Joash said to all who stood against him, Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? he who will contend for him, let him be put to death while [it is yet] morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar.
Probably Gideon used one bull to pull apart the Canaanite altar, which he then offered as a burnt offering to Yahweh. [Note: See Block, Judges . . ., p. 266.] This sacrifice served a twofold purpose. Burnt offerings of worship made atonement and symbolized the offerer’s total dedication to the Lord. Gideon’s sacrifice also constituted a rejection of Baal worship since the bull was the sacred animal in the Baal fertility cult. [Note: Cundall and Morris, p. 107.] The fact that the bull was seven years old, strong, and healthy may have symbolized that the current seven-year oppression by Israel’s enemies was about to end. On the other hand it may have indicated that the destruction of Baal worship to follow would be an act of God. Gideon’s fear of being observed as he obeyed God (Judges 6:27) was natural since veneration of Baal was strong in his family and town (Judges 6:28-30).