Two weeks ago we saw the rise and triumph of Gideon as God's chosen judge. Despite his constant questioning and nagging need for proof, he did in fact deliver the people from the oppressive rule of the Midianites. We left the story with this foreign army fleeing, having imploded at the sound of trumpets and the breaking of pottery.

With this foreign force fleeing with it's tail between its legs, our story continues with the final destruction of the army and the tension that arose within Israel in the midst of it. The following chapters then outline the demise that proceeded this victory, firstly in Gideon's own life but then more fully and graphically in the generation that came after it. Israel, as the introduction warned, is simply getting worse and worse.