Exploring the Symbolism of Gideon’s Ephod
In the closing verses of Gideon’s remarkable life, the Holy Ghost records a tragic turn that serves as a solemn warning for every fundamentalist believer. After refusing the throne offered by Israel, Gideon took the golden earrings from the Midianite spoil—seventeen hundred shekels of gold—and “made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went a whoring after it there: and it became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house” (Judges 8:27). What exactly was this ephod, and why does its symbolism pierce the heart of every generation that follows? Let us explore its meaning directly from the preserved Word of God, without the fog of modern scholarship or liberal reinterpretation. The Biblical Ephod: God’s Prescribed Garment of Worship In Exodus 28, the LORD Himself commanded the high priest to wear a sacred ephod—an intricately woven garment of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, adorned with onyx stones bearing the names of the tribes of Israel. It w...