Today's Scripture Reading (August 13, 2022): Psalm 83
Since the beginning of time,
conquerors have sought to expand their territory, taking away land that belongs to
someone else. Sometimes, the conqueror
offers excuses as to why the invasion is necessary. In the 2022 Russian
invasion of Ukraine, the justification provided by the Russian leaders was that they were attempting to reunite the Russian
people, and the Ukrainians were traditionally understood to be Russian. Of
course, the Ukrainians disagreed with the Russian racial understanding and
resisted any moves by the Russians to take Ukrainian territory. Often the
excuses are just that, excuses. The real reason why conquerors
invaded others' territory is usually to obtain something of value
from those who were being invaded, even if that something is just land.
During the period of the
Judges, the Midianites were one of the nations who had decided
to invade Israel. At the time,
Israel was not really a nation; they were a loose collection of tribes and family groups attempting to eke out a living on the land. During this era, the Midianites were a common invasion force seen in
Israel. Their purpose was often to take the crops away from Israel, feeding
themselves while letting the Israelites starve. Israel would do all the work of
planting and harvesting, and the Midianites would come in at the appropriate
moment and steal the fruit of their labor.
We are
introduced to Gideon in the midst of this repeating story. The farmer wasn't a warrior yet, and he was discovered threshing his wheat in a winepress. It was a task that was much more effectively done in open ground, where the wind could reach the
grain as it was tossed up into the air and carry away the lighter chaff. But
Gideon was so scared of a Midianite invasion that he had taken up the task of
trying to thresh his wheat in an enclosed space, out of sight of the Midianites. In
reality, Gideon's
compromise was likely a recipe for getting dirty but accomplishing little else.
God had decided to use Gideon
to free the Israelites from their Midian invaders. And Gideon, purposefully
understaffed by God, is used to route the Midianites. Leading
the invasion were the Midianite princes Oreb and Zeeb. They had developed a process where
they would use swift camels to attack the Israelites, steal the harvest, and then quickly leave the area. But Oreb and Zeeb finally met opposition in the
form of Gideon's small army; it was a confrontation that ended in the deaths of
these princes, along with many of the
Midianites that had accompanied them.
The
Midianite Kings, Zebah
and Zalmunna, were able to escape across the Jordan River. But Gideon pursued them, captured the kings, and brought them back to Israel. Upon their confession that they had personally
participated in the execution of Gideon's brothers, Gideon had Zebah and Zalmunna killed.
As with so many Psalms, the
reason for the writing of this Psalm has been lost to the depths of antiquity. But
it is possible that this Psalm was not written with any particular event in mind. The Psalm might reflect the constant danger of extermination
presented by outside forces throughout Israel's history. The Psalm represents a prayer of Israel then and
now that God would help Israel against its more powerful neighbors, just as he
had during the days of Gideon.
Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm
89
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