Judges 6:25
And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
The command came after seven years of Midianite raids that stripped the land and drove the Israelites from their homes, when after the people confessed their sins God raised up a helper. Israel's repeated idolatry had brought chastisement, yet God did not abandon His people but called a faithful and valiant man to oppose idolatry and deliver them.
God commanded Gideon to throw down his father's altar to Baal and cut down the idolatrous object by it, the grove or Asherah pole. He was then to build an altar to Jehovah on the rock where the offering had been consumed and present a sacrifice there. Although sacrifice was normally restricted to the priests and Levites and to the altar at Shiloh, God who established the ritual service and to whom the offerings pointed had authority to change its requirements. Before fighting Israel's human enemies, Gideon had first to oppose idolatry with a solemn protest against Baal worship. In doing so he had to put God's honor and commands above his father's standing and parental authority, and the sacrifice acknowledged Jehovah as the only true and living God.
Because open action would bring opposition, he carried out the command secretly at night with his servants in one night to avoid being stopped. The command for prompt destruction illustrates the courage and firmness required to reprove sin and tear down idolatry, without using the work as an excuse for harshness or severity driven by wrong feelings. The bullock connected with the command stands between sacrifice and plowing, ready for either, as a lesson that God's people must be ready for service with no place for indolence or self-indulgence, since those who work only to gain honor for themselves may also discourage others.