Q1. Breaking God's commandment

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They broke the 3 commandment dont have other gods before me. They had worshiped the midianites gods.

[steven smith]

Israel had grown complacent and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian. They feared their gods in direct opposition to the Lords declaration. They broke the commandment by putting other gods before him. Christians today have the written word of God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide them. We need to learn His word and listen to what he is telling us to do always.

[Joyce Hart]

According to God, the Israelites refused to listen to God and broke His commandment "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Children often do the opposite of what their parents tell them because they think they know more than the parents. They don't want to be controlled by someone else. The same was true of the Israelites. They wanted to be in control and wanted to follow their own prideful and arrogant way even if this meant getting lost on the way.

We, as Christians, often put our careers,our families, our recreation, and our own ambitions and desires above God's.

Although there is nothing wrong with desiring the best, it is important that we put God and His perfect will for our lives above all else. His perfect will for us is that we "Love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls, and our neighbor as ourselves>' for in so doing, we will reap eternal dividends which are far greater than temporal ones.

[Jewell Gilpin]

I would think it the first place they didn't really listen to what the God was saying,

when he told them not to worship the gods of the the Amorites, and when they

did he gave them into the hands of the Midianites for seven years.

In our unbelief sometimes we are a disobedient people, therefore, we are

brought under the hand of God's chastisement.

[debs4jc]

The prophet reminded them of all that the Lord had done for them and what He had commanded them to do. They had forgotten what God had done for them in the past and were not obeying Him any more. They had developed a self sufficient attitude of "we don't need God anymore, we can do it on our own". This is why God allowed the oppression. They broke the commandment "Thou shall have no other God's before me" as well as the warnings at the end of Deuteronomy. God clearly spelled out what would happen when the people forsook Him. Also, in Joshua 24 the people renew the covenant--even though God warns them what will happen when the break it. "But Joshua said to the people, 'You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a Holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, the He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.' . And the people said to Joshua, "NO, but we will serve the Lord!". (Josh. 24 19-21).

So they had pretty much sealed their own fate.

[Mario Angel]

According to the prophet in 6:7-10, what is the reason for Israel's oppressed state? What commandment did they break? In what way hadn't they "listened"? How does this affect Christians today?

The reason for their oppressed state was disobedience. They disobeyed God when He told them to not worship idols from other religions. They disobeyed the same commandments that God gave them "Thou shall have not other gods before me". They turned their backs to God and went astray after other false gods. They didn't listened God by worshiping false gods and bringing these false gods inside their tents. Today Christians many times worship other false gods (TV, cars, material things, fishing, boats, activities that take the place of our only God) sometimes we go to places that we should not visit, we hang out with people that openly have rejected our beliefs, we sometime go out with thw wrong crowd, just to be "populars" or accepted by others. We must look up to our God, because He is the only true God.

[Donald Henhawke]

According to Judges 6 , the reason was the peoples unfortunately chose to worship other Gods,and much like any loving father spanked his people and made them feel the errs of they,re ways. They forgot to show any gratitude for the deliverance from Egypt,lost trust in the relationship he provided,thought God,s judgement and soverignship could be expanded and made to tailor their daily exploits .

peace.

[bjcollin]

According to the prophet in 6:7-10, what is the reason for Israel's oppressed state? What commandment did they break? In what way hadn't they "listened"? (see exposition). How does this affect Christians today?

They were worshiping the gods of the Amorites namely baal/asherah. They broke the first commandment which is to have no other gods before God. We have lots of gods we worship instead of God today, we just don't have the sense to label them as such. Sometimes the label is sleep or it's football or it's work or it's money. Whatever the label, it is something that comes in between us and God. We are affected the same way today, God ceases to commune as close as He once did with us and as a result the locusts come in and harrass us and eat away at us until we have no choice but to call out to God.

[Natasha]

The reason for Isreals opressed state was that they had bowed to the gods of the Amorites against Gods commands and thus disobeyed Him.

