Bring Out Your Son - Judges 6:30

In the book of Judges we learned how Jehovah God told Gideon, “Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it. And build an altar unto the LORD your God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing”, and in chapter six and verse thirty of Judges, we learn how,”the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out your son?” where we read,

Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die: because he has cast down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the grove that was by it.

The verse reads, “Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die:” The writer began with the words, “then the men of the city” which means “at that time the male human being belonging to the dwelling place, habitation and abode” “said unto Joash” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed Joash whose name means ‘given by the Lord’”, “bring out your son” which means “proceed forward and exit with your, Joash’s, male offspring and progeny”, “that he may die” or “that he, Gideon, might be killed, made lifeless and be without breath”. The writer shared how the male human beings within the “city” told Gideon’s father “Joash” to exit with him so they might kill him. 

The verse continues, “because he has cast down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the grove that was by it.” The writer added the words, “because he has cast down the altar of Baal” which means “since and on account that he, Gideon, threw, beat dow and destroyed the sacrificial offering place belonging to “Baal” whose name means ‘lord’ and was the supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites”, “and because he has cut down the grove” or “and since and on account that he, Gideon, has cut out, killed and eliminated the accompanying timber, planks, stalks and sticks belonging to the ‘Ashera’ which were used for idol worship” “that was by it”  which means “that existed next to and beside the altar of Baal”. The writer shared how the “men of the city” wanted “Gideon” to be brought to them out on account that he destroyed the sacrificial offering place of “Baal” and eliminated the tree orchard for idols that was beside it. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the “men of the city” desired that Gideon’s father “Joash” would lead him out to them so they might kill him for destroying the “sacrificial location of Baal” and the trees used for idol worship that were beside it. We see how committed these “men” were to their god and the worship places erected for him, and when God destroyed them through “Gideon”, they wanted revenge. God wants to be our One and Only True God through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days. When we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and give us the ability to keep His commands which are better for His Kingdom and for us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Revelation 4:11)

Next time we learn how, “Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will you plead for Baal?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

Who Has Done This? - Judges 6:29

In the book of Judges we learned how Jehovah God told Gideon, “Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it. And build an altar unto the LORD your God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-nine of Judges, we learn how, “they said one to another, Who has done this thing?” where we read,

And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? 

And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.

The verse reads, “And they said one to another, Who has done this thing?” The writer began with the words, “and they said one to another” which means “and they, the men of the city, uttered, declared, proclaimed and questioned”, “who has done this thing” or “what person has performed and produced this act and deed”? The writer shared how the “men of the city” asked what person performed all the destructive acts.

The verse goes on to say, “And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” The writer continued with the words, “and when they enquired and asked” which means “and at the time and moment they, the men of the city, consulted and sought to find out and requested”, “they said” or “they, the people who answered, uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “Gideon the son of Joash”  which means “Gideon whose name means ‘hewer’ and was the youngest male offspring and progeny of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites” “has done this thing” or “has performed and produced this act and deed”. The writer shared at the time and moment the “men of the city” investigated and requested what person performed these acts, they were told it was “Gideon”. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the “men of the city” desired to know who performed the destructive deeds upon their altar to “Baal” and the tree orchard beside it. God was ultimately responsible for this destruction, however, these “men” wanted to find out who caused all this trouble. In a similar manner to the way God knew who destroyed the altar of Baal and the orchard, God knows and loves us. Because we have sin in our lives that leads to death (See Romans 3:23; 6:23), He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be resurrected from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and to help us know when we are to perform a work He has assigned to us while He will receives the glory regardless of who inquires as to who did this. 

Next time we learn how, “the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out your son”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

 

The Altar of Baal Cast Down - Judges 6:28

In the book of Judges we learned how Jehovah God told Gideon, “Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it. And build an altar unto the LORD your God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-eight of Judges, we learn, “when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down” where we read,

And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

The verse reads, “And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, …” The writer began with the words, “and when the men of the city” which means “and at the time and moment the male human beings belonging to the dwelling place, habitation, abode or town” “arose early in the morning” or “initially started and got up within the break of day, dawn or coming of the sunrise”, “behold, the altar of Baal” which means “lo, look and consider, the sacrificial place belonging to Baal whose name means ‘lord’ and was the supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites” “was cast down” or “was broke, beat down, destroyed and overthrown”. The writer shared at the initial time when the male human beings within the dwelling place awoke at the sunrise, they looked and considered and the sacrificial place for “Baal” was broken and destroyed. 

