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Q4. Tearing Down the Altar of Baal


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Q4. (Judges 6:25-27) What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole?

Gideon was to destroy the idols which had replaced God in their worship...to dethrone them so to speak and to demonstrate to them when the victory came that Baal and Asherah were powerless...that it was God who delivered them through Gideon.

What positive thing is he to erect in their place?

He was to build an altar to the Lord on the stronghold of the former altar of Baal, and the Asherah pole.

What risks are involved in this action.

They would have killed Gideon if they'd seen him do it....or they may have stopped him by overpowering him. In the morning when they found out it was Gideon who had torn down their idols, they told his Father to bring him outside so they could kill him. He was to sacrifice his father's bull, which would have infuriated his father and endangered his mission...maybe his father would have taken his life.

Why does Gideon do this at night?

He was afraid of his father and his household and the men of the city, afraid he'd be seen.

Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

He obeyed God which demonstated his faith even though he was afraid. I think it was wisdom to do it at night unhindered.

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Q4. (Judges 6:25-27) What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole? What positive thing is he to erect in their place? What risks are involved in this action. Why does Gideon do this at night? Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

To show the people these other gods have NO POWER !!! So Gideon could build an altar to the true and living God, and remind the people of God. Public recrimination by the locals and his Father. Gideon wanted to be obedient to God, but he was afraid of the people. Gideon did what God told him to do, God was not specific about the how and when, Just that he tore them down.

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Q4. (Judges 6:25-27) What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole? What positive thing is he to erect in their place? What risks are involved in this action. Why does Gideon do this at night? Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

To get to the root cause of the problem which is idol worship. An altar to the Lord. He may be attacked by his family and the men in the town. He is afraid. No.

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What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole? I believe that God was testing gideon's metal. God wanted to see not only if he was going to obey Him, but test hif faith as well. What a testamony! God not only thought highly of gideon to call him a mighty warrior(He thinks that way of all His children), God thought him worthy of a test. A test of faith.

What positive thing is he to erect in their place? Using the material of his father's alter and the wood from the Assherah pole, gideon was to erect an alter, an altar unto the Lord.

What risks are involved in this action?

One risk is that the tearing down the altar would be interpeted as a act of insobordination against gideon's father.

This of course in the eyes of the community, however gideon's betrayal of his father's trust in tearing down the community altar, by his own son, would be more crushing than public scorn.

Why does Gideon do this at night? It could be peer presure or un-wise council from the men he chose to go with him. Stll, Gideon was given this command by the Lord! It could have been just smart de-construction plans. Less people to ask questions(less oposition)..more time to tear down the altar. Whatever the reason, gideon was obedient none the less.

Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith? Faith!

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Tearing down the Baal altar and Asherah pole was an outward denunciation of these foreign gods, as well as taking a stand to obey the one true God. Using the pole to burn and the wood of the grove to burn a sacrificial offering to God was truly something. Gideon showed his courage in obeying God as any attack against any god was believed to be an attack against the local government. Even though Gideon did this at night, it still took courage, and avoided any interference from anyone trying to stop him.

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The strategic significance of God’s command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and the Asherah pole is to get rid of the root cause of the people sinning. They were to erect an alter to the Lord on those places. The risk that we involved in this action is that towns’ people and his own father would be very mad at what he had done.

I think that Gideon did this at night so that he wouldn’t have to fight everybody while he torn them down. I don’t think that he accomplishing this mission at night was a sign of weakness or of faith. It was a wise decision to do it at night. He could accomplish a lot more without having to fight the towns’ people or his father.

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4a)Significant because was a test of his faith &commitment,God asking him breakdown the root cause worshipping false gods of their wrong thinking, attack on local government, even though as personal risk to his safety.

B)Alter to true God Yahweh.

C)Upsetting his father and the people in community.

D)Probably did it at night so that there was few people about to prevent him from doing what God asked.

e)tacticle to prevent opposition &sign of his faith as still bold move.

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1. What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole?

 

God ask Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole in order to test Gideon if truly He is faithful to him and to know if Gideon will abide on his instructions. It is a test for Gideon's obedience.

 

 

2. What positive thing is he to erect in their place?

 

To build a proper kind of altar for the Lord Almighty.

