Beware Satan's Snare

Judges 6:23–24 “And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.”

Judges 8:27 “And 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.”

Introduction: We are all familiar with the story of Gideon and how that God used him. How that God took the least of a tribe and turned him in to a conqueror

Gideon’s snare

We read in Judges 6 how that Gideon was called by God, how that he made an altar unto the Lord, and the Lord used him

Judges 6:22–24 “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.”

Judges 6:36–38 “And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.”

We read in Judges 7 how that Gideon marches to battle, and listens to God’s guidance

Judges 7:1–2 “Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

Judges 7:20–23 “And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.”

We read in Judges 8 about Gideon's final victory and of his fall

Judges 8:22–27 “Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you. And 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.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And 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. And 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…”

No good man can be pleased with any honour done to himself, which belongs only to God. Gideon thought to keep up the remembrance of this victory by an ephod, made of the choicest of the spoils. But probably this ephod had, as usual, a teraphim annexed to it, and Gideon intended this for an oracle to be consulted. Many are led into false ways by one false step of a good man. It became a snare to Gideon himself, and it proved the ruin of the family. How soon will ornaments which feed the lust of the eye, and form the pride of life, as well as tend to the indulgences of the flesh, bring shame on those who are fond of them!

The Ephod was an instrument used in divination - a tool to finding God’s will

What is so important about the ephod? It is an object used in worship. Gideon made it likely with good intentions, but it became an object of worship. We often worship things and they become snares to us.

We fall into so much trouble when we turn to fleshly means to understand a divine message.

Gideon, comfortable in his victory, began to trust his flesh.

The flesh is fearful

The flesh is doubtful

The flesh is unfaithful

Gideon, by his folly, was snared. - (There was a disturbing discrepancy between his public pronouncements and his private practice.)

If you stop building altars you will start building snares.

The Outcome of the Snare

The Outcome of the Snare is to be Captured

Merriam Webster - a contrivance often consisting of a noose for entangling birds or mammals

When we are snared by Satan, we become captives to his will, forced to play his game, forced to be at his mercy.

The Outcome of the Snare is to be Killed

Satan has always hated everything that God gives.

Notice the likening of a snare to a noose, Satan desires to constrict the child of God. To bind them and take their breath, which God gave them, away.

The Outcome of the Snare is to Ensnare Others

Judges 8:33 “And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.”

Often times if we are snared, the devil uses this opportunity to ensnare others

In Judges 9 Gideon’s failure leads to the death of his descendants and his sons. Abimilech kills his brethren, and is then killed by a millstone

notice the tool used to kill Abimilech

Jesus mentions the millstone when talking about offending his little ones.

The Nature of the Snare

The Nature of the snare is to Allure

James 1:14–15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Gideon was tempted by pride, whether he knew it or not.

The snare is this that devil attempts to lure us into believing that we are doing okay when we are not. He wants us to believe that we are spiritually sound, even though our spiritual decisions are made by a flesh concerned mind.

The Nature of the Snare is to be Hidden

Sin often creeps in unaware to those that the devil is attempting to steal, this is why we must be steadfast in our prayer.

Romans 16:17–18 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

notice the word deceive

James 1:22–25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

The Nature of the Snare is to Trap

1 Timothy 6:9 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

Proverbs 5:21–23 “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.”

The Answer for the Snare

Psalm 124:6–7 “Blessed be the Lord, Who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: The snare is broken, and we are escaped.”

How do we avoid the snare

stay in the word - Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.”

Stay in the altar

Ephesians 6:11–18 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

How do we escape the snare

Psalm 91:1–3 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the noisome pestilence.” Get back to the presence of God