Ignorance of the Word of God is dangerous and destructive to a culture. A culture without a consistent flow of Biblical teaching will replace the truth and reality of the Lord with pagan beliefs and secular practices until their society is eaten away like a canker. Likewise, though God has called Gideon to lead the people of Israel in victory and secure deliverance from the Midianites, yet the people of Israel remain ignorant.

Immediately after his victory Gideon begins to behave like a king. First, Gideon takes a greater share of the plunder for himself, and then, he builds himself a harem where he has seventy sons. But, worse Gideon takes a portion of his share of the plunder of gold and makes his own priestly ephod. Israel already has a priesthood established by the Lord and Israel’s high priest already wears an ephod through which Israel can communicate with the Lord. These priests and Levites were  responsible for the teaching of God’s word and the promotion of proper YHWH worship, but they can’t teach what they do not know. The priesthood in Israel has also been corrupted.

Gideon and Israel indicate they have lost sight of God’s Truth when the ephod is made, the priesthood is replaced and Israel starts to seek “god” at this new pagan shrine dedicated to the Lord. In their ignorance, Gideon and Israel continue to create “the Lord” and his “doctrine” in their own image. Israel still continues to use the phrase “the Lord,” but they have completely redefined who he is, what he does, how he is worshipped. And, most importantly, they have redefined how to live in obedience to him. The dark days will now grow darker.

“The Bible is essentially a narrative, a story which we must pass on by retelling it, and in this way it can come about that the story may ‘happen’, so to speak, to those who listen to it.”
– K. H. Miskotte

Jesus in the Modern Classroom:
Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and gathering them around him taught them saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek,
Blessed are they that mourn.
Blessed are the merciful.
Blessed are they who thirst
for justice.
Blessed are you when
you suffer.
Be glad and rejoice for your reward is great in heaven."

Then, Simon Peter said,
"Do we have to write this down?"
And, Andrew said,
"Are we supposed to know this?"
And, James said,
"Will this be on the test?"
And, Phillip said,
"I don't have any paper."
And, Bartholomew said,
"John the Baptist’ disciples didn't have to learn this."
And, John said,
"Do we have to turn this in?"
And, Matthew said,
"Can I go to the bathroom?"
And, Judas said,
"What does this have to do with real life?"

Then, one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus' lesson plan and inquired of Jesus:
"Where is your anticipatory set of objectives in the cognitive domain?"

And Jesus wept.

(The above is copied from
here, here, here and here.)