The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 20 March 2020 – Throwing Down Evil Altars
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TOPIC: Throwing Down Evil Altars
READ: JUDGES 6:25-32 (NKJV)
25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that [is] beside it;
26 “and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do [it] by day, he did [it] by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that [was] beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar [which had been] built.
29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that [was] beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he [is] a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”
THE MESSAGE:
Gideon came from an idolatrous family until he decided to be different. God instructed him to throw down the altar of Baal being worshipped by his father’s house and the entire community; Gideon destroyed them and built an altar for God Almighty. When the community reacted and asked for Gideon to be punished, his father answered wisely by declaring that “If he (Baal) is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” (verse 31)
For you to serve God fully you must do away with those strange gods around you and these may include those ones that can be put into the pocket, amulets, talisman and some religious objects turned into gods. What is your altar like? Was it set up by your ancestors or your father? Why not correct the wrong and follow the true God. Your father’s wrong decisions and principles could be detrimental to you and your family. What important lessons can you learn from verses 25-26, 30-31? Most times shrines, evil altars and groves have no power to fight for themselves but fight through those who institute them.
PRAYER: Lord, give me the courage to say no to evil altars of my fathers and to discontinue with their fetish practices.
