Last in a series of devotionals on Gideon's life...
If you read the end of the story in Judges Ch. 8, you’ll see that Gideon’s victory was so huge that the people wanted to make him King. Wisely, he declined. But for some strange reason, he asked them to show their appreciation for his leadership by giving him a portion of the gold they had taken from the Midianites.
I don’t think that was something he heard from God. In fact, I think Gideon ends his own story making the same mistake as the rest of Israel-- doing what seemed right in his own eyes. Instead of leveraging his position, his credibility, his leadership, to perhaps tear down the rest of the Baal altars, do away with the Asherah groves, or lead the people back to genuine worship of God, he gave them a golden image that they turned into an idol. Just another image they could substitute for the true God.
It leaves me scratching my head. Gideon didn’t finish well. Running well doesn’t mean finishing well. The race isn’t over until its over. The epilogue in Gideon’s life is a hard reminder that what we do at the end is just as important as what we do in the middle. So whatever stage of life we’re in or whatever activity we’re involved in, there’s still the opportunity and the challenge for us to finish well.
