Gideon’s bold act serves as a reminder that wholehearted worship of the LORD may require dismantling the old in order to build the new.
In this passage, Gideon receives a divine directive to restore proper worship to the LORD. When the angel of the LORD instructs him “and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down” (v.26), Gideon is essentially commanded to demonstrate complete devotion to the God of Israel by preparing a new altar. The reference to building the altar “on the top of this stronghold” suggests that Gideon must assert the supremacy of the LORD in a place that had previously been compromised by idolatrous worship. By using the wood of the Asherah he has cut down as fuel for this offering, Gideon symbolically removes any trace of paganism and reclaims communal space for the worship of the one true God.
Gideon, who lived during the period of the judges sometime between 1200 and 1120 BC, belongs to the tribe of Manasseh. This historical era followed the death of Joshua and preceded the establishment of Israel’s monarchy. Gideon’s calling highlights how the LORD repeatedly raised up deliverers among the tribes of Israel to rescue His people from their oppressors. The act of cutting down the Asherah and using its wood for a burnt offering challenges the religious practices that had seeped into Israelite life, reflecting a direct confrontation with idolatry. This mirrors the larger biblical theme of wholeheartedly turning away from competing religious loyalties (Matthew 6:24).
Gideon’s faithful obedience in destroying the Asherah brings to mind the way Jesus instructs His followers to relinquish anything that hinders their devotion to God (Luke 14:33). Just as Gideon was told to “build an altar to the LORD your God” (v.26), so believers are urged to center their lives around the worship of God. The “stronghold” in Gideon’s day might have been a physical high place of false religious practice, yet it further symbolizes any persistent hold that idolatry can have if not placed under the dominion of the one true God.
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Judges 6:26 meaning
In this passage, Gideon receives a divine directive to restore proper worship to the LORD. When the angel of the LORD instructs him “and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down” (v.26), Gideon is essentially commanded to demonstrate complete devotion to the God of Israel by preparing a new altar. The reference to building the altar “on the top of this stronghold” suggests that Gideon must assert the supremacy of the LORD in a place that had previously been compromised by idolatrous worship. By using the wood of the Asherah he has cut down as fuel for this offering, Gideon symbolically removes any trace of paganism and reclaims communal space for the worship of the one true God.
Gideon, who lived during the period of the judges sometime between 1200 and 1120 BC, belongs to the tribe of Manasseh. This historical era followed the death of Joshua and preceded the establishment of Israel’s monarchy. Gideon’s calling highlights how the LORD repeatedly raised up deliverers among the tribes of Israel to rescue His people from their oppressors. The act of cutting down the Asherah and using its wood for a burnt offering challenges the religious practices that had seeped into Israelite life, reflecting a direct confrontation with idolatry. This mirrors the larger biblical theme of wholeheartedly turning away from competing religious loyalties (Matthew 6:24).
Gideon’s faithful obedience in destroying the Asherah brings to mind the way Jesus instructs His followers to relinquish anything that hinders their devotion to God (Luke 14:33). Just as Gideon was told to “build an altar to the LORD your God” (v.26), so believers are urged to center their lives around the worship of God. The “stronghold” in Gideon’s day might have been a physical high place of false religious practice, yet it further symbolizes any persistent hold that idolatry can have if not placed under the dominion of the one true God.