The Score at Halftime

Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.” And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring.

Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

Judges 8:23-24,27

Wow! Gideon’s 300 men soundly routed the Midianites. Amazing what God can do with the man He calls in the strength He gives him. To God be the glory! And the enemy stayed far away from the people of God for as long as Gideon lived: During Gideon’s lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years (8:28). 

Sadly though, the credit for the victory did not go to God: “Rule over us—you (Gideon), your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian” (8:22). Come on folks, there were only 300 of them. Gideon wisely declined: “I will not rule over you. The LORD will rule over you” (8:23). 

However, in the very next breath he figured a little gold might not hurt, and the ephod he made some of the gold into became a snare to the people. Instead of worshipping God, they prostituted themselves to a bejeweled priestly garment. And as soon as Gideon died they prostituted themselves to the Baals (8:33). Inevitably, the worship of God was lost to the next generation.

Yes, Gideon was listed with the men of faith: whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies (Hebrews 11:34). But those last forty years of his life were not stellar. He lived like a king even if he didn’t take the title. He had many wives plus a concubine (8:30-31), when God said have only one wife and don’t marry foreign women. But most importantly he stopped listening for God.

I shudder to think how many times Gideon personally heard from the LORD. Why in the world would he not remember those sacred moments under the oak by the winepress? Why would he not continue to constantly seek the wisdom of God?   

The final lesson from Gideon shouts out to me loud and clear: you need to finish well. On my daughter’s refrigerator is this quote: “The least important thing in the game of life is the score at halftime.” 

Nancy P

All Scripture quotations are from the NIV 1973,1978,1984, unless otherwise noted.