Judges 8

Jehovah the King of Israel

And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you. Judges 8:23

When the people try to make Gideon king, he refuses and points them to Jehovah as their true King. Jesus Christ is the rightful King of Israel, who will yet reign personally upon the earth.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4) · the verse itself names Him · a footnote points to Him · the chapter heading names Him · a traditional type, cited

• alluded to by 1 Samuel 8:7 — When Israel later demands a king, the LORD tells Samuel, "they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them" - the same claim of divine kingship that Gideon here upholds, now refused.

Jehovah the Deliverer

And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: Judges 8:34

Israel's slide begins with forgetting the Lord who rescued them. Remembering Christ, as we covenant to do in the sacrament, is the protection against drifting into idolatry.

How we know: Jehovah is the premortal Christ (Abraham 1:16; D&C 110:3–4) · the verse itself names Him · the chapter heading names Him · a traditional type, cited