Judges 21
Israel cries before the LORDverses 1-3
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh
saying
There shall not any of us give his daughter
to Benjamin to wife
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
O LORD God of Israel
Why is this come to pass in Israel
that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?
Israel asked who was not involved with oathverses 4-5
And it came to pass on the morrow – that the people rose early
and built there an altar
and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings
And the children of Israel
said
Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that
came not up with the congregation to the LORD?
FOR they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up
to the LORD to Mizpeh
saying
He shall surely be put to death
Israel finding wives for Benjamitesverses 6-7
And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother
and said
There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day
How shall we do for wives for them that remain
seeing we have sworn by the LORD
that we will not give them of our daughters
to wives?
Jabesh-gilead was not present for the oathverses 8-9
And they
said
What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mispeh
to the LORD?
And behold there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly
FOR the people were numbered – and behold
there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there
Israel collects 400 virgins from Jabeth-gileadverses 10-12
And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest
and commanded them
saying
Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword
with the women and children
And this is the thing that you shall do
You shall utterly destroy every male
and every woman that has lain by man
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead
four hundred young virgins
that had known no man by lying with any male
and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh
which is in the land of Canaan
Israel gave 400 virgins to remaining Benjamitesverses 13-14
And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin
that were in the rock Rimmon – and to call peaceably to them
And Benjamin came again at that time
and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the
women of Jebesh-gilead – and yet so they sufficed them not
Benjamites needed more wivesverses 15-18
And the people repented them for Benjamin
BECAUSE that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel
Then the elders of the congregation
said
How shall we do for wives for them that remain
seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?
And they
said
There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin
that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel
Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters
FOR the children of Israel have sworn
saying
Cursed be he that gives a wife to Benjamin
Israel offers daughters at Shilohverses 19-22
THEN they
said
BEHOLD – there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly
in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el
on the east side of the highway that goes up from
Beth-el to Shechem and on the south of Lebonah
Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin
saying
Go and lie in wait in the vineyards – and see and behold
IF the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances
THEN come you out of the vineyards
and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh
and go to the land of Benjamin
And it shall be – when their fathers or their brethren come to us
to complain that we will say to them
Be favorable to them for our sakes
BECAUSE we reserved not to each man his wife in the war
for you did not give to them at this time
that you should be guilty
Benjamites capture wives from festivalverses 23-24
And the children of Benjamin did so – and took them wives
according to their number – of them that danced
whom they caught
and they went and returned to their inheritance
and repaired the cities – and dwelt in them
And the children of Israel departed thence at that time
every man to his tribe and to his family
and they went out from thence every man
to his inheritance
Israelites return homeverse 25
In those days there was no king in Israel
every man did that which was right in his own eyes
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel? (6485 “lacking” [paqad] means be needed, be missed, or to be appointed)
DEVOTION: The rest of the tribes have gone into house of God to ask HIM why they are in the state they are in. They wanted answers to their questions. They wanted to know what to do with the tribe of Benjamin as there was only a few left. They had said they wouldn’t give their daughters to them because of the sin of the tribe.
We are naïve in our thinking when it comes to our own sin. The other tribes were sinning just as much as the tribe of Benjamin. That was one of the reasons the LORD had to have them lose the first two battles against the children of Benjamin. HE wanted to get their attention and help them turn around in their relationship to HIM.
Now they are asking the right question. Now they are concerned about what happens to the children of Israel. Now they are waiting on God for an answer.
Sometimes it takes a lot for us to get to the point when we really want answers from the LORD. We look for answers in all the wrong places. We don’t realize that our answers are not the right answers many times.
The children of Israel didn’t realize how far they were from the LORD. They thought they should be able to come up with an answer without HIM. They were wrong and we are wrong if we are not totally depended on the LORD for answers to our questions.
Many times, we are missing the right answer to important questions. The LORD is going to show them the right answer to their question. Not the question of “why” but the question regarding the future wives for the tribe of Benjamin.
CHALLENGE: We need to understand that there are consequences to siding with those who are given to sin. The tribe of Benjamin should have turned the sons of Belial over to the other tribes.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? (7650 “sworn” [shaba] means to be complete, to seven yourself, or to take an oath)
DEVOTION: The nation went to war with the tribe of Benjamin because they would not give up the children of Belial in their tribe. When the nation came together, they took an oath not to give the children of Benjamin their daughters to marry. Now the war is over and there are only 600 men left of the tribe of Benjamin. They have no wives and no cities. All of them have been killed or destroyed.
Now the nation wants the children of Benjamin to have wives to keep the tribe alive. They found two ways to give them wives. The key to remember is that “every man did what was right in his own eyes.”
