Judges 6-8

"Don't expect even the best leader to be perfect."

The Bible's book of Judges, chapters 6-8, tells the story of Gideon, who led Israel in peace for forty years. Gideon did good things. He led in battle. He led in peace. But his interest in gold snared both himself and his people. The Bible tells about the trap:

...[Gideon] said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. (Judges 8:24-27)