Not A B C’s Created by Debbie Chaney
Cut down your Father’s altar to Baal Cut down the Asherah pole Build an altar to the Lord - on the hilltop - lay the stones carefully - sacrifice a bull - use the pole for fuel
Gideon took 10 helpers and did it - Cut down Baal’s altar - Cut down the Asherah pole - built an altar to the Lord At night tho’, cuz he was afraid …
Baal was a Canaanite god of weather, war and fertile land
Asherah was represented as a nude woman Her power was over reproduction Therefore, her statues (poles) were often made to represent large reproductive organs Often made of tree trunks, or cones of stone Her poles were considered sacred poles …
Baal worship involved all kinds of perverted, sexual practices and orgies Baal worship involved ritual prostitution of men and women, with both men and women Baal worship encouraged adultery, shameful practices, brutality, filth, and immoral indulgence
On a hill, surrounded by a 150 x 200 foot wall, with open sky above Within the walls were 10 stone pillars, 5-11 ft. high Where Baal worship took place
The High Place (for Baal worship)
Found in the ruins of several high places were large quantities of grossly exaggerated sex organs These were designed to excite people by archeologists
Baal worship involved child sacrifice Found under the debris of a “high place” were jars of remains of children who’d been sacrificed to Baal Killed in worship to Baal
This part of Baal worship involved – When a house was built, a child was sacrificed and it’s body was built into a wall or door frame to bring good luck
God wanted His people, Israel to be free of these gross sexual practices God wanted his people to be free from child sacrifices God wanted His people to be free from idolatry
What God asked him to do was go against the flow of the entire culture! Sexual excitement Immoral practices Child sacrifices False gods Cut them out! Build an altar to the Lord (seek God’s ways)
Gideon took 10 helpers and did it - Cut down Baal’s altar - Cut down the Asherah pole - built an altar to the Lord At night tho’, cuz he was afraid … Remember this slide? Now you understand what Gideon actually did
God wants you to go against the flow of the entire culture! The sexual excitement The immoral practices The child sacrifices (sacrificing time & energies on perverted things) The false gods we serve Cut them out! Build an altar to the Lord (seek God’s ways)
CUT SIN out of your life BUILD a personal relationship with Jesus through daily prayer, study & accountability C – Cut out sin B – Build A – an Altar to the Lord