Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. As occurs in 1 Kings 15:22 with , to denote the materials out of which (i.e., with which) a thing is built, Stud. 6:15). There always seems to be some sort of excuse or reasoning that we come up with when God calls us for a task, doesnt it? We should have expected the thought which inspired their captain to have been 'The Lord is a man of war,' rather than 'The Lord is peace.' Even the second bullock.It has been disputed whether the true rendering is even or and. Ewald makes it mean even, and explains shani (second) to mean old (Gesch. (Comp. Joash: No! 2. ver. We might rather have looked for a manifestation of the divine nature as ready to go forth to battle with the raw levies of timid peasants. and others, who understand Judges 6:25 as meaning that Gideon was to take only one bullock, namely the young bullock of his father, and therefore regard as a more precise definition of that one bullock (vav being used in an explanatory sense, "and indeed," as in Joshua 9:27; Joshua 10:7, etc.). This was a direct attack from Satan, but, as the earlier part of Job 1 explains, Satan was acting with the permission of God (verse 12). Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. night of open heaven/ day 32 (100 days fasting & prayer 20th june, 2023) He blew his ram's horn trumpet and the Abiezrites came out, ready to follow him. Okay, heres where story gets interesting. ( Judges 6:31). WebIn the silent hours of the night, the divine voice came again to Gideon, bidding him hew down the altar of Baal, together with the tree of the Ashtarte, which polluted his father's I need not tell over again, less vividly, the picturesque story in this chapter, of the simple husbandman up in the hills, engaged furtively in threshing out a little wheat in some hollow in the rock where he might hide it from the keen eyes of the oppressors; and of how the angel of the Lord, unrecognised at first, appeared to him; and In Judges 6: 27, we see Gideon respond in bold faith to Gods assignment in spite of his fears. Sunday School - Gideon Destroys Baals Altar - Rev. Leo H. Gideon No, God saved us! That is by it.Rather, that is upon it. First, hes pointed out that Baal is in need of man to defend him. Angry Israelite #2: I saw Gideon destroy the altar last night! If you remember from our lesson last week, I spoke of how the Israelites were supposed to conquer the land of Canaan. The hope which beckoned him on, when he flung himself into his else desperate enterprise, was that God would so prosper his work that the swords might be beaten into ploughshares, and the spears into pruning hooks. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down. 32Therefore on that day Gideon[a] was called (A)Jerubbaal, that is to say, Let Baal contend against him, because he broke down his altar. The Lord said, Do not be afraid. (Vs.29,30) Gideons obedience not only affected him but his household. Why, he tore down the Baal altar and chopped down the Asherah tree! by Rylee 25 subscribers Subscribe 0 No views 1 minute ago Discover the powerful story of Gideon Asherah idol [or Asherah pole; Asherah; a Canaanite fertility goddess; 3:7] beside it. 1. 403. Also take a second bull, one that is seven years Why, he tore down the Baal altar and chopped down the Asherah tree!" God used Gideon to deliver His people from the grip of Midianite oppression. Our lesson this week is being taught from Judges 6:25-32. 29They asked each other, Who did this thing? When they looked into it and asked around, they concluded, Joashs son Gideon did it.[c]. They all came. Some render it, "upon it" (t), and understand by it an idol placed on it: so the Arabic version is,"cut down the female idol Asira (perhaps the same with Astarte), which is upon the same altar;''and so the Syriac version to the same purpose, which calls it the idol Estere, set upon the altar. Were there no sin there would be no fear, and pure hearts would open in silent blessedness and yield their sweetest fragrance of love and adoration, when shone on by Him, as flowers do to the kiss of the sunbeams. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. (Comp. After seven years of brutal oppression by the Midianites, Israel cried out to God Calls Gideon- Judges 6 There is tranquillity in trust. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said to him, Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it: Genesis 35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: Job 22:23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. The 'peace with God' will pass into a wider thing, the 'peace of God.' This bullock is called "the second bullock," as being the second in age among the bullocks of Joash. Joash says pointedly, If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down! This, I want you to understand, was a direct challenge to the authority of Baal. 35. He is directed to destroy the altar to Baal in his own fathers house and take down the Asherah fertility pole next to the altar. Start your free trial today. Lesson Opening Ask: Have you ever gone through something so difficult that you cried out to God to help you? Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Now, well see Gideons fear creep up here in our next verse. He had heard of 'Jehovah.' Why do you think God would have selected someone like Gideon? The land of peace is won by the good fight of faith. The Message (MSG) Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by NavPress and Eugene H. Peterson. The LXX., the Vulgate, Luther, &c, render it "and," as in the margin of our version. Judges 6:24 Commentaries: Then Gideon built an If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar! 32 From then on Gideon But its fulfilment is reserved for the land of peace which we enter by the last conflict with the last enemy. The action of Gideon is what led to Joash then having to step up in a very dangerous situation which is what valor is. The Story of Gideon and his Three Hundred Soldiers - Bible Hub After being called, you will even see Gideon express his fears when he says, O my Lord, how can I save Israel? 1 Kings 18: 17-39 begins with Elijahs interrogation with Ahab. Why did Elijah throw his cloak around Elisha? Gideon could not believe he would lead the Israelites out from the Midianites oppression. Can you say, 'I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee'? ', So, dear brethren, let us pass from tradition and hearsay into personal intercourse with God, and from shrinking and doubt into the sunshine of the conviction that He is our peace. suppose that maaracah refers to the materials of the altar of Baal that had been destroyed, with which Gideon was to build the altar of Jehovah. He dispatched messengers all through Manasseh, calling them to the battle; also to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. - The same night, etc. (r) Iliad. It is sad that it should be so. 6:4). 566ff.). In todays lesson, God calls Gideon to cast down the altar of the idol Baal (Vs.25) In order for God to move the people along, the issue of idol worship had to be dealt with. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. The verb is not only very frequently used to denote the preparation of the wood upon the altar (Genesis 22:9; Leviticus 1:7, etc. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Schmidt). Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. Anyone who takes Baal's side will be dead by morning. Ewald makes it mean "even," and explains shani (second) to mean "old" (Gesch. Sign Up or Login. The next day, the men of the city wanted to kill Gideon because he destroyed their false idols. that the Lord said unto him; perhaps in a dream, since it was in the night: take thy father's young bullock: or "the bullock, the ox" (p); a bullock which was a large grown ox, and was not only his father's property, but what his father designed and set apart for the service of Baal; and though it was his father's, yet having a divine warrant for it, it was sufficient for him to take it without his leave, and especially as it was designed for such an ill use: even the second bullock of seven years old; which, according to Hesiod (q) is in its prime and full strength at nine years old, and lives much longer. Alas! What does the Bible say about caring for animarls? Gideon prevailed in his risky mission and experienced Gods faithfulness both in enabling him to complete his assignment in spite of his fears and protect him from the expected consequences. 31 Your email address will not be published. 32 They nicknamed Gideon that day Jerub-Baal because after he had torn down the Baal altar, Every Christian man's gravestone is an altar on which is written 'Our God is peace'; in token that the warrior has passed into the land where 'violence shall no more be heard, wasting, nor destruction within its borders,' but all shall be deep repose, and the unarmed, because unattacked, peace of tranquil communion with, and likeness to, 'Jehovah our Peace. The Gideon Story Keep that in mind, because dealing with fear is a big part of the Gideon story. WebGideon Destroys the Altar of Baal. Personally, even though Gideon was fearful, I believe it was logical to complete the task at night. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his fathers household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. God builds our faith and trust in Him step by step! If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said. 38And it was so. He would take bulls of his fathers herd to accomplish this task and build an altar to the God of Israel. Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. of Baal Gideon The people were not pleased and in fact they wanted to kill Gideon. You have personal relations to Him, He is nearer you than any human being is, He is no mere Name, here He stands! I consent to the use of following cookies: Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. It gives courage, it leaves the heart at leisure to fling all its power into the conflict, it inspires with the consciousness of a divine ally. English Standard Version (ESV). So, Joash is put in this place of realizing what his son had done and standing up for him or go against what his son had done. That will make us 'ready, aye ready' for the roughest march, and enable us to stand firm against the most violent charges of the enemy. But Joash stood up to the crowd pressing in on him, "Are you going to fight Baal's battles for him? ', But, besides this thought that the knowledge of Jehovah as peace fits us for strife, that hastily-reared altar with its seemingly inappropriate name, may remind us that it is possible, in the midst of the deadliest hand-to-hand grip with evil, and whilst fighting the 'good fight of faith' with the most entire self-surrender to the divine will, to bear within us, deeper than all the surface strife, that inward tranquillity which knows no disturbance, though the outward life is agitated by fierce storms. As passionate as you can be about things in this world, you should be even more passionate when it comes to the Lord! Secondly, Joash points out that Baal is not only in need of mans defense but he needs man to save him. The iron was