Judges 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.” 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.)
It is amazing t see what the impact of just one person can make in the world. History is replete with individuals who have impacted the world, both for good and for not so good. Hitler and Mother Theresa both impacted the world.
We are in the repeat cycle of the book of Judges. The people repent, the LORD raises up a leader to help them out, they are delivered, they are good for a generation, then they go back to idol worship and the LORD sends judgement to bring them back again. Every character in this book plays a part in this cycle.
The character of Gideon is the leader raised up to help deliver them. This is the best part of the cycle. People turn around and trust the LORD after seeing Him bring deliverance through unlikely means. Gideon is certainly an unlikely means!
After the victory the people want him to be their leader. Our text shows both his strength and his weakness in the same breath.
Gideon’s strength is exhibited in in his refusal to become their leader. He knows the job is not his to take, or the people’s job to give. The LORD is already their ruler, whether they know it or not. And that is what Gideon pushes the people toward.
He does not want to their ruler. He wants to get out of the middle position and allow the LORD to be in charge. But this would require the people being willing to be in contact with Him. Previously, when the LORD showed up on Mount Sinai, the people wanted Moses to be their go-between person. And they immediately fell into idol worship with the Golden Calf incident.
And Gideon knows that having someone in the middle means failure. Each one must be connected to the LORD personally in order for them to do the right things relationally. But they want someone between. Not a good thing.
But after getting himself out of the middle, Gideon seems to ask for something fairly innocent. He asks for a portion of the spoils. As the leader in a military victory, this would have been customary. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
But this gold ends up being a stumbling block for the people, especially his family. Gideon makes a gold garment out of the gold, 43 pounds of garment! It must have been a magnificent sight, shiny and gleaming. But who is supposed to be the shining and gleaming one? The LORD!
His family could not break the habit that was formed by their previous immersion in their culture. They begin to worship this garment. This sounds so silly to us, but not so fast. How many people do you know who spend hours polishing their cars, competing for trophies, collecting decor for the house, polishing their resume? Is it much different?
You see, Gideon was just like the rest of humanity. When he was submitted to the LORD, he was capable of great things, things that matter for eternity. But when he went his own way, not so much. And we have the same choice as Gideon.
We can seek to be at the top of our world, or we can choose to take a few steps back and allow the LORD to shine. Which is it going to be for you today?
The Arnold Journey 