The methods used during this time were not the LORD. The first method was to kill all those in the community of Jabesh-gilead because they had not sent anyone to the battle against the Benjamites. The second method was to allow the men of Benjamin that needed wives to come to the festival of the LORD at Shiloh.
One was because they didn’t send someone to battle therefore they deserved to be killed. The other was a scheme to get around their oath but simply stating that they didn’t give their daughters to them but that they were taken away.
We sometimes look for ways to get around our commitment to the LORD. When we take an oath or make a promise to the LORD we shouldn’t look for ways to get out of the promise. What we should do is not make the promise in the first place.
We need to watch what we promise the LORD. Once we promise we need to keep the promise. When we become a follower of the LORD, we promise to live the way HE directs us. We are all at different stages of maturity but once we learn a Biblical truth we should try to apply it to our lives to the best of our ability. That is our promise.
CHALLENGE: The LORD can give us the strength to live the way we should for HIM. A PROMISE is a PROMISE. It is easy to say something, it is another thing to keep it.
:12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. (4904 “lying” [mishkab] means lodging, marriage bed, the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman, sexual relations, or lying down or sleeping room)
DEVOTION: One town didn’t come to do battle with the children of Benjamin. Why didn’t they come? Was it because they believed that the children of Benjamin had the right to defend one of their cities even if they were full of individuals who were not honoring the LORD by their actions?
It didn’t pay to stay home from this battle. The rest of the tribes figured out who didn’t come and because of their cowardice or agreeing with the Benjaminites or just not caring it cost them their lives.
The whole town was killed except the virgins in the city. They were collected and given to those who remained of the children of Benjamin.
Notice the description of the only ones that were spared. They were woman who had never slept with a man. This is the standard that was set for all of Israel. All the woman were to be virgins before they could be married. If they were found not to be virgins they could be stoned.
This is the standard that every Christian young lady should keep before they are married even today. Too often those who are virgins are made fun of or they just want to fit in with the rest of the young ladies.
This standard should be kept by each man as well. It honors the LORD when both the man and the woman are virgins before they marry. Obedience to the LORD in this matter is important for the training of the next generation.
If the standards are kept in the homes of believers than the world will see the difference between those who are followers of Christ and those who are not. There are even those who don’t believe in Christ that try to keep their children virgins before they marry.
CHALLENGE: The LORD’S standards are always higher than what is accepted in society in general. That is very true today. Christian parents need to show and teach Biblical standards to their families.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to us to complain, that we will say to them, Be favorable to them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for you did not give to them at this time, that you should be guilty. (3947 “reserved” [laqach] means to take into one’s possession, to take for oneself, to take a wife, fetch, take in the hand, carry away, procure, or take possession of.)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel had after thoughts regarding the tribe of Benjamin. They had killed every male, female and child of the tribe of Benjamin. They were not thinking that there would be one less tribe in Israel after they were done. They only thought of killing those who had allowed a certain sin to be in their tribe.
Now in the aftermath of the war they had 600 men from the tribe of Benjamin that didn’t have a wife. So they had to think of a way please the LORD and to help a tribe to survive.
So they came up with a plan to give wives to the 600 men.
They came up with a plan. They looked for any village that didn’t send any men to the battle and killed the men and saved the women who had never been with a man.
However, there still was not enough so they had to come up with a second plan. This involved allowing the men of Benjamin to come to a festival and take each one a wife from the virgins that were dancing at the festival.
They reassured the fathers and brothers of these virgins that they had not broken any vow to the LORD because they had not given their daughters to the men of Benjamin. The men of Benjamin that were left each had a wife.
Today we find that we have to look at this and wonder but we should not be making compromises with the commands of the LORD or the promises we make to the LORD. Once we become a believer, we need to make sure that we are not allowing for sin to enter our lives through any door.
There is a difference between a genuine believer and one that will compromise his faith to make people happy.
CHALLENGE: Are we sticking to our convictions when we deal with people or are we looking for ways to compromise our faith to please people. This is only known to you and the LORD.
: 25 In those days there was no king in Israel every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (3477 “right” [yashar] means straight, level, smooth, the quality of conforming to a moral standard, upright, correct, pleasing, or uprightness)
DEVOTION: This time period describes our present time period here in America. It seems that there are no absolutes in the eyes of most of our society. Every belief is questioned and then challenged to see if it is true.
Many feel that there is no real proof that God exists or even has any standards that need to be followed. Books are written by individuals who claim to be believers but what they are saying in the book is not following the same standard that is found throughout the Word of God.
This has been happening for many years but it seems to be coming to a head in our time. We have those who are not willing to follow any authority but their own. They question everything according to their own thinking.
There have always been conservatives and liberals in the world but it seems that today the conservatives are afraid to speak up and the liberals are running the show.
