Judges 8:22-28

Judges 8:22-28

[22] Then the men  of Israel  said  unto Gideon,  Rule  thou over us, both thou, and thy son,  also: for thou hast delivered  us from the hand  of Midian.  [23] And Gideon  said  unto them, I will not rule  over you, neither shall my son  rule  over you: the LORD  shall rule  over you. [24] And Gideon  said  unto them, I would desire  a request  of you, that ye would give  me every man  the earrings  of his prey.  (For they had golden  earrings,  because they were Ishmaelites.)  [25] And they answered,  We will willingly  them. And they spread  a garment,  and did cast  therein every man  the earrings  of his prey.  [26] And the weight  of the golden  earrings  that he requested  was a thousand  and seven  hundred  shekels of gold;  beside ornaments,  and collars,  and purple  raiment  that was on the kings  of Midian,  and beside the chains  that were about their camels'  necks.  [27] And Gideon  made  an ephod  thereof, and put  it in his city,  even in Ophrah:  and all Israel  went thither a whoring  after  it: which thing became a snare  unto Gideon,  and to his house.  [28] Thus was Midian  subdued  before  the children  of Israel,  so that they lifted up  their heads  no more.  And the country  was in quietness  forty  years  in the days  of Gideon. 

What does Judges 8:22-28 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The supernatural victory God had given His people elevated Gideon into national recognition. Some of the men of Israel invited Gideon to be their king and to begin a dynasty of rulers ( Judges 8:22). Perhaps they were from the northern and western tribes, had participated in the battle, and were present at the execution of Zebah and Zalmunna.
Gideon wisely refused their flattering offer, but he failed to give credit to Yahweh for the victory (cf. ch5). God had made provision for an Israelite king in the Mosaic Law ( Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Evidently Gideon believed Israel was better off under the current arrangement of judgeships whereby Yahweh, Israel"s true king, would raise up deliverers like himself when He saw fit ( Judges 8:23). This was a wise decision, and it was in harmony with God"s will. Yet Gideon"s subsequent decision ( Judges 8:24-27) belied his words: he led Israel back into idolatry, out of which he had just led them. Rather than following Moses as his role model, who though hesitant at first had proved faithful, Gideon followed the example of Aaron, who requested the people"s jewelry to make an idol ( Exodus 32:1-6).
Gideon perceived in his popular appreciation by the Israelites an opportunity to do something that he may have believed would be a help to his people. Unfortunately it became a spiritual snare to them (cf. Judges 2:3). He decided to make an ephod (cf. Judges 17:5; Judges 18:14-20; Exodus 28:6-35).
". . . there are three possible alternatives [1]: that it was a garment after the pattern of the high-priestly ephod but with an unusual degree of gold ornamentation; that it was a replica of the high-priestly garment made of pure gold; or that it was a free-standing image [2]." [3]
"The narrator does not reveal the nature of the image, but it seems most likely that he [4] has reconstructed the shrine to Baal he earlier had torn down at Yahweh"s command ( Judges 6:25-32).... Instead of himself, an image of God, clothed with the Spirit of Yahweh ( Judges 6:34), Gideon created his own image and clothed it with pagan materials." [5]
Gideon made this ephod from some of the jewelry the Israelites had taken from the Midianites. The writer called them "Ishmaelites" ( Judges 8:24), a term that described loosely any trading nomadic group (cf. Genesis 37:25; Genesis 37:27-28; Genesis 39:1). [6]
The grateful Israelites willingly donated a large quantity of gold jewelry, "...between40,75 pounds" weight, depending on whether the light or heavy shekel was employed." [7] Gideon took this gold and had it fashioned into an ephod, which he displayed publicly in his hometown of Ophrah. Even though Gideon had professed to reject kingship, he was behaving more and more like a king (cf. Deuteronomy 17:17).
Whatever this ephod was, it became an object of worship and a spiritual stumbling block to the Israelites ( Judges 8:27). Thus Gideon became the second official sponsor of idolatry in Israel, as far as we know, Aaron being the first. He was doing what was right in his own eyes (cf. Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25).
". . . the expression and all Israel played the harlot after it there (RSV) suggests that the form of worship inspired by his ephod was Canaanite in origin." [3]
"It is . . . probable that Gideon put on the ephod and wore it as a priest, when he wished to inquire and learn the will of the Lord.... The germs of Gideon"s error, which became a snare to him and to his house, lie unquestionably ... in the fact that the high-priesthood had probably lost its worth in the eyes of the people on account of the worthlessness of its representatives [9], so that they no longer regarded the high priest as the sole or principal medium of divine revelation; and therefore Gideon, to whom the Lord had manifested himself directly, as He had not to any judge or leader of the people since the time of Joshua , might suppose that he was not acting in violation of the law, when he had an ephod made, and thus provided himself with a substratum or vehicle for inquiring the will of the Lord. His sin therefore consisted chiefly in his invading the prerogative of the Aaronic priesthood, drawing away the people from the one legitimate sanctuary, and thereby not only undermining the theocratic unity of Israel, but also giving an impetus to the relapse of the nation into the worship of Baal after his death. This sin became a snare to him and to his house." [1]
"Perhaps it is easier to honour God in some courageous action in the limelight of a time of national emergency than it is to honour Him consistently in the ordinary, everyday life, which requires a different kind of courage. Gideon, who came through the test of adversity with flying colours, was not the first nor the last to be less successful in the test of prosperity." [7]
"I would even suggest we go ephod-making in the way we ignore God"s provision of the Lord"s covenant meal as the means of Christian renewal. We plan, organize, and concoct "revivals," seminars, retreats, or encounters, or we pressure congregations to come forward and rededicate their lives to Christ. All the while we neglect what God has provided: the Lord"s Supper." [12]
The final verse in this pericope ( Judges 8:28) draws the account of Gideon"s defeat of the Midianites to a close. The land rested from oppression and war40 years following his victory (ca1180-1140 B.C.). This is the last period of peace that the writer of Judges mentioned.