“And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.”
My Notes
What Does Judges 10:15 Mean?
Israel confesses to God with remarkable completeness: "We have sinned." Then they add something extraordinary: "Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee." They surrender to whatever God decides. And then the request: "deliver us only, we pray thee, this day." The confession, the surrender, and the plea exist in the same breath.
The phrase "whatsoever seemeth good unto thee" is total submission — whatever You think is right, do it. Punish us if that's what's right. Judge us if we deserve it. We're not negotiating terms. We're placing ourselves entirely in Your hands. The surrender precedes the request.
"Deliver us only... this day" — the plea is modest and urgent. They don't ask for restoration of blessing, removal of consequences, or permanent deliverance. Just: today. Get us through today. The humility of the request matches the completeness of the surrender.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you pray 'do whatever seems good to You' — surrendering the outcome completely to God?
- 2.How does the combination (total surrender + minimal request) differ from how you typically pray after failure?
- 3.Does God being 'grieved for the misery of Israel' (after their surrender) encourage you about His response to genuine repentance?
- 4.What would 'deliver us only this day' look like as your prayer right now — asking for just enough, not everything?
Devotional
We sinned. Do whatever You want with us. Just please save us today.
Israel's confession is the most mature prayer in the book of Judges — and it includes an element most confessions miss: total surrender of the outcome. They don't just say "we sinned, please forgive us." They say: we sinned. Do whatever seems right to You. Whatever. We're not setting conditions. We're not bargaining. Whatever You decide is good, we accept.
And then — from that posture of complete surrender — one small request: deliver us today. Not forever. Not from all our problems. Today. Right now. This crisis. That's all they ask.
The combination is powerful: maximum surrender + minimum request. They give God everything (do whatever You want) and ask for almost nothing (just get us through today). The disproportion between what they surrender and what they ask is the mark of genuine repentance. People who are truly sorry don't make big asks. They make small ones. Because they know they deserve nothing.
God's response (verse 16): "his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel." The surrender moved Him. Not the confession alone — the willingness to accept whatever God decided. When you stop negotiating and start surrendering, God's grief for your suffering activates.
Can you pray this way? Not "forgive me and fix it." But: I sinned. Do whatever You want. Just help me survive today. The surrender is the prayer. The request is almost an afterthought.
Whatever seems good to You. That's the posture that moves God.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, we have sinned,.... By serving other gods particularly; and they seemed…
Here is, I. A humble confession which Israel make to God in their distress, Jdg 10:10. Now they own themselves guilty,…
For the submission to Jehovah's will cf. 1Sa 3:18; 2Sa 15:26.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture