Jim Talich

God told Gideon to tear down the alter because: 1. Israel prayed for deliverance from the Mideanites (v7) 2. God had protected Israel before (v8,9) 3. God seemed not to be there because Israel had turned away from God (v10) 4. God could not protect Israel because they had turned away from Him 5. The remedy was to tear down the alter and sacrifice to the True God. Notice the following: - God chose Gideon to act - Gideon was given a choice to act - Gideon's action would be on behalf of Israel - Gideon made sure it was a command from God - Notice that God told Gideon to use the 7 year old bull - not the usual animal - It says in v1 that the "Mideanite problem" had been going on for 7 years. The Positive thing that Gideon did was to sacrifice the 7 year old bull on the proper alter to atone for the sins of the people of Israel so that God could deal with the 7 year old problem with the Mideanites. Based on the reaction of the people to Gideon's action, it would not have been wise to act in the daytime. It says that Gideon was afraid of his father's household and the men of the city, but notice also that it was night when God told him what to do. I do not think this action at night was an act of cowardice, but wisdom and obedience.