Month: July 2023

Judges 21:2-3, 6, 15 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore, and said, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?….And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There one tribe cut off from Israel this day….And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

The people of God moved from one mess to another. They destroyed another city, Jabesh-gilead, because the inhabitations did not participate in the fight with Benjamin. And they took the young women of the town to give as wives to the few remaining men of Benjamin, to repopulate the tribe. Terrible things happen when one sin leads to another to another.

Our lives are also in a mess because of Sin. The only response that works is to weep before the Lord, to cry out, and to repent. We also suffer loss, and often ask “Why?” We don’t like the answer, for it is because of sin. Our response to the mess, the troubles, the losses, and the suffering is to repent and believe the gospel. Sin is the problem, we are the problem; Jesus is the answer, the Gospel is the solution.

All of this happens when there is no king (when we do not enter the Kingdom and make Jesus Lord of our lives), and we do that which is right in our own eyes (v. 25). We need the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Judges 20:18, 23, 27-28 And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?….And the children of Israel went up before the Lord and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?….And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, and Phinehas, saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?

After all Israel heard about the atrocities committed in Gibeah of Benjamin, Israel asked Benjamin to turn over the sons of Belial, but they refused. And before the whole nation went to battle against one tribe, Israel inquired of the Lord three times. After the third inquiry, Israel nearly wiped out the whole tribe. T he Lord gave permission and said He would deliver them into their hands.

This significant Civil War reflected the chaos and utter depravity into which the people of God descended because of sin and unbelief. The events were not terribly unlike the sin and judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, except here the Lord used human instruments to inflict the punishment.

The response of the people was outrage, but they wisely inquired of the Lord before charging into battle. So we today as Christians spend our days in a life of prayer, always aware of God’s Presence and listening to His guidance. We respond to Grace with prayer, praise, and thanks for all things, for every decision, all the time. We are always inquiring of the Lord: “Thy will be done on earth….”

Judges 19:22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

This horrific story of adultery, homosexuality, and murder is as repulsive to us as it is to God. A certain Levite had a concubine who played the whore and ran off to her father’s house. The man went to retrieve her kindly, but while lodging in the father-in-law’s house some men of the city, sons of Belial, demanded to have the guest to know him. But the father said “No,” such folly should not be done, so he gave to them his daughter, the Levite’s concubine. They abused her all night and left her dead. The man cut the body up into twelve pieces and sent them to all Israel. This action set off a huge civil war, all but destroying the whole tribe of Benjamin.

One sin led to another to another until terrible disaster resulted. The horrific evil of the sons of Belial was expanded by the actions of the Levite. Thousands died. All of this is repulsive to the Lord. However, we should remember that one little sin of ours is also repulsive and can lead to much evil. For instance, James says that the tongue, a small instrument, can set ablaze a forest. We learn from God’s Word to have the same intolerance for every sin of ours. We repent. We also that the love of God in Christ is greater than even our most heinous sins. We believe.

Judges 18:27 And they took the things which Micah made and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.

The story continues to show the depravity to which Israel sank in the days of the Judges when there was no godly leadership. Some people from the tribe of Dan set off to find a better land to settle. On the way they came across Micah with his man-made gods and personal priest. They took the things Micah made and his priest, and went on to the far north of the land, to Laish, to burn the city and settle there.

The rebuilt city was renamed Dan. The Danite’s carried Micah’s false idol gods and false priest with them, and conquered under the banner of a false religion, rejecting the Lord and His worship. Later, in the divided Northern Kingdom of Israel, King Jereboam set up a competing worship center there, so that the ten rebellious tribes would not have to go to Jerusalem in Judah to worship.

