Judges 6:1-10--Midian Oppresses Israel

Judges 6:1-10
English Standard Version
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Midian Oppresses Israel
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. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD.

7 When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, 8 the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 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. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”

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When the people once again do what is right in their own eyes and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, the LORD is going to give them over into the hands of the Midianites (the Ishmaelites) for seven years.  Remember the Midianites lived in the Sinai Peninsula between Egypt and Canaan, which is part of the land that was promised to the Israelites.

The Midianites were raiders that would swoop in at the time of harvest and would, along with the Amalekites and people of the East, devour all the crops so that the Israelites had nothing left.  They would also steal the livestock and take them away as far as Gaza (as the southern tip of Canaan).  The text describes them like a swarm of locusts that could not be counted, and when the swarm arrived every season, they devoured everything.

The LORD sent a prophet to the people this time to correct them for their idolatry when they cried out for salvation.  The LORD reminded them that He is the one that saved them from the hand of Egypt and brought them safely to this Promised Land, but all He made them swear was that they would not turn to the gods of the Amorites that lived in the Land that the LORD was giving to them.  However, the Israelites had not listened and it is for this reason that the LORD has allowed the people to come under the curses of the Law instead of the blessings of the Law, for they have chosen to not obey His voice.

Next time we'll talk about that call of Gideon.  His story will make up much of the middle of the book of Judges.