to the Lord. The offering of sacrifice to God had been committed to the priest and had been restricted to the altar at Shiloh. But he who established the ritual service, to whom all its offerings pointed, had power to change its requirements. Later on we'll see, if you're not familiar with it, that it was because the Lord ordained this service of worship for Gideon here, after he tore down the altar of Baal. This is one of his stumbling blocks that, in his human logic, allowed him to say, well, it's okay if I set up an alternate place of worship because the Lord has already ordained me to do a special different worship here in this instance that we're considering here. But let's continue on in the quote from Patriarchs and Prophets, page 547. The deliverance of Israel was to be preceded by a solemn protest against the worship of Baal. Gideon must declare war upon idolatry before going out to battle with the enemies of his people. Please notice here, brothers and sisters, that Gideon had a two-fold process, a two-fold battle. He had to protest against Baal in his father's house, and then he was to take up the battle with the enemies of God's people. First his father's house, then the world. Gideon is symbolizing to us a war that takes place on two successive fronts. First the altar of Baal in his father's house must come down, and then he would be prepared to take the battle to the world. If you remember one of our quotes that described how Baal is understood spiritually here at the end of the world from earlier presentations in this series, it was Manuscript Releases, volume 18, page 246, speaking of a Dr. Burke, it said this, He has so fully established the idol of self in the heart and worshipped at its shrine, There has been no room for Jesus, no room for light, for love, for meekness and lowliness of heart. Self is magnified into wonderful proportions. His only hope is to die to self, crucify self. If not, he loses that life which measures with the life of God. It is life or death that is set before Dr. Burke. Choose you this day whom you will serve. If the Lord be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. Manuscript Releases, volume 18, page 246. Gideon first must tear down the idol of Baal, the idol of self, the shrine of Baal, the shrine of self. He first must tear that down.