Judges 6:1-10

Gideon of Manasseh and Abimelech Judges 6:1 to Judges 9:57

Midian Oppresses Israel Judges 6:1-10

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.
2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.
3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,
8 That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10 And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

1.

Who were the Midianites? Judges 6:1

The descendants of Midian, son of Abraham and Keturah, were called Midianites. Abraham had six sons by KeturahZimran, Jokshan, Medan, Ishbak, Shuah, and Midian. Midian, himself had five sonsEphah, Epher, Henoch, Abida, and Eldaah (cf. Genesis 25:2; Genesis 25:4; 1 Chronicles 1:32 ff.). When Abraham made provisions for his heirs, he gave gifts to Midian and sent him along with Ishmael to the east country, away from Isaac (Genesis 25:6). The Midianites were defeated by the Moabites and the Edomites under Hadad (Genesis 36:35; 1 Chronicles 1:46). It was the Midianites who appeared as merchantmen traveling from Gilead to Egypt and bought Joseph from his wicked brothers (Genesis 37:25 ff.). When Moses fled from Egypt, he found refuge with Jethro, a Midianite leader; and a Midianite served as a guide before the traveling thousands of Israel through the wilderness wandering (Exodus 2:15; Exodus 2:21; also Judges 4:19, and Numbers 10:29 ff.). The Midianites joined the Moabites in asking Balaam for a curse, and Israel punished them (Numbers 22:4-7; Numbers 25:15; Numbers 25:17; Numbers 31:2 ff.). No boundaries can be assigned to the land of Midian. It included territory on the west as well as on the east of the Gulf of -Akaba. Generally speaking, it lay between Edom and Paran (1 Kings 11:18); but in the days of the judges their district seems to have extended northward to the land of Gilead which lay east of the territory settled by the tribes of Israel. A trace of the ancient name is found in the modern name of Madyan, a place mentioned by some Arab geographers. It has a plentiful supply of water and lies east of the Gulf of -Akaba, some miles from the coast, almost opposite the point of the Sinaitic peninsula. Since the Midianites were nomadic, their land can hardly be limited to this area.

2.

Where did the Israelites hide? Judges 6:2

The Midianites were so numerous and their flocks and herds were so large that they literally brought a scorched-earth policy to Israel. This forced the Israelites to find refuge from their oppressors in dens, caves, and strongholds. They were like some of the more modern Arabs who fled from the invading armies of Israel, taking refuge in rock-hewn tombs, During the six-day war of 1967, one young Arab man told of how he and his family hid in a cave near their village of Deir Dibwan; and for two days they were without food. They had expected the armies to move quickly through their territory and had taken food supplies for only a short time. They had enough water to last them throughout the six-day period, but they ran out of food on the fourth day.

3.

Where was Gaza? Judges 6:4

Gaza was on the Mediterranean seacoast. It was directly west of a point about half way down on the length of the Dead Sea. Gaza would thus be located in the territory which was assigned to Judah and Simeon and was in the south part of the Promised Land, Since Manasseh was towards the north, this gives us some kind of an idea of the extensive devastation brought on Israel by the Midianites. Gaza would be some seventy-five miles from the heart of the land assigned to the tribe of Midian.

4.

Why did the Midianites have tents and camels? Judges 6:5

Since the Midianites were a nomadic people without a specific territory in which to settle, they moved their families, flocks, herds, and droves from place to place. In the time of Gideon, they were described as grasshoppers without number. The people were without number, and the camels were equally numerous. Between themselves and the animals, the Midianites ate up all the grain of Canaan, leaving the hapless Israelites in dire straits. Many commentators believe this was the era during which Elimelech and Naomi fled from Bethlehem to Moab because there was a famine in the land (Ruth 1:1).

5.

Why did God send a prophet? Judges 6:8

God sent a prophet to warn Eli when he failed to rebuke his wicked sons (1 Samuel 2:27). Unnamed prophets make frequent appearances in the Scripture narrative to anoint kings (2 Kings 9:4 ff.), to pronounce judgment on wicked rulers (1 Kings 21:21-24), or to challenge a nation (1 Kings 13). Many of these prophets banded together under the leadership of Samuel, and throughout the succeeding years the schools of the prophets play an important part in the national life of Israel.