Judges 20:17-28.  We have been reading a story about a Levite and some trouble he had while on a journey.  Actually trouble doesn’t even come close to describing the evil he encountered in Gibeah.  But he wasn’t innocent either.  (For more read Judges 19:1-15, Judges 19:16-30, and Judges 20:1-16).  The story has led up to the brink of civil war in Israel.  Eleven tribes against one, Benjamin (The town of Gibeah was part of Benjamin. (See “The Twelve?” and “The Old Testament Connection” for more on Israel and it’s twelve tribes)).  In the first part of the book of Judges (Chapters 1-16) we have seen several cycles where the people would turn their backs on God and God would eventually bring them back to Himself (See “Intro to Judges” for more on the cycle).  But we also saw the cycle spin downward.  In the beginning the people were aware of the trouble, cried to God, and he delivered them from the invading people.  By the end of that section the people didn’t seem to care that they were being ruled by outsiders, they were comfortable enough, and didn’t bother asking God for help.  But the nation of Israel has always been part of a plan (See “The Old Testament Connection”), God’s plan, and God’s plans alway moves forward.  God’s plan will be finished.  That first section of the book is probably mostly in order, time wise.  But we must remember that the author is trying to make a point and has arranged these little looks at Israel’s history to make that point.  That first section shows us (at least) how easy it is to slip away from God.  The slow slide from one generation to the next away.  In the book each generation had to make a choice for their generation but their attitudes also affected the generations after them.  They cried out to God (at first) but for their own reasons, not God’s.   Eventually the people lost God’s view of their life altogether.  God still worked but all of those people were missing out in their personal relationship with God.  And in the end that is what God’s plan is all about (See “The Old Testament Connection”).

This second section of the book is a more personal look at life in the streets.  The cycles give us a view of that too but are more a look at the big picture, seeing God move the big pieces of His plan forward.  The first part is about the nation.  I think there is another difference between the two sections.  There is a hint at the way the second section is arranged.  The second section started with the story of a tribe looking out for their own interests.  They needed a place to live.  They didn’t want to take over the place God had given them they wanted life to be easier.  The next story the one we are in now focused on one man and his personal life.  So the book of Judges has gone from nation, to tribe, to one man.  But as we will see that one man affected a tribe and the nation.  The book seems to be going from the effect to the cause, from the what happened to the why it happened.  To be sure all through the book it tells us what is going on and all through the book it gives hints at the why, but this second section seems to be focusing more on the why this is all happening.

So we are at the very edge of a civil war, 400,000 against 26,700.   The larger army stops and asks God for orders “Who should fight first.”  This is a hopeful sign, or is it?  They didn’t ask if they should fight, it looks like they assumed that they should.  And if that is true why wouldn’t you just march your whole army up there get it over with?  Did they not really want this fight?  Was their whole heart not in it?  I don’t know.  So one tribe gets they orders and they go. And they get destroyed, 22,000 from tribe of Judah wiped out in one day and Benjamin is still standing.  What is going on, the good guys asked God and he told them to send in Judah and the bad guys won?  Judges 20:22 says that the men of Israel encouraged themselves and set up for another battle at the same place.  Wow, I wonder how you get 22,000 bodies out of the way that quick and how you can be encourage after such a big defeat.   So they cry all day while they get set up and near evening they go back to the God.  This time they ask, “Should we fight again?”  No assumption this time and notice too that the don’t ask who, it’s going to be the whole group this time.  The answer is yes. the next day another battle and 18,000 are dead, the “good guys” again.  So they go back to the place where they are supposed to worship God.  this time they go all day without food, crying and offering sacrifices to God.  Then they ask God again.  It’s interesting that the first two times that they ask God for guidance that the author uses a plural:  “Who shall go up first for us to battle” and “Shall we again draw near for battle”.   But this third time we meet a priest, Phinehas, and he asks, “Shall I again go out to battle”.  And the answer is yes along with the information that God will give them victory.  I wonder if they were still a little uneasy that night.  I would be, I think I would be praying all night,  selfishly for myself, but I would be praying.  Our reading stops there today, tomorrow we will see the outcome of the battle, but we should already know.  Remember God’s plan gets done.

It is interesting that in the first request that the enemy is “the sons of Benjamin” and in the second request the enemy is “the sons of our brother Benjamin”.  It looks like the Israelites are starting to see things God’s way.  They are supposed to be an nation not just a bunch of tribe acting as allies.  As I already mentioned I think it is interesting that the third time the priest seems to be doing the talking. Those were the rules God had laid down for the Israelites.  Now they seem to be one nation under God.  But there is still sin and the question is do we need to deal with this?  The answer is yes.  Part of God’s purpose for Israel was to be an example.  The world would get to see what God is like through His relationship wit them.  And part of what God is about is purity.  Remember that I said I though that this second section of the book was going to help us understand why the world falls apart.  The focus went from the nation falling apart to a tribe looking out for them selves.  Then the story took us to a man living for his own pleasure.  And that mans actions led back to the nation almost falling apart.  But remember that this story probably happened way back in the beginning.  the nation was falling apart, the people were not being blessed by God, because each person was doing what he wanted.  Remember that this end section of the book is like a message in the an envelope or parenthesis (See the 2/16/12 post).  And the envelope helps us understand what is inside.  Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25 both tell us that there was “no king in Israel and everyone did what was right in their own eyes”.  It’s not about the fact that Israel had no king but about the fact that there was no king in each persons life. Yes they needed to see themselves as one group and yes they did need to go to God through a priest.  But that was their part of God’s plan.  Peter told the early followers of Jesus that they were a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9).  If you are a follower of Jesus then you are part of that, you are a priest.  You get to go straight to God.  Jesus said no man comes to God except through him (John 14:6) but that is about Jesus taking our punishment.  because he has done that we can approach God crying out to his as a child would to his father (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).  We are a nation, we are a priesthood, wee are a people, and we are a family.  God is the all powerful creator, god is our king and ruler, but God is our Father too.  We each need to come to Him.  the plan, is about the kingdom, the kingdom is about the people.  It’s about you and me.  God help me remember that I have a relationship with you.  Wht zi do affects others.  You want me to honor you with my life.  And it’s according to your rules.  Don’t let me be the problem by doing what is right in my eyes.  Let me be part of the solution by doing what is right in your eyes.  Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of fixing people’s relationship with you.  Thank you for caring. Thank you father.  Be my God and king.

Several times we are told in the book that there is “No king in Israel”.  We usually associate a king with a nation.  Interestingly later on in their history Israel gets a king and really there situation doesn’t get any better.  You see Israel didn’t need a king, they had one.  But then again they didn’t.  The nation didn’t have a king because the people didn’t have a king.  The person ruling each of their lives was them self.  At the end of the day it’s not about nations it’s about people.  God’s plan is about individuals returning to Him.  The plan isn’t about the plan it’s about us, and Him.  Without a the King in your life you will go your own way, and you will affect those around you.  One last note, this story probably happened at the beginning of the time of the Judges.  In one generation the people went from “we will follow the Lord” to almost destroying a whole tribe, and thousands of lives were lost.  That’s how if works when we each do what is right in our own eyes.