基甸開始為神工作
士師記六章24至32節
24於是，基甸在那裡為耶和華築了一座壇，起名叫“耶和華沙龍”（註：就是“耶和華賜平安”的意思）。這壇在亞比以謝族的俄弗拉，直到如今。
25當那夜，耶和華吩咐基甸說：“你取你父親的牛來，就是（註：或作“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。
26在這磐石（註：原文作“保障”）上，整整齊齊地為耶和華你的神築一座壇，將第二隻牛獻為燔祭，用你所砍下的木偶作柴。”
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。
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，
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。”
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。”
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！”
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。”
信息分享
如果在基甸家後院，就有敬奉異教的祭壇和偶像，他又怎能去事奉神呢？神要基甸將它們拆毀，基甸便依照神的吩咐去做。他甚至用了父親所養的牛、父親的僕人和工具，來拆毀偶像的祭壇，再為神築一座新的壇獻祭。
這原則今天仍然適用。有時在祝福和使用我們之前，祂也希望我們能在我們的生活中撥亂反正，也許是在我們的家中或親人中間。倘若神吩咐你將妨礙你得著祝福的東西挪開，你會怎樣回應呢？神是否仍在等候你將它們除去呢？
基甸父親對祭壇被毀的反應十分有意思。他是否已在心裡相信神呢？翌日，當眾人看見祭壇被毀（那處除了作家庭祭祀之外，一定也供公眾敬奉），便要基甸的父親把破壞祭壇的兒子交出來。基甸的父親沒有責備兒子，卻挑戰假神巴力的能力，他說：「巴力如果是神，讓他為自己爭論吧！」巴力當然辦不到，以利亞多年後在迦密山上又證明了這點。
這是基甸為神工作的開始。隨著他踏出第一步，神便會指示他第二步，逐步帶領他作最重要的工作。神就是這樣帶領人的。祂為我們每個人都預備了工作，祂首先要我們踏出第一步去清除路上的障礙，然後便逐步帶領我們走上祂的計劃。
緊記：順服之路就是蒙福之路，也就是事奉之路。
GIDEON BEGINS HIS WORK FOR GOD
Judges 6:24-32
24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built.
29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”
Message
How could Gideon ever serve God with a pagan altar and idol in his own backyard? It had to be destroyed. Gideon did exactly as he was told. He even used his father's bull, his father's servants and no doubt his father's tools to accomplish the destruction of the false altar and the building of the new.
The principle still holds good today. Sometimes before God can really bless and use us, he wants us to put right things in our own lives. It could be in our home or family circle. If God has said anything to you about a similar matter, something standing in the way of blessing, have you done anything about it? Is God still waiting for you to put away what he has put His finger on?
It is interesting to see the re-action of Gideon's father. Was he a secret believer? When the crowd gathered next morning (it must have been a public place of worship as well as a family shrine) instead of condemning Gideon, he challenged the false god, Baal.
'Let Baal defend himself if he is a god.' That was something Baal could not do, as Elijah proved many years later on Mt. Carmel.
This was the beginning for Gideon. With that out of the way God could give him his next instruction and lead him on to the main task God had for him. It is always the way. God wants to keep moving forward. He has work for us all to do. He waits on our clearing the way for him to do what he has planned.
THE WAY OF OBEDIENCE IS THE WAY OF BLESSING AND LEADS TO MORE SERVICE FOR THE LORD.