The LORD Prepares The Heart Of His People For Repentance In Judges 6

Our text this morning is Judges 6:1-13,

Judges 5 ends with a phrase, “And the land had rest for forty years.” (3:11,30) Who doesn’t want to experience ‘peace’ and ‘rest’? When an individual, a family, or a community experiences ‘rest’ a lot of good can happen. This is why Paul commands us in 1 Timothy 2:2-4 to pray for our leaders that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.

In the Book of Judges when Israel is at ‘rest’ two things are happening. First, God is not angry with Israel and discipling them. (3:8,12,4:2) Secondly, God is blessing Israel and working for their good. Proverbs 3:33-34 speaks of this, “The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, (Judges 5:23) but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. (Judges 5:24) Toward the scorners He is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. (grace)”

In two previous sermons, in Judges 3:12-30 & Judges 5:12-18, we saw that faithlessness makes people sluggish and indecisive. (Hebrews 6:12) However, faith makes God’s people strong, decisive, and action oriented.

If this is true of God’s people who have faith then how much more is this true of the LORD who is the author of our faith, (Hebrews 12:2) The LORD is always actively blessing His people, guarding them, and keeping them from harm. Jesus testified of this when He says in John 5:17, “My father is working until now, and I am working.” The NIV says, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

God speaks of the work that He promised to do among His people when He promises in Deuteronomy 7:12-15, “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give to you. You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock. And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will He inflict on you, but He will lay them on all who hate you.

And yet, there are times we may feel like Gideon who said, “My lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (13)

In moments like these we would do well to remember that God is always active in ways that are seen and unseen, felt and un-felt, known and unknown. Even when God disciplines His people, as He is doing in the Book of Judges, He is doing something for the good of His people.

We can also comfort our hearts by knowing that God gives common grace to all people, but He gives His special grace to His people. We know that God reveals Himself in creation to all people (Romans 1:18-23) but the LORD reveals Himself to the elect through His Word which comes to us with power, the Holy Spirit, and full conviction. (1 Thessalonians 1:4)

Imagine how fruitful the LORD had made the Promised Land after 40 years of peace and rest. Unfortunately, during those 40 years of blessing Israel did not draw closer to the LORD (5:31) with thankfulness and worship. No, Israel inevitably turned away from the LORD and served other god’s. As a result, our text begins with these words, “The Israelite's did evil in the sight of the LORD…”. (v.1) Therefore God removes his peace, rest, and protection and allows Israel’s enemies attack them.

Judges 6:10 defines what ‘evil’ Israel was committing, “And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear (worship) the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” Because Israel did this ‘evil’ the LORD handed them over to the Midianites and when they attacked all of the blessings that Israel had acquired and enjoyed was gone very quickly.

When the Midianites saw Israel’s blessings they had an insatiable desire to have it. Not only did Midian plunder Israel on this occasion but they realized this was a renewable resource which could be plundered every year. In Psalm 83:12 we rad what Israel’s enemies said, “Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God.” The ‘us’ referred to the Midianites, the Amalekites, and also sons of the east who were desert Arabs. (3) They plundered Israel for the next seven years.

Judges 6:2-6 describes just how difficult these years were for Israel as they suffered under these enemies, “And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.”

We are told in verse 2, '...the hand of Midian overpowered Israel’. The Midianites swept into Israel and dominated them with a heavy hand. They came with innumerable people, livestock, and camels. These camels were fast, imposing in size, and they could carry large amounts of plunder away. Some have suggested that these camels were just as intimidating to Israel as Sisera’s iron chariots had been to Israel. A camel can travel on various terrains, move quickly, and travel long distances without water. They would have swept in quickly while Israel was ill-prepared to respond.

When they came into Israel they removed everything that they could. In the end, they left no sustenance in Israel and over the next seven years God’s people begin to starve to death. The Midianites left no crops, no sheep, no oxen, or donkey’s. They came in like a swarm of locust and laid waste to the land. Joel 1:4 describes what this would have been like, “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.”

