The traps in your family or firm.

With skill and humility, Gideon brings the disgruntled Ephraimites to his side. Now, all of the people want him to be king, but Gideon refuses. He does, however, have one request:

And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. (Judges 8:24-27)

In conquering Midian and its related tribes, including the Ishmaelites, Gideon’s soldiers acquired gold, fine garments, and jewels. Gideon asks for the wealth so he can make a gold ephod, a vest or apron worn by the High Priest of Israel and revered by the people. (Recall David wore a linen ephod after beating the Philistines in battle.) But the creation of the beautiful ephod causes the Isrealites to (again) begin worshipping the wrong thing. Gideon’s object of victory entraps him and his family, and becomes both a source and a symbol of spiritual strife.

What objects or behaviors ensnare you or your family business partners? It might be the “trappings” of success, where material possessions afforded by your profits become unhealthy ends. Or when the senior generation “rules from the grave” with an estate plan that creates more conflict than kindness. Chasing the image of the picture-perfect family can lead to real loneliness and despair for individual participants, while the worship of the business itself may in fact keep any family from returning.

Have you ever been disappointed by something you initially thought was a success? How did you recognize your misconception, and what did you do to correct it?