Gideon-Tested in Weakness

Judges

Week 19 — Gideon— Tested in weakness

1. The temptation of pride ride.

Pride never travels ___________.

A man can be used mightily by God and still drift slowly away from him.

What happens when God gives us _______________—but we forget the ___________?

2. The ___________ of idolatry.

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and also your grandson—because you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” (Jdg 8:22)

Syncretism is the blending, mixing, or fusion of ___________________ religious beliefs, practices, doctrines, or traditions into a _______ or _____________ form—often by incorporating elements from one faith into another, or combining them to create something that _______________________ the distinct truths of each.

²² When the Israelites blew the three hundred ram’s horns, the Lord turned the sword of each Midianite against the person next to him throughout the whole camp. The Midianite army fled up to Beth Shittah, toward Zererah, up to the border of Abel Meholah, as far as Tabbath. (Jdg 7:22)

²³ But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Only the Lord will rule over you.” (Jdg 8:23)

Tim Keller: Gideon discerns the underlying motive for asking for a king—they want to be ruled by a man, not by God (v 23). With a king, they would not need to look to God for salvation, and wait for him to send them a savior. The desire for a king is actually another effort at self-salvation.

For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot. (Ro 8:7)

This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord. (Je 17:5)

All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth. (Is 64:6a)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the road to death. (Pr 14:12)

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to reach the goal by the flesh? (Ga 3:3)

It is finished! (Jn 19:30)

⁸ Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph 2:8–9)

²³ But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Only the Lord will rule over you.” (Jdg 8:23)

²⁴ But Gideon also said to them, “Let me ask you for one thing: that each man give me an earring from his plunder.” (The enemy wore gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) (Jdg 8:24)

²⁵ They answered, “All right, we will give them to you.” Then they spread out a garment, and each man among them threw in an earring from his plunder. ²⁶ The weight of the gold earrings that he had requested was seventeen hundred shekels.  This was in addition to the crescents, the pendants, and the purple clothing that had been worn by the kings of Midian, and the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels. (Jdg 8:25–26)

²⁷ Gideon made the gold into a sacred breastplate [אֵפֹד (ā-phōd)]. He set it up in his town of Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household. (Jdg 8:27)

Why did Gideon make this אֵפֹד (ā-phōd)?

Chad Bird: Gideon made this golden ephod. … We do know from Judges that an ephod was used in idolatrous situations. When it says that Israel “played the harlot” there it is pretty obvious what was is going on there. They were once again involved in the worship I believe of Baal and maybe Asherah as well.

Tim Keller: The ephod was worn by the high priest in the tabernacle, the tent where God was present among his people, which at this point was sited in Shiloh (Jdg 18:31). On its front were the Urim and Thummim-two stones that were used to receive "yes” or "no" answers from God (they may have been like coins, which were flipped; likely, two upsides meant "yes," two downsides meant "no," one of each meant "no answer"). The ephod designated the true place of God's dwelling, and was a way to discern God's will in times of crisis. In making his own copy, Gideon essentially sets up his hometown as a rival place of worship. He wants to encourage people to come to him for guidance, to see his hometown as the place where God can be found. Gideon has used God to consolidate his own position, instead of using his position to serve and be used by God. … The judge is supposed to turn people from unfaithfulness to the true God. Gideon leads them into it.

By making an ephod, Gideon may have intended to:

• commemorate God’s victory,

• create a visible reminder of God’s deliverance,

• or even provide a way for Israel to “seek God” locally.

His intentions may not have been evil at first.

Whatever has been is what will be again, and whatever has already been done is what will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. (Ec 1:9)

¹¹ But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly wrong. ¹² For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when those people came, he drew back and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision group. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that they were not acting according to the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of all of them, “If you, a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, why do you compel the Gentiles to live like the Jews?” (Ga 2:11–14).

Points to Ponder

1. What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
2. What does the people’s request in Judges 8:22 reveal about their spiritual condition?
3. Gideon refuses kingship (v. 23) but immediately requests gold and creates an ephod (v. 24–27). How does this contradiction show a “head–heart gap” in Gideon’s faith?
4. How does Gideon’s ephod become a snare not only to him but to all Israel?
5. What parallels do you see today in how Christians might affirm the right beliefs but allow pride, success, or fear to shape their decisions?
6. How does the gospel free us from the “Jesus + something” temptation that both Israel and the Galatians struggled with?
7. What would it look like for our small group/church to lovingly confront one another when we see drift—like Paul confronted Peter?

Read: Judges 8