Judges 8:24 And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27 And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
We have already seen that Gideon was one of those hesitant leaders called by God, yet he went ahead and obeyed and serves Him as a judge over Israel. He became a hero. But God does not hold back from showing and sharing the shortcomings of His leaders. Gideon saw this as his "golden" opportunity. Notice that his act became an idol to the people and a trap for Gideon and his descendants. It came back to haunt them. Beware the dangers of short-lived success. Often dreams come true become nightmares for all. They can bring out the worst in any man.
No comments:
Post a Comment