encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys. encamped against themThe Hebrew root for "encamped" is "חָנָה" (chanah), which means to pitch a tent or settle down. This term is often used in military contexts, indicating a strategic positioning of forces. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, were not merely passing through; they were intentionally setting up a prolonged presence to oppress Israel. This reflects a calculated effort to dominate and subdue the Israelites, highlighting the severity of Israel's plight during this period of the Judges. destroyed the produce of the land
The word "destroyed" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁחַת" (shachat), meaning to ruin or corrupt. The Midianites' actions were not just about taking resources but annihilating the means of Israel's sustenance. This destruction of produce symbolizes a deeper spiritual desolation, as Israel's disobedience to God led to physical and spiritual barrenness. The land, which was supposed to be a blessing, became a source of hardship due to their turning away from God. as far as Gaza
Gaza, located in the southwestern part of Israel, was a significant Philistine city. The mention of Gaza indicates the extensive reach of the Midianite oppression, spanning a vast area of the Promised Land. This geographical reference underscores the totality of the devastation and the helplessness of Israel, as their enemies controlled the land from the east to the west. they left no sustenance in Israel
"Sustenance" in Hebrew is "מִחְיָה" (michyah), which refers to food or means of life. The Midianites' actions left Israel without the basic necessities for survival. This phrase highlights the dire situation faced by the Israelites, who were left in a state of desperation and dependency. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's provision and protection. neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys
The specific mention of "sheep," "cattle," and "donkeys" emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the Midianite plundering. These animals were crucial for agriculture, transportation, and daily life. The loss of livestock not only affected Israel's economy but also their ability to recover and sustain themselves. This detail illustrates the thoroughness of the enemy's oppression and the depth of Israel's suffering, pointing to the need for divine intervention and deliverance. Persons / Places / Events 1. MidianitesA nomadic people who oppressed Israel during the time of the Judges. They are known for their raids and destruction of Israel's crops and livestock. 2. AmalekitesAllies of the Midianites, often mentioned in conjunction with them as oppressors of Israel. 3. People of the EastA general term that includes various nomadic tribes who joined the Midianites and Amalekites in their raids against Israel. 4. GazaA city in the southwestern part of Israel, marking the extent of the Midianite raids. 5. IsraelitesThe people of God who were suffering under the oppression of the Midianites due to their disobedience to God. Teaching Points Consequences of DisobedienceThe oppression by the Midianites is a direct result of Israel's disobedience to God. This serves as a reminder of the importance of faithfulness to God's commands. God's Sovereignty in TrialsEven in oppression, God is sovereign and uses these circumstances to draw His people back to Himself. Trials can be a means of spiritual growth and repentance. Dependence on GodThe Israelites were left with nothing, highlighting their need to depend on God for provision and deliverance. This teaches us to rely on God in times of scarcity. Community and IntercessionThe collective suffering of Israel calls for communal repentance and intercession. It emphasizes the power of united prayer and seeking God as a community. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the oppression by the Midianites reflect the consequences outlined in Deuteronomy 28 for disobedience? How can we apply this understanding to our own lives? 2. In what ways does the account of the Midianite oppression encourage us to trust in God's sovereignty during difficult times? 3. How can we, as a community of believers, support each other in times of spiritual and physical scarcity? 4. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "Midianite-like" oppression in your life. How did it affect your relationship with God, and what did you learn from it? 5. Considering the repeated conflicts with the Amalekites and Midianites, how can we identify and address recurring spiritual battles in our own lives? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 17The Amalekites' opposition to Israel is a recurring theme, highlighting the ongoing conflict between Israel and these nomadic tribes. Deuteronomy 28The curses for disobedience include being oppressed by enemies, which is a direct consequence seen in Judges 6. Psalm 83A prayer for God to deal with Israel's enemies, including the Midianites, showing the continued relevance of these adversaries in Israel's history. People Abiezer, Abiezrites, Amalek, Amalekites, Amorites, Asher, Egyptians, Ephah, Gideon, Israelites, Jerubbaal, Jezreel, Joash, Manasseh, Midianites, Naphtali, Ophrah, ZebulunPlaces Egypt, Gaza, Jezreel Valley, Jordan River, Midian, OphrahTopics Army, Ass, Asses, Camp, Cattle, Comest, Crops, Destroy, Destroyed, Donkey, Donkeys, Either, Encamp, Encamped, Entering, Gaza, Increase, Leave, Neighborhood, Ox, Oxen, Position, Produce, Ruined, Sheep, Spare, Sustenance, TillDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 6:1-6 4823 famine, physical
8728 enemies, of Israel and Judah Judges 6:3-4 4430 crops Judges 6:3-5 5354 invasions Library Gideon's Altar
'Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah- shalom [God is peace].'--JUDGES vi. 24. I need not tell over again, less vividly, the picturesque story in this chapter, of the simple husbandman up in the hills, engaged furtively in threshing out a little wheat in some hollow in the rock where he might hide it from the keen eyes of the oppressors; and of how the angel of the Lord, unrecognised at first, appeared to him; and gradually there dawned upon his mind the suspicion …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureGideon's Fleece
'Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that Thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as Thou hast said.'-- JUDGES vi. 37. The decisive moment had come when Gideon, with his hastily gathered raw levies, was about to plunge down to the plain to face immensely superior forces trained to warfare. No wonder that the equally untrained leader's heart heat faster. Many a soldier, who will be steadfastly …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Jehovam-Shalem, the Lord Send Peace. Judg 6:24
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John Newton—Olney Hymns Whether it is a Sin to Tempt God?
