士師記6:25-32

 

6:25 當那夜，耶和華吩咐基甸說：「你取你父親的牛來，就是（或譯：和）那七歲的第二隻牛，並拆毀你父親為巴力所築的壇，砍下壇旁的木偶，

6:26 在這磐石（原文是保障）上整整齊齊地為耶和華─你的上帝築一座壇，將第二隻牛獻為燔祭，用你所砍下的木偶作柴。」

6:27 基甸就從他僕人中挑了十個人，照著耶和華吩咐他的行了。他因怕父家和本城的人，不敢在白晝行這事，就在夜間行了。

6:28 城裡的人清早起來，見巴力的壇拆毀，壇旁的木偶砍下，第二隻牛獻在新築的壇上，

6:29 就彼此說：「這事是誰做的呢？」他們訪查之後，就說：「這是約阿施的兒子基甸做的。」

6:30 城裡的人對約阿施說：「將你兒子交出來，好治死他；因為他拆毀了巴力的壇，砍下壇旁的木偶。」

6:31 約阿施回答站著攻擊他的眾人說：「你們是為巴力爭論嗎？你們要救他嗎？誰為他爭論，趁早將誰治死！巴力若果是神，有人拆毀他的壇，讓他為自己爭論吧！」

6:32 所以當日人稱基甸為耶路‧巴力，意思說：「他拆毀巴力的壇，讓巴力與他爭論。」

 

²⁵ That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶ Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”
²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
²⁸ In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!
²⁹ They asked each other, “Who did this?”
When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
³⁰ The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
³¹ But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” ³² So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baa that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

 

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    基甸在上帝的引導下，將巴利祭壇的偶像當成柴來燒，在上帝的面前獻牛為燔祭。被發現之後，想要將他殺死，他的父親却向攻擊他的眾人說：「你們是為巴力爭論嗎？你們要救他嗎？誰為他爭論，趁早將誰治死！巴力若果是神，有人拆毀他的壇，讓他為自己爭論吧！」

 

    也因為這樣眾人就沒有追究基甸所做，甚至心裡被曉悟過來，發現他們平常祭拜的巴力並不是上帝，而且是沒有能力的木頭，自己都不能保護自己，還可以保佑拜它的人嗎？正如俗話所說：「泥菩薩過江，自身難保！」

 

    這也告訴我們，只有敬拜耶和華上帝，不要去拜看得見的偶像！偶像再漂亮、好看也是人手做出來的，它怎能反過來成為人的保護與倚靠呢？這是萬萬不能的！

 

   相信這一切都是出於上帝的保護，也唯有上帝可以給人勇氣來反對這惡勢力的作為！求主賜給我們相同的勇氣，來為主做見證，使人離開偶像歸向真神！