Gideon and Ben Elton

GIDEON

Yes, we’re still with Gideon. This is a really interesting bit – how other people react to his successes.

So the Ephraimites’ response was this –

“Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.  Judges 8:1

We can only imagine how that conversation went. They felt left out. They’d wanted to share in the action. They’d wanted to be part of the victory. And yet they were. They had had an important role to play. They were the ones who had dealt with Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders.

Oh yes. Right. They can see that now.

So now the response of the men of Sukkoth when Gideon and his exhausted men ask for food (they are still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian) –

“Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?”  Judges 8:6

What have you actually achieved so far, Gideon? You haven’t finished the job yet. Come back to us when you have. Why should we help you?

Oh dear, that’s not going to go down well.

And then the men of Peniel say exactly the same thing.

So when Gideon returns with the two captured kings, and the consequences are exactly as he said. He punishes the leaders of Sukkoth with desert thorns and briers and pulls down the tower of Peniel and kills the men of the town.

Here’s another response. Gideon asks his oldest son to kill the two kings and he won’t do it –

But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.  Judges 8:20

So Gideon does it himself.

Next response: the people ask Gideon to be their ruler. He refuses – only God can rule over Israel. He does however ask that each of them give him a gold earring from their plunder. And their response?

“We’ll be glad to give them.”  Judges 8:25

The problem is that Gideon then melts them down and makes them into an ephod which he places in Ophrah, his town – and the people’s response? They worship there. They idolise Gideon. They put him on a pedestal. They make him into their god. And of course, that never ends well.

Anyway, in Gideon’s lifetime, there is peace. For forty years. Gideon has 70 children (including Abimelek). He lives to a good old age. And as soon as he dies, how do the people respond? Yup, you guessed it –

 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal(that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.  Judges 8:33-35

Grr – will they never learn?!?

BEN ELTON

‘This Other Eden’ was first published in 1993. Ben Elton had written a couple of other books before this that Andy had read and enjoyed but somehow they didn’t appeal to me.

I was already a massive fan of Ben Elton as a stand up comedian. We went to see him live in the Charter Hall in Colchester at around that time and I hurt from laughing so much – which for someone who struggles to laugh out loud at anything was a minor miracle!

We were already into fair trade and green issues at a time when all of this was very new and not at all mainstream. We used the only brand of environmentally friendly cleaning products on the market – ARK – which were not hugely effective, I have to say. My Dad still remembers sneaking bleach into our flat to clean the white sink (which was not at all white!) without us knowing!

And ‘This Other Eden’ was all about eco terrorism. It was clever and funny and very, very thought-provoking. I was so inspired by this novel that I wrote a long letter to Ben Elton – and got a handwritten reply!

Dear Helen

Many thanks for your kind letter which I did indeed find encouraging.

Best wishes in all your endeavours.

Love Ben Elton

Over the years, Ben Elton’s novels have challenged me to look at issues in society with fresh eyes. He showed me how writing can be relevant and tackle the toughest of questions and yet still entertain and amuse. I love how he depicts his characters with such accuracy. In his stand up and his novels, he is such a good observer of human life. To me, he is a modern day prophet (without the religious overtones) – he addresses the flaws in society head on and writes honestly about how things could turn out if we carry on on this path (I think ‘Blind Faith’ was my favourite of his novels).

He’s helped Andy too! He’s been grateful to be able to buy an easy gift when the novels are released every other November (along with Joanna Trollope, they are a pretty safe bet).