Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:33-35.

As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel. — Judges 8:33-35

The irony here is sharp. Gideon was nicknamed Jerubbaal—“let Baal contend against him”—after tearing down Baal’s altar in his father’s yard. His name became a living testimony against false gods.

But the moment Gideon dies, Israel runs back to Baal. They don’t remember the LORD who rescued them. They don’t honor the family of Jerubbaal. They return to Baal again.

It’s a tragic picture: a man once known for defying idols leaves behind a people enslaved to them again. Gideon’s personal victories didn’t guarantee generational faith. His success could not secure succession.

Faith is not inherited like money in a will. Every generation must choose God for themselves.

But what you build—and what you hand off—matters. Gideon’s life teaches us that tearing down idols once isn’t enough. You must raise up others who will keep tearing them down long after you’re gone.

This is why your legacy isn’t defined by your wins in the present but by the disciples you prepare for the future. Your true legacy isn’t your success—it’s your succession.

ASK THIS:

1. What will people remember when my name is spoken?
2. Am I modeling a faith that will outlast me?
3. Where could idolatry creep back in if I’m no longer around?
4. Who am I discipling so the faith doesn’t end with me?

DO THIS:

Share with someone younger in the faith one story of how God tore down an “idol” in your life. Invite them to tell theirs—and keep the fight alive.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, let my life testify against the idols of this age. And let my legacy not die with me, but live on through those I hand faith to. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Worthy of It All."

Winning the battle is one thing — staying faithful after the victory is another.

Summary:
Gideon’s story in Judges 8 shows us a hard truth: success can be more dangerous than struggle. After a miraculous victory over Midian, Gideon let pride, vengeance, and compromise creep in — and it unraveled his leadership and legacy. This chapter warns every man that the fight doesn’t end when the enemy falls; it often begins when the applause starts. In this study, Vince Miller challenges us to examine how we lead after the win and how we guard our hearts against the subtle traps that success brings.

Reflection & Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think success often exposes more about a person’s character than failure?
2. What signs of pride or self-reliance do you see in Gideon after the battle?
3. How did Gideon’s pursuit of revenge distort his leadership?
4. What does this chapter teach us about the danger of power without accountability?
5. How might Gideon’s refusal to be king sound humble, yet still reveal compromise?
6. In what ways can spiritual success lead to spiritual complacency in our lives?
7. How did Gideon’s choices impact the nation after his death?
8. Where are you most tempted to relax spiritually after a “win”?
9. What safeguards can you put in place to stay faithful after seasons of victory?
10. How does Jesus model the opposite of Gideon’s leadership in success?

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:28-32.

So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon. Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites. — Judges 8:28-32

At first glance, it appears Gideon finishes well. Midian is crushed. Israel enjoys forty years of rest. He dies at a good old age. On the outside, it’s a success story. But beneath the surface, cracks have formed.

Gideon has multiple wives. He fathers seventy sons. He keeps a concubine in Shechem. And he names that son Abimelech—“my father is king.” The very thing Gideon swore off in verse 23—kingship—he now lives out through his family. His words said, “God rules.” But his life secretly and subtly proclaims, “I rule.”

And those seeds of compromise would grow into one of Israel’s darkest chapters, which you will see in the next chapter.

Peace and faithfulness are not always synonymous. We have been learning this throughout the Book of Judges. A patriarch can win wars and still lose his family and the next generation for the Lord.

Gideon’s drift shows us how legacies are shaped—not by big moments, but by the slow accumulation of bad choices. A compromise in marriage. An unchecked desire for status. A child raised in divided loyalties. These seeds eventually sprout into a full-grown rebellion in the next generation.

You are planting seeds today. Your habits, your words, your faith—or your lack of it—will shape your children and grandchildren. Gideon left Israel with forty years of rest, but he left his family with a fractured legacy that would be devastating.

Your true legacy isn’t your success—it’s your succession.

ASK THIS:

1. Am I planting seeds of faith or seeds of compromise in my home?
2. What hidden patterns in my life might grow into pain for the next generation?
3. Do my words about God’s rule match my lifestyle?
4. If my legacy is not my success but my succession, what am I truly handing off?

DO THIS:

Take one intentional step to plant a seed of faith in your family today—pray with them, open the Word, or speak a word of blessing over them. Remember: your true legacy isn’t your success—it’s your succession.

PRAY THIS:

Father, keep me from building a false peace while sowing seeds of compromise. Help me plant a legacy of faith that will outlive me and point my family back to You. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"The Blessing."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:22-27.

