Jerubbaal Sr.
Jerubbaal Sr.
Judges 6:30-32
Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? … .If he is a god, let him contend for himself.” … Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.
Legions of godless little grasshopper men contending for a dead, breathless god will continue to be a major theme of Israel’s story going forward, but the grander tale has always been and will always be the individual God-fearing giants who stand in their way.
Maybe the rush of adrenaline that pumps through Joash’s veins when he sees the mob storming toward his front lawn gives him Shamgar-level strength, and he rages out the door to meet them with an ox goad, ready to fight to the death. But I think this exchange is far more compelling than that. Think of it, friend: somehow, in the face of devastating hostility, Joash speaks a word that not only assuages the men’s anger but also philosophically dismantles their false religion. Gideon only tore down an idol; Joash is tearing down an ideology. He wins the battle without throwing a single punch. He just uses a piercing rhetorical question to disarm them, the same sort that our Lord wielded time and time again against the Pharisees.
I wonder: did this angry mob gnash their teeth at Joash for an hour or so after the challenge was made? Did they beat their chests and cut themselves and scream to the heavens the way those future prophets of Baal will do in their contest with Elijah? Did they act out a ceremonial song and dance, till the silence became embarrassing, and they quietly slipped away one after another back to the shadows? Or did Joash’s words take immediate effect on their psyche, causing them to pat him on the shoulder and say something like, “Well said, brother—so be it,” before going back to their daily routine?
We know one thing for certain: there’d be no chronicle of Jerubbaal Jr. to tell if Jerubbaal Sr. hadn’t stepped out to contend against Baal on behalf of his son.