In Judges 6:2 we read that Israel was overpowered. After that defeat Israel was powerless to fight back in the years to come. The word ‘overpowered’ speaks of a strength that prevails and wins the war. This is the same word that was used in Judges 3:10 to describe how Othniel, Israel’s first judge, who ‘overpowered’ Israel’s enemies and the land had rest for 40 years. Othniel defeated the enemy in such a way that there was a long lasting peace in Israel. That it is what is now happening to Israel who has been ‘overpowered’.

After this battle Israel had no ability to resist Midian as they invade the Promised Land year after year. Because of these things we are told that Israel put all their energy into two practical and pragmatic things. First they put whatever remaining energy that they had into making dwellings in the den’s in the mountains, caves, and in defensive strongholds. (2) Secondly, each year Israel tried to grow provisions for their sustenance. (3)

Israel knew they needed shelter and sustenance and we do not find any fault with them for this. We would do the same thing wouldn’t we? However, Israel does not do the most important things. They do not pray and take refuge in the LORD. In this moment, Israel is like Hagar who finds herself an exile without any needed supplies. She and her son Ishmael were going to die and she could not see that there is a well of water in the distance. The LORD heard her cry and they were saved. (Genesis 21:15-21) Similarly, until Israel will cry out to the LORD (6) they will not receive the things that they so desperately need from Him. (Mt.6:33) Despite the seriousness of the moment they do not look to Him.

Israel is like the person spoken of in Psalm 52:7, “See the man who would not make God His refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction.” During the time of ‘rest’ Israel forsook the LORD and began to be prideful. (Dt. 8) They made the blessings that they had received from the LORD their refuge and their trust. And now, as the LORD disciplines them for this they instinctively turn to these things again and not to the LORD. (This is why the LORD has to send a prophet to them to learn what repentance is. {7-10})

Israel will have to learn the same lesson that the apostle Paul speaks of in Philippians. Paul says in Philippians 4:5b-7, “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:5b-7) Because Paul continually looked to the LORD, and not to the things of this world, he says in Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

We all have a tendency to do what Israel is doing in these moments? Until we learn the things that Paul speaks of we will always prioritize the practical over looking to God and experiencing His peace. We prioritize the external shelters and supplies and not the internal graces that guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

We can so easily forget to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and begin to give priority to seeking after safety, sustenance, and shelter. (Matthew 6:33) Instead we make it a priority to look to the needs we have in this world and they get our highest priority. Let’s take a test to see how your doing with this.

• Are you praying? Will you say, “No, I am to busy.” Or “I can handle this on my own.”

• Are you reading the Word? Will you say, “No, I have to many responsibilities and obligations.”

• Are you honoring God on the Sabbath? Will you say, “No, I have to get the overtime.”

• Are you drawing close to the LORD? Will you say, “No, who has the time to do that? I have to many opportunities to pursue.”

• Are you repenting of sin daily and moving on in grace? Or will you say, “I don’t think sin is my greatest danger right now.”

Application #1: Our text reminds us of the importance of the Matthew 6:33 Practice in the LIFEPLAN. (p.15, 67)

• Are we learning and attempting to live out Mt. 6:33?

• Are we teaching those we disciple Mt. 6:33?

• Are those we disciple teaching others Mt. 6:33?

Application #2: Judges 6, and all of the Book of Judges, shows us the importance of seeking God through repentance and faith each day. Israel should do what David did in Psalm 32:1-6 where David confessed his sin and took shelter in the LORD. In verses 6-7 David says this, “Let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; your surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah”. David teaches us what the top two priorities of every believer should be. First, they are to pray while. Second, they are to shelter in the LORD.

Israel cannot respond like David because they do not yet see their sin and realize they need to repent. Right now they only cry out because of the misery that Midian causes them. (7) God will graciously and mercifully send them a preacher to teach them these things.

Communion:

• John 6:26-29, 35-40

• Matthew 26:26-29