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GIDEON:  A JUDGE & MAN OF VALOR

 

The Plight of Israel

Judges 6:1-6

Lesson #2

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     During the time of Deborah and Barak, the land of Israel “had rest forty years” (Judg. 5:31).

 

B.      Instead of learning their fourth lesson, the children of Israel repeated the cycle of the past.

 

C.     In Judges 6:1-6, we read about “The Plight of Israel.” 

 

I.                    THE REBELLION (Judg. 6:1a)

 

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord…

 

A.     The Subjects:  “the children of Israel…”

1.       We often forget “who” the children of Israel were.

a.       They were the nation of Israel

b.      They were the children of God, deeply loved by their heavenly Father.

c.       They were the covenant people of God, separated from the other nations and instructed to be holy unto the Lord.

d.      They were the people to whom were given the promises.

e.       They were the people through whom the Messiah was to be brought into the world.

2.       Perhaps the children of Israel forget “who” they were.

3.       LESSONS:

a.       We, like Israel, have been greatly blessed.

b.      We, like Israel, might forget who we are.

c.       Advantages given to people are no guarantee of righteousness and faithfulness.

d.      Sometime advantages might lull us into a sense of false sense of security.

1)      Matthew 3:9a

 

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father…

 

2)      Romans 2:25

 

For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law:  but if thou be a breaker of the law thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

 

B.      The Sin:  “…did evil…”

1.       Evil

a.       Strong (7415):  bad, evil

b.      BDB:  bad, evil, wicked (ethically)…thoughts, deeds, actions

2.       We are not told the specifics of Israel’s sins in this verse.  We will learn later that idolatry was one of their transgressions.

3.       LESSON:  God’s people are not immune from sin.  They can transgress the will of God just as easily as the heathen can.

 

 

 

C.     The Sight of God:  “…in the sight of the Lord…”

1.       Israel performed their evil in the sight of God.  Perhaps they should have tried to hide their sins better.

2.       The reality is that nothing is hidden from God.  All things that men do are done “in the sight of the Lord.”

a.       Job 34:21

 

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

 

b.      Proverbs 15:3

 

They eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding evil and the good.

 

c.       Hebrews 4:13

 

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight:  but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

 

II.                 THE RETRIBUTION (Judg. 6:1b-6a)

 

A.     The Sentence (Judg. 6:1b)

 

…and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

 

1.       The Action:  “…and the Lord delivered them…”

a.       The text is clear that this punishment was from the hand of the Lord.

b.      LESSON:  God can punish individuals in the here and now if He so desires.

2.       The Adversary:  “…into the hand of Midian…”

a.       Remember, this is a tribe of people that sprang from Abraham through Keturah (Gen. 25:1-2).

b.      LESSON:  God can use evil people, enemies of the people of God to carry out His will and disciple His children.

3.       The Allocation:  “…seven years.”

 

B.      The Suffering (Judg. 6:2-6a)

1.       The Atrocities (Judg. 6:2-5)

a.       Abandonment of homes (Judg. 6:2)

 

And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel:  and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them dens in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.

 

1)      Adam Clarke comments that they had to live like wild beasts and were often hunted like wild beasts by their adversaries.

2)      These secret places kept them safe.   They were also used to secure their possessions from the hand of the Midianites.

b.      Assailed by enemy nations (Judg. 6:3)

 

And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them.

 

1)      All of these peoples were Bedouin in nature. 

2)      They lived in and around the Arabian desert area.

3)      The Amalekites were descendants of Esau (Gen. 36:12).

4)      The phrase children of the east was a general term for the people who lived in the desert areas. 

a)      They lived east of the land of Palestine.

b)      It is a term similar to the word “Arabs.”

5)      These nations aligned themselves from time to time against enemy people like the Jews. 

6)      These nations were ruthless and did not care for human life. 

 

c.       Annihilation of crops and herds (Judge 6:4)

 

And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

 

1)      They encamped against the people during the planting and growing seasons.

2)      When it was time for harvest, they would invade the land and take everything that had been produced by the Israelites.

3)      They would also take their sheep and oxen and donkeys.

4)      The Israelites were deprived of the basic necessities of life.  Can you imagine trying to live through the winter after there was no crop?

5)      “Till thou come unto Gaza”:  “That is, the whole breadth of the land, from Jordan to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea” (Clarke, e-sword).

 

d.      Apprehension of all land (Judg. 6:5)

 

For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number:  and they entered into the land to destroy it.

 

1)      When the Midianites invaded the land, it was not with a small group of people. 

a)      “…they came as grasshoppers for multitude…”

b)      They came.  The brought their cattle.  They set up their tents.  The brought an innumerable herd of camels.

2)      Have you ever seen the carnage a group of people can do when they encamp as a multitude on someone else’s property?

a)      They destroy the property of others.

b)      There is a ton of trash.

c)       Human waste is not disposed of properly.

d)     Animals will eat everything in sight.

e)      The animal waste is also disgusting.

3)      Their purpose is noted:  “…and they entered into the land to destroy it.”

2.       The Aftermath (Judg. 6:6a)

 

And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites…

 

a.       Definitions:

1)      Impoverished

a)      Strong (1809):  to slacken, to be feeble, figuratively to be oppressed

b)      BDB:  to languish, hang down, be low, of distress, look weakly, to be brought low, to be laid low

2)      Greatly

a)      Strong (3966):  vehemently

b)      BDB:  exceedingly, much, to a great degree, very, with muchness

b.      LESSON:  Why does God chastise His people to such a degree?  The Bible affirms it is because He loves them (Rev. 3:19).

 

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten;  be zealous therefore, and repent.

 

III.              THE REPENTANCE (Judg. 6:6b)

 

…and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.

 

A.     Godly sorrow and seeking after God is part of repentance (II Cor. 7:9-10).

 

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance:  for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:  but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

 

B.      It is sad that such severe disciple has to occur in order to get individuals to repent of their transgressions.  NOTE:  Fortunately, for man it often works.

 

C.     When the hearts of men are penitent, God will respond positively on their behalf. 

1.       We often hear the phrase:  “Repent or perish!”

2.       We should also use this phrase:  “Repent and be saved!”

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     These six verses are the start of the fifth cycle of rebellion by Israel in the period known as “The Judges.”

 

B.      Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord responded in kind with harsh retribution.

1.       “And the hand of Midian prevailed (to be stout, to be strong, firm) against Israel…” (v. 2)

2.       “And they encamped against them, and destroyed (to cause ruin, spoil, corrupt, decay) the increase…” (v. 4)

3.       “…and left no substance…” (v. 4)

4.       “…and they entered into the land to destroy (to cause ruin, spoil, corrupt, decay) it” (v. 5)

5.       “And Israel was greatly improverished (to a great degree they were laid low)…” (v. 6)

 

C.     The next step in the cyclical process is RESCUE.  From Judges 6:7 through Judges 8:21, we see God’s response to the cries of His children.