{"id":396,"date":"2012-02-19T08:01:52","date_gmt":"2012-02-19T16:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/?p=396"},"modified":"2012-02-20T05:26:45","modified_gmt":"2012-02-20T13:26:45","slug":"judges-2017-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/?p=396","title":{"rendered":"Judges 20:17-28"},"content":{"rendered":"

Judges 20:17-28. \u00a0We have been reading a story about a Levite and some trouble he had while on a journey. \u00a0Actually trouble doesn’t even come close to describing the evil he encountered in Gibeah. \u00a0But he wasn’t innocent either. \u00a0(For more read Judges 19:1-15<\/a>, Judges 19:16-30<\/a>, and Judges 20:1-16<\/a>). \u00a0The story has led up to the brink of civil war in Israel. \u00a0Eleven tribes against one, Benjamin (The town of Gibeah was part of Benjamin. (See “The Twelve?”<\/a>\u00a0and “The Old Testament Connection”<\/a> for more on Israel and it’s twelve tribes)). \u00a0In 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”<\/a> for more on the cycle). \u00a0But we also saw the cycle spin downward. \u00a0In the beginning the people were aware of the trouble, cried to God, and he delivered them from the invading people. \u00a0By 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. \u00a0But 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. \u00a0God’s plan will be finished. \u00a0That first section of the book is probably mostly in order, time wise. \u00a0But 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. \u00a0That first section shows us (at least) how easy it is to slip away from God. \u00a0The slow slide from one generation to the next away. \u00a0In the book each generation had to make a choice for their generation but their attitudes also affected the generations after them. \u00a0They cried out to God (at first) but for their own reasons, not God’s. \u00a0 Eventually the people lost God’s view of their life altogether. \u00a0God still worked but all of those people were missing out in their personal relationship with God. \u00a0And in the end that is what God’s plan is all about (See “The Old Testament Connection”).<\/p>\n

This second section of the book is a more personal look at life in the streets. \u00a0The 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. \u00a0The first part is about the nation. \u00a0I think there is another difference between the two sections. \u00a0There is a hint at the way the second section is arranged. \u00a0The second section started with the story of a tribe looking out for their own interests. \u00a0They needed a place to live. \u00a0They didn’t want to take over the place God had given them they wanted life to be easier. \u00a0The next story the one we are in now focused on one man and his personal life. \u00a0So the book of Judges has gone from nation, to tribe, to one man. \u00a0But as we will see that one man affected a tribe and the nation. \u00a0The book seems to be going from the effect to the cause, from the what happened to the why it happened. \u00a0To 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.<\/p>\n

So we are at the very edge of a civil war, 400,000 against 26,700. \u00a0 The larger army stops and asks God for orders “Who should fight first.” \u00a0This is a hopeful sign, or is it? \u00a0They didn’t ask if they should fight, it looks like they assumed that they should. \u00a0And if that is true why wouldn’t you just march your whole army up there get it over with? \u00a0Did they not really want this fight? \u00a0Was their whole heart not in it? \u00a0I don’t know. \u00a0So 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. \u00a0What is going on, the good guys asked God and he told them to send in Judah and the bad guys won? \u00a0Judges 20:22 says that the men of Israel encouraged themselves and set up for another battle at the same place. \u00a0Wow, 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. \u00a0 So they cry all day while they get set up and near evening they go back to the God. \u00a0This time they ask, “Should we fight again?” \u00a0No assumption this time and notice too that the don’t ask who, it’s going to be the whole group this time. \u00a0The answer is yes. the next day another battle and 18,000 are dead, the “good guys” again. \u00a0So they go back to the place where they are supposed to worship God. \u00a0this time they go all day without food, crying and offering sacrifices to God. \u00a0Then they ask God again. \u00a0It’s interesting that the first two times that they ask God for guidance that the author uses a plural: \u00a0“Who shall go up first for us<\/span> to battle” and “Shall we<\/span> again draw near for battle”. \u00a0 But this third time we meet a priest, Phinehas, and he asks, “Shall I again go out to battle”. \u00a0And the answer is yes along with the information that God will give them victory. \u00a0I wonder if they were still a little uneasy that night. \u00a0I would be, I think I would be praying all night, \u00a0selfishly for myself, but I would be praying. \u00a0Our reading stops there today, tomorrow we will see the outcome of the battle, but we should already know. \u00a0Remember God’s plan gets done.<\/p>\n

