Gideon's Folly

Passage: Judges 8:22-27

Even though Gideon is the most obvious hero in the Israelites’ victory over Midian, Gideon seems not to let it go to his head. He credits God with the victory. And when his people offer to crown him king, Gideon declines. God chose Gideon for his humble roots and his humble attitude. Gideon is persistently humble throughout his story.

Gideon’s subsequent idolatry therefore comes out of left field. When the Israelites ask Gideon to rule them, he says, “No thank you.” But then he asks one favor: a small gold trinket from every Israelite warrior’s plunder. The trinkets pile up. Gideon melts them down, and produces a golden “ephod”. The ephod was a garment of distinction – it identified someone as “a big deal.” Even though Gideon says no to the responsibilities of national leadership, Gideon doesn’t mind adopting a symbol of his own importance. Over time the Israelites begin to associate Gideon’s success in the legendary battle against Midian not with the LORD, but with his spectacular ephod. It becomes an object not only of admiration, but of worship. Gideon himself falls prey to the instinct of which he had been so innocent: the lust for recognition. In the same way that Gideon's humility proved instrumental in Israel's deliverance, his depravity contributed to their long-term undoing.

We’re surprised by the way Gideon's story ends, given the way it begins. What we have to remember is that the Bible doesn’t introduce static, two-dimensional characters. It introduces real people. Real people change over time. Our characters are subject to all kinds of influences. We are not always influenced for the better. Judges tells and retells the story of what happens when God's people are influenced by any force other than God. We are all vulnerable to the forces that corrupt Gideon and his people. The only safeguard is an intimate relationship with our Lord and God.