Preparation
#48 (Gideon - the
Conclusion)
Brian
Kocourek
This evening I would
like to conclude our study of Gideon and to do so we will turn to the Book of
Judges and read from the JUDGES
8:22 ¶ Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule
thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast
delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23 And Gideon said unto them, I
will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule
over you 24 And Gideon said unto
them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the
earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they [were] Ishmaelites.) 25 And
they answered, We will willingly give [them]. And they spread a garment, and
did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. 26 And
the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven
hundred [shekels] of gold; (A shekel is about 1/2
oz. So this was about 53 pounds of Gold. In todays
value it would be worth over a quarter million dollars.) beside ornaments, and collars, and purple
raiment that [was] on the kings of Midian, and beside
the chains that [were] about their camels' necks. 27 And Gideon made an
ephod thereof, and put it in his city, [even] in Ophrah:
Now, an ephod is
simply a priestly garment, and I believe that all Gideon wanted to do was have
a visual reminder for the people of the God in which they serve, because we see
in exodus that Aaron's robe was called an Ephod, and He was the High Priest.
EXODUS 28:3-15 Read
27 And Gideon
made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, [even] in Ophrah: and all
This evening I
would like to conclude our series on Gideon by examining this thing which God said had become a snare to Gideon
and to His House.
THE
SNARE OF GIDEON
Gideon had become a
hero to the
Gideon was righteous
enough and smart enough to turn away from the praise of men. He knew the praise
belonged unto God alone, and that God alone was ruler of His people
Therefore, I believe
that he now found himself in a precarious dilemma. He knew how quickly the
people forget the ways of the Lord, and so he felt that he had to do something
that would be a reminder to the people that God was still in control, and that
their focus should be upon God.
Therefore, he commanded the people to make an ephod of the gold and
linen and fine jewels that they had taken from their conquered enemies.
At first I thought
that perhaps Gideon had spoken this thing on his own and perhaps he did.
Because we are not told in the scripture that God had told him to do this. But
we do know that #1) Up to this point he had only done what God had
previously instructed him to do, and #2) He turned down opportunity that
would have elevated himself, and he therefore did not seek self exaltation but
had a heart that was right before God and wanted the people to look only to
God. And so he turned down position. The
people wanted to lift him up and he knew better than to receive their praise
because it was God that had soundly defeated the enemy. But what he had
forgotten, was that he had received specific instructions from God as to the
strategy and plans which so soundly confused and defeated the enemy. And
therefore, when he commanded the people to make this ephod, I believe in his
heart he only wanted to show God his recognition, that God is still in control and being put on
the spot before the people, he saw how they tried to elevate him, and he knew
that they needed some visible reminder to look to, as brother Branham
said, "They wanted a God with
skin on."
The people wanted to
lift him up and he knew better than to receive their praise because it was God
that had soundly defeated the enemy. But what He had forgotten, was that He had
received specific instructions from God as to the strategy and plans which so
soundly confused and defeated the enemy. Therefore, I believe he may have
jumped the gun and did God a service without it being his will.
But, whatever motive
lay behind this command to make this ephod, we know that Gideon's heart was
right with God, and we know that he was aware of the frailty of man and the
weakness of their faith in God. Whether God told him to make it or not, He had
told Moses to make the ephod for Aaron's garment and He had instructed Moses to
make the brazen serpent that was lifted
up on a pole. And so, whether he did so
because he wanted to keep the people focused upon God, it really does not
matter, the fact is that the people began to turn and make this ephod an idol
just as they did the brazen serpent that God had commanded Moses to make and
lift up on the pole.
Therefore, in viewing
the command to create this ephod, I can not say that God was in it and neither
can I say He was not in it. Because God had once before gave the command to
make such garments and I think Gideon perhaps had the people make such garments
to resurrect in their minds that God had gone before them on other occasions
and had conquered all their enemies, and this simple reminder would perhaps
give them a visual display that he is the same yesterday, today and forever.
