What can we learn from Israel's response to the Midianites' "like locusts" invasion? Setting the Scene: Midianites Swarm “Like Locusts” “For the Midianites and Amalekites and all the people of the east would come up against them, camping out by them and destroying the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, leaving no sustenance in Israel—neither sheep nor oxen nor donkey. For they and their livestock would come up, like swarms of locusts; they and their camels were innumerable, and they came into the land to devastate it.” (Judges 6:4-5) Israel’s First Reaction: Fearful Retreat and Desperate Cry • Israel hid in “mountain clefts, caves, and strongholds” (Judges 6:2). • After seven years of ruin, “Israel was greatly impoverished…and the Israelites cried out to the LORD” (Judges 6:6). Key takeaways: – Fear drove them into hiding, but desperation finally drove them to prayer. – Oppression exposed their helplessness and peeled back their pride (cf. Psalm 34:17). God’s Immediate Reply: A Prophet, Not a Rescue Squad “Thus says the LORD… ‘But you have not obeyed My voice.’” (Judges 6:8-10) Why start with a sermon instead of soldiers? • Sin, not Midian, was the core problem (Judges 6:1). • Repentance had to precede deliverance (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:14). Lesson: God addresses the heart before He addresses the hostility. Raising Gideon: Deliverance Through the Least Likely • Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress—hiding and hopeful at once (Judges 6:11). • The angel called him “mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12) before Gideon felt mighty. • God promised, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16). What we learn: – God sees potential where we see panic. – Divine presence outweighs numeric odds (cf. Romans 8:31). – Obedience converts hiding places into launching pads. Practical Lessons for Today • Sin’s hidden idols invite locust-like losses; repentance breaks the cycle. • Crisis is God’s megaphone calling His people back to dependence. • Prayer is not last resort but first response; it turns caves into sanctuaries. • God often chooses unlikely servants so glory unmistakably goes to Him (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). • Victory begins with hearing and heeding God’s Word, not counting resources. Living It Out – Examine areas where compromise may have opened doors to “locusts.” – Replace fear-driven hiding with faith-driven seeking of the Lord. – Embrace God’s call even when you feel least qualified; His presence equips the called. – Remember that deliverance is corporate as well as personal—your obedience can spark freedom for many. |
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