Tough Circumstances

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help. When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.” Judges 6:1-10 NIV

God’s people were living through some really tough circumstances. Whenever their crops started growing, and it appeared they were going to enjoy a good harvest, their enemies would come in and destroy everything they had worked so hard for. The crops and the livestock they were counting on to support their families was destroyed time after time and there was nothing they could do to stop it. I’ve been there a few times in my life, when I’ve worked hard and put all my effort into something I was counting on, only to have it unfairly knocked out from under me. In the case of the Israelites, they were bearing this hardship because they had been unfaithful to God even though He had answered their prayers when they cried out to Him for help, had come to the rescue, delivered them from the Egyptians, and fought their battles for them.  Sometimes we go through difficult times when we are serving the Lord faithfully, but there are times when the trial is a result of our ignoring God’s commands. Yet in both scenarios, God hears us when we cry out to Him for help!

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” Judges 6:11-16 NIV

Have you ever asked this question, “But if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” It’s easy to get discouraged and even angry when life is hard, and let’s be honest, life can be very hard! It’s natural to feel like God has abandoned us when He allows us to go through difficult circumstances. I find comfort in knowing that God understands our emotions. He does not rebuke Gideon for feeling that way. He doesn’t even take the time to correct him. Instead, He begins to reveal to Gideon His plan to change the situation, and His plan to use Gideon to do it! And why Gideon? He’s clearly not a “mighty warrior,” at least not in his own strength. But Gideon’s strength, and our strength, is irrelevant when God is involved. He has the power and the authority to change any situation, and He loves to work through His people!  When you cry out to God over a difficult problem, be prepared to be part of the solution.

God did indeed use Gideon to deliver His people from the oppression of the Midianites. It was a battle that ended up being 300 vs. 135,000. Gideon, or more accurately, God, led the 300.  To read the rest of the story: Biblegateway.com

Casting Crowns has a great song that goes along with this post: Just Be Held