The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 140
SECT. CXL.
THe people of Iſrael were now ſo highly pleaſed with Gideon for delivering them out of the hands of Midian, that they offered to make him their King, and to ſettle the Kingdom ſucceſſively upon his Poſterity. He told them, He would not Rule over them as a King, becauſe the accepting of the Regal Power to Himſelf and his Family, would ſeem (as it were) a taking of the Government out of God's Hand, who ſet up whom He pleaſed to Rule over them. The Lord (ſaith he) ſhall Rule over you; Take ye heed of rejecting Him, [1 Sam. 8.6, 7.] neither I nor my Son ſhall be your King. Thus he would not give any conſent to the Change of the Government without God's leave. But though Gideon refuſed this profer of theirs, yet he told them, He had one Requeſt to make to them, which if they would grant him, he would take it very kindly from them; which was, That every one of them would give him one of thoſe Ear-rings *Or golden Ornaments, whither worn in the Ear, or on the Forehead. For the Hebrew word is uſed for both, ſee Gen. 24.22. & 35.4.which they had taken from the Iſhmaelites, who uſed to wear ſuch golden Ornaments. They told him, They would willingly do it. And accordingly ſpreading a Garment to receive them, every one caſt in one of thoſe Ear-rings or golden Ornaments they had taken from the Iſhmaelites, and the weight of them came to a thouſand ſeven hundred Shekels of Gold, which according to our account comes to 2380 pounds. And beſides theſe, they added ſome Chains, and golden Boxes, (wherein the Iſhamelites carried ſweet Perfumes) and purple Garments which the Kings of the Midianites had worn. All theſe they added, beſides the Collars which had been taken from the Necks of the Camels, which Gideon had taken to himſelf as his proper Prey. Gideon of part of this Gold now given him, made an Ephod, like that of Aaron's, with a Breaſt-plate ſet with many precious ſtones of great value, [ſee Exod. 28.15, 16, 17.] and made of Gold, Blue, Purple, Scarlet, &c. 'Tis like his deſign in making this Ephod was, that it ſhould be a Monument of that great Victory he had obtained (after he had offered Sacrifice to God) over the Midianites, [the Monument being made of the Prey there taken] and poſſibly his purpoſe was to make uſe of this Ephod to enquire, by the Judgment of Ʋrim, what the Will of the Lord was upon all Emergent Occaſions, not conſidering that this Priviledge was only annexed to Aaron's Ephod; or poſſibly he made this Ephod that the High Prieſt (being adorned with it) ſhould Sacrifice for him and the people at the Altar which he, by the Command of God, had erected in Ophrah. But what-ever was his intention, he ſeems herein highly to have ſinned againſt God, and to have miniſtred occaſion to the Iſraelites to commit Idolatry, to which they were before of themſelves too prone. For after his death the Iſraelites did groſly abuſe this Ephod to Idolatry and Superſtition, either reſorting to it to inquire concerning the Will of God in their Doubts and Difficulties, or offering Sacrifices there by occaſion of it, or being taken with the glory of it, falling down before it, and worſhipping it, and at laſt abuſing it to the groſſeſt Idolatry, and making uſe of (as 'tis probable) in the Worſhip of Baal, verſ. 33. Be ſure, ſome way or other they Idolatrouſly abuſed it, and are therefore ſaid to have gone a whoring after it, and it became a Snare to Gideon and to his Houſe; that is, it inſnared his Poſterity by degrees, drawing them to do that which was very diſpleaſing to God, and at laſt became the utter ruine of his Family. For all the Tragical Accidents that afterwards befel his Houſe, may be looked upon as the effects of God's Wrath for this Idolatry. However the Midianites were now ſo vanquiſhed, that they lifted not up their heads any more to vex Iſrael. Gideon therefore after this Victory went and dwelt quietly in his own houſe, and judged Iſrael many years. He had many Wives (by whom he had ſixty nine Sons) and one Concubine who dwelt at Shechem, [whom he took as a ſecundary Wife, and in an inferiour degree, having been before his Maid-Servant, Ch. 9, 18.] by whom he had Abimelech. At length Gideon died in a good old age, and was buried in the Sepulchre of his Father at Ophra.
Ch. 8. from verſ. 22. to the 33.