Judges Review Continued

After Joshua died, the people asked who would go up against the Caanites, and God said Judah would go, and the people of Judah asked the people of Simeon to go with them, and they agreed, even though God had already promised to deliver Canaan into Judah's hands.  Though it is nice to have other Christians accompany us in our battles today, if God has called us, then He will give us success if we go alone.  We have the record of God raising up many judges, starting with Othniel,  Caleb’s nephew, who delivered them from the Mesopotamian rulers, and them shortly falling back into sin.   The next Judge, or deliverer, after the people called out to God again was Ehud, who delivered them from the Moabites.  The next judge was Deborah, a woman.  God works through many different people to accomplish His will, and we should not set limitations on who God can use.  Barak worked with her, but wouldn't go without her being there also.  Through Deborah's leadership, they were freed from the king of Canaan.  Again, the people of Israel soon turned away from God.  We have the raising up Gideon as a judge, and his doubts and testing of God with the fleece.  We should be able to trust God without testing Him.  We also have the reduction of Gideon's army from a large force to a few, at which time he really had to put his faith in God.  As Christians, we don't need larger armies in our battle against the forces of evil today, though it is nice if we do have them, but we really just need more faith in God.  Gideon by obedience to God and under His power was successful in delivering Israel from the Midianites.  Then, once again the people turned away from God.  We have the record of Abimelech killing the other sons of Gideon, his half-brothers, and claiming power over Israel, but not by God's appointment.  We need to beware of those who would claim power in the church today for their own glory and not by God's appointment and for His glory.  Jotham, the youngest and only other son of Gideon pointed out the error of the people following Abimelech.  God will have ready one to point out our error if we begin to follow false religious leaders today.  We have a record of the judges Tola, Jair, and then Jephthah, who delivered them from the Ammonites, but made a foolish vow which cost him his daughter's life.  We need to avoid making unnecessary vows to God, but if we make them, we need to keep them. After Jephthah, Izzan, Elon, and Abdon judged Israel, and we know little else about them.  They reigned for various periods of time.  We do not know even the names of all the people who have served and are still serving to deliver people from the forces of evil today, but that is okay, because God does.

Judges Review

The book of Judges is filled with what I refer to as cycles of faith.  The people of Israel would at first be faithful to God, though not always totally faithful, then God would bless them with prosperity, then new generation would grow up that didn't know God, and He would allow them to be defeated. They would then cry out to God, and He would raise up a judge to deliver them, and the cycle would repeat once again.  We as followers of Christ should never fall into this pattern, but we often do, except for the raising up of a judge.  Our Judge and Deliverer is Jesus Christ, and instead of Him being raised up again, we simply need to repent of any sin we might commit, and by our faith in Him, we will be restored to a right relationship with God.  Just as the people of Israel did not stop being God's Chosen People when they turned away from Him, neither do we stop being a part of God's kingdom if we allow sin back into our life once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  Even though we like the people of Israel may stop receiving the blessings of God during such times, God stands ready to forgive us if we turn to Him again.  The book of Judges begins after the death of Joshua, when there was no successor appointed to rule over Israel.  We are told several times tha their was no king in Israel during these times, but they really didn't need one.  What they needed was a man, or in one case a woman, called by God to lead them under His direction.  This is what we still need today.  At least we will never be in this situation of not having a spiritual leader as Christians, because the Holy Spirit indwells us to guide our actions if we listen to Him.  We then have a record of the people of Israel conquering the Promised Land, though even then thay did not completely obey God, leaving some of the people in the land still alive.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we cannot leave any sin still alive in our life if we want to successfully follow Him.  Also, during their times when they forgot God they were without a judge, or leader of the nation.  Of course, God was really their ruler, if they had only allowed Him to be.  If we are without a preacher, or religious leader today, we still have the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Judges 21:16

