UV 1199-10,000 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.
Judges 8 v 27
Many leaders start well and do well but do not finish well. Gideon was invited by the men of Israel to rule over Israel hereditorily like a king as a mark of their appreciation and gratitude for his leadership. Gideon declined the offer but instead as an afterthought he asked them to give their gold earrings out if the spoils of victory. A huge quantity of such a tribute weighing 1700 shekels of gold was so collected. Gideon turned the collected ornaments into an ephod, a memorial to celebrate his leadership and victories that he set up in his nature city Ophrah. Scripture record that it became a snare or a trap for Gideon and his family. Later we learn of how Abimelech killed seventy sons of Gideon. A seemingly small compromise can lead to a big setback, disgrace or disaster.
We need to be wary and wise to avoid any snare set for our leadership. It coukd look like a small give in to our own ego or desires but it could cause permanent damage to our impact and legacy. This is the meaning of the line in The Lord s prayer, " lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil."
Gideon sought a small reward or recognition for his heroic efforts on behalf of Israel. That enabled satan to lay a trap for him. After our greatest victories there is a strong possibility of our being tempted if we do not attribute all the glory to God and Him alone. We should not gloat over our victory but believe it to be the grace of God that helped us.
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