 

3. What risks are involved in this action?

 

It would stir up commotion and war against his family and the people. It would also stir up misunderstanding against Gideon and his father.

 

4.Why does Gideon do this at night? Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

 

Gideon do this at night because he was afraid of his family and of the people....For me, No, I believe that it is a sign of faith. He was afraid not because his family or the people will do something bad to him but rather he was afraid in a sense that He will not fulfill what the Lord has commanded him if his family and the people will see it.
 

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Tearing down Baal's altar and the Asherah pole strikes at the cause of Israel's problem:  they forsook the whole-hearted worship of Jehovah.  Instead, Gideon erected an altar to the Lord in their place, risking his father's and the community's wrath.  Gideon does this at night, which could be due to a weak faith, but it also could mean he was using wisdom in completing a mission that was very antagonistic to local beliefs and practices.

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Gideon is instructed to remove the false idols and replace them with an alter for The Lord. This is significant because it sets God in His rightful place. The fact that the mission took place at night- in my opinion- doesn't matter. He was obedient to what God had called in him to complete. That is what matters.

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  • 2 years later...

The strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar is to put Yahweh back where He belongs:  on the throne and head and Lord of Israel.  Gideon could have been killed because this was a direct act of defiance to the religious practices of the Israelites and the people of that region.  This is ironic because the Israelites who were the "called out ones" "the sanctified ones" unto God would have killed their fellow tribesmen because they began to engage in apostatic practices. Gideon destroyed the altar at night because he feared for his life but in the midst of his fear he still obeyed God.  He trusted that God at His Word when he told Gideon "go but I am with you".  It doesn't matter if you are afraid just obey.  Go!  Go scared if you have to but just go.  God IS with us. 

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Q4. (Judges 6:25-27)

Q. What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole?

A. The strategic significance of tearing down the alter of Baal and Asherah pole was that it would eliminate the sites where sin of worship of the gods took place, a sin that God had commended His children not to do.

Q. What positive thing is he to erect in their place ?

A. An Alter for the worship of the true God

Q. What risks are involved in this action?

A. The people's wrath on Gideon for destroying their gods.

Q. Why does Gideon do this at night?

A. To avoid the people seeing him and killing him.

Q. Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

A. It is an act  of wisdom. It is not good to have blind faith that temps God by walking right into danger in order to test whether God will deliver you or not..

 

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On 1/17/2003 at 10:54 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q4. (Judges 6:25-27) What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole? What positive thing is he to erect in their place? What risks are involved in this action. Why does Gideon do this at night? Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

It will be a sign to the people of who the real God is. A public display of God's power.

A proper altar to God.

Expulsion from his family, community, maybe even violence or death.

He was afraid of the people.

Not sure. Doing it at night ensures no one will interfere.  So maybe faith. Or he could have just been scared.

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  • 9 months later...

Gideon's first mission was akin to boot camp.  God was preparing him.  What a testimony !   Gideon was reaffirming his faith in one God and actually preaching to his family by destroying this idol shrine.  

Gideon could have died a martyrs death.  Strengthened by God, he did this at night in a expedites matter.  There was no lack of faith.  Gideon did this at nite so that his first mission could be done quickly and without interruptions by the pagans. 

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Q4. (Judges 6:25-27)

What is the strategic significance of God's command for Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole?

The root cause of Israel's problem was -- Baal worship. 

Gideon needed to be brave enough and trust God enough to tear down the Baal altar and the Asherah pole.  He had to be prepared to pull the sin out by the roots as it were.  

What positive thing is he to erect in their place?

He is to erect an altar unto the Lord.  He called it the Lord is Peace.

What risks are involved in this action?

Firstly his father could turn against him and the people of the community could kill him for his actions.

Why does Gideon do this at night?

He was afraid of his father's household and the men of the city.

Is this night mission a sign of weakness or of faith?

Somehow I don't think it was a sign of weakness. I think it was almost wiser to do it at night, in this way they would not stop him from completing his mission.  He could concentrate on fulfilling what God had ordered him to do.  He was scared.  Now the deed would only be seen as done when it was completed, and could not be reversed.  

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