The Choice, The Consequences And The Cry (Judg. 6:1-6) (Part 5)

Application:

1. To those whose lives are “undisturbed” (Judg. 5:31), that is, things have been and are “good” right now...Beware!  Don't let down your guard!  Your life can spiral downhill with only one bad choice.  The worst choice is to trivialize God and live your "good" life in violation of His commands.

2. To those who are in bondage, bitterness and brokenness because of one or more bad choices....  Not every negative event in your life necessarily means you left God or that He is displeased with you.  Life has some hard moments that happen regardless of your standing with God.  Before you clamp down on that truth, consider that it could be that you're not right with God. It could be.  Call it what you want – running from God, rebellion against Him, taking Him for granted, avoiding His presence, etc.  Perhaps it's time for you to “cry unto the Lord.”  Have an honest, straightforward talk with Him.  Tell Him everything He already knows is true about you, your situation, and how you're handling it (or not).  What will you discover?  “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isa. 55:7)

The Choice, The Consequences And The Cry (Judg. 6:1-6) (Part 4)

Observations:
1. Your consequences always outweigh your choices.  Israel made one choice, but that one choice had at least three major consequences.
2. Your consequences, though hard to accept and deal with, have a built-in blessing.  Those who are smart will let their consequences drive them toward God.  Don't be the one who gets pulled away further because of bitterness or stubbornness.  If it's already not going well with you, why would you aggravate things by continuing to exclude God?
3. Your consequences last longer than your choices.  How long did it take for Israel to do “evil in the sight of the Lord” – enough that He had to respond?  We're not told, but let's guess and say it was a year's worth of consistent, provocative, outrageous behavior.  How long was the consequence for such violation?  “...and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years” (Judg. 6:1b).  It might be that God repaid Israel seven times.

Tomorrow's post will contain application for our lives.

The Choice, The Consequences And The Cry (Judg. 6:1-6) (Part 3)

The last thing I want you to notice is the CRY of the people.  “...and the sons of Israel cried to the LORD” (Judg. 6:6b).  What happens when someone cries?  He expresses pain, sorrow, tenderness or frustration with the hope that the one who notices will offer solace or relief.  God always hears the cry of His people!  “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psa. 34:6).  “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry” (Psa. 34:15).  Tomorrow's post will contain three observations about choices and consequences.

The Choice, The Consequences And The Cry (Judg. 6:1-6) (Part 2)

The second thing I want you to notice is the CONSEQUENCES from that choice.  There were three major consequences to the people's choice.  The first major consequence of the people's choice was DOMINATION.  “...and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years” (Judg. 6:1b).  God temporarily withdrew His protection, but He didn't relinquish responsibility, love or calling.  Why did God withdraw His protection? Was He being cruel?  Much later, Jesus would state it this way: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other” (Mt. 6:24).  When the people refused to serve and obey God they, by default, were agreeing to serve someone else.

The second major consequence of the people's choice was DEVASTATION. ^“The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them. So they would camp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate it.” (Judg. 6:2-5).  These devastated people were overwhelmed, overcome, outnumbered and outcast.  That sounds grim, doesn't it?

The third major consequence of the people's choice was DESPERATION. “So Israel was brought very low because of Midian...” (Judg. 6:6a).  The King James Version says the people were “greatly impoverished.”  The idea behind the Hebrew is that they were exhausted.  Ignoring God's instructions to pursue what we think is better always leaves us weary, worn and spent.  We began as princes and ended up as victims who are tired – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually tired.  Isn't it time to come back to God?

Domination, devastation, desperation – Things looked bleak, no doubt, but the story didn't end there. There was still a spark of hope!  Tune in for tomorrow's post.

The Choice, The Consequences And The Cry (Judg. 6:1-6) (Part 1)

The first thing I want you to notice is the CHOICE of the people.  “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD...” (Judg. 6:1a).  The King James Version says, “the sons of Israel did evil”.  Don't think they were passive victims.  It wasn't that evil happened to them; rather, it was that they manufactured the evil.  In their performance, they provoked God.  

With such provocation, you know there will be fallout.  That's tomorrow's post.