Command 22: Be Wise as Serpents
Study Question
Q: When God told Gideon to destroy his father’s altar, Gideon did it at night for fear of the men who worshiped Baal. Did Gideon demonstrate wisdom or a lack of boldness? (See Judges 6:25–32.)
A: Though a General demands obedience from his troops when they are given an order, he also expects them to be aware and alert to possible dangers. A wise soldier is willing to submit his physical body to the direction of his leader, and yet he constantly should use his mind to accomplish the assigned mission.
When Gideon tore down his father’s altar, he chose to do it at night “because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city” (Judges 6:27).
He demonstrated wisdom rather than a lack of boldness because he obeyed the Lord’s command in the very night he received it and avoided what no doubt would have been a disastrous situation if he had done it during the day. The next morning, the men of the city were shocked to see that the altar had been broken down. Upon discovering that Gideon had done it, they demanded that his father bring him out to be killed.
The intriguing account that follows testifies to the fact that Gideon’s discretion and wisdom were used by God to convict an entire nation of their unfaithfulness to Him.
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This study question and answer is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 4, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.