Judges 8:22-27 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.”
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.” (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)
“Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels.
Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
Idolatry! So easy to get into and so difficult to escape! When Gideon’s story begins, his father is the local priest for both Asherah and Baal, with the Asherah pole right next to the Baal altar. God has Gideon tear down both, build a new altar, and offer his father’s seven-year-old bull on the new altar as a burnt offering using the Asherah pole as fuel for the fire. Then Gideon wins a stunning victory when God causes the enemy armies to panic and attack one another. But what’s next?
When offered the chance to become a ruler, Gideon wisely refuses, saying, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!” If Gideon were to stop there, everything would be fine. Gideon is pointing people to the Lord. But Gideon doesn’t stop there. The Israelites have captured a huge quantity of gold. Why not create an ephod, a sacred garment? But why? David Guzik in his Enduring Word Commentary has this to say about the ephod:
a. Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city: An ephod is a shirt-like garment worn by the priests of Israel (Exodus 28). This was obviously wrong, and it is not immediately apparent why Gideon did this. It is possible he did this to work against the prestige and influence of the tribe of Ephraim. At this time the tabernacle – the center of worship for Israel – was at Shiloh, in the territory of Ephraim. Gideon perhaps set up this rival place of worship to compete against the tribe that troubled him in the battle against Midian.
i. “While this was probably done out of a sense of the religious failure of the people, the effect produced was evil and resulted in deterioration of the character of Gideon himself.” (Morgan)
ii. “He did not set up an idol, but he made an ephod, an imitation of that wonderful vestment worn by the high priest. Perhaps he made it of solid gold, not to be worn, but to be looked at, simply to remind the people of the worship of God, and not to be itself worshipped. But ah, dear friends, you see here that, if we go half an inch beyond what God’s Word warrants we always get into mischief!” (Spurgeon)
b. And all Israel played the harlot with it there: The people of Israel enjoyed this idolatrous worship. The beautiful and expensive ephod became a snare to Gideon, his family, and all Israel.
i. Artistic beauty has a way of impressing us and giving a sense of awe, but it is not necessarily a godly impression or awe. Many times, it can distract our focus from the LORD. In contrast to this ephod, God commanded that His altars be made of unfinished stone (Exodus 20:25), so that no one’s attention was focused on the beauty of the stone carver’s work.
ii. Gideon was remarkably obedient and filled with faith in the extreme moment of battle. The routine of daily living seems to have been a greater test of his character. This is true for many, and the challenges of daily living are more difficult than those of the extreme moment.
iii. “Perhaps it is easier to honour God in some courageous action in the limelight of a time of national emergency than it is to honour Him consistently in the ordinary, everyday life, which requires a different kind of courage.” (Cundall)
Judges 8:29-35 Then Gideon son of Joash returned home. He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives. He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech. Gideon died when he was very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer. As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them. Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.
Although Gideon has claimed he will not rule, he immediately sets himself up as a ruler. Gideon’s new-gained wealth allows him to acquire a large harem, fathering seventy sons. And he does rule at least part of Israel for the rest of his life. Sadly, Gideon forgets the Lord who has brought him victory and prosperity. And as soon as Gideon dies, the Israelites return to Baal worship. (“Baal” is a general term meaning “Lord,” so there are many Baals, probably because demons are territorial and therefore take the name Baal ______, as in Baal-berith.
Recently, I was asked what I would do if I were to leave surgery, or even medicine altogether. While I am certain that if God calls me to do something else, I will do it, I love what I do and I love my patients and my interactions with them and their families. But we must always remember that it is God who calls us to do any work and that He can always change our assignments. Our work cannot become so important that we worship it rather than God. Idolatry is seductive and easy to slide into without noticing it.
After winning magnificent victories with God’s help, Gideon does well by pointing people to God but almost immediately stumbles. Never assume that you will not fail at the same place as someone else! We read this story and think, “Oh, I would never do that.” But anything can become an idol. The only safe practice is to remain focused on God, His Will and His Word. Anything else, anything less, and we are immediately in trouble, whether or not we realize it. And when our call becomes more important than anything else, we might make human sacrifices of our friends and family, leaving us isolated, frustrated, and lonely. Beware when you feel compelled to do something for the sake of your call! Is God compelling you, or has your devotion to what you are doing become the force that moves you?
What did God want Gideon to do once he had conquered the Midianites? The answers lie in the Mosaic laws, for God wanted Gideon to worship Him and to encourage others to do so. But Gideon had never fully committed his heart and mind to God, so as soon as the moment of divine inspiration had passed, Gideon immediately created a new idol.
You feel you have a divine call. Well and good. But be very certain that you continue to worship God and keep the eyes of your heart on Him, for you never know when He might change your direction. And remain humble when God gives you victory, realizing that it’s always his doing and not yours. Do these things and you will please God. Fail to do them and you will wind up like Gideon, reverting to idol worship.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You, first, last, and always, remembering that calls are secondary to worshiping You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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