Objection 1: It would seem that it is not a sin to tempt God. For God has not commanded sin. Yet He has commanded men to try, which is the same as to tempt, Him: for it is written (Malach. 3:10): "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in My house; and try Me in this, saith the Lord, if I open not unto you the flood-gates of heaven." Therefore it seems not to be a sin to tempt God. Objection 2: Further, a man is tempted not only in order to test his knowledge and his power, …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Man Now Deprived of Freedom of Will, and Miserably Enslaved.
1. Connection of the previous with the four following chapters. In order to lay a proper foundation for the discussion of free will, two obstacles in the way to be removed--viz. sloth and pride. The basis and sum of the whole discussion. The solid structure of this basis, and a clear demonstration of it by the argument a majori ad minus. Also from the inconveniences and absurdities arising from the obstacle of pride. 2. The second part of the chapter containing the opinions of others. 1. The opinions …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Unity of the Divine Essence in Three Persons Taught, in Scripture, from the Foundation of the World.
1. Scripture, in teaching that the essence of God is immense and spiritual, refutes not only idolaters and the foolish wisdom of the world, but also the Manichees and Anthropomorphites. These latter briefly refuted. 2. In this one essence are three persons, yet so that neither is there a triple God, nor is the simple essence of God divided. Meaning of the word Person in this discussion. Three hypostases in God, or the essence of God. 3. Objection of those who, in this discussion, reject the use of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica Jesus Calls Four Fishermen to Follow Him.
(Sea of Galilee, Near Capernaum.) ^A Matt. IV. 18-22; ^B Mark I. 16-20; ^C Luke V. 1-11. ^a 18 And walking ^b 16 And passing along by the sea of Galilee [This lake is a pear-shaped body of water, about twelve and a half miles long and about seven miles across at its widest place. It is 682 feet below sea level; its waters are fresh, clear and abounding in fish, and it is surrounded by hills and mountains, which rise from 600 to 1,000 feet above it. Its greatest depth is about 165 feet], he [Jesus] …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Of the Sacraments.
1. Of the sacraments in general. A sacrament defined. 2. Meaning of the word sacrament. 3. Definition explained. Why God seals his promises to us by sacraments. 4. The word which ought to accompany the element, that the sacrament may be complete. 5. Error of those who attempt to separate the word, or promise of God, from the element. 6. Why sacraments are called Signs of the Covenant. 7. They are such signs, though the wicked should receive them, but are signs of grace only to believers. 8. Objections …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Doctrine of God
I. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD: (Vs. Atheism). 1. ASSUMED BY THE SCRIPTURES. 2. PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. a) Universal belief in the Existence of God. b) Cosmological:--Argument from Cause. c) Teleological:--Argument from Design. d) Ontological:--Argument from Being. e) Anthropological:--Moral Argument. f) Argument from Congruity. g) Argument from Scripture. II. THE NATURE OF GOD: (Vs. Agnosticism) 1. THE SPIRITUALITY OF GOD: (Vs. Materialism). 2. THE PERSONALITY OF GOD: (Vs. Pantheism). 3. THE UNITY …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1684. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. THIS valuable treatise was first published in a pocket volume in 1684, and has only been reprinted in Whitfield's edition of Bunyan's works, 2 vols. folio, 1767. No man could have been better qualified to give advice to sufferers for righteousness' sake, than John Bunyan: and this work is exclusively devoted to that object. Shut up in a noisome jail, under the iron hand of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 6:4 NIVJudges 6:4 NLTJudges 6:4 ESVJudges 6:4 NASBJudges 6:4 KJV
Judges 6:4 Commentaries
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