Judges 8:16-17 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
While Gideon and his 300 were pursuing Zeba and Zalmunna of the Midianites, he asked the men of Succoth and of Penuel for bread for his weary troops. Both cities refused to help. They refused to help him because they were afraid of the enemy. They had neither faith nor respect for God or the man of God. Afterward, in this verse, Gideon carried out the threat he made earlier (v. 7-9).
Refusing to help anyone in need when it in our power to do so because it will not benefit us personally is a sin of omission. Jesus says at the judgment: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Helping the neighbor is what a Christian does in response to the Gospel of salvation. But we fail. Therefore, Jesus died also for the good things we did not do.
The penalty Gideon imposed nay seem severe, but it points out to us the serious nature of the sin of omission, which shows disrespect for God.