trbccoffeebreak

“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.” Judges 8:27 (NIV)

Shaking, terrified, and oozing insecurity – not quite words to describe a valiant warrior.  Yet when Gideon finally embraced God’s call, he led the troops to defeat the enemy. However, Gideon’s victory lifted him up to an unexpected place – one in which he became a Deliverer in the eyes of the people.  The Children of Israel often fell into the trap of misplacing God’s glory. Longing for a visible ruler, they sought an earthly King. Gideon became their choice, but this warrior wasn’t interested.  Instead, Gideon accepted gold from the people to make an ephod. Transferring their worship from him to a golden ephod must have eased his conscience, but God’s word bears the reality that it became a snare to Gideon and his family. Talk about glory gone bad – amazing how quickly we too forget who our Deliverer is.  Looking for a hero, we grasp for a visible image.  Close friends who wage war alongside us.  Counselors who navigate us through difficult healing processes.   Teachers who lead us to the truth and family members who intervene.  All innocent bystanders who unknowingly find themselves wearing our Deliverer title. When the enemy presses in it’s important to surround ourselves with godly wisdom, encouragement and prayer warriors.  Special people divinely appointed by God to wage war but never intended for us to misplace His glory.  When we know the source of our intervention is God ordained, then we eliminate the need to cling to the visible images and praise the One true God who sets us free. 

“Father, You are our great Deliverer the only One who can defeat the enemy.  Thank you for giving us everything we need to be victorious.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Coffee Break