Vere. 31, 32.-Jerubbaal, or, Is an idol anything 1 How mighty the work was Gideon had wrought at once appeared from its effects. His father is won over, ,ind so argues for him that the Abi-ezrites are first silenced, and then converted. The nickname of Gideon showed the process of the change. I. THE GRAND ARGUMENT AGAINST IDOLATRY. Isaiah (eh. :x:liv.) expresses the contempt of the true Israelite for idols. But no one bas formulated the argument better than Joash. It is as forcible to-day in India and Africa as in the days of Gideon. The same is true of the world-powers and principles idols represent. II. THE LIVING WITNESS TO THE FORCE OF THIS ARGUMENT. No monument could equal himself. It was an instance of a man against n god-yea, against all the gods of heathenism. A heathen convert is such a witness. And the heroes of faith are the grand arguments against the evil principles and influences they overthrew and survived. The gospel reveals an extended view of the same question, beyond death and the grave ; " Fear not them which kill the body," &c.-M. Vere, 25, 26.-Gideon the iconoclast. I. REFORMATION MUST PRECEDE DELIVER- ANCE. As the prophet of repentance appeared before Gideon the deliverer, so even Gideon did not undertake the work of fighting the Midinnites until he had first effected a religious reformntion among his own people. It is vain to tre,it symptoms when the radical seat of a disease is untouched. Spiritual apostnsy had brought on Israel national humiliation. The distress could not be safely relieved till the sin was destroyed. God will not deliver ue from the trouble into which sin has brought us before we begin to turn from the wicked course which made the trouble a necessary chastisement. It is true that under the gospel we 11re not made to wait for the return of Divine favour until all sin is destroyed. On the contrnry, it is one great characteristic of this new dispensation of mercy that restoration to the favour of God does not wait for, but precedes, and is the chief cause of, a perfect reformntion of life. Nevertheless, (1) this is only possible after repentance, which is the turn- ing from sin in desire, and (2) when accompanied by faith in Christ ns both Master and Saviour, which implies submission to his will, and carries the prophecy of a nl'w life inseparably connected with the spiritual fruits of faith (Acts iii. 26). 70 THE BOOK OF JUDGES. [cR. VI, 83 --40,
II. REFORMATION BEGINS WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF EVIL. Gideon'e firet work is to destroy the nltar nnd idol of false worship. To wrench out the etonee of the mossive altar of Baal and tear up the "Asherah" was no easy work; yet it was nec_essary. It is pleasant. to proph~sy sn)ooth things, and _we should prefer to trust enllrely to the power of hght to dispel the d-'lrkness, of hfe to overcome death of the P:?spel of peace t-0 sup_plant all forms of evil. But it is _not possible to succ~ed by tlus rnenns alone. Evil must be exposed, challenged, resisted overthrown. Sin must be rebuked ; wrong practices must be directly thwarted and frustrated. This implies aggressive action on the part of the Church, and long, arduous united efforts to t_hrow d_own the _great structures of sinful in_stit~tions, and upr~ot inveterate habits of vice ~nd crime. Intemperance, comn)erCJal d1s~onestr, religious hypocrisy, &c., must be directly met and fought by practical 11genc1es suited to cope with the i;trength and size of great national sins. Ill. REFORMATION IS NOT COMPLETE WITHOUT THE SUCCESSFUL ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW AND BETTER ORDER. Gideon's reforming work is not complete when he has thrown down the emblems and instruments of idolatry. This is but half his work. He must next erect an altar to the true God and sacrifice thereon. The dano-er of every attempted reformation is lest it should stay with the work of destruction:'.....Iest the iconoclast should not be also a reformer. It is more easy to throw down than to re_build. The passions of the destroyer nr~ !1ot ~!ways joined to the patient, cairn 'lnsdom and energy of the renovator. Yet 1t 1s vam to cast out.the evil spirit unless we fill the place of it with a better spirit (Matt. xiL 43--45). Mere negative Protest- antism, negative temperance, negative anti-war movements are likely to lead to abortive issues unless they are supplemented by influences which promote and establish positive good. Conviction of sin must be followed by the creation of a new heart if the futµre life is to be pure (Ps. Ii. 10).-A.