This was an unauthorized and godless aggression on Dan’s part. They followed a false religion to do an evil thing. Again, rejecting the worship of the one true God in order to do what seems right in their own eyes leads to disaster. Such a lesson can be learned by God’s people: do what is right in God’s eyes and enjoy the subsequent blessing. Believe in Jesus, who got it right, for us.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

This verse summarizes what life was like in Israel in the days of the judges. No king means no government, and thus no enforced law and order to ensure peace and Justice in society. With no efficient government the people we left to do as they pleased, “what was right in their own eyes,” in both the political and religious sphere. This condition led to chaos.

The example of unbelief and leaderless anarchy is given in the story of Micah with his own Levite and idol gods. Micah got a destitute Levite to be his own priest. Israel’s moral decay affected even the priests and Levites. Moral corruption is the inevitable result of man’s sinful nature when left unchecked either by an inward moral compass or by outward law enforcement. We set up our own gods, recruit immoral allies, and live in opposition to God. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

This story is instructive for us NT believers, that we may gain a sense of how sinful and corrupt we really are. Without outer and inner constraints we would also be so corrupt as to do what is right in our own eyes, without recognizing the evil results of our behavior.

When our own sinfulness is revealed to us for the evil that it is, then we can better appreciate the redemption of God in the love of Christ. Our pride blinds us to the depth of evil in us until the Holy Spirit shows us our sin and leads us to the Savior. Then we love Him all the more, and the love of Christ constrains us.

Judges 16:28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

After the Philistines cut Samson’s hair and took away his great strength, they put him in chains, enslaved him, and gouged out his eyes. The Philistines celebrated a great feast in the temple of Dagon, thanking their god for victory. They called up Samson to make sport (play the lyre) for the crowd. They led him to the two pillars supporting the temple. Since his strength returned, he broke down the pillars, collapsing the building, and killing 3000 people, more than he killed during his lifetime.

In his weakness, slavery, and blindness Samson called upon the Lord, repented, trusted God, and prayed for God’s strength to give him this one final exploit. And the Lord answered his prayer.

We also are in the weakness of sin and death, in slavery to sin and the devil, and in blindness to God. In this miserable state, when recognized because we are convicted by the Word and the Spirit, we call upon the Lord, repent of sin, remember God’s Gospel of grace and forgiveness, and pray for God’s deliverance, “deliver us from evil.” We believe and confess two things: 1) I am in trouble, blind, dead, and an enemy of God because of my own sin and guilt; 2) I have a Deliverer who forgives me, restores me, and gives me strength because of Christ. Therefore, I have the confidence to pray for help in time of need. Jesus hears and responds, forgives and delivers, and grants wholeness and strength. Jesus overcomes the Enemy and assures us of victory.

Judges16:4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

Samson’s exploits against the Enemy finally came to an end through the deceits and nagging of a Philistine woman, Delilah. Samson’s own sin caused his eventual downfall. God was with him, but his response was to give in to the world with its lusts and pleasures instead of faithfully following the God who gave him such superhuman strength. He made a bad choice: he chose to be with a godless woman instead of being with God. God did not abandon Samson, but He did allow his sinful decision to stand, and the consequences of his decisions followed naturally.

The Philistines offered her money if she could find out the secret of Samson’s strength. She lay with him and cajoled him three times to reveal the source of his strength. Finally, on the fourth begging he told her the truth. It was in his hair. So she cut it while he slept, and his strength left him. Of course, it wasn’t in his hair, but in his faith in and loyalty to the Lord, symbolized by the Nazirite vow. God’s strength left him because he left God. Samson ended up being enslaved. That was his choice.

Samson’s hair grew back and his God-given strength returned. Then in his own suicide he killed 3000 Philistines, a heavy price to pay for following the world instead of being faithful to the Lord. We may choose to be close to God or to go our own way, but our choices have consequences. The consequences of our sinful, selfish, and worldly decisions teach us to repent and return to God in faith and devotion every day. Jesus does not leave us, but He does allow the consequences of sin to play out. The result is to bring us back to God, like the prodigal son. Return daily.

Judges 15:7, 10-12 Samson said, Yet will I be avenged of you….To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he has done to us. Then 3000 men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them. And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.

