Judges 6:1-10 – Déjà vu

(1) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
(2) And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
(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;
(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.
(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.
(6) And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
(7) And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
(8) That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
(9) And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;
(10) And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

 

By this time in the book of Judges, you should be thinking “Déjà vu, I’ve seen this before!” because you have! The same cycle repeats itself again, and Israel is back to their evil ways. It is really easy to criticize Israel here and ask “Why didn’t they learn?”, but too many times aren’t we the exact same way? We know something is wrong, that it won’t leave us fulfilled, or that the consequences will not be good, but yet we still do it. The people if Israel were no different than you and I when it comes to their human nature. They fell back into dishonoring God, just as we do.

However, all hope is not lost! Just like with us, in Israel’s darkest hour, when they are enslaved and being attacked again and again by the people all around them, we see that God has not forgotten them. He is still faithful towards Israel, even though they were doing evil. God was just waiting for them to turn to Him! In verses 6 and 7, the Bible tells us that “when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD… the LORD sent a prophet.” Even though Israel was not serving Him, God is still faithful!

The interesting thing that God does here is that he starts by reminding the Israelites what He has already done! There’s a truth in that for us. When you’re in the dark, walk by what you know to be true in the light. If you’re unsure about something in your future, know that He is faithful. If there’s some sin or something you are struggling with in your heart, know that he has made you free. If you feel alone, know that he is right there, just like He was with Israel. Also, always remember where and what God has brought you from and through, because, just like with Israel, He wants us to remember what he has done in us already.

If you are like Israel was, in the dark about something, stop and pray to God that he will help you and remind you that He is still there. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, God will never love you less. If you are not in the dark about something right now, ask yourself, “What has God already brought me through?” and remember it. Write it down if you have to but remember what God has done, and remember that He still is working.

Life Step: Think about it…

What do you know to be true that you can remember when time become difficult?

Are there any Bible promises you remember that encourage you?

Think about what you were before you were saved, or what you could have become without God in your life.

What has God lead you through already? Thank Him for it, and remember, if He was faithful then, nothing has changed now.