Sometimes a hunter gets lost in the woods and has nothing to eat. Maybe he knows how to make a snare, which is a trap to catch rabbits or other animals by surprise. And the poor little rabbit is caught for the trapper’s dinner. But don’t worry. There are lots more little rabbits, and the mother rabbit can’t count.
But it’s different with people. God knows that Satan is ready to put a snare in your pathway. God doesn’t want you to get caught, so He tells you to follow the right pathway—the one of His choosing. Then you don’t need to be afraid in the pathway of obeying God and following Jesus. But if you choose your own way and ignore what God has told you is the right pathway, Satan is sure to lay some snares just for you.
Maybe you’ve heard of a brave soldier named Gideon. He won a lot of victories over the enemies of God, and he wanted people to remember him. But actually, it was God who won the victories. His Son, the Lord Jesus, won the greatest victory of all, and He is the One we want to remember.
Gideon had a plan. Bring me all the golden earrings of the Midianites you conquered, he said to the men of Israel. Those enemies had lots of golden earrings and there were even golden chains around their camels’ necks. The people of Israel spread a garment on the ground, and all the people threw down the golden earrings and chains and other pieces of jewelry that they had taken from their conquered enemies. It was a huge pile of gold—enough for the winners to be proud of. Gideon melted it down and made a golden ephod out of it. (An ephod was an apron-like piece of clothing the priests wore on top of their robes when they served in the tabernacle.) This golden ephod was truly beautiful, and Gideon set it up in his city as a memorial to their great victory over the Midianites. And the people worshipped it like an idol.
God said it was a snare to the people. How could a beautiful, golden ephod be a snare? Look how it shines! But God said it was a snare, and maybe it was all the more dangerous because it was so beautiful.
Gideon had a big family. Maybe it will surprise you to hear that he had many wives and he had seventy sons. That’s a family to be pleased with, isn’t it? But the golden ephod was a snare, not only to him, but to his large family too.
Gideon died. He had been a faithful man in many ways and a true witness for God. He died in peace. I hope you and I follow his faith—but don’t follow his failure! It’s good to be very grateful for the Lord Jesus who died for sinners, but being proud of what you have done, as Gideon was, leads only to disaster. It seems that Gideon and all his family were caught in this snare.
Satan is very clever at laying a snare for you too. Read God’s Word and follow Jesus, and you won’t have to live in fear. God’s way is perfect.
You may read this story of Gideon for yourself in Judges 8:24-2724And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks. 27And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. (Judges 8:24‑27).
ML-09/22/2013