Bible in 365 Days – Day 91

Focus Chapters:

• Judges 3:31
• Judges 4-6

Standout Verse(s):

Judges 6:1, 10, 12-13 NLT

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.

I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

Observation (s):

1. The Israelites disobedient actions resulted in their current circumstances and God’s departure.
   
   

   The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. 

   I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.’ But you have not listened to me.

   
   
2. When God intervened, Gideon challenges Him about His abandonment. He makes God the villain, attributing none of the blame to its rightful place, at the feet of Israel.
   
   

   “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

Application:

Every action has consequences, if not now, then in the future. It’s a pity we have short memories, especially as it relates to our part in triggering the negative consequences of our actions. Israel disobeyed God, turned to idolatry and triggered the negative consequences that God warned them about. God took His holy presence from an unholy environment, leaving the Israelites to their enemies. The Israelites broke the covenant and thus, had to live with the results.

It is quite interesting that when God chooses to heed Israel’s cry for help, Gideon depicts a story that focuses on God’s departure. He challenges God on His “abandonment” and level of intervention, in recent years, when compared to His past demonstrations to his ancestors. At no point does Gideon mention the part Israel played in their downfall! It would seem that Gideon overlooked that Israel broke their covenant with God and thus, triggered His lack of intervention. In the true narrative, Israel was the villain, not God.