Scripture:
Judges 6:25-27 ESV
[25] 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 [26] 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.” [27] 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.
Observation:
Gideon was just called by the LORD a few short verses ago. He was told that he was a mighty warrior. By the one who created him and knew what he was built for. Now it’s time to get to work. His first marching orders were not small and would require that he be bold and courageous. That very night, the LORD said to him. Take your father’s bull and the 7-year-old bull and pull down the altar of Baal, cutting down the Asherah pole and sacrificing the bull on an altar, built with the remains. Now, before we go too far, I want to explain the number 7 in the bible. Every number in the bible has a meaning, and the number 7 means completeness or wholeness. So, the underlying meaning in the bull that was 7 years old could be that this action would complete and solidify the calling that GOD had placed on Gideon, and if you think about it, it just makes sense. After sacrificing the bull, there was no turning back for Gideon. This is something he knew going in, and it created a little fear for him. So he chose to do it at night when everyone was asleep. Pulling down the altar at night when no one was watching didn’t work, though. If you read just a few verses after where we stopped. You will see that someone was aware of who did it and was willing to say something.
Application:
Once you have an encounter with the LORD. It’s time to get to work. In case you haven’t noticed. All through the Bible, GOD uses man to accomplish HIS will. HE called Moses to deliver the Israelites. HE told Abraham to pack up and move. HE used Joshua to bring the Israelites into the promised land, and so on. Now HE has called you. So let me ask you this: What strongholds is HE asking you to tear down? What idols are in your life that need to go? I would like to sit here and say you don’t have to do anything. That they will all just go away. However, that’s not true. There is work to be done, and GOD is calling you to do it. The LORD is a jealous GOD. HE wants your attention. The thing is, HE will stop at nothing to get it. Here’s how it happened to me. After GOD had made HIMSELF known in my life, HE started showing me things that needed to change. Things that were competing for my attention. Things I didn’t need. HE never forced me to let go of them, but HE did expose the fact that they were doing me no good, and when I was ready, HE asked me to do something about it. The more I eliminated, the more whole I felt, and the closer I got to HIM. Some of these things were gotten rid of when no one was looking, but the evidence of them being gone could not be hidden. The LORD wants us to be bold and courageous. To stand in the middle of it and shout. You can not have my family. You have no place around my children or my wife or husband or anyone else GOD has given me. We are to eliminate the things that separate us from a real relationship with the LORD. HE wants the first position in our lives. Pulling down strongholds is what HE does, and until HE has that first position in your life, HE is going to ask you to do things that may make you uncomfortable. You may want to do them when no one else is looking, but the evidence that they have been done will not be able to be hidden.
Prayer:
Father, you are able, and we know that you have a plan. Help us to see it and move forward in it. Give us courage for the task, and let the evidence speak for itself. We want to be used by you. We ask that you would show us the next step. Help us to learn what you want from us, the easy way. We just want that real relationship with you. One that stands in the middle of it all and says my heart belongs to YAHWAH. Give us boldness that can not be mistaken, and a relationship with you that draws others to you. Let our life be a witness to your goodness, to the fact that you have made us complete, and whole lacking nothing. Be with us in all that we do. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.