Judges 6:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites,

NIV: When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian,

NASB: Now it came about, when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of Midian,

CSB: When the Israelites cried out to him because of Midian,

NLT: When they cried out to the Lord because of Midian,

KJV: And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,

NKJV: And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites,

The previous verse gave a dire summary of Israel's oppression (Judges 6:1–5) by the Midianites: They were beaten down, fearful, humiliated, and ruined. It's likely some of the people were on the brink of starvation. Every year, year after year, the Midianite hordes arrived with their allies from the east and almost completely wiped out all of Israel's crops and livestock. Only what was hidden away in mountain caves was left behind, and that had to be shared between too many people.

The effect on Israel was beyond nutrition and wealth. The nation was mentally and spiritually broken. They were crushed and had lost the will to fight. They could not stand up to this overwhelming enemy. Finally, they cried out to the Lord for help instead of waiting for Baal and the other false gods to act on their behalf.

God's response to their cry does not immediately follow the usual formula (Judges 2:11–19) of sending a rescuer. Somewhat as He did with Deborah (Judges 4:4–5), God first introduces a prophet. In this case, the prophet's message is a harsh reminder of how Israel came to be in this mess in the first place (Judges 6:8–10).

Judges 6:1–10 begins, once again, with Israel's descent into evil (Judges 2:11–14). God turns them over to the Midianites, who invade every year with their allies from the east. These raids take Israelite crops and livestock. God's people cry out for help after seven years. Before sending a deliverer, the Lord first appoints an unnamed prophet to deliver a message. He reminds them that He is the one who freed them from their enemies and gave them their land. They suffer now because they have not obeyed His voice.

Israel follows the sad pattern of the book of Judges, and once again turns to evil and idols. God turns them over to the Midianites. These foreign raiders spend the next seven years invading and consuming Israel's crops and livestock. Israel cries for help to the Lord. His first step is to send a prophet to remind them of God's goodness and their disobedience. The Lord then appears to Gideon, commanding him to save Israel because God will be with him. Gideon obeys God's command to tear down a Baal altar and build one to Yahweh in its place. He calls his countrymen to follow him and asks for signs from God.

The book of Judges contains a series of stories with a common theme: Israel falls into sin, suffers, and is rescued by God, only to fall once again (Judges 1—2). The next phase in Israel's downward spiral comes after 40 years of peace, won by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4—5). Israel is punished for sin through the Midianites. After seven years, the Israelites cry out for help. The Lord appears to Gideon, challenging the timid man to lead the battle against Israel's oppressors. Empowered by the Spirit, Gideon calls for his people to follow him, but still asks the Lord for signs. Gideon's successful campaigns are depicted in chapters 7 and 8.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).