Judges 6:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.

NASB: Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord handed them over to Midian for seven years.

CSB: The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years,

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

KJV: And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

NKJV: Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,

The repetitive, downward spiral of the era of the judges (Judges 2:11–19) begins again. After Deborah and Barak defeat the Canaanites (Judges 4:23–24) Israel is free and living at peace in the land. During that brief period, the people seem to be following the ways of the Lord. Then a new generation comes along, who promptly returns to worshipping Baal and the other false gods of Canaan. Service of any false god is evil in and of itself since it is a betrayal of the one true God. That's even more the case for Israel, who has a special relationship with the Creator. Worship of the Canaanite deities also involves vile practices including sexual depravity and human sacrifice.

The Lord is faithful to respond to Israel's evil by allowing them to be oppressed yet again. This time, Israel's oppressor will be the Midianites. Midian was one of the sons of Abraham and a wife called Keturah, whom he married after the death of Sarah (Genesis 25:1–2). The descendants of Midian grew to be a persistent people, often existing as nomads in the ancient near east. Israel had both positive and negative interactions with Midian over the course of their shared history. Later in Israel's wilderness wandering, however, Midian harassed the Israelites and tried to lead them away from God (Numbers 25:16–18). This eventually led to war against Midian (Numbers 31).

Now, many years later, God has allowed the Midianites to grow strong again. They were settled during this era east of the Jordan River, but they had begun to cross over to the western side and push farther and farther into the land. The Lord gives Israel into their hands for seven years because of Israel's evil practices.

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).