Gideon; Man of Doubt, Man of Fear, Man of Faith?Sample

In deep trouble — through own fault

“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 book of Judges does not exactly cheer me up. Over and over again, I read how the people of Israel turned their backs on the Lord God and got into deep trouble as a result. It seems like a hopeless situation. Yet, in this book, the faithfulness of the Lord also shines through. He gives salvation when the people beg Him for it.

In Judges 6, it is the same story again. Previous chapters have told how God miraculously gave deliverance to King Jabin, who ruled the people of Israel with a harsh hand. The people were grateful and acknowledged God’s intervention. For forty years after that, the land remained peaceful. But then the trouble began again: “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.” They served the idols of neighboring people. God had explicitly warned them about this, but He concluded, “You have not obeyed My voice.”

As a consequence of their unfaithfulness, the Lord allowed the Midianites, another neighboring people, to plunder Israel again and again. They destroyed the crops and livestock to impoverish the people.

What do you think, were the Israelites in trouble because of their behavior or is this a broader pattern? What aspects could be in play here? Could this be relevant today as well?