No King in Israel (14)

The angel of the Lord called Gideon a mighty man of valor. Considering that he said it to a man hiding from the Midianites in a winepress, perhaps he meant it tongue in cheek. Then again, many centuries later he would make Simon the coward into a rock and Saul the persecutor of Christians into the foremost teacher and prophet in Christian history. The Lord’s choices invariably appear counterintuitive by human standards.

But even mighty men of valor are not invulnerable. Many have fallen before their time. The key to Gideon’s success was this: the Lord sent him, and the Lord promised to be with him. That’s all God’s servants ever need.

But before Gideon could become the instrument by which God would deliver Israel from Midian, there was one important thing that needed doing first.

II. Twelve Judges in Chronological Order (continued)

5. Gideon (continued)

Judges 6:25-27 — Laying the Groundwork

“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.”

The Infinite at Work

As we might expect from the infinite, the Lord is rarely doing only one thing at any given time when he calls a man into his service. First, the command serves as a test of Gideon’s obedience. Of course, the Lord already knew Gideon would obey, but Gideon may not have been quite so confident. Second, pulling down the altar of Baal and burning the Asherah purifies Joash’s household. How could God possibly bless or use a man whose own home had an altar to Baal standing outside? Now there is no problem: the family has just publicly converted to the worship of YHWH. Third, the Lord demonstrates he is able and willing to protect Gideon when he obeys. Fourth, he obliges Gideon’s father Joash to take a public stand on behalf of his son, uniting the family, even though it’s dad’s own altar Gideon has just torn down. Fifth, the act makes Gideon into a leader of men, a man willing to do something entirely countercultural and risky. Sixth, the Lord begins to build Gideon’s confidence, which was demonstrably shaky. Seventh, he establishes Gideon’s reputation with the men of the town and gets him a memorable nickname.

In Due Order

The stones of the altar Gideon was to build to the Lord were to be laid “in due order”. The Hebrew word the Lord uses here is more frequently translated “rank”, “army” or “battle line”. Gideon is to construct this altar with military precision, not slap it together in a panic. Gideon may have built the altar by night, but he did it in orderly and measured way, something his ten servants surely observed and noted.

Not only does this befit a man who is about to serve as a military commander, but it shows appropriate respect for the God to whom Gideon sacrificed. I am reminded of Paul’s command to the Corinthians that “all things” in the service of God are to be done “decently and in order”. The way we conduct ourselves in the Lord’s service ought to reflect the character of the God we serve.

Ten Men of His Servants

Gideon may have been of the personal opinion that his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and his own status least in his father’s house, but his father Joash obviously had considerable clout with the men of the town. He was sufficiently well off during a period of foreign oppression that Gideon was able to take “ten men of his servants”, which suggests there were more.

By Night

Gideon’s fearful nature and struggle with trust comes up repeatedly in these chapters. Here, he acts by night because he is afraid of both his family members (whose altar he is destroying) and the men of the town. But the Lord does not reject Gideon because he cannot easily muster the necessary courage. What’s important to the Lord is that his servants obey. Their feelings are very much beside the point; a challenge to be mastered, not catered to.

Judges 6:28-32 — Let Baal Contend

“When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. And they said to one another, ‘Who has done this thing?’ And after they had searched and inquired, they said, ‘Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.’ Then the men of the town said to Joash, ‘Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.’ But Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.’ Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, ‘Let Baal contend against him,’ because he broke down his altar.”

The searching and inquiry performed by the men of the town probably didn’t take long. With ten other men involved in the midnight desecration of Baal’s altar, one of the servants or a family member would surely have spilled the beans.

It’s interesting that the worship of Baal was so entrenched in Israel already that the men of the town felt within their rights to put a man to death for desecrating the altar of a foreign god. Still, they were neither terribly courageous nor terribly persistent. A simple refusal from the father, and the threat of violence against anyone who acted in defense of Baal, ended the townsmen’s tentative stab at mob rule. Oddly enough, Gideon was in greater danger from the men of the town than he ever would have been from a “god” that didn’t actually exist. But the Lord saw to it that Joash stood up for his son, apparently untroubled by the destruction of his altar and Asherah, or by the sacrifice of his bull. It’s amazing how the courage of one man can inspire others.

Thus, Gideon received a name that would change his status from “least in his father’s house” to a man of principle and daring whose deliverance would give the land forty years of rest.