Judges 6:11-16 "And there came an Angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. And Gideon said unto HIM, Oh, my LORD, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us ? and where be all HIS miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt ? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee ? And he said unto HIM, Oh my LORD, wherewith shall I save Israel ? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man."
In this account we read of the Angel of the LORD coming to Gideon to appoint him as the next Judge of Israel in order to deliver the people from their oppressors. As he conversed with the Angel of the LORD, however, Gideon made a typical accusation against GOD about Israel's situation - namely, the people were under tyranny, and he felt that, while GOD had led them out of Egypt with many miracles, as recounted to them by their fathers, now the LORD was abandoning Israel. In fact, Gideon believed GOD was to blame for the people being in bondage to the Midianites (v.13).
Sadly, many miss an important factor when reading this and similar biblical accounts: GOD had not forsaken them and, in fact, that is why Israel was in their difficult situation when this conversation occurred (v.1 cf. Hebrews 12:6 pictured above). Earlier, the people had repented of their disobedience, and the LORD used Deborah and Barak to deliver them. But once again, Israel fell into sin despite the fact that they had GOD's stern warning that rebellion would not be tolerated (Deuteronomy 28:15-66). HE was patient with them but given the revelation HE had entrusted to HIS people, their disobedience was something HE needed to address. It is remarkable that the LORD endured with them for so long, especially during the days of the Judges when the characteristic of the time is described as everyone doing "that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25 pictured above). However, we cannot sanctimoniously condemn Israel, for we today possess GOD's completed revelation (the Bible) and have no excuse for not serving HIM out of love and gratitude for the deliverance we have experienced. May we live in humble, sincere obedience to the written WORD of GOD ! GDF
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation
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