“...Gideon, Rule over us-you, your son and your grandson-because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.” But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” This is the right answer. I don’t know if I would have said the same thing. King Joshua... sounds nice doesn’t it? Hmmmm, maybe there is something to that. Gideon had fought this great battle and won. Gideon deserved nothing more than to take over and rule but he didn’t. Gideon challenged the Israelites to rearrange their thinking. He pointed them to the God that allowed them to have the victory.
After this pearl of wisdom Gideon says something strange though. “...Give me an earring from your share of the plunder” and the people did. The people were glad to oblige. Why would Gideon want an earring? They probably had crusty dead people parts on them. I guess they were worth something but still I wouldn’t want something taken off a dead body... maybe that’s just me.
I remember in my last semester of Bible College I had a class with our former super-attendant Bill Morrow, now President of Master’s. We were discussing issues in pastoral ministry and professor Morrow said something that has stuck with me ever since. He said, ‘stay away from the three G’s, Glory, Gold and Gloria’. Meaning watch that you don’t get sucked into being above everyone, don’t become a lover of money and watch the hunnies because they can lead you astray.
Gideon passed the first test. When the glory was handed to him he placed it back to the one who deserved it, the God of the Israelites. But he began to fail the gold part. Gideon made the gold into an ephod. The type of ephod this is we don’t know. There is a description of an ephod in Exodus 28:6-10 but more than likely this is not the same type. It seems as though, in the opinion of most scholars, that Gideon made a Garment that covered an idol like those from Mesopotamian or Egyptian cultic statues.
I don’t know if it was the allure of the gold or if he just totally lost sight of where this gold was from, but Gideon seemed to have lost focus. The thing that was won by the mighty hand of God through his humble servant Gideon who did not take the glory for himself but placed on the most high, had now created an ephod for a pagan idol. In Judges 8:27b it states, “All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family”.
What started out as something so promising quickly led a nation astray. Not only did Israel turn away but the great leader created something that became a snare for both him and his family. Was there something in Gideon’s heart from the beginning? Did he know what he was doing? Or was something that happened over time? I guess we will never know. What we do know is that it was a snare and Gideon was content to let it lead him astray. Not only him but a nation of people
What is your snare? Maybe you don’t know it is yet. Maybe somewhere in the back of your mind you know that there is something that is beginning to dig its teeth into your life. What are you going to do to stop? Gideon is not just responsible for his heart wandering but for hundreds of thousands of people prostituting themselves to an ephod that he created. Watch out for snares. Don’t get caught. Remember who the true God is. Leave the earrings in the dead people? (I just thought I would throw that on in).
Hard to always recognize, quess that is why we need to search our hearts and allow God to show us if there be anything that keeps us from being and having all God meant for us....It really is a daily thing isn't it...Like a garden , you constantly have to watch for weeds and dig them out before you cannot tell the difference between the good plants and the weeds....Hard to do but I pray I remember this blog so it reminds me of the importance of it..Thanks
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