Judges 6:20

You may wonder why Gideon dared to offer a sacrifice to God outside of the place that God Himself had established. God, in effect, had forbidden sacrifices to be offered outside his tabernacle, (Cf Dt 12,13) to which the temple later happened. But in the time of Gideon the tabernacle of God was in Shiloh, and therefore, only there sacrifices could legitimately be offered. However, we must bear in mind that at the beginning Gideon had believed that the angel was a prophet, and had consulted him as God about the offering of sacrifice. If he had forbidden it, he would not have offered it; but as he approved it, and agreed to be offered, Gideon followed the authority of God in offering it. God established legitimate norms, so that he did not give rules to himself, but to men. Therefore, everything that God commanded outside those norms, it is to be assumed that they have fulfilled it, not the transgressors, but the pious and obedient, as Abraham did when immolating his son (Cf Gn 22,2). Elijah also offered sacrifices in this way outside the tabernacle of the Lord to convince the priests of idols (Cf 1R 18,30.38). And this is supposed to be done by the command of the Lord who commanded him to do so, as a prophet who was, by revelation and inspiration. Although the custom of offering sacrifices outside the tabernacle had grown so large, it seems that even Solomon offered sacrifices on high and that his sacrifices were not reprobated, (Cf 1R 3,4-15) notwithstanding the kings being told that among their praiseworthy works they did not destroy the high places where the people used to offer sacrifices against the law of God. And, on the other hand, the king who destroyed them receives greater praise. In short, God tolerated more than forbade the custom of his people to offer sacrifices outside his tabernacle, but they could not offer themselves to foreign gods, but to the Lord God theirs, being propitious even to those who offered them in this way. Now, what Gideon did, who does not see that the angel did it in a prophetic way so that in that prophecy the stone could be seen? And naturally the sacrifice was not offered to that stone, but it is remembered that fire came out of it to consume the sacrifice. Well, either the water that poured out through the desert (Cf Nm 20,11) the stone that was beaten or the fire signified the gift of the Holy Spirit, which Christ the…