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.” And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. — Judges 8:22-27

Israel is finally free of the Midianites. Their oppressors are defeated. In their eyes, Gideon is their hero. The people beg him to be king, but Gideon refuses: “The LORD will rule over you.” It sounds noble. But right after this, Gideon gathers their gold and builds an ephod—a type of religious garment that they make into a shrine and marker of the win. What was meant to honor God has become a trap. Israel worshiped it, and Gideon’s household fell into idolatry.

Gideon leaned on God in weakness but forgot him in strength

Failure drives us to God. Success tempts us to drift from Him. That’s the real test.

Think about it:

• When your business is struggling, you pray. But when it prospers, do you still pray with the same effort?
• When your marriage feels shaky, you cry out to God. But when it feels stable, do you keep seeking him?
• When you’re in a season of weakness, you cling to God's Word. But when life feels strong, do you drift into self-reliance?

Our battlefield isn’t always a Midianite army—it’s the comfort and pride that come after the victory.

Here’s the warning: Success without surrender becomes a snare. Gideon’s story reminds us that yesterday’s victories don’t protect us from today’s temptations. Sometimes, they often create them. So don't let success become your snare.

ASK THIS:

1. Has success in my life made me more dependent on God—or less?
2. What “victory moments” have tempted me to drift into pride or comfort?
3. How do I keep pointing myself and others to God instead of to the spoils?
4. Am I as prayerful in seasons of strength as I am in seasons of weakness?

DO THIS:

Today, take one area of success in your life and deliberately turn it into surrender. Write down the blessing—and then write a prayer giving it back to God.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, guard my heart in victory. Don’t let my successes become snares. Keep me humble, grateful, and surrendered in every season. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Lord, I Need You."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:14-21.

And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels. — Judges 8:14-21

Gideon has captured the kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna. On the way back, he confronts the leaders of Succoth and Penuel, who mocked him and refused to help. His “justice” is brutal—whips with thorns, tearing down towers, killing men. Then his motives become personal. The Midianite kings had killed his own brothers at Tabor. What began as God’s deliverance now slides into personal vengeance.

Sometimes justice and vengeance can look similar. One springs from God's work. The other springs from our own wounds. And it’s often hard to tell the difference, at least at first.

This is where leadership is dangerous. Gideon started as God’s instrument of deliverance, but his judgment now carries the marks of pride, anger, and personal pain.

We face the same temptation. As parents, bosses, or friends, we sometimes say we’re “teaching a lesson,” but often we’re just venting frustration. We claim it’s about “principle,” but sometimes it’s about ego. And when old wounds or grudges slip into our leadership, we’re not carrying out God’s justice—we’re feeding our own vengeance.

Here’s how to know the difference: Justice restores; vengeance consumes. Justice honors God; vengeance honors self. Justice disciplines with love; vengeance punishes with anger.

The difference is motive—and only a heart surrendered to God can keep that line clear. Don't act in vengeance; be just in all you do, otherwise you might end up hurting others forever and hurting your leadership all the same.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I blurred the line between justice and vengeance?
2. Do I discipline others out of love, or out of frustration?
3. How do my past wounds influence the way I treat people today?
4. Am I willing to let God heal my pain so my leadership stays pure?

DO THIS:

Before reacting to someone’s failure or offense, stop and ask: Am I correcting to restore—or punishing to get even? Then invite God to purify your motives before you move forward.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, expose my hidden motives. Heal the wounds that fuel vengeance in me. Help me to lead with Your justice—pure, humble, and full of love. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Refiner."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:10-13.

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure. And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic. Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. — Judges 8:10-13

The chase is over. Gideon captures Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings. The victory is amazing—what began with 300 men now ends with an army of 120,000 wiped out.

But here’s the danger. After exhaustion and criticism comes temptation. Power can twist our perspective. Victory can be intoxicating. Leaders who experience wins can quickly lose their way if pride, anger, or vengeance worm into their hearts. Gideon stands at that crossroads.

Your greatest temptations often follow your greatest victories. When the adrenaline fades and the applause starts, the enemy whispers, “You did this. You deserve more. Take what’s yours.”

For Gideon, the temptation is vengeance and pride. For us, it might look like self-congratulation after a big accomplishment, bitterness toward someone who doubted us, or entitlement that makes us think we’ve earned a pass from obedience.

