We
have discovered how needful it is for us to be making the right decisions in
our walk with God. Why? All it takes is one wrong decision, one flawed move and
we will be scarred for life. It is perfectly okay to enjoy the victory one has
secured through the Lord, but don’t be carried away in the celebration till we
become careless and make a wrong move. The victory that Gideon had secured over
the Midianites brought the people of Israelites rest for 40 years. In the
period of rest, complacency had sneaked into the camp. Gideon made some
disappointing and insidious decisions that tarnished an otherwise great period
in the history of the Israelites. What did he do that was so wrong?
Remember
Gideon asked the people to each give him an earring which they had taken from
the Ishmaelites. They then spread a garment on the floor and everyone
contributed an earring each. The amount they collected for him amounted to 1700
shekels of gold. God did not grudge him for what the people gave to honour him.
Gideon however, made a wrong move by making an ephod out of the gold he had
collected. The ephod was the unique garment that God instructed Moses to make
for the high priest to wear for service in the Tabernacle. It was an elaborate
piece of art that was a visual object to help the people see the unique place
God should have in their lives. Whether this ephod Gideon made resembled the
original one or not we do not know. But he had one made and placed it in the
city of Ophrah. This one wrong move led the people into a tailspin into
harlotry again and his household was also ensnared. For whatever reason
Gideon might have in making the ephod, it was certainly the wrong move. This
tells us how careful we must be in our decision on the things to do to secure
our relationship with God. Simple, proven tracks are to be preferred over
complicated untested ways. We must learn not to bloom where we are not called
to groom.
The
second thing Gideon did that was disappointing was that he took one wife too
many. Instead of staying focused and enjoy the wife of his life, he had many
concubines all over the cities. And in all, Gideon had seventy sons born to him
by his many wives. The third disappointing move he made was found in the name
he gave to the son born to him by his wife from Shechem. He named that son Abimelech,
meaning “my father is king”. In so doing he had revealed the real intention of
his heart. Remember in Judges 8:22-23 the people wanted to make him king
saying, “Rule over us, both you and your
son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” At
that point, Gideon responded saying, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my
son rule over you; the Lord shall
rule over you.” While he claimed to be uninterested in the position,
yet in naming his son Abimelech, he had shown what he truly wanted - to live
like a king. His hypocrisy was exposed by his incongruence. His true desire was
that he wanted to live like a king. In the next chapter, we shall see how much
pain this son Abimelech would bring to the people. He was like a little
festering sore. While Gideon died at a ripe old age, he did not leave
behind a rich healthy spiritual legacy. We must decide now not to follow in the
footsteps of Gideon. We must not allow acts of foolishness, or pride or lust to
sabotage our spiritual legacy. We have started well, so let us stay strong
and finish triumphantly!
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