Being
assured that it was God whom he had encountered, Gideon was now ready to serve
Him. And for service to be effective, there is a need for him to set his home
aright. Real commitment is not just giving verbal consent to serve God but one
that is demonstrated by action. The very first thing God required Gideon to
show his commitment was by destroying the altar of Baal and the pole of Asherah
that his father had built. He was required to set his house in order. Gideon
was told to take his father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and
pull down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole with it. This was probably the
family altar built by his father to serve Baal. In its place, he was to “…build
an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an
orderly manner….” After he had built the altar to the Lord, he was to offer the
seven-year-old bull to the LORD. The altar that he would build for God cannot
co-exist alongside with the altar of Baal. This reason is obvious. God deserves
our total allegiance in life. For no one can expect to be effective when he is
not wholehearted in his surrender. The Lord Jesus in the Gospel reminds us that
“…no man can serve two masters.” Truly, it is hard to be faithful to God when
we have another master whom we feel obligated to serve at the same time. So,
Gideon was rightly directed to destroy the altar made to serve another god.
To
destroy the altar which his father had built for Baal was a big issue. Gideon
was not sure how his father would react. It would certainly be a task that
would be attended to by some trepidation. To do it in the day time would invite
needless interference. So wisely, Gideon did it in the night. He did exactly
what was instructed by the LORD. On the next day, when the people went about their
business, they discovered that the altar of Baal in its usual place was
destroyed. They also realized that in its place an altar was built and a fresh
offering had been made to Jehovah God. Soon it was revealed that Gideon was the
one who had destroyed the altar and offered the sacrifice. Without a doubt,
contending with the Midianites also meant that the Israelites had to contend with
their foreign gods.
In
verse 30 we see the people of the city demanded Joash, Gideon’s father, to turn
his son over to be executed for his violation. Of course, Joash was not about to
surrender his son, whose courageous act must have inspired him to take a stand
for the LORD as well. He reasoned with them saying if Baal was truly a god he
would not need their assistance. He could fight for himself. Joash was
suggesting that they should let Baal defend himself and contend with Gideon if
he was the powerful god they supposed him to be. Gideon came to be nicknamed
Jerubaal meaning “Let Baal contend against him.”
God
demands our allegiance. Like Gideon, we owe Him our commitment. He is the only
one who will make a total difference in life. In our journey in life, our
allegiance to God will be tested time and again. A lesser commitment would
cause us to live a vacillating life hovering between God and the lesser things
of life. Our love for God demands that we make a quality decision to serve only
Him and then stick to it committedly come what may. Nothing short of a hundred
percent commitment to God will be an appropriate response for Him. Be sure to
give Him all your total commitment!
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