 

The verse continues, “…  and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.” The writer added the words, “and the grove” which means “and the accompanying timber, planks, stalks and sticks belonging to the ‘Ashera’ which were used for idol worship” “was cut down that was by it” or “was cut out, killed and eliminated that existed alongside and beside the altar to Baal”, “and the second bullock was offered”  which means “and the second bull, cattle or oxen was slaughtered and sacrificed”, “upon the altar that was built” or “on the sacrificial place that was constructed on the stone”. The writer shared shared how the trees used for idol worship were eliminated and used to sacrifice the second bull in the sacrificial location. 

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how the “men” of the dwelling place rose at dawn or sunrise to discover that their sacrificial place of “Baal” and the tree orchard beside it was destroyed. The “second” bull was slaughtered and burnt upon the sacrificial place that was constructed. We can imagine the surprise and anger of these men, but this was Jehovah God’s work through “Gideon” and his ten servants. God was acting against the “idols” that were in the people of Israel’s lives because He wants to be first in everyone’s life. (See Matthew 6:33) When we yield to His Son Jesus who was sent into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead three days later, He will forgive our sins grant us everlasting life and remove our idols so we serve the true and living God. (See 1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Next time we learn how, “they said one to another, Who has done this thing?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

Gideon Obeyed with Ten Men - Judges 6:27

In the book of Judges we learned how, “Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it. And build an altar unto the LORD your God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-seven of Judges, we learn how, “Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said” where we read,

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him:

 and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

The verse reads, “Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him:” The writer began with the word, “then Gideon” which means “at that time Gideon whose name means ‘hewer’ and was the youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites” “took men of his servants” or “gathered and assembled male human being belonging to his, Gideon’s, men of servile condition, bondmen or slaves”, “and did as the LORD had said unto him” which means “and performed and produced similar and in likeness that Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God uttered, declared and proclaimed”. The writer shared how “Gideon” gathered “ten” of his men of servile condition and performed and produced in keeping with what Jehovah God told him to do. 

The verse goes on to say, “…  and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.” The writer continued with the words, “and so it was” which means “and it came to pass, happened and fell out”, “because he feared his father’s household” or “since and on account that he, Gideon, was afraid of his, Gideon’s, male progenitor’s dwelling place, abode, habitation and family”, “and the men of the city”  which means “and the male human beings belonging to the dwelling place, habitation and abode”, “that he could not do it by day” or “that he, Gideon, was unable to perform and produce it, the tasks given by God, during the daytime hours”, “that he did it by night” which means “that he, Gideon, performed and produced it, the tasks, during the nighttime”. The writer shared how the following happened on account that “Gideon” was afraid of his male progenitor’s relatives as well as the male human beings belonging to the dwelling place which caused “Gideon” not to be able to perform his task during the daytime, so he performed it during the nighttime. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how “Gideon” used wisdom to follow the instructions of Jehovah God. Because his father’s family and the men in the place where he lived would be aware of what he was doing during the daytime, he waited until dark. God has His timing for Him and us to carry out our tasks, and because He knew we all needed a Savior from our sins, He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead at the necessary time. (See Galatians 4:4) When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the wisdom to carry out His tasks at just the right time.

Next time we learn, “when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

Gideon Built an Altar - Judges 6:26

In the book of Judges we learned how, “Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-six of Judges, we learn how, “Gideon built an altar” where we read,

And build an altar unto the LORD your God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, 

and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down.

The verse reads, “And build an altar unto the LORD your God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, …” The writer began with the words, “and build an alter” which means “and erect and construct a place for sacrificial slaughter and worship” “unto the LORD your God” or “to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God your, Gideon’s, Supreme Deity” “upon the top of this rock” which means “on the upper part and height belonging to this cliff, crag or stone”, “in the ordered place” or “within the location of rank and row”. The writer shared how “Gideon” was told to construct a sacrificial slaughter place to worship Jehovah God his Supreme Deity on the upper part of the stone within ranks and rows.

The verse continues, “… and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down.” The writer added the words, “and take the second bullock” which means “and fetch, lay hold of, seize and acquire the second bull, cattle or steer”, “and offer a burnt sacrifice” or “and ascend with the slaughter and burn it” “with the wood of the grove”  which means “alongside and accompanying the timber, planks, stalks and sticks belonging to the ‘Ashera’ which were used for idol worship” “which you shall cut down” or “that you, Gideon, will hew, cut off and eliminate”. The writer shared how Gideon was instructed to lay hold of the “second” bull, slaughter it and burn the meat with the trees that were in the place of idol worship.  