hot; it was time to strike. Under the cover of night and with fear and trembling, Gideon obeyed Gods command; he destroyed his fathers pagan altars, erected an altar to the Lord, and sacrificed a bull upon it. But Gideon's altar not only expressed his purpose in his taking up arms, but his confidence of accomplishing it, based upon the assurance that the Lord would give peace. Apparently up to the moment of this vision he had been contentedly tolerating the idolatrous practices which had spread over all the country. Gideon (p) "juvencum bovem", Drusius; "juvencum adultiorem", Junius & Tremellius. ", They nicknamed Gideon that day Jerub-Baal because after he had torn down the Baal altar, he had said, "Let Baal fight his own battles.". Also cut down the Asherah pole that is there. Gideon says to the Lord, If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said, 37 I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. Why did God ask Gideon to destroy the altar? But these assumptions are both of them equally arbitrary, and have no support whatever from the text. WebThe Midian encampment lay in the valley to their north, near the hill of Moreh. Remember what the purpose of this vision was, -- to raise up a man to fight an almost desperate fight, no metaphorical war, but one with real sharp swords, against real strong enemies. . Judges 6:25 ..why the second bull? The secret of rest is to cease from self, from self as guide, from self as aim, from self as safety. ", But Joash stood up to the crowd pressing in on him, "Are you going to fight Baal's battles for him? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. (G)And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. Gideon (k) That is, as the Chaldea text writes, fed seven years. 28When the leading[b] men of the city got up early the next morning, the altar to Baal had been torn down, along with the Asherah that had stood beside it, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been erected. A violent commotion was excited next day, and vengeance vowed against Gideon as the perpetrator. The words are literally, which is to thy father, as in the previous clause; and the pointed repetition of these words tends to confirm the conjecture mentioned in the previous note. Gideon built an altar in that place and called it The Lord Is Peace because he had seen God and did not die (verses 2224). The first bullock is said to belong to Joash, and we must, therefore, probably suppose that the second was Gideons own. Sign Up or Login. Lesson 77: Judges 69 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter The altar of Baal.--Rather, of the Baal, i.e., of that particular Ph?nician idol which your father worships. This challenge was something that wouldve been eye opening for the angry mob and make them question their faith in the god of Baal and Asherah. However, God did not state what time of day He wanted the altar and the idol next to it destroyed God simply commanded the altar to be destroyed. LATE ENGR. RAYMOND ANTHONY ALEOGHO DOKPESI O when wilt thou come unto me? If Baal is a god in fact, let him fight his own battles and defend his own altar." "In that night," i.e., the night following the day on which the Lord appeared to him, God commanded him to destroy his father's Baal's altar, with the asherah-idol upon it, and to build an altar to Jehovah, and offer a bullock of his father's upon the altar. Judges 6:24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and Required fields are marked *. Deep in the centre of the ocean the waters lie quiet, though the wildest tempests are raging above, and the fiercest currents running. Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my fathers house (Judg. Judges 8:32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. He must die! Preference cookies enable a website to remember information that changes the way the website behaves or looks, like your preferred language or the region that you are in. Now, the worship of Baal would go away for a little bit but not completely. ESV Text Edition: 2016. ', The sight of God passes from being a fear to a joy, from being a fountain of death to a spring of life, Terror is turned to tranquil trust. The first thing that it seems to me to suggest is the great discovery which this man had made, and in the rapture of which he named his altar, -- that the sight of God is not Jehovah-shalom.--"The Lord is peace." 2. . Gideon was called for the sole purpose of leading the Israelites out from under the oppression of the Midianites (Judg. The worship of Baal and Asherah was very common in the land of Canaan by the people living in that land. Early in the morning, the people in town were shocked to find Baal's altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it chopped down, and the prime bull burning away on the altar that had been built. Observe God's command ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Case of 24, ESV Kid's Thinline Bible, TruTone Imitation Leather, Charcoal with Sword of the Spirit Design, Romans, ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal, ESV Study Bible, Large Print, Genuine Leather, Black, ESV Outreach Bible, New Testament - Softcover. Lastly, we may draw yet another lesson, and say that that altar, with its significant inscription, expressed the aim of the conflict and the hope which sustains in the fight. This altar was dedicated to Baal, but there was also upon it an asherah, an idol representing the goddess of nature, which the Canaanites worshipped; not indeed a statue of the goddess, but, as we may learn from the word , to hew down, simply a wooden pillar (see at Deuteronomy 16:21). Stud. It was not for them to take the matter into their own hands. They kept asking, "Who did this?" WebGideon destroys Baal's altar 25 On the same night, the Lord said to Gideon, Take your father's bull from among his animals. