Looking for Glory

Passage: Judges 7:22-8:3

Once Gideon and his 300 men have routed the Midianites, members of the other tribes of Israel join in chasing their enemies down. One of the tribes that gets involved late in the game is Ephraim. After the dust has settled, the men of Ephraim confront Gideon. They ask him why he didn’t invite them to the fight earlier. Apparently they’d have liked a bigger piece of the action (or so they say now, after the menacing Midianite hoard has dispersed). Gideon sees past their complaint, and recognizes that what the Ephraimites want is credit. They would like to have been remembered as the ones who led the charge. They want the glory. Gideon says, “How much glory do you need? You captured two kings of Midian. Your territory is the envy of the other tribes. You’re a big deal.” This pep talk seems to be enough for the Ephraimites. After having been reminded of how great they are, they return home.

This exchange captures a classic human reaction to God’s work. We are reticent to take part in a project that looks difficult or mundane at the outset. We’d rather take part in something that will yield a big payoff for our efforts - reveal us as the big deal we think we are. We want to contribute to something we can put our name on afterward. When the project we shied away from at the beginning turns into something big and widely recognized, we’re resentful of those whose names are associated with it. When it comes to doing God’s work, our motivation should never be that which motivated Ephraim. It should never be the recognition or status we’ll get out of it. Why? Because if it’s God’s work, the only one getting the credit should be God. Use that as a test for any effort you’ve pursued in God’s name. When someone congratulates you on your accomplishment, do you say, “Thank yuh very much” or do you say, “Praise God”? God does great things through ordinary people not to get those people into the history books, but to make his presence known to the world. This is God’s purpose in any endeavor. It should be ours, too. The glory belongs to God.