The Snare: A Meditation on Gideon

Then Gideon [took the gold and] 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.... Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son... (Judges 8: 27, 30-31a)

How easily we can fall! Here, the man God used to bring Israel to victory and bring honor to Him, suddenly falls prey to "selfish ambition and vain conceit," not to mention idolatry of sorts. To make matters worse, he became guilty of polygamy, a thing strictly forbidden in God's Law.

What happened to the stalwart captain and judge of Israel? How is it that a man such as Gideon - even mentioned in the "Chapter of Faith" (Hebrews 11) - could still become ensnared by such gross sins?

As young Christians, we must take care: The enemy preys upon the young and the old. No one is safe from the Devil's temptations and attacks. A Christian's "golden years" should be the most glorious of his life; he has learned, fought, conquered, and now can pass on his wisdom to the following generations. But perhaps this is one of the most dangerous times of life. For here, the temptation to stop fighting, to forget your God is great. There are so many examples of older men and women of the Bible who have fallen in their last days. Solomon, David, Gideon, Aaron, the list goes on.

Oh, young Christian, beware the pitfall of thinking you are safe when you reach "maturity"! The Christian life is always a fight, no matter what the age or experiences. We cannot truly rest until we reach the Land of Rest, but take heart: [the Lord will aid us in the fight,] if we remain true to Him, all the days of our life.

[Remember the Creator of your youth.]