Judges 21:16 says, Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?  The elders of Israel then asked how they were to provide wives for the rest of the men of Benjamin, since they had killed all the women of Benjamin.  Their solution had not eliminated the whole problem.  Sometimes, it may be more difficult to eliminate all the problems that our rash actions as Christians may cause than we might realize.  Verse seventeen adds, And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.  They said there must be an inheritance, or continuation of, the tribe of Benjamin, including the two hundred men who as yet had no wives.  Verse eighteen adds, Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.  Still, they had a problem, because they had sworn not to give their daughters as wives to the Benjamites.  This was a problem of their own making, and they were still looking to themselves for a solution.  We are not told that they consulted God before taking the vow or as they sought a way around the vow.  Of course, if we make a vow to God, we should not be looking for ways around it, and we should make certain that He has led us to it to start with.  Verse nineteen continues, Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.  They remembered that there was a feast of the LORD at Shiloh every year.  Verse twenty states, Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;  Verse twenty-one adds, And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.  The leaders of Israel said to the remaining men of Benjamin to come out of the vineyards at the feast when the women were dancing and claim themselves a bride and return to the land of Benjamin.  Basically, they were told to kidnap two hundred of the women of Shiloh, and the people of Shiloh were definitely not consulted about this plan.  If we are attempting to get around a vow to God we certainly should not do so at the expense of other people, especially others who are a part of God's people.  Verse twenty-two continues, And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty.  The leaders said when the men of Shiloh came to complain, that they would basically tell them that this was their fault because they had not reserved brides for the men of Benjamin during the war.  Of course, neither had anyone else of the people of Israel.  We should never expect just a few people to bear the responsibility of something that we as Christians have all caused.  They said that since the men of Shiloh had not given the women to the men of Benjamin, they had not disobeyed their vow.  Again, we should never make a vow to God and then try to find a way around it at the same time, especially at the expense of others.  Verse twenty-three says, And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.  The men of Benjamin did as they had been instructed to do.  The women as usual had nothing to say in the matter.  Verse twenty-five adds, And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.  After this, all the people of Israel returned to their own inheritance.  They had gathered against the tribe of Benjamin because of the actions of a few of their members, avenged the Levite for the death of his wife, and then devised a way to have the rribe of Benjamin continue to exist, so now they returned home.  I believe some of this was done at God’s direction, but not all.  Verse twenty-five continues,  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  At this time, there was once again no king in Israel, so the people did what was right in their own eyes.  Of course, there were still priests and God's law to go by, but they chose not to be guided by them, but by their own desires instead.  Even when they later had a king, they still often disobeyed God, the king included.  We as followers of Christ will always have the Holy Spirit to guide us, and should never be guided by our own desires.

Judges 21:7

Judges 21:7 says, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?  The people of Israel asked again how they could provide wives for the remaining men of Benjamin since they had vowed to God not to allow them to marry their daughters.  This is something they should have considered before killing all the women of Benjamin or before taking the vow.  This really wasn't something God had asked them to do.  We need to be careful that we do not make vows that will later limit God's kingdom, even if they seem good at the time.  Verse eight adds, And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.  They then asked if there were any of the tribes of Israel who had not come to help in in fight, because if there were they would not have been involved in the vow either. and they said the camp of Jabeshgilead had not.  This was a city of the tribe of Gad,  according to Matthew Henry.  Maybe they felt too far removed to be concerned about what the Benjamites had done.  We, as God's people, need to always be united in the war against evil today.  Verse nine continues, For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.  They knew this because the people had been numbered, or enrolled, as they gathered for the fight.  If there was a roll of Christians actively fighting against evil in the world today, would our name be on it?  None of us are called to sit on the sidelines in the war against the forces of Satan today.  Verse ten states, And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.  The people of Israel then assembled twelve thousand of the bravest men, and told them to go to Jabeshgilead and kill the people there, including the women and children.   We are not told that they sought God's guidance in this, but it was their attempt to correct a problem of their own making.  If we create a problem because of our own overzealousness, we need to always ask God before we do anything to attempt to correct it.  Verse eleven adds, And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.  These troops were commanded to kill every man and all the women who had lain with a man, or who were not virgins.  How they were to prove this and what age female it was to apply to is not clear, since they were told to kill the children as well.  Verse twelve continues, And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.  They found four hundred young virgins among the people of Jabeshgilead, and brought them to the camp at Shiloh. Again, I am not sure how they made the determination unless it was based on young women who were not married.  Sometimes, our criteria to determine who or who isn't a follower of Christ today may be made on faulty criteria as well.  There were only four hundred of them. Verse thirteen says,  And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.  The people of Israel sent representatives to speak peacefully to the remaining Benjamites who were assembled at the rock.  If we find ourselves at odds with our fellow believers, the first thing we need to do is speak peacefully with them.  Verse fourteen adds, And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.  The men of Benjamin came again into the people of God, and they were given the four hundred young women to marry, so that the tribe of Benjamin might continue.  Of course, there were six-hundred men, so this still left a problem.  Verse fifteen continues,  And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.   We are told that the people repented for what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin, but they then put the responsibility for it on God, even though He had never required them to take the vow they took, nor to totally destroy the people of the tribe of Benjamin, including women and children.  If our overzealousness as Christians causes problems today, we should never attempt to make God the cause of our problem. 

