Judges20:14-18 - From their towns they
came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. At once
the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in
addition to seven hundred chosen men from those living in Gibeah. Among all these soldiers
there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed,
each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Israel, apart from Benjamin,
mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fighting men. The Israelites went up to
Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us shall go first to
fight against the Benjamites?" The LORD replied,
"Judah shall go first.”
The man had cut his dead concubine up into
12 pieces…so he could send a piece to every tribe of Israel. He wanted to send
the most graphic picture possible of the evil that had befallen his family…and
make sure all the tribes of Israel knew what immorality had overtaken the tribe
of Benjamin. So from their towns they
gathered…and inquired of the Lord what they should do…to bring justice…and
purge the evil from among them.
They called for the town to turn over the
men from the gang…but they protected them for some reason. So God allowed the
other tribes to form bands of fighters…grouped by tribes…to go and rid the town
of the evil men that had done this horrible deed. They lost many men in the
battles that followed this meeting. It took four long months for God to bring
about a complete victory…allowing the destruction of the whole Benjamin tribe…except
for 600 that fled and hid in the mountains.
As bad as this story is…and as tragic as
the loss of life was as a result…it is important to remember that God used this
civil war of sorts …to usher in a new time of judges. And I also thought about
the fact that God used this difficult time to humble all the tribes…and teach
them to call on him again …for direction and guidance. It wasn’t until after their second loss…that
they fasted and offered offerings to God to humble their hearts and try to
understand God’s purpose for the many men they had lost.
I have to admit that prayer and fasting is
a hard thing for me to do. But the sacrifice you make when you pray and fast…focuses
your heart on the Lord above…and helps remind you to pray for his will…and
helps prioritize your wants and needs in a way that God might want them to
be. God rewards your effort to do
without…whether it be food…TV…a game….facebook…that favorite beverage…..or the
sugar that makes those sweet treats. He somehow takes that time that you spend
doing without…and uses it to focus your mind and heart on him.
Father….I thank you for the reminder that I
must constantly find a way to ask you what direction you need my life to take.
Help me find the strength to fast and pray…and humble myself to your will and
purpose when I have a decision to make. Go with me this day and help me to
think more about you…and what you would have me do in every situation I am
placed. Give me strength and courage to
complete each one as you reveal them to me.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment