Judges 6:1

V. GIDEON (Judges 6-8)

THE CALL AND COMMISSION OF GIDEON;

THE ISRAELITES CRY UNTO JEHOVAH

"And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. And so it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah."

"And the children of Israel did evil" (Judges 6:1). The cycle which we have come to expect in Judges is repeated. The land had rest for forty years after the defeat of the Canaanites, but a new generation of the Chosen People repeated the mistakes of their fathers. They turned to the seductive pleasures of the pagan fertility gods, and, again, God delivered the people into the hands of their enemies. This time, it was the Midianites who defeated and oppressed Israel, and for the first time in history, there was a widespread use of camels by the invading forces.

"And the hand of Midian prevailed" (Judges 6:2). The oppression had been going on for seven years when the events of this chapter unfolded. "The genealogy of the Midianites reached all the way back to Abraham and his son Midian by his second wife Keturah,"[1] making them kinsmen of the Israelites.

"Israel made them dens ... and caves ..." (Judges 6:2). The severity of Israel's oppression under Midian is indicated by the fact that many Israelites resorted to hiding in dens and caves, a phenomenon of the limestone ridges in Palestine, but the text indicates that Israel prepared large numbers of these dwellings as hiding places from their enemies, and also, as being more easily defended against attack.

"When Israel had sown ... they came up against them" (Judges 6:3). When the Israelites attempted to raise crops for the support of themselves and their flocks and herds, the Midianites and their allies, which included the Amalekites and the "children of the east," came up against them, bringing vast numbers of their own herds and cattle as well as countless camels, pasturing and feeding them on the defenseless crops of the Israelites, and robbing the Israelites of whatever stores of grain and other produce they might have attempted to hide. The situation was absolutely pitiful.

"Amalekites ... children of the east" (Judges 6:3). The Amalekites were historical enemies of Israel, and they would have seized upon every opportunity to raid the Chosen People, allying themselves here with Midian. "`The children of the east' is a general description of the nomads of the Syrian desert."[2]

"They left no sustenance in Israel" (Judges 6:4). The ruthless invaders with their myriads of armed men with their flocks, herds and camels were literally taking over the central region of Palestine, and the Israelites were sorely pressed even to make a living.

"They came in as locusts ... they and their camels were without number ... they came into the land to destroy it" (Judges 6:5). (See my commentary on Joel for a description of the mid-east locust plagues.) Their numbers in flight sometimes even hid the sun itself. One thing that had greatly aided the Midian invasion was the availability of camels for transporting supplies and equipment. "A new wave of immigration into Midian from Eastern Anatolia and Northern Syria had brought to Midian the domesticated camel, thus presenting a whole new military configuration."[3] Of course, camels are referred to in Genesis 24:10ff, but, "This is the first reference to an organized raid in which camels were used."[4]

"Israel was brought very low ... they cried unto Jehovah" (Judges 6:6). Israel's punishment by the Lord, following their excursions into idolatry had the same effect over and over. Apparently, the only lesson that Israel had learned thus far in their history, was that when things became unbearable, they always called upon Jehovah and He rescued them.

The Midianites had been thoroughly defeated by the Israelites under Moses (Numbers 31), but at this time, "After an interval of 200 years, they had recovered their strength, and God used them as a rod of chastisement for His rebellious people."[5]