The real test of leadership isn’t just whether you can lead the battle—it’s whether you can lead your heart humbly when the battle is done. God calls us to victory without arrogance, strength without vengeance, and success without self-worship.

So when God gives you a win, don’t let temptation rob you of the blessing. Celebrate his power, not yours. Point the spotlight back where it belongs—on Him alone.

ASK THIS:

1. When has success tempted me more than failure?
2. Where do I feel the pull toward pride, vengeance, or entitlement?
3. How can I guard my heart in moments of victory?
4. What practices help me point glory back to God?

DO THIS:

The next time you experience success—big or small—pause and redirect the credit. Thank God openly, and resist the temptation to take the glory for yourself.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, protect my heart in moments of success. Keep me humble, guard me from pride, and help me see every victory as Yours, not mine. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Not To Us."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:4-9.

And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower." — Judges 8:4-9

Gideon and his 300 men are worn down. They’ve already fought a miraculous battle against Midian, but the fight isn’t over. They’re chasing the kings who escaped, and Scripture paints the raw picture: “exhausted yet pursuing.”

Instead of finding support from fellow Israelites, they get rejection. The men of Succoth and Penuel refuse to help, essentially saying: “Prove you’ve won first.” Imagine the sting—hungry, weary, and now doubted by your own people.

Yesterday, Gideon had to handle criticism with humility. Today, he must handle weariness with perseverance. Both require a leader’s heart anchored in God.

Life rarely slows down when you’re beaten up and beaten down. The bills still come. The kids still need you. The conflict at work doesn’t wait until you’re rested. And sometimes, just when you need encouragement most, people let you down instead.

That’s where this story hits home hardest. Exhausted yet pursuing sometimes describes the believer's life. Following Jesus will sometimes push you beyond your limits, and you’ll face opposition, even from those you thought would help.

Perseverance isn’t about never getting tired—it’s about trusting God enough to keep moving when you are. Gideon kept pressing forward because his confidence wasn’t in his strength or people’s support—it was in God’s promise.

If you’re worn out and tempted to quit, remember: your exhaustion doesn’t mean you’re defeated. It might mean you’re right on the edge of God’s breakthrough.

ASK THIS:

1. Where do I feel “exhausted yet pursuing” in my life right now?
2. Do I let people’s criticism or lack of support slow me down?
3. How does trusting God help me press on when I feel empty?
4. What might it look like for me to take one more step of faith today, even tired?

DO THIS:

Identify one place you feel worn out right now. Instead of quitting, take one small act of obedience today—trusting God for the strength to carry you further than you think you can go.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, I’m exhausted. But I don’t want to quit. Strengthen me to keep pursuing Your call, even when I feel weak, even when others let me down. Help me trust You for every step. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Give Me Faith."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23.

Our text today is Judges 8:1-3.

Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. — Judges 8:1-3

Right after the victory over Midian, Gideon faces sharp criticism from one of the tribes of Israel. The men of Ephraim are furious that he didn’t invite them into the fight from the beginning. Their pride is wounded, and they “accuse him fiercely.”

Gideon could have argued, defended himself, or even reminded them who really led the battle. Instead, he humbly affirms their contribution, points to their success, and reminds them it was God who gave the victory (not a tribe or tribes). His calm demeanor and theological precision turn their anger into peace.

Every one of us will face criticism. Sometimes it’s fair, but usually it’s fueled by pride, jealousy, or misunderstanding. The natural instinct is to fight back and defend ourselves. But Gideon shows another way—humility.

Handling criticism well doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you’re strong and wise. Instead of escalating the conflict, you de-escalate it. Instead of defending your ego, you point back to God’s work. That’s not avoidance—that’s leadership.

In your life, criticism will come from coworkers, family members, and even fellow believers. You can either let it drive wedges deeper, or you can choose humility that disarms anger and turns conflict into peace. So, the next time someone criticizes you, resist the urge to fire back. Take a big, deep breath, look for what you can affirm or change, and then point the conversation back to God.

ASK THIS:

1. How do I usually respond when I’m criticized—defensively or humbly?
2. Have I ever escalated conflict by trying to “win the argument”?
3. What would it look like for me to deflect credit and point to God instead?
4. Who do I need to respond to with humility today?

DO THIS:

The next time someone criticizes you, resist the urge to fire back. Take a breath, look for what you can affirm, and point the conversation back to God.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, teach me to handle criticism with humility. Keep me from prideful reactions, and help me point others back to Your work, not my own. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me."