May 1
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GIDEON’S FALL AS A JUDGE
A poem by ILMA
It was amazing how the Lord brought Gideon as their deliverer
He used to be so humble and always consulted God before battle
As his brothers were killed by Zebah and Zalmunna, his heart changed
He began to do things on his own and endangered his kingship over Israel.
Gideon began to tread the smaller towns of Succoth and Peniel differently
He dealt with the offense of the people of Ephraim with cunning flattery
Yet, he threatened the smaller towns that he will get back at them
When he was victorious, these two small towns got what they deserved.
When Israel asked him to be their ruler, yet Gideon declined
He only requested for a gold earring from their plunder from enemies
From all their contributions, the gold weighed forty-three pounds
Out of all this, he made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah.
Why did he want to make a vessel fit for a high priest or a king?
Did he want power and recognition for all his victorious battles?
This ephod became an idol for the Israelites, they worshiped it
It became a trap for Gideon’s as it directly made them adulterous to God.
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MEMORY VERSE
Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. – Judges 8:27
Read: Judges 8
What happened to Gideon? He started out as a very humble servant of God. Just after a victory over the Midianites, his heart immediately changed and greed and power came out of what began as a humble and faithful heart for God.
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REFLECTION
• What led to Gideon’s change of heart?
• Why do you think he made an ephod for himself and put it in his hometown?