Judges 21:1

Judges 22:1 says, Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.  The men of Israel had sworn while they were at Mizpeh that they would not allow the man of of the tribe of Benjamin to marry their daughters.   Again, we are not told that this was something that they had consulted God about, though they may have and we just aren't told.  Either way, we need to consider all the implications of any vow that we make as Christians before we make it.  Verse two adds, And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;  Since they now gathered at the house of God and stayed all day lifting up their voices to him and weeping, we can assume that they had not considered all the implications of their vow, because I believe that if they had they wouldn't have been so regretful.  If we have made a vow to God in accordance with His will and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we should never later regret it.  Verse three continues, And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?  The people asked God in their distress why it had come to pass that there was one tribe, the tribe of Benjamin, lacking in Israel.  Of course, they were not totally lacking, because there was a remnant of six hundred men.  At least they were appealing to God at this point.  We should realize that God will always have a remnant of His people as long as this world stands.  Verse four states, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  The next day, the people of Israel rose early and built an altar to God and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings there.  If we as Christians have concerns about something that we believe is wrong today, we should get up early and go to God in prayer with our concerns.  Of course, Jesus Christ is the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins, so we must go to the heavenly Father through our faith in Him.  Verse five adds, And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.  They next asked who had not come up to the congregation when they were seeking God's will about whether or not to go to war with the tribe of Benjamin.  They added that anyone who had not done so was to be put to death.  Being an active part of doing what God directed them to do was an important part of being a part of His people, and it still is today.  Verse six continues, And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.  The people repented for the tribe of Benjamin, saying that there was one tribe cut off from Israel that day.  I believe that their repenting was not for going to war against Benjamin, which God ordained, but for their vow to not give any of their daughters as wives to the remnant of the men of Benjamin, of which there were still a few men.  We need to be careful that we do not promise something to God without first praying about it.

Judges 20:36

Judges 20:36 says, So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.  The Benjamites thought they were once again being victorious, which was what the men of Israel wanted them to think.  They were willingly given way, because of those lying in wait behind them. Verse thirty-seven adds, And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.  Those who were lying in wait attacked the city of Gibeah after the army of the Benjamites had been drawn away.  At times, we as Christians may be better off attacking the source of evil instead of individuals who are out and about doing evil under the power of that source.  Verse thirty-eight continues, Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.  The sign between those of Israel who were allowing themselves to be pursued and those lying in wait was a great smoke from the city.  Of course, this would mean that they had successfully taken Gibeah.  If we are working with others, we need some form of communication between us if we are to truly work together.  Verse thirty-nine states, And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.  The army of Benjamin managed to kill about thirty of the men of Israel, and expressed confidence in another victory.  We may lose some fellow believers in the battle against evil in the world today, and this may give the enemy more confidence, but we have already won the war.  Verse forty adds, But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.  The Benjamites looked behind them and saw the flame of the city, their stronghold, rising up to heaven.  In their confidence, they had not considered that this could happen.  People of the world in their battle against Christians often become too confident because they are used to winning battles and think nothing will ever change.  Verse forty-one says, And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.  When the men of Israel turned around to face them, the Benjamites knew that something was wrong.  It says that evil was upon them, but it was really the goodness of God's power that was upon them.  We do not need to meet evil with evil today, but need to meet evil with God's goodness.  Verse forty-two adds, Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.  Realizing that they had no city, no stronghold, to return to, the Benjamites fled toward the wilderness, but the people of Israel came out of the cities to fight against them.  Verse forty-three continues, Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.  The people of Benjamin were surrounded and began to be beaten down.  It would be nice if we as followers of Christ could surround and beat down our enemies today, but that is not going to happen in this lifetime.  Verse forty-four states,  And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.  Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin, who were called men of valor, fell in the battle.  This was not because the men of Israel were necessarily stronger or more filled with valor than the Benjamites, but because the men of Israel were empowered by God.  We cannot go into battle against evil today relying on our own strength, but must always be following God's will and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Verse forty-five continues, And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.  Those of the Benjamites who were left fled, but were pursued hard.  Then, five thousand more were killed then, and another two thousand were killed in Gidom.  Verse forty-six continues, So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.  The people of Benjamin lost twenty-five thousand in the battle, and they were once again called men of valor.  Unfortunately, even though they were a part of God's chosen people, they were fighting against His will.  Being courageous without putting our faith in God is never going to bring us the everlasting victory, no matter how courageous we are.  Verse forty-seven says, But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.  Six hundred of the Benjamites fled to the rock of Rimmon in the wilderness and lived there for four months.  Verse forty-eight adds, And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.  The people of Israel then destroyed all the Benjamites and burned their cities as they came to them.  One day, everything that people put their faith in other than salvation through accepting Jesus Christ as one's personal Savior and Lord is going to be destroyed. 

Judges 20:27

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.