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.
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
What is true in times of difficulty is that God does not leave us. He will always be there for us. Sometimes it is not until after the fact that we realize how God worked through the difficult situation we were in. We should remember during a challenging time how He helped us in prior instances so we can have faith that things will be OK if we put our faith in Him.
The verses that always help me through difficult situations and is one of my favorites is Philipians 4:6-7
I shutter to think where my life would be if I had not been saved. Scary. No hope. Rationalizing my eternity. Basing things on my “goodness”. It is hard to predict what my life would be like but it I do know this, I wouldn’t have the peace of God that passeth all understanding.
God has recently led me through the care of my mother in law with Alzheimers. I probably didn’t always lean on Him the way I should have, but without the Lord I could not have taken care of my mom with out loosing my patience. As difficult as this situation was, and trust me I did more than my share of venting, I kept my cool with my mother in law since her decline in January. There was maybe once or twice I kind of lost my patience with her but overall as tired as I was I didn’t take it out on her. Thanks to God. I can see how care takers can get so over whelmed that they do take it out on the patient, I really can. Right or wrong, it’s true. A care taker with out the Lord will have an uphill battle. When I would be at a real low, God would lift me out of it and help me through the next phase. I thank God that He helped me get through this difficult time in our lives. There are plenty of other examples of how God has worked through the challenges in my life but that is the most recent.
Laura (and John),
I know that he last few months has been crazy stressful for you and your family, but I also know that there are a bunch of people that watched your example and John’s and have been affected positively by it.
I totally needed this today, because i have wondered what God may be doing in some areas of my life. It’s helpful to remember what God has done in my past, and even though I don’t know everything that the future may hold, and what God’s will is for everything, I do know what the Bible says is His will.
I believe the word is “trust”…. 🙂
Lord, today, help me to trust you enough to seek you in every situation and with every decision!
Sometimes I do think, wow you’d think the children of Israel would have learned by now! But truth is, I do the same thing all the time. After I repent from my sins, as time goes on, it’s easier for satan to tempt us to go back to our sins. And it can be so hard not to just give in. But I need to learn from the Islraelites mistakes, and stay strong! Cody asked if there’s any encouraging bible verses, I really like Philippians 4:13! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me 🙂
One thing that I haven’t been doing that I really should be, is memorizing scripture. The bible says to Hide God’s word in my heart, and lately I haven’t been. I hope I can get into the habit of doing it more often!
i’m with alexis.you would probably think they would learn by now but we do the EXACT same thing.an encouraging bible verse that i like is Joshua 1:9 “Have i not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” this is my life verse… this verse fits this because it says don’t be afraid or dismayed cuz God is with you WHERE EVER you go! when times are difficult, remember to trust in God and don’t be afraid or dismayed!! 🙂