Good Despite the Bad
Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years.
—Judges 6:1
Can God ever use a nonbelieving nation to overtake a believing nation as a form of punishment? The answer is yes. We should never think that we could not be overtaken by another nation if we continue to thumb our noses at God, persist in breaking His laws left and right, and insist on going out of our way to remove Him from our culture in every way. A chapter in Israel's history should stand as a warning to us today.
As Judges 6 opens, we see the Israelites living under the power of the Midianites. This was a result of God's disciplining them because of their disobedience. Interestingly, the Midianites were the first in history to domesticate the camel, which gave them a huge advantage militarily. Imagine being an Israelite who has engaged solely in battles of hand-to-hand combat when suddenly your enemy comes riding over the hills on camels. That is what the Israelites were dealing with.
Then there was the Midianites' invasion of the land. They would sweep in on their camels, destroy the Israelites' crops, and ravage their land. Israel was in despair, so they cried out to God for His help and deliverance. The Lord decided to answer their prayers through the most unexpected person possible, a man named Gideon.
Many times in life when things aren't going well, it is because of bad decisions we've made. We disobey the Lord, and then we have the audacity to blame Him for the way things turn out. That is essentially what happened to Israel. They were wondering why things had turned out the way they did. But they brought it on themselves.
The good news is that even when we have made mistakes, God can intervene and bring redemption. God can bring good despite the bad.
As Judges 6 opens, we see the Israelites living under the power of the Midianites. This was a result of God's disciplining them because of their disobedience. Interestingly, the Midianites were the first in history to domesticate the camel, which gave them a huge advantage militarily. Imagine being an Israelite who has engaged solely in battles of hand-to-hand combat when suddenly your enemy comes riding over the hills on camels. That is what the Israelites were dealing with.
Then there was the Midianites' invasion of the land. They would sweep in on their camels, destroy the Israelites' crops, and ravage their land. Israel was in despair, so they cried out to God for His help and deliverance. The Lord decided to answer their prayers through the most unexpected person possible, a man named Gideon.
Many times in life when things aren't going well, it is because of bad decisions we've made. We disobey the Lord, and then we have the audacity to blame Him for the way things turn out. That is essentially what happened to Israel. They were wondering why things had turned out the way they did. But they brought it on themselves.
The good news is that even when we have made mistakes, God can intervene and bring redemption. God can bring good despite the bad.
~Greg Laurie~
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