Judges 8-9, Psalm 79

When we last left Gideon and his army, he had attacked the forces of Midian with 300 hundred men. Though he and his small band had already killed 120,000 men, there are still 15,000 left. We begin with a discussion between Gideon and the men of Ephraim who have just killed the two princes of Midian as Gideon’s men routed them from battle. They’re upset that they weren’t called to fight, but Gideon basically tells them their leftovers are better than the full harvest of what his men have reaped. After securing victory, Israel tries to make Gideon their leader, but he refuses and says that the Lord should lead them. Then, strangely he makes an ephod out of gold, which becomes a snare of idolatry.