Gideon was a rare soul. He had an offer to be king before Saul and David. He was not hungry for power. “Only the Lord himself will rule over you.” He knew who he was in the grand scheme of things. When we have truly bowed to the Lord our King, then we know that it would be blasphemy for us to have that place; further, we know no other person on the planet deserves the veneration of that place. To enthrone the Lord totally as our King cleanses the soul of having another king, while also orienting our lives to bless the rest of humanity.
“Then the Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also; for you have delivered us out of 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.’” Judges 8:22-23 (NRSV).
