Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house. (Judges 8:27)

Making Something Evil Out Of Something Good

Gideon led the people of Israel to a great victory over the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the people of the East in a battle that heavily favored the enemy. The armies against Gideon were as numerous as locusts, and their camels were without number. Gideon faced an army that was like the sand by the seashore in multitude. Through the power and grace of God, Gideon led an assault group of three hundred men armed with trumpets in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers and torches inside the pitchers.

At the beginning of the middle watch, the forces under Gideon blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. This terrified the enemy, who began to run around in confusion and fear, killing everyone in their way. What the enemy did not realize was that they were killing their own men. The Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp. In the confusion, the army fled away, closely followed by the people of God. More than one hundred and twenty thousand men died that day, routing the enemy with a great victory.

When the battle was over, Gideon asked a favor of the people. He wanted the earrings from the plunder to be given to him. The earrings were made of gold from the people who were Ishmaelites. They spread out a garment, and each man threw the earrings from his plunder into it. The gold earrings weighed forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels. Gideon made an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. An ephod is “a close-fitting outer garment associated with worship. It was a kind of long vest, generally reaching to the thighs.” (Vines)

Whatever the design of the ephod would become, it symbolized the success of the people of God over an enemy that could not have been defeated without the help of God. In hindsight, it may have been better not to create the ephod as it became a snare to Gideon and the people who worshipped it as an idol. Remarkably, the people played the harlot with it, meaning they used the ephod as an outward emblem to give reverence and glory. This would take the hearts of the people away from true worship and lead them to fall back into idol worship of Baal immediately after the death of Gideon. The people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies that surrounded them. Furthermore, after the death of Gideon, the people discounted and reviled Gideon’s family.

The human heart tends to take something good and make it evil. The ephod of Gideon could have been a symbol of God’s power, but it turned into a stumbling block. It seems the heart wants to connect to some outward emblem instead of finding the true worship that begins in spirit and truth. The cross is a powerful image of God’s love and grace. For many, it becomes a piece of jewelry contradicting the image of the individual’s lifestyle. It seems that wearing a cross will make one holy. A building can become an ephod. People can be worshiped in such a way the glory of God is dimmed. Rituals will become more relevant than truth.

There are many ephods in the world that satisfy the soul, but God is not pleased. The staff Moses made to stop the plague became a symbol of idolatry and was named Nehushtan. Hezekiah destroyed it during his reign. People still look for the Ark of Noah and the Ark of the Covenant. The Roman Catholic Church is filled with ephods claiming to be the cross of Jesus to His supposed shroud and thousands of other relics. Putting gold on an idol does not change it from being idolatry. Jesus Christ is to be worshiped, and He needs no ephods to clarify who He is. God has given man the Bible to know the truth about worship. Put away the ephods and worship the one true God as He commands.