Judges 6 “12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, The Lord is With You Mighty Warrior.” …Vs. 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.”
What was the Lord doing here? The Lord first dealt with Gideon’s identity, then he spoke of the promise of His presence with Gideon, and now God is helping him to begin to make practical changes in his life so that he can be displayed as the mighty warrior that God called him to be. God first instructs Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal. Baal worship was popular, however, Gideon knew he was risking his life by obeying the Lord. Gideon was pulling down strongholds and dealing with the influence of idolatry in his life. 2Corinthians 10:4 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” This was a stronghold in his life, even though there is no mention that he himself worshipped this idol, I imagine that he did as his father’s idol. He had heard stories about the power of God, but most likely really worshipped Baal as was taught to him. Yet God was not going to allow him to continue to magnify, promote, and worship this idol. This idol, (stronghold) was being ripped down and a new one would replace it. God Has made Himself known as a stronghold (Psalm 48:3). Francis Frangipane describes a spiritual stronghold as a collection of thoughts that can influence a nation, a city, a family, or an individual. Here God is having Gideon set up a new stronghold, and that is the Lord Himself. He set up an altar to the Lord, not a “statue of the Lord”. Why did God do this, well let’s look to a clip from a Superman Comic Book Issue #58.
In the comic books, Superman’s father, Jor-El, once noted, “that when a native Kryptonian (Superman’s planet) is elsewhere, free of Krypton’s unique atmosphere and tremendous gravitational pull, he becomes a superman. But superman actually once on earth received his power from the unique ultra solar rays that penetrate Earth day and night. The father Jor-El spoke words of truth about the destiny concerning his son. Listen to what God the Father said about His Son. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
Kryptonite (the substance of the world Superman came from weakened his powers) “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world”, 1John 2:15-17. “ The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus”, Romans 6:23. Sin has a pull on our lives if we allow it to. It must therefore be displaced. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”. Just as the law of aerodynamics displaces the law of gravity so does the law of the spirit displace the law of sin and death, because of the Power of Christ. That is why Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Superman was empowered by the S-U-N, and we are to be empowered by the S-O-N! Luke 23:44-46, “44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. Only one SUN / Son can shine at a time. When the Son was shinning, the Sun had to cease from shinning.
As a Christian you have like Superman left planet Krypton (the world) as you were born in sin. What is kryptonite to you (the sinful temptations of the world)? Lex Luthur (Superman’s enemy) always would place kryptonite in the presence of Superman to weaken him. When the enemy places kryptonite (sinful temptations) in front of you to influence you, use the power of the SON to overcome the temptations of this world as he always provides a way of escape from temptation (1Corinthians 10:31)
Superman had a mission to save the world from evil against the enemies. As a Christian you have a mission to seek and save the lost through the power of the SON (Holy Spirit).
Application: Be a superman (superwomen) for God. Fly strong for Christ. Watch out for kryptonite (temptations) from planet krypton (the world), be empowered by the sun (SON), and be serious about your mission.Blessings,Pastor Phil
He Has Magnified His Word 