When the Bible wants to make a major statement, the emphasis falls on two statements that serve as an envelope for the text.
(1) Judges 6 opens with a statement of Israel’s wrongdoing.
(2) The troubles that God brings to Israel follow.
(3) The section ends with a re-statement of Israel’s sins with further details.
The point is: What has happened to the Israelites is a result of their abandonment of their covenant relationship with God.
Deuteronomy 28 records the time when God’s people declared their faithfulness to God. They chose to obey God and trusted in God’s promised blessings. They disavowed unfaithfulness to God to avoid the curses of disobedience.
The pattern of Israel’s disobedience in the Book of Judges reveals consistent disobedience and unfaithfulness to God, who had delivered them from 400 years of Egyptian slavery.
As we examine the troubles of Israel in Judges 6, let’s ask ourselves why God should treat ancient Israel differently from modern Christians. Why should he overlook our flagrant disobedience and bless us?
Disobedience and Judgement
The story of Israel’s disobedience is the major emphasis of the opening words of Judges 6.
The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years (Judges 6:1).
The closing part of the envelope emphasizes the Israelites’ abandonment of their covenant relationship with God.
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage;
And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land;
And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not given heed to my voice” (Judges 6:8b-10).
Verse 10 describes an astounding turn of events. God often commanded the Israelites to live in fear of the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 6:1-2, Moses tells the people that if they live in the fear of the Lord that things will go well with them in the Promised Land. The “fear of the Lord” involves living in a relationship with God, humbly receiving his directions, and obeying them.
By no means were they to fear or give reverence to the gods of the Amorites. However, that is what took place. The people of God didn’t listen to him, but instead served the gods of the land.
I think what happened to ancient Israel contains a very important lesson for Christians today. We are in danger of claiming allegiance to Jesus Christ, but at the same time giving our energy and service to the gods of our culture.
The only way we can avoid being consumed by our culture is to live in the fear of the Lord. I want to emphasize the fear of the Lord with three statements.
(1) We live with God in a relationship that is both real and personal.
Question: Do we sense God’s presence when we pray? Are we aware that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives?
(2) We humbly seek God’s guidance and direction.
Question: Do we consistenly read the Bible to discover God’s will for our lives? Do we conclude our times of prayer by asking God for his direction and guidance for the day?
(3) We obey the guidance God gives us.
Question: Henry Blackaby says that when God gives us insight it is not for the purpose of a good feeling, like a “warm fuzzy” we find in our pocket. Our faith must embrace God’s direction and follow through with action. Are we doing this on a regular basis?
Israel’s Troubles
Between the envelope that described Israel’s sin, the troubles of the Israelites with their neighbors was detailed.
Verses 2-6 detail how the nomadic tribes of Midian and Amalek devastated the economy of the Israelites. Rather than the blessings of their covenant with God, they experienced the curses (see Deuteronomy 28).
God’s grace turns this story of human sin into one of God’s deliverance. When the people of God cried out in distress (verse 7), God answered by sending deliverance. Judges 6-8 tells the story of God’s deliverance through Gideon in answer to their prayer.
Our Cry to God
One clear teaching from Judges is that God responds to the sincere prayers of his people. As we survey the events of our times, we have the opportunity and responsibility to ask God to intervene.
One man, who writes on social media, ends his statements with #onebillionprayersforpeace. We can be one of those “one billion” intercessors.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 