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. . Possibly in this circumstance we may see an explanation of these minute directions, and the significance which they were intended to bear. WebBy Sister Deborah Hillman Scripture Lesson Text: Judges 6:25-32 Related Scriptures: Deuteronomy 7: 1-6; Exodus 34: 10-14; 1 Kings 18: 17-39 In this weeks lesson we learn (Vs.31) The one true God had once again used an ordinary person who had questions, concerns, and was fearful at times to still and yet again confront the enemy and do amazing things. 29 Can you write upon the memorial of your experiences, 'The Lord is my peace'? and Berth. Have you passed from hearsay into personal contact? Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. "Take the ox-bullock which belongs to thy father, and indeed the second bullock of seven years, and destroy the altar of Baal, which belongs to thy father, and throw down the asherah upon it." 30 Bertheau supposes, on the other hand, that Gideon was to make use of both oxen, or of the strength they possessed for throwing down or destroying the altar, and (according to Judges 6:26) for removing the and the to the place of the new altar that was to be built, but that he was only to offer the second in sacrifice to Jehovah, because the first was probably dedicated to Baal, and therefore could not be offered to Jehovah. This unit focuses on acts of courage. 6:14 ). Following this, Gideon was commanded to tear down the altar of Baal and build one to God (vss. Then Gideon was scared. If Baal is a god in fact, let him fight his own battles and defend his own altar. Why the bullock is called "the second bullock" is very uncertain, but this minute and unexplained detail shows that we are not moving in the region of legend. It is as if he had said with rapture of surprise, 'Then Jehovah is peace; which I never dreamed of before.'. We may look upon this inscription from another point of view, as suggesting the thought that God's peace is the best preparation for, and may be experienced in the midst of, the intensest conflict. This preparation was to consist, according to what follows, in taking the wood of the asherah, that had been hewn down, as the wood for the burnt-offering to be offered to the Lord by Gideon. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. WebOur Price: $36.49. Not only did they not complete the task of conquering the land, we see that they began to practice the ways of the Gentiles in the worship of idols. Questions and more questions, and then the answer: "Gideon son of Joash did it. gain access to 50+ premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. As regards what follows, there are two ways of understanding the verse. In connection with this rapturous discovery, and to Gideon strange new thought, we may gather the lesson that peace with God will give peace in all the soul. Across the dust of the conflict, the fair vision of unbroken and eternal peace should gleam before each of us, and we should renew fainting strength and revive drooping courage by many a wistful gaze. We are going to see just how bad the Israelites had gotten in their idolatry here in a moment. The altar of Baal.Rather, of the Baal, i.e., of that particular Phnician idol which your father worships. Because Gideon broke down Baals altar, they Which things may stand as an allegory, and suggest to us that the Christian warfare, whilst it rests upon, and is prompted by, the revelation of God who is peace, aims in all its blows, at the conquering of that sure and settled peace which shall be broken by no rebellious outbursts of self-will, nor by any risings of passions and desires. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Try it free today! Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. The divine word fits Gideon's condition, and corresponds to his then deepest necessity; and so he drinks it in as the thirsty ground drinks in the water; and in the rapture of the discovery that the Name, that had come down from his fathers to him, was the Name of a real Person, with whom he stood in real relationships, and those of simple friendship and pure amity, he piles up the rough stones of the place, and makes the name of his altar the echo of the divine voice. Answer. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual user and thereby more valuable for publishers and third party advertisers. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Start for FREE. Let me tell you something, when the Lord decides to use you, best believe that He is going to use you! Judges 6:25 Commentaries: Now on the same night The things that disturb us are by no means so much external as inward; and there is a charm and a fascination in the thought, 'the Lord is peace,' which stills the inward tempest, and makes us quiet, waiting upon His will and drawing in His grace. This site uses different types of cookies. It was a trophy erected before the fight, and built, not by arrogant presumption or frivolous underestimate of the enemy's strength, but by humble reliance on the power of that Lord who had promised His presence, and had assured triumph. 25-26). Life of Gideon Our lesson last week started off the summer quarter of lessons where we are going to be taking a look at people of valor.
Dieterle Memorial Home,
Ny Giants' Latest News Today,
Articles W