In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! They asked each other, “Who did this?”
When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”
So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”
Judges 6:28-32 NIV Read More
What did you think would happen when Gideon’s dad woke up and found all of his religious possessions destroyed? Gideon would be dead meat!
Even worse, two fat bulls!
Even worse, it was all burned up in sacrifice to another diety!
Even worse, it was done right on top of the stronghold where everyone would see it.
Even worse it was all done by your son!!!
Whatever you imagined would happen, Gideon probably went through it worse, but he knew that God — the one true god — had commanded him to do it. Gideon’s task couldn’t be impulsive. It would take a long time to destroy an Asherah, build a new altar of stacked stones (not cut!) and then kill two bulls.
But none of those fears happened. On the one hand, we can say Joash was faithful to Asherah. “If Baal is a god, he can take care of himself!” Asherah was the wife of Baal, the god of the local Canaanites. Baal was the one that Yahweh said not to worship and to destroy all trace of Baal, but the Israelites didn’t do it.
Now they have a decision to make. If they really believe that Baal and Asherah are gods, then they can leave Gideon’s judgment to them. If Yahweh is more powerful, then Yahweh will protect Gideon from Baal and there isn’t anything that anybody can do about it. They are going to let Baal contend with Gideon, not any of them.
Even though they are a bunch of pagan Baal worshippers, you have to admire that. They are going to leave things in the hands of the god that they trust to settle the matter.
Gideon is, of course, doing the same thing with one bonus. He is leaving the results to God but obeying God when God empowers and instructs him to act. “Letting God defend His own altar” is exactly what is about to happen. In Psalm 37:13, God laughs at the wicked. He can and will defend His own altar when the people cry out to Him for help.
God works miracles to save and deliver His people. Just because He uses other people to be the miracles doesn’t mean He’s not working a miracle. A lot of times, using His busted, nervous children is even more of a miracle.
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