In judges, chapter six, verse six, Israel turned to God as a last resort, and only because of their oppression. The fundamental problem with the Israelites was that their faith in God was founded not on love for or gratitude to the Lord God but on self-centered desires and ambitions. They sought God only in times of crisis when they felt they needed Him.
God’s judgment on Israel is for their sin: serving other gods and participating in their vile evils was severe. Israel became a beaten people in every sense of the word, as in Judges six, one through five. Year after year, Midianite invaders came from the east in numbers so vast that people overpowered them. Resistance was useless. Waves of camels carrying Midianites, Amalekites, and others from beyond the Jordan River would arrive around harvest time. These swarms would flood Israel’s territory with foreign invaders. The people could do nothing to stop it. When the enemy finally left, they took everything that aided for food.
Believers under the new covenant also need to examine the quality of their faith. As believers, do we follow the Lord because we love and worship Him for who He is and what He has done? Or do we serve Him primarily for what we can receive from Him? If our faith and devotion to God are genuine, we will follow the Lord even if it means trouble, suffering, persecution, and loss.
Today, believers have a relationship with God, but not for the right reasons. If our connection with God is for Him to provide things when we ask, the relationship will not work in our favor. He knows the heart of those who love Him for who he is and those who do not. No sense in trying to fool God because it will not work. He can see right through us.