Who is the King of Your Life?
In the time of the Judges, God raised Gideon to deliver Israel. Gideon gave God the Glory when he conquered the princes of Midian: Oreb and Zeeb. He declared it would be by the power of God that the Midian kings Zebah and Zalmunna would fall as well (Judges 8). Gideon realized it was not by his own hand or the hand of man this was achieved. Only through the might of God, King of Israel and Creator of all, was this accomplished.
The faithful of God recognize that there is only one King of their life.
God told Moses Israel would someday seek an earthly king over themselves like the nations (Deuteronomy 17). The first king appointed by the judge Samuel was Saul (I Samuel 10). However, before Saul and following the victories of Gideon, Israel asked Gideon and his sons after him to be their king. His response: “…I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.” (Judges 8:23). Gideon may not have been a perfect man, but he humbled himself to the power of God.
Men have been trying to elevate themselves since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve ate thinking they would be like gods in doing so. Their decision introduced death to mankind. Later, mankind tried to elevate himself by building a tower high into the skies. God changed their languages and scattered them throughout the earth (Genesis 11). During the captivity of Israel, Nebuchadnezzar attempted to take the might of God upon himself declaring he had built the nation of Babylon by His own power; God caused him to go about as oxen eating grass (Daniel 4). Herod attempted to take the glory due to God and Jehovah caused him to be eaten of worms (Acts 12).
Matthew 5:3 declares: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The phrase “poor in spirit” describes the humility we see in Gideon and the humility man needs to exhibit to be pleasing to God. Gideon did not attempt to put himself in the place of God. He did not seek the recognition of men. He simply fulfilled his role as a servant of God and was content with God being King of his life.