And build an altar to the Lord thy God upon the top of
this
rock
Where the provisions were laid, and out of which came forth fire
that consumed them; and where the altar, called by the name of
Jehovahshalom, had been built by him, near it very probably; and
there might be room enough for both upon the top of the rock; for
this seems to be a distinct altar from that that was erected as a
monumental altar, in memory of the miracle there wrought, and in
gratitude by Gideon for the preservation of his life, and the
peace and prosperity there and then promised, and which altar was
to continue, and did; but this was for sacrifice, and only for
the present time; for the proper place for sacrifice was the
tabernacle: and this was to be built in the ordered place; either
in the place where Gideon was ordered to put the flesh and the
unleavened cakes; or in an orderly way and manner, according as
was commanded in the law, as that it should be of earth and
unhewn stones, and so framed as that it might be fit to have the
wood and sacrifice laid in order on it; or in a plain place, as
Kimchi, upon the top of the rock, where he might lay in order the
stones of the altar:
and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice
with the wood
of the grove which thou shall cut down;
mention being made only of one bullock that was to be offered,
has made some think that only one was ordered to be taken,
namely, this second, which agrees with our version of ( Judges 6:25 ) for if
two were taken, what became of the first, since only the second
was ordered to be sacrificed? to which Kimchi makes answer, that
he was ordered to take it away, that his father might not offer
it to an idol, as he intended, and therefore this was done to
prevent idolatry; and as this second bullock was to be a burnt
sacrifice, and to be burned with the wood of the grove just cut
down, it seems to confirm the sense of such versions and
interpreters who understand it of an idol on the altar of Baal;
since wood just cut down would not be fit to burn, whereas an
idol of wood, that had been of some standing, would be very
proper: everything ordered and done were different from the laws
and usages directed to by Moses, and practised by the Jews.
Gideon was no priest, and yet bid to offer sacrifice, and that on
an altar of his own erecting, and not the altar of God; and upon
the top of a rock, and not at the tabernacle; and the wood of a
grove or idol was to be made use of, which in other cases was not
allowed; and all this done in the night, which was not the time
of sacrificing; but the divine warrant was sufficient for Gideon.
The Jews say F21, there were eight things that were
made free or allowed now, which were not at another time: and it
was necessary, before Gideon acted the part of a deliverer, that
he should become a reformer, and it was proper to begin at his
own family.