October 26, 2023
Topic: GIDEON BRAVERY TO IDOLATRY
Text: Judges 8: 22 – 27
Memory Verse: Mark 8:36 – For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul.
A certain lady mentioned that when her in-laws visit, they always insist she should not bother making food for them, and she would usually oblige and serve them drinks. This continued until she shared her concern with a wise older lady who laughed and advised her to ensure she provides the food even if they insist otherwise. The fact that they said she should not bother was not true, but that they were only playing diplomacy. The young lady tried this method and true to the old lady’s advice, they ate the food prepared and even thanked her for it.
The behaviour of the in-laws is crafty and uncalled for, placing the young lady in a position of confusion. Gideon’s behaviour is nothing different from these in-laws.
After the victory wrought through Gideon, he encountered God in a most unusual way. He was empowered to destroy the idols of his people; he won the battle against the Midianites by supernatural power of God with few men. Through him, the children of Israel finally put the Midianites out of the way from oppressing them. Gideon was approached by his people to become their King; he knew that God led his people through prophets and judges, so he could not oblige their request but he went ahead and supplied an alternative to God for them. In doing this, he turned his people back to Idolatry.
Why would a leader who had experience with God and was mightily used of God turn back on God? Victory over the Midianites made Gideon a very wealthy man. This would partly be thanks to gold he received when he requested a tribute from spoils of war (Judges 8:24–26). Gideon used some of that gold to make an ephod that became a false idol worshiped in Israel (Judges 8:27). He would have had plenty of other money however, including the goods he took from the conquered Midianite kings.
In other words, comfort made Gideon to turn back against a good God that gave him fame, influence and wealth. He used his wealth and fame to take many wives. Those wives bore Gideon seventy sons and he was assumed to have many daughters. It is no small income that can finance such a lifestyle. Gideon therefore lived “like a king:” in luxury and prosperity, despite not literally being a king (Judges 8:22–23). He named his son Abimelech, which means my father is a King. I am sure you can see the craftiness in Gideon’s act.
The lesson for us is clear, when we place our personal agenda ahead of God’s, the result is always not pleasant. God knows the motive of our heart and He saw through Gideon’s deception. The ephod became a snare to his family and of course, created a bad precedence for his people. Our actions will affect the people we love, while God wants us to have a good life, he is more concerned about our eternity. May we not trade our eternity for the riches of this present world.
Prayer: Father, I come before you today with a heart of gratitude for all you have done for me. Whatever I am, whatever I have is by your grace. Lord, I pray that nothing shall be more important to me than pleasing you with my life. Help me to focus on creating a legacy of godliness rather than worldliness in Jesus name, Amen.