Judges 8

“As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again …” (v33).  Gideon was used by God to throw off tyranny, but many of the tribes were still not content.  Some were worried about the spoils (v1-3).  Other tribes attempted to ride the fence, unwilling to get involved in the battle until it was secure (v6). Rather than be motivated by commitment to Yahweh, they lived by selfishness and pragmatism.  It is no surprise that when Gideon died, they quickly returned to other gods (v33).

Divided hearts will not sustain real faith.  Deep commitment to God means giving up our lesser motivations of convenience and pragmatism so that we can be “all in” for Him.