Gideon Takes Down the Altar of Baal

Gideon Takes Down the Altar of Baal, and Puts Out a Fleece
Judges 6:25-40

In our first story of Gideon, we learned how the angel of the LORD came to Gideon and told him that he would save Israel from the Midianites.

That same night, the LORD said to Gideon, "Take your father's seven year old bull, and destroy the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the grove (of trees) that is by it. And build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this rock, and offer the bull for a burnt sacrifice using the wood of the grove that you shall cut down."

So Gideon took ten men who were his servants, and did as the LORD told him, but because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, he did it at night. And in the morning the men of the city saw that the altar of Baal was destroyed and that the grove of trees was cut down and that there had been a bull offered on the altar that was built. And when they found out that Gideon was the one that had done it, they told Gideon's father that his son should be killed, but Gideon's father told them that if Baal was a god, he could plead for himself.

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites gathered together and pitched their tents in the valley of Jezreel.

But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and he sent out messengers and many came to meet him. And Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have said, look, I will put a fleece of wool on the floor; and if the dew is on the fleece only, and all the earth around it is dry, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand." And early the next morning, Gideon arose and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a whole bowl full of water.

And Gideon said to God "Do not be angry against me, I pray you. Let me prove just this once (more) with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground around it." And God did so that night, for the next morning the fleece was dry, but all the ground was covered with dew.

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Memory Verse: Judges 6:34 "But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet......."

Questions:
1What five things did the LORD tell Gideon to do?
2 What happened when the men of the city saw that the altar of Baal was destroyed?
3 What did Gideon's father say to the men of the city?
4 Why did Gideon ask God two times if he could put out a fleece?
5 Why do you think that God granted Gideon's request?

Answers:
1 Take his father's bull, destroy the altar of Baal, cut down the grove of trees, build an altar to the LORD, and offer the bull as a burnt sacrifice.
2 They told Gideon's father that Gideon should be killed
3 He said that if Baal was a god, he could plead for himself.
4 He wanted to see that God's promise to save Israel by Gideon's hand was true.
5 Because God's plans will be fulfilled, and His plan was that Gideon would be the one to save Israel..

Vicki C. Gross/February'05