Gideon's Ephod

Readings today:
Judges 7,8; Luke 22

Judges 8:23 (KJV)
And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.
Judges 8:27 (KJV)
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.

If the account ended in v. 23, it would have indeed been a perfect ending to the Israelite situation. But as it were, things took a down turn and we see the Israelites falling into idolatry again.
OK so first the positive observations.
Gideon was spot on when he declared that "the Lord shall rule over you". Indeed, if we are to be successful spiritually, the only way is to submit to God's authority. Yes, it is good for us to look up to faithful brethren, even as Paul exhorted in 1Co 11:1 (NKJV)
​ "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." And the key here is the "just as I also" or "in so far as". And one of the problems that Paul was addressing in his letter to the Corinthians was that of sectarianism and cronyism (1co 3:3-5). The same will apply to our submission to the oversight of elders. Our submission is limited to them being Scriptually sound.
And then comes the negative.
It baffles the mind why Gideon would ask for a golden ephod. It was uncannily similar to the gold calf made by Aaron way back in the days of the Exodus (Ex 32). And we all know how it ended up. Perhaps it was due to pride, that he wanted some sort of trophy for himself. Perhaps it was due to fear that the people in succeeding generations will forget he and his descendants. Whatever the case, Gideon made a big mistake as we read in v. 27. He had no authority to do so. And we realise that man is totally clueless in spiritual matters without the word of God (pro 14:12, 16:25, Jer 10:23). As a result, he caused a stumbling block to be put before the Israelites and they yet again fell into idolatry and neither did the people remember Gideon and his accolades (v. 35).

Thus it remains vital for us to continually and consistently subject ourselves to the rule and authority of God because man can change but God will always remain constant and faithful. Man can let us down, but God will always live up to His Promises. And only by submitting to God’s perfect rule, can we be found pleasing in His sight and finally lay claim to our heavenly reward.