Judges 6-7 - Jesus Rescues the Oppressed from Self-Inflicted Oppression

Our hearts are so wicked.  God has done so much for us by way of our physical provisions and by the way of eternal provision through Jesus.  Yet, we still run to false gods.  Israel ran to baal, we run to worship ourselves through temporary pleasures.  Because we run to false gods we end up enslaved. Israel was enslaved to the Midianites, we are enslaved to our sin.  We are not called to be slaves of anything or anyone other than the One True God!  In slavery to our sin, we are beat down, we are oppressed, we have no joy.

We need to know that the Israelite's oppression from the Midianites was their own doing. Our enslavement to sin is of our own doing.  Neither are punishments from God but are natural consequences of our failure to keep our eyes on the One True God!  Just like Peter in Matthew 14, Peter trusted in Jesus to walk on water but as soon as his personal safety trumped his trust in Jesus he began to sink.  Jesus did not make Peter sink, Peter’s lack of faith caused him to sink. 

​Judges 7:22 tells us that God WON the victory for the Israelites.  God reduced the number of the Army from 32,000 to 300 men to prove it was God who won the victory.  We dig ourselves into holes and only God can pull us out.  We cannot earn salvation, and we cannot white knuckle our sin. We are in desperate need of a savior!  He saves us from the bondage of sin and he pulls us out the ocean when we start sinking. Pray and ask God to reveal sin in your life that is leading to bondage and then ask God for grace to repent of sin.