“The Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel. that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.’” Judges 6:8-9
Israel cries out in pain, the Lord hears their cry and the Lord answers their cry but His answer is not what Israel expected. (God will give us what we need, not necessarily what we want.)
The Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel God’s answer is not to immediately free the people from their captivity. Instead God sends a prophet, an unnamed prophet at that. It is as if God is saying it is not who the prophet is that is important. It is what I am saying to you that you must pay attention to.
Thus says the Lord God of Israel God’s prophet does what every
faithful prophet should do. He doesn’t give the people his opinion or
address their feelings. He gives them the word of God. Only the word of God will bring freedom and deliverance (if they will listen and obey).
I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you The prophet starts by going back. He takes the people back centuries and reminds them of what God did for His people. He goes back to Egypt when Israel was in slavery and bondage for centuries. The people were enslaved by the Egyptians, the greatest most oppressive nation on earth. There was no hope for escape yet God stepped in and delivered them. In one of the greatest miracles of all time the nation of Israel was delivered by God from Egypt. The word brought up means to ascend from a low place to a high one. “Brought you’ out shows their emancipation from slavery. When God says he delivered Israel it means He “snatch them away” from the horrors of an oppressor. In other words the prophet uses every kind of description possible to remind the people of how God delivered them from unbearable slavery to an evil oppressor in the past.
And drove them out before you and gave you their land The prophet describes God’s might to drive out evil nations in the land He has given them. This land, in which they are now fearful and hiding from evil oppressors was given to them by Almighty God. The statement has to cause them to ponder why they are destitute and living in fear in the land of milk and honey granted to them by God – the land where He placed them to bear much fruit. Their current condition is a result of their sin, it was not God’s design.
What can we learn? First we see God sends an unnamed prophet to Israel. Not all God’s faithful servants are famous in this world but they are known by God. God calls this person who hears and obeys. This is the only task we know he ever performed for God but he did it well! May we be as faithful.
Second, the prophet gives the people God’s truth. His only message is God’s word. We are reminded that the only thing that can change a
person’s heart is hearing God’s truth. Our opinions and feelings change nothing.
Third, and most importantly, this prophet shows us a critical truth. We can never be truly humble before God unless we constantly
remember what we were before God redeemed us – lost, enslaved, in captivity to sin and to a harsh unloving task master with no hope of redemption. Then God stepped in. Three times the prophet reminds Israel of what God did for them. He brought them out, He delivered them, He drove the harsh taskmasters away. This is a key to staying soft before God and maintaining the personal relationship with Him He desires. To forget what God saved us from is the first step in turning our backs on God. That is why The Lord told the church at Ephesus, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen.” There is no deliverance or revival unless we kneel at the cross and remember the unbelievable love and sacrifice of what Christ did for us.