Select a Ring of Truth daily devotion online
Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
Select the date to display the devotion for:
Judges 6:1
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and for seven years He gave them into the hands of the Midianites.
This is a recurring theme, not only throughout the time of Israel’s judges but also of its entire history. The people kept turning away from God to worship idols and in forsaking God, they opened themselves up to the hostility of their enemies and the hardships of their usurped authority.
Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than here in Judges. If you read Chapters 1 - 6, there is this appalling epitaph. The people forsook God and then they suffered defeat and humiliation. God raised up a judge who led the people back to Him and they had victory over their enemies and peace in the land. They then rejected God once more, were humiliated and lived in fear and defeat. The cycle is repeated over and over with monotonous regularity.
However, one thing that I find interesting is that we see, even through these repeated cycles, the grace of God. We read that the people were enslaved for some years and then God saved them and peace returned. But the years of peace were always greater than the years of slavery and bondage. Isn’t God good and merciful?
Chapters 3 and 4 give us glimpses of various judges who did what God wanted them to do, brought the people back to Him, and thereby peace to the land. Chapter 4 deals with Deborah’s mighty triumph over Sisera and Chapter 5 is her song.
Chapters 6, 7 and 8 deal with Gideon. So much can be written about him. We first discover him threshing wheat at night so the Midianites wouldn’t find out. God picked him as the new leader but Gideon was very hesitant (to say the least). We then read of Gideon’s tests to see if God is real.
Did Gideon ‘test God’ because he had heard of Eliezer and his search for Isaac’s wife? (see Genesis 24:10-21) First, there was the offering and fire from a rock and then the famous fleece episode - where first it was wet and the ground was dry and then the ground was wet and only the fleece was dry. (What I call the ‘Idiot’s Guide to Guidance’.)
That was followed by God culling his army down from 32,000 to 300. Then God took him into the Midianite camp to listen to their fears. After that, he returned and led his men to a miraculous victory, armed only with torches, trumpets and tumblers.
Hello! Do you feel neglected like Gideon? Have you heard of what God has done in the past but haven’t seen much of it lately in your own life and experience? Is God able to help you right where you are today?
Listen. God hasn’t changed. He is still the Almighty and merciful God. Cry out to Him today and watch and see the deliverance of God.
But remember - once He has given you victory and peace - don’t turn away like the Israelites but continue to love and serve Him whole-heartedly like Caleb.
Download the above Ring of Truth devotion as a PDF.
Previous Day's Devotion | Next Day's Devotion
To subscribe to this daily devotion by email visit our Daily Email subscription page.
