honoring Jesus—yet God condescended to give Gideon the request of his lips; and to confirm his faith, he, with a rod, touched the rock, and caused fire to come out of it, and, consume the slain Kid and unleavened cakes, all moistened with the broth, which Gideon, at his command, had put thereon. Gideon was fearful and apprehensive of immediate death, as he had seen an angel; but the Lord kindly assured him that he was in no danger.—How strange and groundless the fears of God’s people—frequently they take covenant-love dispensations as tokens of wrath; forgetting it is written, “I will no more be wroth with thee, nor forsake thee.”—We are seldom satisfied with the wise and gracious conduct of our God; when we have no sign or clear evidences we murmur—when we have we often fear they are not of a right kind. Well may saints be called children, seeing they possess the weakness of them. After this, Gideon built an altar, and called it Jehovah Shalom—believing what the Lord had declared, “that he would send peace to Israel.” It is worthy of observation, that the people of God only rear up altars to the Lord, as they believe in him—there is no praying or praising but by faith in Jesus; this leads the soul out to God, and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Gideon then testified his zeal for the service of God, and in God’s strength he threw down the altar of Baal, and cut down the grove that was by it. This shews the effect of faith in Jesus; it is a faith which worketh by love to God’s service, and produces a zeal for his glory. This alarms Satan, who stirs up persecution against all who love the Redeemer’s cause, as in the instance of Gideon—his fellow-citizens sought his life, for opposing their idolatry; but Joash, his father, remonstrated with them, that it did not become the people of God to plead for Baal; and that if Baal was truly God, he ought to exert his power in punishing those who had broken down his altar; and he called his son Jerubbaal, that is, let Baal contend with himself (if he can).