Revenge is an uncontrollable monster. Each act brings another. Retaliation continues without end. The revenge cycle can be halted only by forgiveness. The story goes like this: Samson wanted to go in to his new wife, but her father wouldn’t let him in, for he gave his daughter to another. He then went and caught 300 foxes, put fire on their tails, drove them into the standing grain to burn the Philistine crops. The Philistines then burned the father and daughter with fire. Samson attacked them for it, and then they attacked Judah looking for Samson to bind him. For fear of the Philistines, the men of Judah found Samson, bound him, and handed him over. When the Philistines came for him, he broke the bonds, took the jawbone of a donkey and killed 1000 of them.

The revenge cycle causes much misery and slaughter. The “I don’t get mad I get even” attitude is harmful. Forgiveness breaks the cycle and brings peace and life. We receive forgiveness from our Father and so we forgive those who trespass against us. Revenge is never ours to give out. “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” says the Lord. Peace is lived out in our marriages, families, friends, neighbors, groups, and churches when we respond to hurt and offense through the forgiveness petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

The Spirit of God did come upon Samson to give him strength to defeat the enemy and bring a peace for twenty years. But the Spirit of God rested upon Jesus of Nazareth to give him spiritual strength to undergo suffering and death to bring forgiveness and peace to us forever. He even forgave those who were killing Him, and by doing so He got back at the real enemy.

Judges 14:2, 17 And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife….And she wept before him seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

Nothing good comes of pestering and continuous pleading to get your own way. In the story of Samson we are given two examples of the dangers of pestering.

Samson saw a Philistine woman of Timnath. He wanted her as wife. He asked his parents for her. They at first said “No” because it was against God’s Law and because the Philistines were their enemies. But Samson’s father gave in to his demand, and she ended up betraying him at the wedding feast with disastrous results. What Samson got for his pestering was a bad thing.

Then at the wedding feast he put forth a riddle to the Philistines, and he promised 30 changes of clothes if they could answer it. They couldn’t, so they asked his new bride to cajole the answer out of him. She pestered Samson during the seven days of the feast until he relented and told her the answer to his riddle about the lion and the honey. She told the Philistines, and then things got bad for them because Samson killed 30 Philistines to get the clothes he swore to give them. What the woman got for her pestering was a bad thing.

Jesus tells us to continue to ask, seek, and knock. And He tells two parables about persistence in prayer, but the persistence arises from a sure faith that what we are praying is God’s will. Pestering arises from praying what is not God’s will. What we want may not be good for us.

Judges 13:19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock to the Lord: and the angel did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on.

The Angel of the Lord (the preincarnate Son) appeared to Manoah and his wife, announcing they would conceive a son who would become a Nazirite to God from the womb (no strong drink). He would begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. This would be Samson, whose God-given strength brought victories over the enemy. The Lord is raising up another Deliver to bring a temporary peace to Israel. By the way, a permanent peace will not come until the Son of God is born as a man, lives, dies, rises, and comes again. Samson and the Judges are foreshadowing pictures of the Savior of all.

Manoah’s response to the Lord’s appearance and promise is to worship by bringing a grain offering to the Lord. He and his wife believed the promise and thanked God. A grain offering consisted of flour mixed with olive oil, shaped into a cake, and then burned along with a burnt offering. It was offered to God as a sign of honor, respect, and worship. It showed that their food came from God and they owed their lives to Him. It was an outward showing of what was in the heart of faith. This offering was accepted by the Lord as the angel rose up in the flames.

Our whole life is an offering of worship and thanks to God for sending His Son to be our Deliverer. We don’t offer blood sacrifices, or grain offerings, since Jesus came and sacrificed Himself for us. But we do worship in spirit and truth, and we offer of our time, abilities, and money in service to others. “For everything give thanks.” Jesus paid the final, once for all, sacrifice, and we respond with lives of worship, praise, and service.