25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
28 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!
29 They asked each other, “Who did this?”
When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 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.”
God asked Gideon to tear down the alter of the pagan god. This would test Gideon’s faith. Canaanite religion was very political, so an attack on a local god would see like an attack on the government. Gideon took a great risk following God’s higher law. After learning what Gideon had done, many fellow Israelites wanted to stone him. This shows how immoral they had become. They wanted to stone him for tearing down an alter for idol worship and for wanting to worship God. Sounds like what is going on today in our country. People who want to worship God and follow God’s commands are criticized. Remember, when you begin to accomplish something for God, you may be criticized by the very people who should support you.
