Jerubbaal

Let Baal defend himself!

A collage of photos of the Pakistan carnage that was sent to me (August 2023)

Preamble

On August 17, 2023, I received a series of videos and photos from the leader of a church I minister to in Pakistan, showing an animated crowd marching towards a church building, tearing down the cross on it, and torching the building and nearby homes and properties.¹ Since I did not understand the language spoken in the videos, I asked the leader. He informed me that Christians in a provincial town were being attacked by Muslims, prompting many Christians to flee in fear of the spreading violence.

Thankfully, the violence did not spread beyond that town. The carnage began because of an unproven allegation that two Christians had blasphemed Islam by defiling the Quran. Although this was only an accusation, a Muslim cleric used a mosque's megaphone to incite an attack on the Christian community. This caused chaos, and because the government did not respond promptly initially, many Christians in the town and their properties were at the mercy of the irate mob.

It should be noted that according to the 2017 Pakistan census, Christians make up less than 1.3 per cent of the slightly more than 240 million Pakistanis, with nearly 97 per cent being Muslims.

When God's silence prevails! 

Coincidentally, I had scheduled an article titled "When God is Silent" for publication in Fields of Grace Newsletter on Substack a few days before. The article discussed God's apparent silence during times of turmoil and what might be causing it. You can read the full article here:

When God is Silent

A god that needs defending? 

Reflecting on the events in Pakistan and the content of my article on God's silence in such situations, I was reminded of a biblical incident involving Gideon in the book of Judges. Gideon had demolished an altar to the god, Baal, which set off a chain of events. The story is documented in Judges 6:25–32. God tells Gideon to demolish the Baal altar and build an altar to Him in its place. Gideon follows these instructions covertly, fearing reprisals from his community. And as expected, the next morning, upon discovering the altar's destruction and investigating, the townspeople found Gideon to be the culprit. They then demand that Gideon's father, who happened to be the priest in charge of the Baal altar, hand him over for execution. 

We don't know if Gideon's father was defending his son, or realised he was worshipping a god whose altar could be pulled down by a mere mortal without consequences from the god, but his response to the agitation for Gideon's execution is powerful and priceless. The Living Bible version expresses it more clearly, as follows: 

“Does Baal need your help? What an insult to a god! You are the ones who should die for insulting Baal! If Baal is really a god, let him take care of himself and destroy the one who broke apart his altar!” (Judges 6:31, LB) 

Gideon’s father questioned whether Baal needed anyone to defend it, noting that if Baal is truly a god, he should be capable of defending himself. Gideon is thus dubbed Jerubbaal, which, depending on the rendition of the Bible you are reading, translates as, “Let Baal defend himself (GNB), take revenge himself (CEV), argue with [Gideon] (ERV), plead his case with [Gideon] (HCSB), fight his own battles (MSG), or take care of himself! (LB)” In other words, if Baal is a god, he does not need anyone to defend him! 

Several significant insights emerge from Gideon's father's response to the situation, which we shall scrutinise as a panacea against incessant attacks from religious extremists. Firstly, anyone who resorts to violence to defend a god should face condemnation. Secondly, a deity that relies on human defence cannot be genuinely divine. Lastly, a god incapable of self-defence is no more than an idol. 

Let us now examine these insights drawn from Gideon’s father’s statement in some detail. 

A god that cannot defend itself? 

Examining our final deduction from Gideon’s father’s statement, Psalm 135:15–18 states (also see Psalm 115:4–8): 

"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them." (NKJV) 

An idol is powerless despite possessing attributes such as a mouth, eyes, ears, and hands—features attributable to a being. Idols are products of human imagination crafted by human hands. They cannot speak, see, hear, act, or defend. They remain where they are placed and require humans to transport them. Also, their human handlers or priests speak and hear on their behalf, defend and protect them, and compel people to worship them. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul remarked: 

"Even though food is offered to idols, we know that none of the idols in this world are alive. After all, there is only one God." (1 Corinthians 8:4, CEV) 

A parallel situation to the religious disturbances in Pakistan can be found in Acts 19:23–41. A silversmith, Demetrius, had led his fellow craftsmen producing artefacts representing the goddess, Diana, to a revolt because of dwindling profits occasioned by many of Diana’s worshippers turning to God due to the preaching of the gospel. The ensuing Demetrius-led riots resulted in rioters demanding the execution of the apostle Paul and his companions. However, to their dismay, Almighty God, whom Paul and his companions worshipped, defended them through the city clerk, who challenged Demetrius to take his claims before a magistrate rather than start a self-serving riot before dispersing the gathered crowd. 

