Judges 6:25-35 - Gideon's Zeal

Judges 6:25–35 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. 28 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. 29 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.” 30 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.” 31 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.” 32 Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar. 33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

25-26 - The Lord continues to speak to Gideon...

Judges 6:25 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

25 - Take the bull… (emphasis on the significance of this bull

Your father’s bull > Your dad’s!

The bull of the bullocks > the best one!

Seven year old bull > a strong mature one

Pull down the altar of Baal (that your father has)

Cut down the Asherah that is beside it

Judges 6:26 ESV

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.”

26 - Build an altar to the Lord YOUR God on top of the stronghold here with stones

Take the second bull offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down

Judges 6:27 ESV

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.

27 - Gideon did so…but at night for fear of the townsmen

28-32 - The next day...

Judges 6:28 ESV

28 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.

28 - When the men of the town rose, they saw what was done

Judges 6:29 ESV

29 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.”

29a - They said…who has done this thing?

29b - Search & Inquiry > Gideon, son of Joash has done this thing

Judges 6:30 ESV

30 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.”

30 - Men of town to Joash: Bring out your son that he may die…for what he has done.

Judges 6:31 ESV

31 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.”

31 - Joash stands up for Gideon!

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

Judges 6:32 ESV

32 Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.

32 - Gideon was called Jerubbaal > Let Baal contend against him.

33-35 - The Midianites come back...

Judges 6:33 ESV

33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

33 - Midianites cross the Jordan

Judges 6:34 (ESV)

34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon,

34 - The Spirit of the Lord CLOTHES Gideon

He sounds the trumpet to assemble against Midianites...

Abiezrites called out to follow

Judges 6:34–35 (ESV)

34 and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

35 - Manasseh called out

Asher

Zebulun

Nephtali

The Incarnation of Jesus & ZEAL...

Jesus is zealous for the Word

Zealous for His Father’s Will in His life

Standing from temptation in the wilderness to tears of blood in the garden of Gethsemane

Zealous for His Father’s Way of Justice

For the vulnerable

Matthew 18:5–6 ESV

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

Zealous for His Father’s Presence with His people

John 2:13–17 ESV

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Matthew 23:16–22 ESV

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

GO WITH THIS...

How are we remembering WHO the LORD is and WHAT the LORD has done?

Gideon REMEMBERED what the Lord had done?

Judges 6:13 ESV

13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

HOWEVER, Gideon did not even realize how FAR his own family had fallen from following the Lord…there were physical idols in his backyard to Baal/Asherah

The Lord’s first instruction for Gideon is to destroy his father’s idols and replace it with an altar to the Lord.

If we don’t remember the Lord, we will build our own idols…they may not be of wood and stone, but we build idols in our hearts

Are there IDOLS (like Baal/Asherah) in our hearts that need to be torn down?

Do we want our own will more than God’s

Are we quick to receive forgiveness but slow to give it?

Are we setting a good example in our homes and in our church or leading our children toward sin?

Do we trust our experience and accomplishments over and against the presence of Holy Spirit inside of us?

The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon…all that is done through Gideon is done by the power of the presence of the Lord.

We now are filled with the Holy Spirit by our trust in Jesus’ saving work on the cross. So, let us listen to Him.

Lord. help us listen to Holy Spirit...