Judges 6:1-6 – Midian
Israel’s relationship with Midian has been a rocky one. Like the Israelites, the Midianites were a nation descended from Abraham (as we learn in Genesis 25:1-2). Moses had lived among the Midianites when he fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian. His wife, Zipporah, was the daughter of a priest of Midian. Israel’s Kenite allies were descendants of this family of Midianites.
On the other hand, the Midianites were involved in leading Israel into the worship of false gods (recorded in Numbers 22-25), and Israel had defeated them in battle (as Numbers 31 tells us). Now, several generations later, the Midianites return to oppress Israel. Banding together with the Amalekites and other eastern tribes, they invade Israel each year for seven years, stealing Israel’s produce and laying waste the land. If not for the strongholds and caves in the hills, the Israelites would have been overwhelmed or starved to death. Only what meagre rations they could store in these places would have sustained them for the coming year.
Here we see another example of God’s using sin sinlessly. The Midianites and their allies mean this for evil against Israel, but God is using it to discipline His people and bring them back to Himself. We can trust that He will use even the wicked intentions of the enemies of the Church to bring about what is best for us.
Questions
- Who were the Midianties?
- How does God use them to discipline Israel?
- What are some other ways in which God has used the evil intentions of sinners for the good of His people?
Prayer Points
- Praise God that He uses even the wicked intentions of our enemies for our good.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.