JDG20:27 says, And the children of Israel inquired of the LORD, for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, The people of Israel once again inquired of the LORD in the presence ofvthe ark ofvthe covenant. Matthew Henry said that before they had only asked God's spokesman if they should go and who should go first, as yet relying on their own superiority to win, but that they now humbled themselves before God and truly sought His power to see them through. We as followers of Christ can never start to believe that we only need to pay lip service to God to be successful. Verse twenty-eight adds, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. Phinehas, a grandson of Aaron, asked God if they should go against Benjamin their brother, or give up the war against him, or his tribe more specifically. If we find ourselves at odds with others who profess to be Christians, we need to seek God's will in how to proceed in the situation. God told them that they should go, and He would give them the victory. It wasn't about their superior numbers, but about relying on God. Verse twenty-nine states, And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. This time, instead of going into the battle head on, the people of Israel had forces lying in wait outside the city of Gibeah. Verse thirty adds, And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. Then, part of the army of Israel went against the army of Benjamin as before. The army of Benjamin was becoming very confident by now. If the people of the world, those who do not believe in Jesus Christ or even God Himself are successful in their war against Christians in one battle, they will become more and more confident, but even if they think they are winning, the victory is still ours. Verse thirty-one continues, And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel. Once more, the army of Benjamin went out to meet the army of Israel as they had before and seemed to be being successful once again. Those who fight against us as Christians today may seemed to be successful, but we know the ultimate outcome. Verse thirty-two declares, And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways. The people of Benjamin expressed confidence in their ability because of their prior success, but this time the army of Israel fled in order to draw them away from the city. We as followers of Christ may not always be successful in a head to head confrontation with the world today, but even if we are seemingly defeated, as long as we continue to put our faith in God and live under His power and authority, we will never lose the war. Verse thirty-three adds, And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah. Once the army of Benjamin was in pursuit of the army of Israel, those of the army of Israel that had been lying in wait came out, placing themselves between the army of Benjamin and Gibeah itself. Verse thirty-four continues, And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them. Ten thousand Israelites came against Gibeah once the army of Benjamin was cut off from them. At first, the battle was fierce, but the army of Benjamin soon began to realize that they were not being victorious this time. We may be in a fierce fight against evil today, and we may lose a few Christians in that battle, but we will always ultimately be victorious. Verse thirty-five concludes. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword. We are told that God smote Benjamin that day, and not that the army of Israel did. Twenty-five thousand one hundred of the army of Benjamin were destroyed that day. When we as Christians are successful in our war against evil today, it will not be because we are superior in numbers, but because we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
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