Israel was at war. The Midianites and their allies had severely afflicted the nation for seven years (Judg 6:1). However, God raised up Gideon to defeat those enemies and bring relief. 

When Israel went to war during the time of the judges, the battles were only regional. They never involved the whole nation. In each case, some tribes went to war while others remained unaffected due to their geographic location. 

But even during a regional battle, some Jews in the area fought, while others did not. We see an example of that during the fight with the Midianites. Gideon and the Jewish army fought the Midianites on the western side of the Jordan River. After their defeat, the surviving enemies fled, crossing the Jordan and heading east.  

Gideon asked the Jews who lived in the towns of Succoth and Penuel on the eastern side of the Jordan to help feed his men as they continued the fight. The Jews in those towns refused (Judg 8:4-9), saying they would wait until they saw who the victor was going to be. They were afraid of what the Midianites would do to them if they helped Gideon and his army was later defeated. 

Clearly, this was a case of disunity. The results were catastrophic. Gideon’s army was left hungry. Gideon was angry with his countrymen in Succoth and Penuel and told them that he would kill them after he defeated the enemy. That is what happened. 

Some believe Gideon overreacted. Others say that God used Gideon to discipline His disobedient people. The Lord had told His people that Gideon would, through His power, defeat the Midianites. The people of Succoth and Penuel did not believe what the Lord said. They deserved what Gideon did to them. 

Whether Gideon overreacted or not, disunity among God’s people is sad. Jews on the east side of the Jordan did not feel any connection to those on the west side. They felt no loyalty to each other and did not see themselves as a national unit. One can imagine how this impacted the country’s religious climate. Did they see themselves as worshipping the same God at the tabernacle He had given them? Surely, they did not.  

Bible scholars rightly point out that this disunity was a demonstration of the economic and spiritual disintegration of the nation of Israel. Things were falling apart. As long as they were divided, they could not work together to do the things that pleased God.

The same principles apply to a church. Paul rebukes the church at Corinth for its lack of unity. Their conduct did not please the Lord (1 Cor 3:3). The church is to be a unified body, working together to do the work of the Lord (1 Cor 12:25; Eph 2:10).   

God chose Gideon to lead His people. Gideon had work to do. The people of Succoth and Penuel made his job harder and impeded what the Lord was doing. The Lord places elders in the body of Christ to lead them. If these men are faithful, the whole body should submit to their authority and make their job as pleasant as possible (Heb 13:7).

If a local assembly is not unified, the consequences in this life will not be as catastrophic as those that occurred at Succoth and Penuel. The elders will probably not execute those who are challenging to deal with. However, disunity in the church is not a trivial matter. The Lord wants us to attend an assembly where His Word is taught. Part of obeying that Word is that believers will work together to please the Lord. If we don’t, we should not kid ourselves. Our loss will be great.