The Humbling Work of God
It is no secret that Israel is a mess by the end of Judges. They have a civil war brewing in the wake of the events of Judges 19. The man whose concubine was killed shares edited details of the story to garner support for a retributive attack on the Benjaminites.
Judges 20:4–5 (ESV) And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.
Judges 20:26–28 (ESV) Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
Notice the humility here. They sat before the Lord. Instead of rushing to their own ambitions, they wanted to be WITH HIM. Defeat does that to us. As Tevye says in "Fiddler on the Roof", wars, famine, plagues, and earthquakes are things God uses to bring people back to Himself. Israel is reconnecting with the Lord who was to be the center of their life. Next, they fast, pray and offer sacrifices. This is an admission of guilt and sin and seeking God's mercy. Israel is learning the lesson they temporarily learned under Joshua - with the Lord, they can do nothing.
The same is true for us. We need to spend time with the Lord because He is the one who has made us and called us. We need to depend on the Lord because He is the one who sustains us. But mostly, we need to repent and seek the Lord. He is the truth and the life. When we put aside our plans and goals, get alone with God and seek Him, we will be stronger for the challenges and trials ahead. This moment of repentance proved to be a turning point for Israel. It was not that they "earned" God's favor, it was that they came to understand they needed it. This is the message they left to the world. And Jesus summed it up perfectly: "apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (ESV)
Judges 20:4–5 (ESV) And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.
Note the lack of informing them HE offered her to them so he could save his own skin. His statements betray the root problem of Israel - "pride." God is going to her bring low. The tribe of Benjamin, we find out is strong and skilled with slings. They are also fortified in the highland. As the battle commences, we see Israel slowly be humbled by God through a series of defeats. Their humiliation is a lesson for us.
Setting out to fight Benjamin, the nation starts with prayer. It's the same prayer from the first verse of Judges:
Judges 20:18 (ESV) The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”
It looks promising. God responds with the same answer that Judah is the chosen leader. But the army is devastated, losing 22,000 men. Did God fail or mislead? No. The story continues.
Judges 20:23 (ESV) And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.”
This time, there is more humility on Israel's part. They are weeping and seeking God. Whereas their first question was only a matter of WHO goes first in their quest, this second question of the Lord is a yes/no question. In other words, "Lord, we want to fight, but do you want us to?" This is a far more humbled approach to prayer. Instead of demanding the formula for success, Israel now seeks to know if this path is right before God.
Your path can look right to you and those around you. But is it right to God? Have you sought His opinion? Or are you only seeking details on how to accomplish your plans?
God humbled Israel to get their attention and shape their hearts. He still has work to do on them. We see this after their second defeat and loss of 18,000 more men.
Judges 20:26–28 (ESV) Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
Notice the humility here. They sat before the Lord. Instead of rushing to their own ambitions, they wanted to be WITH HIM. Defeat does that to us. As Tevye says in "Fiddler on the Roof", wars, famine, plagues, and earthquakes are things God uses to bring people back to Himself. Israel is reconnecting with the Lord who was to be the center of their life. Next, they fast, pray and offer sacrifices. This is an admission of guilt and sin and seeking God's mercy. Israel is learning the lesson they temporarily learned under Joshua - with the Lord, they can do nothing.
The same is true for us. We need to spend time with the Lord because He is the one who has made us and called us. We need to depend on the Lord because He is the one who sustains us. But mostly, we need to repent and seek the Lord. He is the truth and the life. When we put aside our plans and goals, get alone with God and seek Him, we will be stronger for the challenges and trials ahead. This moment of repentance proved to be a turning point for Israel. It was not that they "earned" God's favor, it was that they came to understand they needed it. This is the message they left to the world. And Jesus summed it up perfectly: "apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (ESV)
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