, Gideon had much to answer for, Judges 8:30! The evil that men do lives after them. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 8

¹  Gideon pacifies the Ephraimites
⁴  Succoth and Penuel refuse to deliver Gideon's army
¹⁰  Zebah and Zalmunna are taken
¹³  Succoth and Penuel are destroyed
¹⁷  Gideon revenges his brothers's death on Zebah and Zalmunna
²²  He refuses government
²⁴  His ephod the cause of idolatry
²⁸  Midian subdued
²⁹  Gideon's children, and death
³³  The Israelites' idolatry and ingratitude