When we read this chapter of the Gideon story we see the high point of his faith exposed when he finally worships God for his faithfulness to fight and give victory to Gideon over the Midianites. However, the character arch takes a hard turn downward when Gideon makes the statement: “…and for Gideon” attached to the smashing of the jars as God turns the Midianite army on itself.
What Gideon has done is take a portion of the glory from God and attached it to himself; God was the one that gave the victory, but Gideon took glory for himself for reasons that echo God’s concern from Judges 7:2 regarding Israel bragging about victory if their army was at its original size before God shrank it down to just 300.
The overall storyline from chapter 7 is the pinnacle of the Gideon story and his faith in God, while it is also the point of his turning into a different Gideon in the later chapter where we will see what Gideon is capable of not only against his enemies, but against his own nation.
The Wry Pastor
IDGTC - "For Yahweh and for Gideon?"