The commandment broken was;

Deuteronomy 5v7

"You shall no other gods before me"

This affects christians today because we have made so many areas in our lives and the world our "gods" e.g TV, music, books, magazines, hobbies, friends, fashions, materials etc . They end up taking up most of our time and take us further and further away from GOD, we therefore end up spending less time in His presence and more time in the world and what it has to offer. Thats what makes "lukewarm" christians.

When things begin to fall apart for us and we feel "abandoned" do we begin to blame God for our problems and yet we are the cause of it all.

[kmetsgar]

They had turned away from God and were in disobedience to God.

They had worshipped the Gods of the Amorites --- Idolatry

They had forgotten God and were not listening to him. Therefore, he put them in circumstances that would bring them to repentance. They were to worship only God and fear nothing of the Amorites. For God was with them and would protect them.

As christians, we have hope ... God has a plan and designs mercy for us when we fail. If we just turn to him and cry out asking for repentance and stay obedient. We must accept his guidance and follow him without question.

[linda biloni]

Israel worshiped the gods of the Amorites by doing so they were disobedient.

They broke the first commandment.

When we don't listen to God, we are disobedient and we suffer the consequences of our actions. God knows we must go thru this suffering so we will call upon Him and learn to be dependent on Him. This I speak from experience as God has taught me the difference in my life between being independent and being dependent on Him. What he gives lasts longer than what I myself was able to obtain, and that is peace in my life.

[Lawrence Suter]

They totally blew the 2nd. Commandment (no other gods).

We need to be careful with our priorities and put our Lord Jesus Christ as #1 (and not worship other "gods" -- such as our hobbies, tv, etc.)

[RDrew]

I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME! and the 2nd commandoment to not worship false idols were the commandments broken. Isreal once again was not listening to the leading of the Lord God. They turned away and were following their own rules. WE too do not listen to God's words for us either in the short or long term. and it affects all our lives, the spiritual, physical and all other aspects.

[DianeM]

The reason for the oppressed state was because of their worshipping of the Amorities gods. They broke the commandment about having no other gods, but the Lord God Almighty. This affects Christians today in many ways. Watching too much TV, eating, computer usage, workaholics, anything that keeps us from spending time with the Lord. The Lord should be number one in priorty. He should get the first of each day. Unfortunately, myself included, many of us don't give God the time needed to build a greater and better relationship with Him. I always think that other things are important, but I pray that my time is spent in a better way. Getting to know my Savior better and desiring that my relationship with Him will grow deeper

[Jeanne M.]

They worshipped other gods instead of the one true God and we sometimes today as I said before place other things before the one true God and trust in other things but we must be obedient and trust in Him totally to provide and lead us.

[Florence]

The reason for Israel,s oppressed state is disobedience to God.

They broke the 2nd commandment "Thou shall not worship any toher God but me" They have not listened because they were worshipping the God of the Amorites against God,s instructions.

Florence

[Joy Evans]

They worship "other gods" which they knew was strictly forbidden according to the commandment. They CHOSE to forget and go their own way.

Anything that we put first in our lives, before God, is our idol. We must take particular care of this problem. So easy to get caught up in the affairs of this life. Like the Prodigal we can go out with our Father's blessings surrounding us to do our own thing.

God let Israel reap the results of their own decisions.

[Joanie]

Hello, I'm Joanie (middle name) and I live beside the sea ~ Actually, yesterday was my first time but I didn't get to say hello so Hi, here I am. Jesus loves me

Gideon and his people, Israel were oppressed because they had not listened to The Lord their God. The commandment they broke was after God's miraculous deliverance for them out of Egypt, when He had clearly instructed Israel to be faithful and follow Him and not be influenced by the heathen worship around them. They could not have listened as they were so impoverished :-/ by the Midianites and living in fear of them.

This affects many christians today because there are so many everywhere worshipping false gods i.e. anything, including family and loved ones that becomes more important to us than God. We are even worshipping our circumstances when we allow them to rule over us instead of submitting to God in the midst of them and allow Him to teach us what we need to know.

Christians are 'impoverished,' a state of lowness, not realizing what is happening to them.

We can still be Victorious even in the most adverse circumstances if we keep out eyes on The Lord Jesus Christ.

