We all tend to like the story of Gideon and God's great victory. We often forget what happened after his victory. Gideon asked the people to give him their earrings and made an ephod out of the gold. The Bible then tells us the sad story:
And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah.
And all Israel whored after it there,
and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
Judges 8:27.
I have spent a lot of years in various churches and this story really resonates with me. Gideon was, without question, a hero of God's people. He acted in obedience and refused to be exalted for God's work. He even built an ephod to honor God. And it all went bad.
The people of Israel worshipped the ephod. Does that seem strange to you? Have you ever thought about what you include in your worship? Think about it. Why wouldn't they worship it? It was a symbol of God's great victory on their behalf. They could look at it and bring back memories of the great triumph. They could have special services (on the anniversary perhaps) to remember what God had done. And the ephod would be the center of their worship.
Think of our churches. We fill our churches with beautiful (or not so beautiful) things that have meaning to us, as the ephod had to the children of Israel. Our intent is to honor God. As time passes, however, the things become invested with meaning in our worship, until we cannot worship as well without them.
Gideon's ephod. How many have I seen? I preached for years in a lovely little church with a large wooden cross behind where the preacher stood. In teaching this principle (the ephod principle), I would ask people how they would feel if they came in one Sunday and the cross were gone. They would always look shocked and tell me how it would upset them. That's Gideon's ephod. The cross was a symbol of something great, but had become a center of their worship. It had no spiritual meaning at all, but had become a stumbling block.
What about stained glass windows? A church in my area recently had to return a large, stained glass window to its original owner. During a financial downturn when the church was suffering for money, they spent six figures replacing that window. They considered it an "act of faith" to replace the window. This could be an ephod. Faith is in God, not in windows, and stained glass is not part of our worship of God.
What about your music? What about the order of your service? What about the colors and images in your place of worship? If the pastor changed his clothes, if the piano was not used in a service, if the chandeliers were not lit, if the sermon came first instead of last, would it hurt your ability to worship God? If so, then you should think about Gideon's ephod.
Something that is good, that honors God, and that is beautiful, can become a snare to the people of God. God wants our true worship, worship in spirit and in truth, and will not tolerate our ephods, no matter how much we like them.
And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah.
And all Israel whored after it there,
and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
Judges 8:27.
I have spent a lot of years in various churches and this story really resonates with me. Gideon was, without question, a hero of God's people. He acted in obedience and refused to be exalted for God's work. He even built an ephod to honor God. And it all went bad.
The people of Israel worshipped the ephod. Does that seem strange to you? Have you ever thought about what you include in your worship? Think about it. Why wouldn't they worship it? It was a symbol of God's great victory on their behalf. They could look at it and bring back memories of the great triumph. They could have special services (on the anniversary perhaps) to remember what God had done. And the ephod would be the center of their worship.
Think of our churches. We fill our churches with beautiful (or not so beautiful) things that have meaning to us, as the ephod had to the children of Israel. Our intent is to honor God. As time passes, however, the things become invested with meaning in our worship, until we cannot worship as well without them.
Gideon's ephod. How many have I seen? I preached for years in a lovely little church with a large wooden cross behind where the preacher stood. In teaching this principle (the ephod principle), I would ask people how they would feel if they came in one Sunday and the cross were gone. They would always look shocked and tell me how it would upset them. That's Gideon's ephod. The cross was a symbol of something great, but had become a center of their worship. It had no spiritual meaning at all, but had become a stumbling block.
What about stained glass windows? A church in my area recently had to return a large, stained glass window to its original owner. During a financial downturn when the church was suffering for money, they spent six figures replacing that window. They considered it an "act of faith" to replace the window. This could be an ephod. Faith is in God, not in windows, and stained glass is not part of our worship of God.
What about your music? What about the order of your service? What about the colors and images in your place of worship? If the pastor changed his clothes, if the piano was not used in a service, if the chandeliers were not lit, if the sermon came first instead of last, would it hurt your ability to worship God? If so, then you should think about Gideon's ephod.
Something that is good, that honors God, and that is beautiful, can become a snare to the people of God. God wants our true worship, worship in spirit and in truth, and will not tolerate our ephods, no matter how much we like them.
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