Everyday we face challenges, no matter at what stage of life one may be in. And the higher we rise it seems the greater the fall.
Our Bible study was on the fall of Gideon. After his victory over the enemy, the people wanted him to be their king. But he rejected the proposal put out to him. He knew their motives.
Recall the story in John 6 verses 1-15. Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5000 with five loaves and two fishes. The crowd saw in Jesus the man who could fill their stomachs. So Jesus refused to take up the offer and slipped away from the crowd.
Back to Gideon, sadly while he was able to resist the temptation to be their king he succumbed to the temptation to wealth and pride. Materialism has always been a great attraction to all regardless of who we are.
He took the gold and made an ephod, a garment worn by the priest. This religious symbol set up in his own town soon became an idol. Worshippers instead of going to Shiloh gravitated towards Ophrah to worship the ephod. It became a snare or trap for Gideon and his family.
The final chapter on Gideon's life closed with a tragic note. Our hero, the man of God, married many wives and had 70 sons. And added to that, he had a mistress in Schechem and produced a son called Abimelech, the subject of our next study.
This great man, Gideon lost his testimony, his influence and his family. After his death the nation continued its downward slide in idolatry.
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