The Worst of Times

We come now to the story of Gideon, possibly the greatest of all the judges. His story, the longest in the book, begins in great weakness—both his and Israel’s. But this weakness serves to spotlight the strength and power of God, whose activity fills each episode of this story. As God faithfully guides Gideon, he gradually grows into a man of great faith and resolute action, a man worthy to be honored as one of Israel’s great deliverers (1 Sam. 12:11; Heb. 11:32). And yet, his flaws are not concealed. We will spend most of the rest of this month tracing this remarkable story.

The victory God accomplished through Deborah and Barak leads to 40 years of peace. But the people turn to evil again, presumably idolatry, and God again gives them over to an oppressor. This time it is the Midianites. These people mainly live south of Moab and Edom along the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba in northwest Arabia. It was there that Moses encountered and settled with them following his flight from Egypt (Ex. 2). However, they are a nomadic people, as today’s passage illustrates. Rather than invading and occupying Israel, as had the Moabites (Judg. 3:12–13), the Midianites come only at the time of harvest each year. Along with the Amalekites and other “people of the East,” they encamp in Israel, feast themselves and their animals on Israel’s crops, and make off with all the Israelites’ livestock. Because of their numerical advantage—they are “as numerous as locusts” and “without number”—Israel is able to offer no resistance but must seek refuge in “the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.” The Midianites are able to push all the way across Canaan to Gaza on the Mediterranean coast, consuming or destroying everything in their path. Thus, the Israelites soon find themselves impoverished. These are curses God had promised would come upon the Israelites if they proved unfaithful to His covenant (Deut. 28:29, 31). They once reaped what others sowed (Josh 24:13; Ps. 105:44); now others reap what they have sowed.

Israel stubbornly endures this increasingly harsh judgment for seven years. Finally, their rich land having been stripped bare again and again until they are on the verge of total destitution, the people humble themselves and cry to God for rescue once again.