[Cindy T]

The Israelites were oppressed because they began to worship the gods of the Ammorites -- this is the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).

God will allow hardships and even oppression in our lives to bring us back to Him, He is a jealous God and a consuming fire.

Although we don't build graven images from wood or iron, we still have many gods before the Lord. For some it's money, power, wealth; for others it may be knowledge, popularity, or even other people. Anything we desire more than God is an idol.

But God is full of mercy and grace. At their cries, he sent a prophet to let them know where they had strayed and then commissioned Gideon to "strike down" the Ammorites on their behalf.

I'm continually amazed when I read the story of the Israelites. They sinned over and over and over again. Yet God, in His great love and unending kindness, saves them again and again. And so He is with us. He is just and holy, and there are consequences for sin, but He is also merciful and full of love for his people. He is quick to forgive when we are truly humbled and broken before Him. He is an awesome God!

[luray mcclung]

Israel was in an oppressed state because they chose not to listen to God.

They broke the commandment" Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Their actions evidenced their lack of listening. Today, we Christians must know that listening is an art of communication. We must know that to be near the heart of God is to be near a place of quiet rest. Yes, we must talk less and listen more to God. ( I am so thankful that my Lord does not need an answering machine, call waiting, caller ID, cell phone, voice mail, busy signal or options of pressing 1-7, etc.) lmc

[Liza]

The prophet told Israel that they had worshipped the gods of the Amorites - they had broken the 2nd commandment. I personally feel they had broken the first commandment - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength. When we cease loving God, we can break all the other commandments. The Israelites had seen God's mighty deliverance and provision in the past, even when they did not deserve it and the least they could do in response was honour Him.

I am saved through Jesus' death on the cross - though I had not earned it in any way and sometimes, my love grows cold. Other 'gods' creep into my heart. Then I get a warning from God ( because He is so gracious). I must admit, if I am not attentive, I can miss the message. I think when we get into a fix because of our heart attitudes, we should not just feel sorry for ourselves or retreat from God, but sit before Him and search our hearts - listen to Him.

[Walt Woodbridge]

According to the prophet in 6:7-10, what is the reason for Israel's oppressed state? What commandment did they break? In what way hadn't they "listened"? (see exposition). How does this affect Christians today?

The nation had turned away fom worshipping the True God, to follow the god of their neighbors, namely Baal. They violated the commandment- "Thou shalt have no other god besides me." God had sent a "prophet" to warn them, but they refused to listen to his message.

[Liberte]

According to the prophet in 6:7-10, what is the reason for Israel's oppressed state? What commandment did they break? In what way hadn't they "listened"? (see exposition). How does this affect Christians today?

They worshipped the gods of the Amorites instead of their own true God. So God allowed the Medianites to oppress them. They broke the first and formost commandment to have no gods before God and to make no graven images or bow down or worship them. They were explicitly warned not to allow the false gods of the Amorites to filtrate into their lives. But they did and left behind in so doing their true God.

Today we have the same tendency to draw away from Christ to our own false gods in the world. We have different gods now, money, television, acceptance of peers, beauty, pleasure and more. They don't look like gods, we don't bow down to them, but they bow us down by taking our eyes from the true God.

[susanb]

i agree that it is process of leaving our first love. we get distracted by other things and we don't see it as worship or idolotry. i find it humerous that we forget to have our quiet time or don't have time, but i've known few that forget or can't find the time to eat. what is important we find the time or the money for.

i also see that God was telling them that they were not weak because thier enemy was strong, but because they were worshipping the wrong things. i wonder how many times we are weakened by the same mistake.

[Derek]

The primary reason for Israel's oppressed state was stated by the prophet as they had not listened to God. God had given them His commandments (Exodus 20) the first of which was that they were to have no gods before Him. They had not listened because God's voice was drowned out by the voices of the Canaanites around them, worshipping other "gods" Often God's voice is drowned out by the noise of the world around us and we need to listen to the apostle Paul's advice/command to us not to let the world squeeze us into its own mould. (Ro. 12:2 - Phillips)