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how “Gideon” was instructed to erect a place for a sacrifice of worship to Jehovah God on the stone in their presence. He was to lay the parts in rows and fetch the “second” bull and burn it with the “wood” from the trees that were in the place where idol worship was carried out. God desires a “sacrifice” of our lives to Him because He gave His Son Jesus who was the living sacrifice for the sins of all mankind when He died on the cross. He rose from the dead after three days, and when we surrender our live to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and teach us the value of the “sacrifice of worship” as we serve Him in this world. (See John 3:16; Hebrews 13:15)

Next time we learn how, “Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

Throw Down the Altar of Baal - Judges 6:25

In the book of Judges we learned how, “Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-five of Judges, we learn howJehovah God tells Gideon, “throw down the altar of Baal that your father has” where we read,

And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take your father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it:

The verse reads, “And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take your father's young bullock, …” The writer began with the words, “and it came to pass” which means “and the following occurred or happened” “the same night” or “that selfsame evening or nighttime”, “that the LORD” which means “that Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “said unto him” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to him, Gideon”, “take now your father’s young bullock” which means “seize, your, Gideon’s, immediate male progenitor and ancestor’s, youthful bull, head of cattle or cow”. The writer shared how Jehovah God instructed “Gideon” to fetch his father’s “bull” and do the following with it.

The verse goes on to say, “even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove that is by it.” The writer continued with the words, “even the second bullock” which means “also and indeed the second bull, head of cattle or cow” “of seven years old” or “that was seven annual sets of days in age” “and throw down the altar” “and cast, the sacrificial worship place” “of Baal” which means “belonging to Baal whose name means ‘lord’ and was the supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites”, “that your father has” or “that your, Gideon’s, immediate male progenitor and ancestor owns and possesses”, “and cut down the grove” which means “and cut off and eliminate the sacred trees or poles set up” “that is by it” or “that exists next to and beside the altar to Baal”. The writer shared how Jehovah God told “Gideon” to fetch a second bull that was seven “years of age”, and he was to cast down the sacrificial worship place that his father set up for “Baal” and the sacred trees that were near the altar.  

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Jehovah God put “Gideon” into action after he realized he was in His presence. That very nighttime God told “Gideon” to fetch his father’s youthful bull and another bull that was seven years of age. “Gideon” was to tear down his “father’s” sacrificial place which was dedicated to “Baal” along with the garden of “sacred” trees that were beside it. God wanted the place of worship of this false god to be removed. God wants us to eliminate all the places of worship for false gods in our lives, and this is done when we yield ourselves to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. God will forgive our sins, grant us eternal life and give us His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth as we put our faith and trust in Him. Let all who read these words tear down their altars to false gods and worship Jehovah God who is the One and Only True God in the world. 

Next time we learn how, “Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

Gideon Built an Altar - Judges 6:24

In the book of Judges we learned how Gideon brought an offering, “and the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto you; fear not: you shall not die.”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-four of Judges, we learn how, “Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD” where we read,

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom:

 unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

The verse reads, “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom:” The writer began with the words, “then Gideon” which means “at that time Gideon whose name means ‘hewer’ and was the youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites” “built an altar there” or “erected and constructed a sacrificial place of slaughter” “unto the LORD” which means “to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God”, “and called it Jehovahshalom” or “it, the altar, Jehovahshalom whose name means the existing One who was complete, with prosperity, quiet and calm”. The writer shared how “Gideon” constructed a place of sacrificial slaughter to Jehovah God, and he named it “Jehovahshalom”. 

The verse continues, “unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.” The writer added the words, “unto this day” which means “to that particular sunrise to sunset” “is yet in Ophrah” or “still exists within Ophrah whose name means ‘fawn’ and was a town of Benjamin approximately five miles (8kn) east of Bethl” “of the Abiezites” or “belonging to the Abiezites whose name means ‘my father is help’ and was one of the family of Abiezer, a descendant of Joseph's son, Manasseh. The writer shared how the sacrificial “altar” constructed by “Gideon” remained in that location until that particular sunrise to sunset. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how “Gideon” responded to God’s words about him having no need to be afraid and to be calm by erecting a place of sacrifice or worship to Him. “Gideon” realized God was with Him, and we may do the same through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead after three days. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and give us the ability to respond to Him with thanksgiving and worship because of who He is and what He has done for us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Psalm 103:1)

Next time we learn how Jehovah God tells Gideon, “throw down the altar of Baal that your father has”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".