Ministries
Resources
1Then the men of Ephraim said to him, "What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they accused him fiercely. 2And he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.
The otherwise uplifting story ends with a disturbing scene. It shows that we always seem to find ways to skew the message of God's glory. The Ephraimites are a kind of case study in Judges. The tribe will also be mentioned in 12:1-6 in the Jephthah cycle, where they create a noticeably similar problem. We are presented with the portrait of a self-centered and factious people who are too easily offended. Hand in hand with this agenda goes an inflated confidence in their perceived importance among the tribes.
Ephraim demonstrates two things: First, God's initial concern that people would seek credit for themselves was all too accurate, since this desire forms the essence of their complaint. Was this not a time for celebration? Yet, they had nothing better to do than to complain about not being honored with a more prominent role in the engagement! The second lesson we learn from their stance is how destructive a force self-absorption really is. It seems that even in victory Israel remains its own worst enemy. The battle has just been won, and a new fight is on the verge of breaking out, and it is about who gets the glory.
James speaks of this tendency with authority: "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:13-18).
Neither Ephraim nor Gideon fit the category of these words descriptive of heavenly wisdom. Ephraim is quarrelsome and Gideon's wisdom falls short of being pure and producing true peace. Maybe you are a glory seeker, a person who craves the respect and recognition of people. It is too easy to fall into this trap, and for this reason we must constantly be alert and ask God for the wisdom that comes down from above, wisdom that is personified in Jesus Christ our Lord.
The author of these devotionals, the Rev. Martin Emmrich, is an ordained OPC minister (Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the author of Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book on the teaching of Hebrews on the Holy Spirit. We are happy to make these devotionals on Ecclesiastes and other passages of Scripture available to you.
© 2024 The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
