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Friday, April 01, 2016

A Sin Issue

So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. [Judges 6.6]

I could do little more today than just stare at the words of the story of Gideon. It seemed as if nothing was standing out to me but everything overwhelmingly had a lesson for me.

Israel was reduced to starvation because of their unfaithfulness to Yahweh.

The word "reduced" gives me pause today. This process of Israel being "reduced" occurred over a period of seven years. It makes sense that in the first few months, maybe the "reduction" did not seem significant. In the normal ebb and flow of life there are always ups and downs - some months, livestock and crops do better than others... But then, after the months became years, the "reduction" could not be ignored. Something was wrong. Israel then cried out to God for help.

What was the "reduction"? It was Israel losing pretty much all their possessions and wealth to the Midianites to the point they no longer had enough food to eat.

Why did this occur? Because Israel had begun to worship the gods of the Amorites. It was a sin issue.

Father, You know how much the story of Gideon speaks to me today...

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