trusted online casino malaysia
Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
The DEEP

Faith Plus

nonsense.

Judges 6:25–27 (ESV)

That night the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

An ancient altar is a platform, or even just a pile of stones, where you would kill (and maybe burn) a sacrifice. Gideon uses a yoke of bulls (the pickup truck of that day) to yank the whole thing down and build a proper one in its place. Then he sacrifices the second bull on it (not his dad’s bull, lest he tick the old man off).

As we’ll see in tomorrow’s passage, Gideon’s father (Joash) is remarkably unticked-off about all this. There’s a lesson in that.

Joash’s allegiance to the Baals and Asherahs was weak. He wasn’t worshipping them instead of Yahweh; he was worshipping them in addition to Yahweh. That’s very bad. Consider this analogy.

It’s terrible to be left by your spouse. If, instead, your spouse stays but has relations with others, that’s okay, right?

Not. In a way that’s a greater offense.

But in God’s case, it’s even worse. Unfaithfulness in a spouse is awful, but it’s not an absurdity. Giving any worship to the Baals and Asherahs is absurd.

Where were they when the LORD laid the foundations of the Earth? Nowhere. They’re nowhere now.

The whole thing is nonsense.


This is why the first commandment is so strongly worded. In Hebrew, it literally says, “You shall have no other gods to my face.”

Non-believers can believe anything they want. That’s not great, but it’s not especially offensive to God. Non-believers are expected to act like non-believers.

But when believers blend their faith with nonsense, what does that mean?

Okay, but do we do this too?

We don’t literally worship other gods using altars, but we have conflicting priorities.

Do we care about other things to the point that it qualifies as allegiance? Even worship?


These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include the Monday–Friday devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.

Mike Slay

As a mathematician, inventor, and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, Mike Slay brings an analytical, conversational, and even whimsical approach to the daily study of God's Word.

Subscribe to Ailbe Newsletters

Sign up to receive our email newsletters and read columns about revival, renewal, and awakening built upon prayer, sharing, and mutual edification.