The snare: (Judges 8:24-27)

After taking advantage of the reverence that the people are giving him, Gideon comes up with a crazy idea. If anyone has not been paying attention to the signs that he had been listening to the devil, they might think that this idea came out of the blue. However, we have been noticing that, since the end of the battle, he has been falling into the temptation of vanity and pride.

He then asks some men to give him gold. They give it to him willingly because they have already surrendered to him, wanting him to be their king. Therefore, they bring him a huge amount of gold and precious things. “Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.”

Let’s understand what happened here. Gideon asks for an offering for himself and the people give him an offering. He places the ephod in his city, in his own honour… and the people worship the ephod. In other words, Gideon takes the place of Baal in the city! How can someone who has received the Holy Spirit go so far as to allow themselves to become a point of idolatry?

Unfortunately, not only is this possible but it is not uncommon. The devil will always tempt one who has been put in a place of prominence with vanity and pride. After all, he was once an angel who was in a place of prominence and, because he allowed himself to be filled with vanity and pride, he eventually fell into sin. He wants to repeat his story in all those who are chosen by God to do something, in order to show God that anyone in his place would do the same.

But the Bible contains stories of men of great responsibility, like Abraham, Israel, Joseph, Daniel, and Noah, who did not fall into this temptation. It also contains stories of some men, like Moses and David, who even fell for a moment, but soon repented and made amends. Therefore, the devil’s argument is wrong. But he keeps trying. And the Holy Spirit does not force anyone to do what is right. He instructs, directs, guides, but if the person wants to do wrong, they will do it, even while having the Holy Spirit.

The people should have done for God what they did for Gideon, because only God is worthy of receiving such honour. And Gideon, as a leader, should have led the people to sacrifice for God and not for themselves. To honour God, and not his own name. But after losing his fear, Gideon also lost the best of what God had seen in him: sincerity and obedience.

Continued tomorrow…

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