기드온의 은혜가 타락으로 번져가는 과정 사사기 8장

사사기 8장은 기드온 전쟁 후 이야기를 중심으로 기드온이 어떻게 타락해 가는지를 여실히 보여줍니다. 신학자들은 그를 비극적 영웅 정도로 미화하려는 듯 보이지만 제 눈에는 그냥 전형적인 악인 같아 보입니다.

 

 

에브라임 지파의 불만

1. Then the men of Eohraim 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. 2 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? 3 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.

 

 

기드온이 미디안을 쫓는 과정에서 에브라임 지파는 자신들이 전투에 늦게 참여한 것을 불만스러워했습니다. 그러자 기드온은 겸손한 말로 그들을 달래며 갈등을 피합니다. 2절 에브라임의 끝물 포도가 아비에셀의 만물보다 낫지 아니하냐, 란 표현이 참 구렁이 담 넘어가는 듯합니다. 이처럼 상황이 사람을 만든다고 그렇게 약해빠진 사람이 순식간에 대중심리와 권력 흐름을 읽고 다루는 자로 변한 겁니다.

 

사사기 7장 읽기

보리떡의 꿈 사사기 7장

 

 

 4 And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. 5 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." 6 ANd the officials of Succoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, the we should give bread to your army?" 7 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." 8 And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Pnuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 And he said to the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower."

 

기드온은 300명의 병사와 함께 요단강을 건너 계속 미디안 왕들을 추격합니다. 숫곳과 브누엘 주민에게 도움, 그러니까 먹을 것을 요청하지만 거절당한 후 기드온은 훗날 보복을 예고합니다. 그런데 먹을 것 좀 안 좋다고 복수를 한다는 게 하나님의 부대가 맞나 싶습니다. 실제 먹을 것을 안 준 동족에게 피로 보복을 했다고 합니다. 아마 이때부터 타락이 예고된 게 아닐까요? 기드온이 하나님의 전쟁과 자기의 감정을 구분하지 못하고 있으니까요. 그렇게 거룩을 가장한 정치적 복수를 하고 있는 거죠. 

 

 

 미디안 왕 세바와 살문나 처형

10 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. 11 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. 12 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.

 

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. 14 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. 15 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 hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?'" 16 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. 17 And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

 

 

 18 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." 19 And he said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved the alive, I would not kill you." 20 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. 21 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.

 

미디안은 그저 이스라엘을 침략하는 약탈족에 불과했는데, 심지어 가나안 지역도 아닌데도 이렇게 처단을 하네요. 참으로 특이합니다. 무슨 전쟁 귀신이 붙은 것도 아니고 말입니다.

 

22 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." 23 Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you." 24 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 goldern earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 And they answered, "We will willingly give them." AND they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26 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 round the necks of their camels. 27 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. 28 So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. AND the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon. 

 

그리고 이제 기드온은 권력의 정점에 오르게 됩니다. 그래서 이스라엘 백성들은 기드온에게 왕이 되어달라고 요청하지만 기드온은 여호와께서 너희를 다스릴 거라고 합니다. 그러나 그는 전리품 중 금 귀고리를 모아 에봇, 즉 제사장 의복 일부를 만들고 그것이 이스라엘에게 수상 숭배의 대상이 되어 올무가 되고 맙니다. 게다가 왕은 되지 않았지만 자그마치 40년 동안 통치를 했습니다.

 

기드온의 말년과 죽음

 

29 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Opharah of the Abiezrites.

 33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 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, 35 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.

 

기드온은 미디안과의 전쟁 이후 고향 오브라로 돌아가 평안히 거주합니다. 그는 아내가 많아 아들을 70명이나 낳았고 세겜에 있는 첩에게서도 아비멜렉이라는 아들을 낳았습니다. 그리고 그는 아버지 요아스의 묘실에 장사됩니다. 그리고 그가 죽고 나서 이스라엘인들은 다시 바알을 섬겼다고 하는데요. 대체 무슨 차이인 거죠? 이스라엘인은 기드온을 섬긴 것과 다름없는 행동을 한 것 아니었나요?