Page 20 - February 2026 - Truth & Tidings

the man who had begun his career by pulling shall be as thorns in your sides, and their
down the altar of Baal. Rather, “it is far more gods shall be a snare unto you.” That, along
3
probable that Gideon put on the ephod and with the fact that the language of prostitution,
wore it as a priest, when he wished to inquire used here of the nation’s response to the
and learn the will of the Lord …. Gideon, ephod, is also used in 2:17 and 8:27 (just at
to whom the Lord had manifested himself the end of the Gideon narrative) to describe
directly … might suppose that he was not Israel’s pursuit of foreign gods, strongly
acting in violation of the law, when he had suggests that, whether Gideon had intended
an ephod made, and thus provided himself it or not, the ephod had become the object of
with a substratum or vehicle for inquiring the idolatrous veneration. Tragically, the man
will of the Lord. His sin therefore consisted who had transcended the idolatry of his
chiefly in his invading the prerogative of upbringing had led his own family back
the Aaronic priesthood, drawing away the into – or at the very least towards – idolatry.
people from the one legitimate sanctuary, and The lesson here is no less crucial for being
thereby not only undermining the theocratic obvious: the things that we allow into our
unity of Israel, but also giving an impetus to homes have enormous potential to impact
the relapse of the nation into the worship of our families for good or for evil. This has
Baal after his death.” always been true, but in an era where much
4
The narrator, as ever, gives us little to go of what comes into our homes comes in an
on in terms of Gideon’s motivation – thus intangible stream of data, piped to an ever-
the radically differing conclusions reached increasing array of devices, with the potential
by commentators. But he is explicit about to offer a range of corruption that is – quite
the consequences of Gideon’s actions: literally – unimaginable, the policing of our
“which thing became a snare unto Gideon, homes is both more challenging and more
and to his house” (8:27). The emphasis on necessary than for any previous generation.
the implications of Gideon’s actions for his That we need to protect our homes and our
house (or household) specifically is striking. families from what is evil is obvious – more
There were negative consequences for the obvious, perhaps, than our practice might
nation, certainly, but the focus seems to be sometimes suggest. But the real tragedy
on Gideon’s household. Just how the ephod of Gideon’s failure lies in this: the snare he
became a snare or trap is not explained but it introduced was most likely motivated by his
is surely significant that the other occurrence desire for greater communion with God. His
of the word “snare” in Judges is found in 2:3, intentions were good, but the approach that
where Jehovah warns the nation, “I will not he adopted was contrary to the teaching of
drive them out from before you; but they God’s Word. Although the priesthood and
the tabernacle are strangely absent in the
3 However, as noted by Barry G. Webb, The Book book of Judges and although 1 Samuel gives
of Judges, The New International Commentary on us little hope that things there were operating
the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
2012), 264, inter alia, the imagery and language as God intended, Gideon had no licence to
of Judges 8:24-27 echo that of Exodus 28:8 and innovate upon the divine pattern of approach
32:2-4 in a way which seems to align Gideon’s to God. Good intentions were no substitute
ephod with the golden calf.
4 C.F. Keil, F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary for scriptural faithfulness. By making his
on the Old Testament, Vol. IV (Edinburgh: T&T own ephod – and likely establishing his own
Clark, 1880), 358-9. priesthood – Gideon was drawing himself,
Continued on p. 63
52 TRUTH kTidings February 2026