“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. That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land. 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.”
Judges 8:22-35 NLT
A leader of God’s people should have two goals, both of which concern legacy. In thinking about what will be left behind, the goals should be that man remains faithful to God and that he remains loving to each other. The record records that idolatry began during the end of Gideon’s time as a judge, and peace remained until he died. In this way, and on both counts, he was a failure. He had not kept the purity of the people, or inspired loyalty in them, though he did great things in his time as a judge. Hero’s can be easily exploited by sin, through their pride. They often believe that they are doing the right thing when it is clear they are not. Gideon seemed to fall into this category. He declared that God alone should be king. But he also wished for a golden ephod to be made and displayed in his home town. This was the culmination of his obsession with lifting the status of his tribe above a perceived inequality. There is no mention that he toppled this idol like he had done in his earlier days. It seems he felt entitled to its presence. Gideon’s story is a tragic example of how one man can be used mightily by God but still fall so short. We ought to be careful of our pride. Even justified, it is easily our weakest link, at our greatest time.
Leadership Goals: Remain faithful to God and loving to others.
Gideon’s Legacy: Failed to maintain purity and loyalty among the people, despite initial successes.
Pride as a Weakness: Gideon’s pride led to idolatry and a tragic end, highlighting the importance of humility.
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