Judges 8:22-35

8:22 | The men of Israel credited Gideon for having delivered them from the Midianites rather than the Lord. Gideon not only neglected to build an alter in tribute to God’s deliverance, but he did not call the people to worship as other judges had done after their victories. Perhaps this omission accounts for Gideon’s eventual fall into the sins of pride and self-worship. When the glory goes to oneself rather than to God, pride and delusion are not far behind.

8:23-32 | Gideon rightly refused the formal title of king, but he began to take on the accoutrements and mind-set of royalty when he asked for gold from the plunder. Eventually, this request would lead to idolatry and polygamy. He also named his son Abimelech, which means “my father is king.” Gideon was called to be a judge and a deliverer. When he began to give ear to his friends’ flattery, he ran the risk of being something other than God had called him to be.

8:26-27 | Taking the gold from the people (over 40 pounds’ worth) and making some sort of an ephod (Ex. 28:29) with it, shows the extent of Gideon’s pride. Gideon was a Benjamite, not a Levite. He had no business making items for worship or putting them anywhere other than the tabernacle in Shiloh. This ephod became a snare for Gideon and his family – they began to worship it. Gideon the idol-breaker became Gideon the idol-maker (Ps. 106:39).

8:34-35 | Despite all his achievements, Gideon made no permanent spiritual difference in Israel. His story is inspiring, but his small concessions to evil eventually disgraced himself, his family, his people, and Yahweh.