Judges 6:1-10

Judges 6:1-10

[1] And the children  of Israel  did  evil  in the sight  of 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  [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  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 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. 

What does Judges 6:1-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Midianites were Bedouin nomads and descendants of Abraham and Keturah ( Genesis 25:1-2) who occupied the plains that bordered the Arabian Desert to the east of Moab and Ammon. They were raiders who descended on the Israelites at harvest times, stole their crops and possessions, and then retreated to their own land (cf. Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 10:26; Isaiah 60:6). They did not want to kill the Israelites and take over their land. They preferred to let the Israelites sow and harvest their crops and then steal what God"s people had labored so hard to produce. The Midianites conducted their raids on camels that made them very hard to overtake in pursuit.
"This is the earliest instance of such a phenomenon of which we have record. The effective domestication of the camel had been accomplished somewhat earlier deep in Arabia and had now spread to tribal confederacies to the south and east of Palestine, giving them a mobility such as they had never had before." [1]
To conceal their harvested crops and other valuable possessions, the Israelites hid them in caves and other holes in the ground. Many of the mountainous areas of Israel abound with natural caves and dens.
The Amalekites and other tribes that lived in the Arabian Desert east of Canaan joined the Midianites in their raids. These desert-dwellers were the "sons of the east" ( Judges 6:3). The raids extended all the way to Gaza on the Mediterranean coast ( Judges 6:4), far into Israel.
After seven years of these locust-like devastating raids (cf. Deuteronomy 28:31; Deuteronomy 28:38; Joel 1:4), the Israelites were at their wits end and called out to Yahweh in their misery ( Judges 6:6). In response to their cries God sent an unnamed prophet ( Judges 6:8) to explain the reason for their discipline. They had again disobeyed the Lord ( Judges 6:10). Yet now the prophet God sent did not deliver the people (cf. Judges 4:4-7), but chastened them. This is another subtle sign that things were getting worse in Israel. The Book of Judges portrays a God who cannot help but be generous in spite of His people"s waywardness.