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. 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”, and in chapter six and verse thirty-one of Judges, we learn how,“Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will you plead for Baal?” where we read,
And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will you plead for Baal? will you save him?
he that will plead for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one has cast down his altar.
The verse reads, “And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will you plead for Baal? will you save him?” The writer began with the words, “and Joash” whose name means “given by the Lord” “said unto all that stood against him” or “uttered, declared, proclaimed and shouted to each, the whole and everyone who opposed him, Joash”, “will you plead for Baal” which means “shall you strive and contend on behalf of Baal whose name means “lord” and was the supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites”? “Will you save him” or “shall you, those ho opposed Joash, rescue and deliver him, Baal”? The writer shared how “Joash” loudly asked all the people who were in opposition to him as to whether they could contend for, rescue and deliver “Baal”.
The verse goes on to say, “he that will plead for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning:” The writer continued with the words, “he that will plead for him” which means “he, the person, who shall strive and contend on behalf of him, Baal”, “let him be put to death” or “allow and permit him, the person who contends, to be killed, made lifeless and without breath”, “while it is yet morning” which means “during the time that it is still the break of day or the coming of the sunrise”. The writer shared shared how “Joash” told the people who were wanting him to bring out his son “Gideon” so they could kill him that the person who attempts to contend with and rescue “Baal” would be killed during the early sunrise time.
Finally the verse says, “if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one has cast down his altar.” The writer concluded this verse with the words, “if he be a god” or “whether and in case he, Baal, exists as a deity”, “let him plead for himself” which means “allow and permit him, Baal, to strive and contend for his own self”, “because one has cast down his altar” or “since and on account that a person has thrown down, broken and destroyed his, Baal’s, sacrificial slaughter and offering place”. The writer ended this verse by stating that whether and in case “Baal” exists as a deity he could contend for his own self since someone destroyed his place of sacrificial worship.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how “Gideon’s” father “Joash” defended his son by asking the men opposed to him whether or not “Baal” could contend for and deliver himself since he was a deity. “Gideon”, at Jehovah God’s direction, destroyed the place of worship of “Baal”, and if “Baal” was indeed a “god”, he would easily be able to repay “Gideon” for his deed. God knew “Baal” was a false god (See 1Kings 18), and He wanted the people of “Israel” to worship Him and Him alone. God loves everybody, and other deities will never be able to save people from their sins. Jehovah God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirt who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability to continue with Him and Him alone as the One and Only True God in our lives. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8)
Next time we learn, “on that day he called him Jerubbaal”, 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".
No comments:
Post a Comment