But the Bible tells us
something else about this ephod which casts a further light upon it's effect,
not only on the people, but even on
Gideon himself, and his household. The scripture says, 27 And Gideon made
an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, [even] in Ophrah:
and all
All
In EXODUS 34:10 we read, ¶ And
he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels,
such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the
people among which thou [art] shall see the work of the LORD: for it [is] a
terrible thing that I will do with thee. 11
Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out
before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and
the Jebusite. 12
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of
the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare
in the midst of thee: 13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break
their images, and cut down their groves:14
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is]
Jealous, [is] a jealous God: 15 Lest
thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring
after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and [one] call thee, and
thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 And thou
take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after
their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
Therefore we see
Gideon's ephod of Gold become a double snare of gold and false worship. The
ephod brought not only trouble to himself, but evil to the nation. Remember, it
was the gold that
COLOSSIANS 3:5 ¶ Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
An image of worship
was made out of the gold and afterwards erected or set up in Ophrah; and the Bible tells us, says that “Israel
went thither a whoring after it.”
After this, we see
that upon the death of Gideon, the people worshipped Baal. 33 And it came to pass, as soon as
Gideon was dead, that the children of
One wrong step leads
to others deeper, darker and more damnable steps as first they sought as
substitute for the invisible God and then eventually they turn away from God
altogether.
The first step in
adultery is a wrong thought. Jesus said "even to look at as woman
with lust in your heart is the same as doing the act." And then when that wrong thought begins to
manifest itself, James said, "when sin (which is unbelief)
conceives, it brings forth death."
Why is it that so many
great and useful men, before finishing their course on earth, will write, say
or do something that, if it does not undo all their previous work, leaves some
kind of blemish on their good name or fame, causing the wicked to laugh and the
righteous to grieve?
Look throughout the
scriptures, and you will see this happening. Look at the lives of Saul, of
Samson, of David, of Solomon, of Demas, of Mark, and even look at
Peter and Paul. History bears witness to
the fact that John Calvin, who had received such wonderful illumination as
election and predestination had a man burned at the stake on theological and
doctrinal grounds, and to Aaron Burr, who, after a life of brilliant service,
plotted the overthrow of his country.
Paul said to the
Galatians: “Ye did run well, who did hinder you?” The “hindrance,”
if you will notice, came after the “running
well.” The twofold snare of Gideon presented itself after his great
victory. David’s temptation drew nigh after he had performed some of the
noblest acts of his life and composed a number of his sweetest Psalms. The
teaching from these and many other scriptural instances is, that awful moral
lapses and falls may take place after years of remarkable services and faithful
living. An humble-spirited preacher is made a bishop and develops into an
autocrat or pope. A gifted but lowly-hearted country boy enters the ministry,
has success, gets his head turned, develops oratory, strives for popularity,
and by-and-by a backslider in heart and life is in the pulpit giving
announcements and pounding the Bible. A faithful layman, entrusted with a large
sum of money, is true for years, and then, in middle life, listens to the
Tempter, and first uses, and, later, purloins sacred funds and flies from the
country a disgraced man. Time would fail to tell of men who, after ten, twenty,
thirty and forty years of correct moral and even religious living, went down
under some sudden or prolonged temptation, and got as far from God as they had
been previously distant from the world and the Devil.
The snares that trap
and catch men are different; but Satan, who seems to give no man up while he is
living, finds some way by which to confuse, entangle, sidetrack and secure his
downfall if it be possible. The snare in Gideon’s case, as has been said, was
gold; with Samson, David and Solomon, it was women; with Saul, it was popularity,
and with Balaam and Judas it was money. Paul said, Demas loved this present
world to much. And to this day men are falling away from duty and God on
account of these things. And because the Devil has had such success in the
employment of these baited traps and flower-covered pitfalls, he is as
persistent in his temptations these days as in former times. He knows the power
of the snare and the weakness of the nature he has to deal with, and never
seems to be discouraged.
This is the reason
that the Bible has so much to say about “Watching and Praying;”
about working out one’s salvation with fear and trembling; and
speaks those solemn words, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” We have all known
men who not only thought they stood, but really did stand in grace and were
used of God; and yet we have seen them sour, grow bitter, become envious,
backslide in heart, backslide in life and then lay around for years as
helpless, useless and melancholy in appearance as ship wrecks thrown on the
unforgiving rocks by the storms of life or the storms which so often arise
against the ministry. Broken up on the
Rock of offense, they lay in the heat of the day to whiten and and eventually
fall to pieces as the days and months rolled by. God save us from the snare of
Gideon and from those of Saul, Samson, David, Judas and Demas and from any and
every other kind which the enemy of our souls would place in position to
cripple and capture us, and finally, to destroy and damn us, both soul and
body, in hell forever.
