THE LORD WILL RULE OVER YOU

Judges 8:22-35 / Keywords 8:23

But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”

Gideon’s Ephod

8:22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,[b] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

Gideon’s Death

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34 and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

Footnotes

b. Judges 8:26 That is, about 43 pounds or about 20 kilograms

1. After the Lord saved Israel through Gideon, the people of Israel wanted Gideon to be their king. Gideon did not comply. He would not rule them, because the Lord is their sole ruler. He is the one who saved them. 

2. Gideon did ask them for some of the plunder. He took a gold earring from each of them and fashioned it into an ephod. Maybe Gideon thought he was doing something good, but the ephod became a snare to him and his family. The people of Israel came to worship the ephod. They rejected the Lord as their ruler and once again worshipped an idol. 

3. After Midian was subdued, the land had peace. Gideon lived to a good old age, but as soon as he died, the Israelites began their detestable practice of idol worship again. They didn’t remember their previous misery, nor did they remember God’s great salvation work through Gideon. 

Prayer Lord, you are my Savior and ruler. Protect me from worshipping anything else. Help me to be mindful of your great salvation work in me. 

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