Judges 8:22-2822Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you. 24And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks. 27And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. 28Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon. (Judges 8:22‑28)
After Gideon’s great success in driving away the enemies of Israel, the people wanted to make him their ruler. But He said. “I will not rule over you.
The Lord shall rule over you.” This was a right answer because the Lord had not said for Gideon to be king.
Gideon had honored God very much, and Israel had no more trouble from enemies while he lived.
But there was something which Gideon did which was very wrong: he asked for the gold earrings which the men of Israel had taken from the enemies, who seem to have had many ornaments, even on their camels. The men said they would willingly give Gideon the gold earrings. So a cloak was spread on the ground, and the earrings were laid on it, also jewels and choice garments, and chains from the camels’ necks.
The gold and jewels Gideon had made into what is called an ephod, which we suppose, was like the ephod worn by the high priest of Israel. Perhaps you remember how God told Moses to have the ephod made (Ex. 28). It had very much pure gold with jewels on the shoulder pieces and breastplate with the names of the tribes engraved there, and all joined by gold chains, It was “for glory and beauty”, to be worn in the Tabernacle in the worship to God, to show that all Israel was represented there.
The Lord had not given Gideon the work of a high priest. He had chosen the family of Aaron for that, so Gideon was wrong in this. And, besides, his ephod seems to have been used as an idol, worshiped by his own family and others in Israel, which was as evil as the worship of Baal whose altar he had thrown down. And we read that after Gideon’s death the people of Israel “remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them.”
ML 07/31/1938