The victory is complete, because Gideon has captured the two kings of Midian. After this triumph, Gideon returns to Succoth and Penuel, the places where he could not find food for his hungry men and where he was mocked.
Judges 8
14 He seized a young man from the town of Succoth and questioned him. He wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.
15 He came to the men of Succoth and said, “Look at Zebah and Zalmunna, whom you insult me about, saying, ‘Is the hand of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are faint with hunger?'”
16 He took the elders of the city, the desert thorns, and the briers, and made them known to the men of Succoth.
17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
booths
Sukkot means huts or booths. It is the name of the seventh festival, described in Leviticus 23:34-43. These verses state no fewer than nine times that the festival would be held in the seventh month and would last seven days.
seven
Gideon has the chiefs and elders of Succoth write down seventy-seven men; here too, the word “seven” is prominently present. The festival of Succoth represents the great Sabbath, the seventh day of a thousand years, in which the Messiah will establish and reign over His kingdom of peace worldwide. These men of Succoth had shown their unbelief and rejected Gideon. Therefore, they will not share in his victory.
Judgment
Upon his return, Gideon acquaints them with the desert thorns and the briers. We do not know exactly what he did, but it was a powerful lesson, as the NBG translation puts it. It is a depiction of the judgment that will come upon the unbelieving portion of the Jewish people at the Second Coming. At His return, the Lord will gather the people to the wilderness outside the land and judge and purify them there (Ezek. 20:35-38).
The men of Penuel face a similar fate. They too will be judged and perish, just as the unbelieving portion of Israel will perish at the Second Coming and will have no part in the Kingdom of Christ. The Tower of Penuel, a symbol of religion and pride, will be demolished. When the Lord returns to establish His Kingdom, it will be the end of all religion and human rule.