Judges 8:27

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.

From Background Notes [BN] for February 8th& 9th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

But later, in Judges 9, Baal seems to gain the upper hand in the battle between God and idolatry. Granted, Gideon recognized God as king, but in the area of worship, he failed, hijacking the priesthood by making the ephod.

In that failure, over the long-term, his previous reforms in Israel were reversed. His witness and leadership were severely compromised. Because of that compromise, the legacy that he left his family and the nation of Israel had limited lasting benefit. The reform movement that began with promise came to an abrupt halt, and the leadership crisis within Israel did not seem to be any nearer a resolution. In fact, with his son, Abimelech (Judges 9), it hits rock bottom. Gideon was seduced by wealth and power, and so were those after him.. [BN,5]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am