Judges 6:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD.

NIV: Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

NASB: So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.

CSB: So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.

NLT: So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

KJV: And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

NKJV: So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

God's judgment on Israel for their sin—serving other gods and participating in their vile evils—was severe. Israel became a beaten people in every sense of the word (Judges 6:1–5). Year after year, Midianite invaders came from the east in numbers so vast that the people were simply overpowered. Resistance was useless. Waves of camels carrying Midianites, Amalekites, and others from beyond the Jordan River would arrive around harvest time. These swarms would flood Israel's territory with foreign invaders. The people could do nothing to stop it. When the enemy finally left, they took with them everything that could be used for food.

This verse poignantly summarizes the effect this had on the people. They were broken down, humiliated, and ruined. That's what it took for them to finally cry out to God for His aid, instead of honoring the false gods which had failed to protect them. They asked the Lord for help (Judges 2:11–19), and He began to act. His first step, in this case, is to send a prophetic voice to scold the people for their persistent sin (Judges 6:7).

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).

Accessed 5/7/2024 10:26:10 PM