After his encounter with the Angel of the Lord, Gideon had built an altar to the Lord, calling it Jehovah Shalom: the Lord is Peace. But now, before God could use Gideon publicly, Gideon must be faithful at home. How could he challenge the enemies of the Lord when the altar of Baal stood unchallenged at his father’s home, object of the worship of the men of his city? Two altars dedicated to two different gods could not coexist.

Obediently, Gideon followed the Lord’s directions. He used his father’s second bull to tear down his father’s altar of Baal. He cut down the wooden image beside it, built a proper altar to the Lord in the open on top of the rock, used the wood of the image for firewood, and offered the bull as a sacrifice to the Lord. But because he was afraid to do it by day, he did it by night. Weakness and fear characterize Gideon but, thank God, he obeyed. God values our obedience and bears with our weaknesses and fears. He appreciates honesty.

The truth will come out! “No one can serve two masters” (Mt. 6:24). The stand we take for the Lord and against the world will become known. Notice, Gideon did not have to defend himself or his actions. God saw to it that someone else stood up for him. His own father was his first convert!