Jerubbaal & Your Calling To Defeat The Gods

Jonathan Cahn shares of the amazing discovery hidden for over three thousand years and what it has to do with our lives. The secret of Gideon, the opposite law of the kingdom, warring against the gods, breaking down the altar, the days of Gideon revisited, and what Jerubbaal means for such a time as this.

For generations, critics of the Bible have dismissed its accounts of people, places, and events—claiming they never existed. Yet time and again, the ground itself has testified to the truth of God’s Word. This week, history spoke once more.

Israeli archaeologists have uncovered something never before found—an inscription over 3,000 years old, dating to the time of the biblical Judges. Until now, no complete word from that era had ever been discovered. This alone would be groundbreaking, but this find is even more extraordinary—it’s a name.

The name is Yerubaal (also known as Jerubbaal), the exact name the Bible gives to Gideon in Judges 6. It was a unique name, given to him after he tore down the altar of Baal. This is no coincidence. After 3,000 years, the name of one of Israel’s greatest heroes has risen from the dust.

Gideon: The Reluctant Warrior Called by God

Gideon was not born a fearless leader. When the angel of the Lord appeared to him, he was hiding in fear, doubtful and discouraged. Yet the angel greeted him with these words:

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12).

In Hebrew, the phrase is Gibbor Chayil—“mighty, valiant champion.” Gideon was anything but mighty in that moment, yet God declared his identity before it was visible. God was speaking not to who Gideon was, but to who he was destined to become.

This is how God works. He calls us champions before we have ever seen victory. In His Kingdom, it’s not victory that makes you a champion—it’s becoming a champion in spirit that brings the victory.

The Breaking of the Altar of Baal

Before Gideon could lead Israel to triumph over the Midianites, God gave him a first mission:

• Tear down his father’s altar to Baal.

• Cut down the Asherah pole beside it.

• Build an altar to the Lord in its place.

This was dangerous—so dangerous that Gideon did it at night. The people of the town were outraged, demanding his death. But Gideon’s father Joash stood and said, “If Baal is truly a god, let him contend for himself.” From that day, Gideon was called Jerubbaal—“Let Baal contend.”

The Prophetic Meaning for Our Time

The rediscovery of Gideon’s name in our generation is no accident. We are living in days much like Gideon’s—days when a culture that once knew God now celebrates idols, calls evil good and good evil, and seeks to silence anyone who stands for truth.

Just as Gideon was called to confront the false gods of his time, God is calling His people today to rise up against the spiritual altars in our lives and in our nations—compromise, sin, and anything that exalts itself above God.

The message is clear: before victory comes, the altar of Baal must fall. Before we see breakthrough, we must confront and tear down every stronghold that opposes God’s will.