Other instances in Scripture where Almighty God defended His people include His supernatural protection of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1–27), and Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6:1–24). Worshippers should be defended by their god, not the other way around. Indeed, a god incapable of self-defence warrants no attention.

A god demanding that people defend it? 

No reputable god should be defended by those it ought to protect. A god should never impose such a demand; instead, it should safeguard its worshippers. The notion that God requires people to defend Him is unfounded in Scripture. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Jude urges believers in Christ to 

"defend the faith that God has once for all given to his people." (Jude 1:3, CEV) 

Jude never advocated the defence of God, but the defence of the faith, which means living as God demands so that those who live contrary can be more readily identified and outed. 

God is entirely capable of self-defence, as evident in numerous scriptural examples. One such instance occurred when the Philistines captured the Ark of God, a symbol of the presence of God, and placed it beside their god, Dagon. The following day, Dagon was found lying prostrate before the Ark, as it were, in obeisance. After, Dagon was positioned back up by its handlers. However, the next day, Dagon was found shattered by God, with its pieces strewn everywhere in its temple. God then afflicted the Philistines with a plague, decimating their population without human intervention. The Philistines had to return the Ark to Israel lest God annihilate them (1 Samuel 4:11; 5:1–12; 6:1–12).  

Furthermore, God instructs His people not to seek vengeance but to leave such matters to Him:

"Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. (Romans 12:19, NKJV)

God has never and will never ask anyone to defend Him or avenge themselves! 

What of those who presume to defend God?

Some take it upon themselves to defend their god. To such individuals, Gideon’s father’s inspired response in Judges 6:31 is apt and worth repeating, albeit in a different rendition: 

“Are you trying to take revenge for Baal? Are you trying to rescue Baal? If you are, you will be the ones who are put to death, and it will happen before another day dawns. If Baal really is a god, let him take his own revenge on someone who tears down his altar.” (CEV) 

Indeed, it is an affront to any god for its worshippers to defend it!

Almighty God meets every attempt by humans to defend Him with dire consequences. For instance, when Uzza attempted to steady the Ark of God as the oxen drawing the cart on which the Ark was placed stumbled, God slew him instantly (2 Samuel 6:5-7). God seemed to declare, "How dare you assume to assist Me?" 

Politicians, judges, religious clerics, and even worshippers of some religions are notorious for always attempting to defend the deity they worship. And this ought not to be so! Such unfounded fealty is self-serving and from people who are ignorant of the tenets or teachings of their religion. Sadly, this includes Christians. I recall the Muslim travel ban in the United States some years ago, in response to solving terrorist threats, as though Muslims are all terrorists! Thankfully, the courts invalidated the ban.

Almighty God requires no defence, either from politicians, Christians, or anyone else, for that matter! Such efforts insult Him, and He responds with devastation, much like He did with Uzza.  

Final Remarks 

It is folly to defend a deity, not to mention using violence against people of other faiths in the process. Every religion that I know preaches peace; so, where do some religious adherents get the notion of violence against others? If someone of the same religious belief does something considered blasphemous, even so, they must be given a fair hearing. It is thus crucially important to reiterate that true divinity does not require human intervention. Most of those claiming to defend their deity, as in Acts 19, are self-serving, and the others are just ignorant and tools in the hands of such self-serving individuals. 

Governments that try to defend the deity of their constituents must refrain from doing so, particularly when it can be misconstrued to be supporting attacks against minorities. There have been instances in Myanmar, Northern Nigeria, and the United States, where governments have used the machinery of State to justify attacks on religious minorities.

Those claiming to defend their deity or religion against those allegedly insulting either must be called to account for their crimes. Such extremists should be brought to book not just because they are not of our religion, but because it is right and just to do so and will serve as a deterrent. As for the ‘insulted’ deities, let them defend themselves! 

The same goes for those who feel they must defend Almighty God on abortion, LGBTQX, etc. Those who worship the one true God must never presume to defend Him; that, He is very well able to do on His own. 

Christians who are being oppressed for their faith in Jesus and the Father should heed Jesus’ words:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–48, NKJV)

Let all who call upon Almighty God direct their prayers to Him for His help. Let us do everything within and beyond our power to ensure peace and understanding in every society, particularly those in which religious minorities reside—let us not overwhelm them with our majority religion! May Almighty God's peace reign worldwide.

Shalom!

1. You can get more details of this incident here.