"Where are His Miracles? Part One”
Judges 6:1-14

April 23, 2006
by C.W. Powell

“1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” (Jud 6:1-14 AV)

It is important to say several things about this passage of God’s word. Remember, these things were written for our admonition and benefit, according to I Cor. 10. The events of the Old Testaments are ensamples. The word literally means a pattern to be following in making something, like a template. They serve as patterns for behavior, examples of what to do and what not to do. Don’t complain and gripe like Israel did, who were destroyed of the serpents, for instance. Be like Joseph to believed God in the midst of calamity after calamity and did not forsake the Lord. There is much of the doctrine of Christ in the Old Testament, in types and figures, as David and Moses and Aaron all had things about them that pointed to Christ. We will try to see the Lord Jesus in this passage. Let us note several things.
I. The misery of Israel.

A. They lived in dens and caves and strongholds. They could not enjoy their inheritance because of the Midianites and the Amalekites and others.
B. All the food of crops and animals was stolen by their enemies, and what they didn’t steal they destroyed so that their poverty was very great.
C. They entered into the land to destroy it. Vs. 5. How powerful are these words. You remember that Revelation 9 speaks of the king of the swarms from the Bottomless Pit who was named Appolyon, or the Destroyer. From time to time, because of men’s sins, God turns loose destructive forces on the earth, men who care about nothing but murder and destruction and misery, filled with hatred and wrath in their own souls and delight in nothing but destruction of those who oppose them.
D. They cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites:

1. They prayed for the wrong thing, but at least they prayed.
2. Their enemies were their sins and their idolatry. “They did evil.”
3. Our business is always with the Lord.

a) We miss the diagnosis of the problem
b) We attempt the wrong cure
c) We are filled with strife and turmoil, blame others, murmuring against the Lord and against His people.

II. God sent a prophet. Vs. 8. He did not forsake His people.

A. The greatest blessing that God gives His people is His WORD. There is hope for you as long as you seek and hear the word of the Lord. There is hope for you as long as God’s word is sent to you again and again. Beware how you hear, the Lord Jesus says, for He has promises to show Himself strong in behalf of those who hear the word and do it.
B. The prophet reminds them of the misery of Egypt from which their fathers had been delivered. History is very instructive and shows the works of the Lord and can be of immense benefit to those who will pay attention. Only a fool despises history and despises the teachings of our mothers and fathers, for that is what history is all about.
C. This prophet told them not to be afraid.

1. Fear overwhelms us when we look at men or circumstances and not the promises of God.
2. They showed their fear by their behavior.
3. They served other gods. Gideon’s father had altars to Baal, worshipping the gods of the inhabitants. This was done in the sight of the Lord: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” before my face; in my face.
4. Everything we do, we do in the sight of the Lord.
5. How gracious is the Lord: He reminded them of God’s promises and called them to repentance.
6. We do not know the effect of this prophet’s preaching, but it must have had some effect, for some heard, although we are going to see that this was a very bitter and decadent time in Israel. But God did not leave them alone but brought them a measure of deliverance, to show His power and His love.
7. I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. Here is the heart of the matter.

a) They did not hear and believe, or they would have obeyed.
b) They feared the gods of the Amorites, which were no gods at all.

III. The Angel of the Lord came to them.

A. This was not a created angel, but the Uncreated One. This was the captain of the Lord’s Host, the Lord Jesus Christ, the champion of Israel Angel=Messenger, and this was the Messenger of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Himself in pre-incarnate form.

1. The Word of the Lord was in His mouth
2. He is called Jehovah, the incommunicable name of God. Vs. 14, 16
3. The Lord’s presence was with Him
4. He received the worship of men.
5. He declared peace to Gideon.

B. The Angel came to Gideon, the instrument of the Lord’s choice

1. Gideon’s father was an idolater, but there was some good in him, for he did not condemn Gideon. Many men do not have faith themselves, but respect those who do. This is also by the grace of God.
2. There were many good things about Gideon

a) He was working. Threshing wheat under most dismal circumstances. A great deal of work for a small amount of gain. Matthew Henry points to the use of the flail, rather than oxen to tread out grain.
b) Our work is profitable only if God blesses it. But Gideon was working.
c) He was meditating on the promises and the history of Israel. He asked very important questions: vs. 13
d) He was appointed of God to be made a mighty man of valour. He had courage to go out and try to provide for his family under the most adverse circumstances.
e) “The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor”

3. The penetrating questions that Gideon asked the Lord.

a) If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? Very penetrating question.

(1) There are none who do not sin, so why are we judged so harshly? The Midianites are great sinners, exceedingly so, but they are prospering and look at us. I am a great man of valor and I am threshing grain, trying to hide it from the Midianites? This whole thing doesn’t compute.
(2) Because the Lord IS with you, is the answer. God does not deal with His people the way He deals with the Midianites. They are being fattened for the slaughter, but God is preparing His people for the coming of Christ and for the salvation of the world. He will overlook the idolatry of the Midianites, but He will not overlook the idolatry of Israel.
(3) The Lord God is a jealous God and must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth, not with empty gestures and empty words. (4) You must turn back to the Lord and get rid of the Baal worship

b) Where are all His miracles? We read about all the miracles when God delivered us from Egypt. We know about the wonders when Joshua conquered the land. These are all things in our history, but where are they now? Answer:

(1) God has not forsaken you, but you have forsaken the Lord. The plight Israel was in was a familiar one as you know. They had turned from the worship of the Lord to idolatry and were worshipping the gods of the heathen.
(2) God had given them a way of escape from temptation and trial, just as He has given us one. It is explained in I Corinthians 10: “11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1Co 10:11-12 AV)13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1Co 10:11-14 AV)

Amen and Amen. May God bless you.