With no real leader who knows the LORD we have the same conditions as having no king in Israel. Without leadership everyone is moving in their own direction while still making personal decisions that affect the lives of those around them. God is not the author of confusion but this causes confusion.
What is a believer to do? We are to realize that Jesus Christ is our KING. HE is reigning in heaven and will give us instruction through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. If we are listening to the Holy Spirit, HE can bless us and get rid of the confusion in our minds and help us to live in a confused world for HIS glory.
CHALLENGE: It is a challenge but one that can be done only if we are willing to listen to HIS instructions.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Men lifted up their voices to Godverse 2
Wept soreverse 2
Men of Israel prayedverse 3
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of Godverse 2
Built an altarverse 4
Offered burnt offeringsverse 4
Offered peace offeringsverse 4
Feast to the LORD at Shilohverse 19
Yearly feast
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator)verses 2, 3
House of Godverse 2
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 3, 5, 7, 8, 15, 19
LORD God of Israelverse 3
Feast of the LORDverse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Cursedverse 18
Guiltyverse 22
Right in his own eyesverse 25
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Lift voices to Godverse 2
Built an altarverse 4
Oathverses 5, 7
Repentverses 6, 15
Keep oathverse 7
Inheritanceverses 17, 23, 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Men of Israelverse 1
Mizpehverses 1, 5
Benjaminverses 1-23
Needed wives
One tribe lacking in Israel
Rock Rimmon
Children of Benjamin came to feast
Took wives from dance
Repaired the cities
House of God verse 2
Israelverses 3, 25
Children of Israelverses 5, 6, 18, 24
Congregationverse 5
Tribes of Israelverses 8, 15
Jabesh- gileadverses 8-14
None came to battle
Killed all but virgins
Four hundred virgins
Elders of the congregationverse 16
Feast of the LORD in Shilohverse 19
Daughters of Shilohverse 20
Danced
Men of Benjamin to take them
Fathers or brothers of daughters takenverse 22
Complain regarding daughters taken
No king in Israelverse 25
Every man did what was right in their own eyesverse 25
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Put to death those who didn’t come to warverse 5
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
5–7 The dilemma posed by the first oath was partially solved by reflecting on another, more important oath the Israelites had taken. When the limbs of the concubine had been sent throughout Israel, the implication was that any city that did not respond to deal with this atrocity would itself be subject to death (cf. comment on 19:29). If it had not been for their grief over Benjamin, the Israelites might never have discovered which regions were delinquent. (Wolf, H. (1992). Judges. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 503). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
A secondary matter faced by the Israelites was the fulfillment of another solemn oath to put to death any Israelites who had failed to assemble at Mizpah. The primary matter of Benjamite extinction resulted in another period at Bethel when the Israelites sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. The content of their lament was, Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today? They also participated in sacrificial worship, giving burnt offerings and fellowship offerings (cf. Jud. 20:26). (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 413). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
I may be wrong, but I suspect that the Lord wasn’t pleased with the people of Benjamin because they still hadn’t confessed their sin and admitted they were wrong. The 600 soldiers who were stranded on the rock of Rimmon still weren’t seeking God’s face. They were simply fleeing from the victorious army. Had somebody suggested that they all meet the Lord at Shiloh and get the matter settled with the Lord, it might have made a difference.
Instead of getting directions from the Lord, the eleven tribes depended on their own wisdom to solve the problem (James 3:13–18). The 600 men who were left from Benjamin would need wives if they were going to reestablish their tribe, but the eleven tribes had sworn not to give them wives. Where would these wives come from?
The Israelites solved the problem by killing more of their own people! Nobody had come to the war from Jabesh-gilead, which meant two things: They hadn’t participated in the oath, and the city deserved to be punished. It’s possible that when the twelve parts of the concubine’s body were sent throughout Israel, a warning was issued that any tribe or city that didn’t respond and help fight Benjamin would be treated the same way. That’s the kind of warning King Saul gave when he used a similar approach (1 Sam. 11:7).
If that’s the case, then the men of Jabesh-gilead knew what was at stake when they remained at home; and the ensuing slaughter of their city was their own fault. The executioners found 400 virgins in the city, women who could become wives to two thirds of the soldiers on the rock. These men had been on the rock for four months (Jdg. 20:47), but now they could take their brides and go home. What a price was paid for these wives! But such are “the wages of sin.” (See Num. 31:17 and Deut. 20:13–14 for precedents.)
