Scripture Text: Judges 6:25-32
That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
Judges 6:25-27
Inally, Gideon obeyed the Lord's command after he saw the signs that God alone was the one who called him to deliver Israel from the hand of the enemies. Gideon fulfilled the instructions of God to pull and cut down the altar of Baal and Asherah that his father (Joash) has. Gideon replaced it with God's altar. He and his men did it by night
The result was that the Israelites became angry with Gideon and they wanted to kill him (v. 30) .However, Joash defended his son from the attack of the crowd and Joash challenged them mentioned in verse 31, Then Joash spoke to the crowd that was standing around him. Joash said, “Are you going to take Baal’s side? Are you going to rescue Baal? If anyone takes Baal’s side, let him be put to death by morning. If Baal really is a god, let him defend himself when someone pulls down his altar.”
In this scenario, we can clearly see that God opened Joash's eyes and also the eyes and hearts of the people. He showed them that the real God was only Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our God today, tomorrow and forever.
God chose us perfectly through His Son Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive. He is seated at the right side of God the Father in heaven. And He is always protecting us, and defending us in all circumstances.
Therefore, as believers-followers of Christ, we must do the following to avoid idolatry in our lives:
Stand courageously in God's side
Trust in God's call and empowerment
Seek God's guidance and have faith in His provision
Obey God's commands for blessings.
Reflect
Do you still have an altar of idols in your heart?
Remember
God wants us to pull out and cut down all the altar of idols in our hearts. Make your perfect choice, Jesus is the perfect choice forever!
Pray
Our heavenly Father, we give You thanks for letting us experience Your power and Your sovereignty. Thank You for You are the God who can be relied upon all the time, and in all circumstances. Thank You, because when You call, You equip, not just spiritually, but also physically and emotionally. You are Spirit, but You rule not just in the heavenly realms, but also in the world we live in. Your power is boundless, and timeless. You deserve all the thanksgiving, praises, glory, honor, and power. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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