In our FINAL SCENE
in the Life of Gideon, we see the conclusion of Gideon's life, that “he died in a good old age.”
Then immediately after this we read, "as soon as Gideon was dead the
children of
Now, we have seen how
every man has their weakness in their flesh. None excluded for all have come
short of the Glory of God. There was only One who was born without sin, and
that is the only begotten of the Father full of F\grace and truth. None other
than our older brother, Jesus whom God made both Lord and Christ.
Therefore, not all men
get back to God from their life-strayings. Not all
are as the prodigal son. Look at the seventy who walked out on Jesus after
preaching the coming kingdom, after years in service with him, eating with Him
and drinking with Him and gsowing the good word with
Him, and yet they walked out on Him never to return, like Judas, Balaam and
Demas forsaking the way of Life for the easier high-way of the world.
But what of when such
wanderers do return, their coming home rejoices not only Heaven but every true
child of God on earth. The more prominent and useful they were the sadder their
lapse or fall is felt to be, and the deeper is the joy if they get back to
salvation and usefulness.
A man’s gifts and
power for good will naturally make him a target for the Devil. In the Boer War,
in
There were other
characters like Job, Daniel, Joseph and Paul who never failed. They were true
to God through trouble, temptation, worldliness and persecution. Heaven has
long ago approved them. Nor is this all, for mankind itself, in reading of
their trials and triumphs, their battles and victories, has also passed
sentence and declared them to be the real heroes and victors of this world.
Truly, it is better to be like these men of God rather than the others I
mentioned; and we can be. The Scripture is faithful to warn us concerning the
possibility of disastrous failure. “Ye did run well, who did hinder you?”
"who did cut in on you causing you
to falter, to stumble and fall out of the race" Again Paul
said, “I keep under my body and
bring it into subjection, lest by any means, that I, after having preached the
Gospel to others, may be a castaway; “ and still again, the he said, “Let
him who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
The same Bible, however, tells us that we need not fall. The promise is that “He
will keep us from falling;” that “He is able to do for us exceeding
abundant above all that we can ask or think;” while Paul adds, “I
am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until
that day.” And, "He which began the good work in you shall
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
In MATTHEW 25:21
we hear Jesus speak of the the Judgment Day, how
wonderful will those words be which He will proclaim, " 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou]
good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
At the close of every
great war, we see the people look on
with great joy upon the return of those soldiers who made it back from the
battlefields. But as with any war, there are so many others who went forth into
battle, but who shall never return
victorious again. These are those who went down in the battle, never to claim
the victory. Those men, buried under the bloody battlefield, or in some obscure
graveyard in some distant hospital or prison. Far sadder than this will it be
if many who were once soldiers of Christ and marched away to fight His battles
should have been wounded, captured or destroyed by the enemy and never come
back. The Devil will finally surrender, the war on earth be over and then the
Celestial army, the Church Triumphant, will appear returning to enter upon
everlasting peace, when lo! it is seen that many who once fought in the ranks
for Christ are not beheld in the homecoming. They have been left on some
distant field of sin. They were mortally wounded by Satan. They were not
faithful unto death. Like the angels, they kept not their first estate. Like Baalam, Judas, and Demas, they fell and “went unto their
own place” in the world of the lost, the eternal captives of the Devil. How we
pray that all of God’s soldiers may be saved, that they may endure hardness as
good soldiers of Christ, fighting a good fight, keeping the faith, and in dying
to self, we might find life in Christ and our enemy under our feet at last. May
we know our place now, and be in our place, on that wonderful day when the
Voice of the resurrection sounds forth and the Trump of God proclaims the
return from victory and we enter that celestial victory parade going home to
heaven. When the saints come marching into Heaven from all climes and nations
of the earth. And may we all have the King to smile upon us, and bless us, and
say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy
of thy Lord."
Until that time, may
we do as Paul said, HEBREWS 12:28
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
Acceptably, Serving
god acceptably. What does that mean to serve God acceptably?
Tomorrow morning we will examine this thought of what it means to serve God acceptably. Therefore, before we come again together tomorrow morning, I want you to dwell upon this thought. What does it mean to serve God acceptably?