The elders held another meeting to discuss how they could provide wives for the remaining 200 men. Somebody remembered that many of the virgins from the tribes participated in an annual feast at Shiloh. If the remaining 200 men of Benjamin hid near the place, they could each kidnap a girl and take her home as a wife. The tribes wouldn’t be violating their oath because they wouldn’t be giving the girls as brides. The girls were being taken. It was a matter of semantics, but they agreed to follow the plan. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1994). Be available (pp. 145–146). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Ver. 5. And the children of Israel said, &c.] One to another, after they had offered their sacrifices, and whilst they were together in Shiloh: who is there among all the tribes of Israel, that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord? when they were summoned to come to Mizpeh, to consult together about the affair of the Levite’s concubine, as appears by what follows: for they had made a great oath; in a very awful and solemn manner, with a curse annexed to it, as that about not giving a wife to Benjamin, ver. 18. concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh: not about him who did not go out to battle against Benjamin, nor about every individual that did not come to consult about it; but every city that did not send their proper representatives or quota to assist in that affair: he shall surely be put to death; this was sent along with the summons, in order to quicken their attention to them. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 388). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
NO GOD BUT GOD: Breaking with the Idols of Our Age
by Os Guinness & John Seel
The Samaritan woman, for example, asked Jesus where the true place of worship was, Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem (John 4: 20). Jesus reminded her that salvation does not lie in a place but a Person; true worship is not tied to national loyalties but to heart attitudes. (p. 67)
Majoritarianism is essential coercive and insensitive to differences and is blind to such principles as the common good and minority rights, which balance the bare expression of the will of the majority. (p. 67)
If America ever was or ever will be a “Christian nation,” it is not by conscious design or written law, but by free conviction. (p. 69)
Hell, it has been noted, is God’s final commitment to freedom of conscience. (p. 70)
********************************
The semi establishment of Protestantism in America was not only unfortunate for minority faiths, it was unfortunate for evangelicals also. Because we dominated the culture for so long, we became weak in our convictions and sloppy in our practice. (p. 70)
Oswald Chambers warns, “there is an element in human nature that makes us all possible popes and intolerant upholders of our personal views.” (p. 73)
Exodus 6
Moses is reassured by God.
INSIGHT
Throughout the Bible, God becomes more and more intimate with His people. By His official title, El Shaddai, God made Himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But now He tells Moses His name: Jehovah. Then in the Gospels, God becomes even more personal — as Jesus becomes incarnate. And in Acts and the Epistles, we discover that God comes to live in our hearts in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The final act of intimacy will be when God brings us home. Then we can fellowship with Him face to face and forever. (Quiet Walk)
A Future with Forgiveness
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
|
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Corinthians 12:11
There are some principles about the subject of spiritual gifts that stand out clearly in the biblical teaching. The first is that spiritual gifts must be differentiated from natural gifts. We all have natural gifts, but the spiritual gift that any one of us may possess is something separate from and entirely different from this. It is a gift that is given directly to us by the Holy Spirit. Some people have fallen into the error of thinking that a spiritual gift really means a person’s natural gift taken hold of by the Holy Spirit and heightened so that it becomes a spiritual gift. But that is not what Scripture would have us believe. A spiritual gift is something new, something different.
The second principle is that these gifts are bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit in a sovereign manner. This is emphasized very clearly in 1 Corinthians 12; notice verse 11, for instance: “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” “As he will.” It is He who decides and not us. He decides what particular gift to give to a particular person. Verse7 enforces the same point: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” It is a gift, it is given, it is something that comes entirely from the Holy Spirit.
Third, each Christian is given and therefore has some gift: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” The clear implication there is that every single Christian is given some particular gift. So from this we deduce that every true member of the Body of Christ, every true Christian, who has been baptized into the Body of Christ by this one Spirit, has some particular spiritual gift. The fourth principle taught in 1 Corinthians 12, obviously, is that the gifts differ in value; see verses 14-30.
A Thought to Ponder: Every single Christian is given some particular gift.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 265-266, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Outward Appearances
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Man does, indeed, look on the outward appearance rather than inward convictions. This has always been true, but never more so than in these latter days, even among evangelical Christians.
There is very little emphasis in the Bible on such things, however. As far as dress and adornment are concerned, Paul said: “I will therefore that….women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works” (1 Timothy 2:8-10). The same principle surely would apply also to men.
With respect to physical conditioning and development, the following is almost the only reference in the Bible: “Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things” (1 Timothy 4:8). The apostle Paul himself (probably the most effective and fruitful Christian of all) was a man of most unimpressive appearance (2 Corinthians 10:10). “I was with you in weakness,” he reminded them, but nevertheless it was “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:3-4).
There is nothing wrong, of course, with physical beauty or athletic prowess, unless they center attention on self rather than Christ, but it is the “inner man” of the heart where true strength and beauty should be sought. Therefore, as Jesus said: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). The Lord looks on the heart, and so should we. (HMM. The Institute for Creation Research)
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.