Unfortunately, Gideon’s ending was not positive. When the men of Israel asked him to rule over them following the victory over the Midianites, he had said the right thing: “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you” (8:23). But while Gideon’s words were humble, his actions were not. After he rejected the throne, he lived like a king! He took many wives and had 70 sons. In fact, he named one of them, born by his concubine, “Abimelech,” which means “my father is king.” He also set up a golden ephod in his city from the spoils of victory, which soon became an object of worship to all Israel.

Gideon started out as a servant, but then lived like a celebrity. He handled adversity better than success. In the extreme moment of battle he acted with faith and courage, but in the ordinary routine of life he did not honor the Lord. Instead of using the great victory over Midian for God’s glory, he used it for his own profit. In a sense, Israel continued following the pattern of Gideon after he died. By falling back into Baal worship, they indicated that money and success mattered most of all, which was sadly the example of Gideon’s later years.

Solomon wrote that the end of a thing is better than its beginning (Eccl. 7:8). But like Gideon, Solomon left a mixed legacy after falling into pride and idolatry in his later days. It is so important to end well! How we finish is more important than how we begin. Paul asked the Galatians, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (Gal. 5:7) He himself was faithful to the end, always pressing on and reaching forward (Phil. 3:12–14). Shortly before his death, Paul could write, “I have fought the good fight [well won!], I have finished the race [well run!], I have kept the faith [well done!]” (2 Tim. 4:7).