[Wednesday's Devotional] - Let Baal Contend with Him

Let Baal Contend with Him Gideon isn't sure that God is really speaking to him and whether he can be sure of (and trust his life to) God's promises.  God is angry with the fact that the people of Israel have been polluted by their acceptance of the Canaanite god Baal and goddess Asherah, clearly (again) breaking the first two of the 10 commandments.  There are many altars to Baal and Asherah poles in the land. God tells Gideon to destroy his father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole, building a new and proper altar to God and sacrificing a bull on it using the wood from the Asherah pole.  The people have come a long way from God.  Gideon obeys but does it under cover of darkness as he is afraid of his family and the townspeople: 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! They asked each other, "Who did this?"  When they carefully investigated, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it." 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." But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause?  Are you trying to save him?  Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning!  If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar."  So because Gideon broke down Baal's altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, "Let Baal contend with him." Judges 6: 28-32 [NIV]   I am intrigued by the story of Joash – he has clearly sinned in that he has an altar to Baal and an Asherah pole (in common with many others).  Yet he has presumably raised Gideon well and when Gideon acts under God's authority to restore the altar and destroy the idols, Joash defends Gideon (at personal risk) and speaks with Godly wisdom into the situation.  And Gideon earns the nickname Jerub-Baal. How easily do you allow yourself to be corrupted by the world's idols? Do you respond well to criticism and correction? Is there something wrong you need to "tear down" today? Pray for wisdom and discernment to follow the right path, even when the world is going in a different direction. Pray for the courage of Joash and Gideon. Dave MacLellan    Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!