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”. \u00a0It looks like the Israelites are starting to see things God’s way. \u00a0They are supposed to be an nation not just a bunch of tribe acting as allies. \u00a0As 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. \u00a0Now they seem to be one nation under God. \u00a0But there is still sin and the question is do we need to deal with this? \u00a0The answer is yes. \u00a0Part of God’s purpose for Israel was to be an example. \u00a0The world would get to see what God is like through His relationship wit them. \u00a0And part of what God is about is purity. \u00a0Remember that I said I though that this second section of the book was going to help us understand why the world falls apart. \u00a0The focus went from the nation falling apart to a tribe looking out for them selves. \u00a0Then the story took us to a man living for his own pleasure. \u00a0And that mans actions led back to the nation almost falling apart. \u00a0But remember that this story probably happened way back in the beginning. \u00a0the nation was falling apart, the people were not being blessed by God, because each person was doing what he wanted. \u00a0Remember that this end section of the book is like a message in the an envelope or parenthesis (See the 2\/16\/12 post). \u00a0And the envelope helps us understand what is inside. \u00a0Judges 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”. \u00a0It’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. \u00a0But that was their part of God’s plan. \u00a0Peter told the early followers of Jesus that they were a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). \u00a0If you are a follower of Jesus then you are part of that, you are a priest. \u00a0You get to go straight to God. \u00a0Jesus said no man comes to God except through him (John 14:6) but that is about Jesus taking our punishment. \u00a0because 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). \u00a0We are a nation, we are a priesthood, wee are a people, and we are a family. \u00a0God is the all powerful creator, god is our king and ruler, but God is our Father too. \u00a0We each<\/span> need to come to Him. \u00a0the plan, is about the kingdom, the kingdom is about the people. \u00a0It’s about you and me. \u00a0God help me remember that I have a relationship with you. \u00a0Wht zi do affects others. \u00a0You want me<\/span> to honor you with my life. \u00a0And it’s according to your rules. \u00a0Don’t let me be the problem by doing what is right in my eyes. \u00a0Let me be part of the solution by doing what is right in your eyes. \u00a0Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of fixing people’s relationship with you. \u00a0Thank you for caring. Thank you father. \u00a0Be my God and king.<\/p>\n

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Several times we are told in the book that there is “No king in Israel”. \u00a0We usually associate a king with a nation. \u00a0Interestingly later on in their history Israel gets a king and really there situation doesn’t get any better. \u00a0You see Israel didn’t need a king, they had one. \u00a0But then again they didn’t. \u00a0The nation didn’t have a king because the people didn’t have a king. \u00a0The person ruling each of their lives was them self. \u00a0At the end of the day it’s not about nations it’s about people. \u00a0God’s plan is about individuals returning to Him. \u00a0The plan isn’t about the plan it’s about us, and Him. \u00a0Without a the King in your life you will go your own way, and you will affect those around you. \u00a0One last note, this story probably happened at the beginning of the time of the Judges. \u00a0In one generation the people went from “we will follow the Lord” to almost destroying a whole tribe, and thousands of lives were lost. \u00a0That’s how if works when we each do what is right in our own eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Judges 20:17-28. \u00a0We have been reading a story about a Levite and some trouble he had while on a journey. \u00a0Actually trouble doesn’t even come close to describing the evil he encountered in Gibeah. \u00a0But he wasn’t innocent either. \u00a0(For more read Judges 19:1-15, Judges 19:16-30, and Judges 20:1-16). \u00a0The story has led up to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=396"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":404,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396\/revisions\/404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/deltaforcedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}