How does Judges 6:5 connect to God's deliverance in Exodus from Egypt? Text in Focus “ For the Midianites and Amalekites and the people of the East would come up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts; they and their camels could not be counted, and they would enter the land to ravage it.” (Judges 6:5) Echoes of Egyptian Oppression • Overwhelming numbers: – Judges 6:5 describes invaders “like swarms of locusts,” mirroring Exodus 10:13–15 where locusts covered Egypt. – In Exodus 1:9 the Egyptians say, “the people of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are,” highlighting a perceived threat in numbers. • Economic devastation: – Midianites “ravage” Israel’s produce (Judges 6:4–6). – Israel in Egypt labored under “harsh slavery in mortar and brick” (Exodus 1:14). Both scenes portray an enemy stripping Israel of livelihood. • Cries for help: – Israel “cried out to the LORD because of Midian” (Judges 6:6). – God says, “I have heard their cry … I have come down to deliver them” (Exodus 3:7–8). God’s Repeated Pattern of Deliverance 1. Oppression permitted to expose need. 2. People cry out in desperation. 3. The LORD raises an unlikely deliverer. • Moses—an exile shepherd (Exodus 3). • Gideon—threshing wheat in hiding (Judges 6:11–12). 4. Salvation accomplished by God’s power, not human strength. • Red Sea miracle (Exodus 14:21–31). • 300 men against countless Midianites (Judges 7:7, 12, 22). Purpose of the Parallel • To remind Israel that the God who conquered Pharaoh can also conquer Midian. • To expose the futility of self-reliance and direct hearts back to covenant faithfulness (Judges 6:10). • To reinforce the covenant promise: “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12; Judges 6:16). Implications for Believers Today • Historical consistency: the LORD’s nature does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). • When circumstances feel like “locust swarms,” remember past deliverances; remembrance fuels faith. • God hears collective cries and still raises deliverers—often from unlikely places—to display His glory. |
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