When evil is defended many are harmed

 Judges 20: 12-21

 

February 12, 2021

 

 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you?   Now, therefore, give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.   Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel.   And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day 26,000 men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered 700 chosen men.   Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.   And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 men who drew the sword; all these were men of war.

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.”

 Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.   And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.   The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites

The people of Israel just wanted to punish the evil men who had done the act, that sounds to any person of reason as the right thing to do, but the Benjamite allow pride and maybe the culture to control their judgement.  No other tribe was going to tell them what was evil. The Benjamite was going to protect the men who were evil, because they were of the tribe of Benjamin, with no regard for the evil they had done.  My dad often said history repeats it’s self in that we never learn from our history.  You also will recall I told you that if you have God all like you want Him in a little box, you should not read chapter 20, it is going to mess with you.

 

Now if you go by the title Christian, and study your Bible what did Israel do wrong, they ask of God who was to go first and He said the tribe of Judah, but did they ask of God if that was the way He wanted to punish those evil men of Gibeah?  Also, you will recall that the older man who took the Levite, his servant and concubine and did all he could to save them.  It was not all the people of Gibeah that were evil, but when judgement came, they also suffer.  Note: “The USA is headed for God’s judgement and the righteous will suffer alongside the ones who are evil.”

They did not ask if God was going to use them as His instrument for punishing the city of Gibeah.  And that day and the next they lost many men to the Benjamite.

 

Could the lesson each of us needs to gain from this is to be still, seek God’s face and listen to what He wants us to do?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice