Open Us to New Learning! Judges 7-8; John 9

May the mumbling commence!

Isn’t it amazing how you and I can say the most profound things and then turn around and do some particularly boneheaded things?  Gideon from the book of Judges is not different.  Read from Judges chapter eight:

Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian." 

But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!  However, I have one request. Each of you can give me an earring out of the treasures you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.) 

"Gladly!" they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered.  The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the crescents and pendants, the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the necks of their camels.  Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. (Verses 22-27)

Gideon rightly pointed Israel to the fact that the Lord is King – the Lord alone.  What a profound statement!  Israel would not live the way of the world.  They would live the way of God.

That being said, Gideon then proceeded to ask for gold to make an ephod with.  And that ephod became a trap for Israel and for Gideon’s family.  Such profound truth and wisdom comes from the same mouth that ordered the golden ephod to be made.  There was an idol in their midst – something that got between them and the Lord.  What a tragedy!

And time does not make us any more perceptive.  Read from John chapter nine:

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 

The man answered, "Who is he, sir, because I would like to." 

"You have seen him," Jesus said, "and he is speaking to you!" 

"Yes, Lord," the man said, "I believe!" And he worshiped Jesus. 

Then Jesus told him, "I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind." 

The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, "Are you saying we are blind?" 

"If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.” (Verses 35-41)

While we claim to see and to know the Lord, we actually have a distorted – at best – view of the Lord.  Help us, O Lord, to be open to learning about You anew each day.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out