Doing what we think is right.
I have always tried to do what I thought was the right thing to do. In fact I think there was not a small amount of pride in that , I followed the law, wasn’t fraudulent with my tax or anything, haven’t stolen anything, certainly did not murder or intentionally hurt anybody. If I do what I think is right, surely there can’t be a problem with that? Well there is a big problem when I do what I think is right in my eyes.
This is exactly what is described throughout Judges and the book actually ends with this verse.
Judges 21:25 New King James Version
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
We are no different or better than those people talked about in Judges. In those days there was no kingly authority to guide them so they did what they thought was right. Today people do not fear God and ridicule His authority,(in fact all authority) so we too do what we think is right. So we are no different to them.
Now there is a story in Judges that we can learn a great deal from. Unfortunately the beginning of the story reflects the depravity of man and is quite gruesome, and because it’s not really substantive to what I’m trying to get across I will just summarise.
In Judges 19 we have story of a Levite who is taking his concubine wife back home. They have to stop in a Benjamite village called Gibeah, where they are eventually taken in for the night. However that night some of the depraved men of Gibeah demand that this Levite be brought out for them. Despite the pleas of the owner of the house the men persist. The Levite then does something unspeakable. He send’s his concubine wife out, and then goes he to sleep! In the morning he finds out that she has died, he puts her on a donkey and goes home. When he gets home and in another bizarre act (which you can read about in Judges 19) he communicates quite graphically to what’s happened, to the whole of Israel and basically says to Israel “what are you going to do about this”
We pick up the story in Judges 20.
Judges 20:1-5 New King James Version Israel’s War with the Benjamites
20 So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah. 2 And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword. 3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.)
Then the children of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wicked deed happen?”
4 So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to spend the night. 5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they ravished my concubine so that she died.
This testimony would result in a massive civil war with about 65,000 people being killed and nearly wipe out the tribe of Benjamin. Keep in mind if the Benjamin tribe was wiped out there would have been no Queen Ester, no Saul, and no Paul of the New Testament!
Also we should note that while the testimony is factually correct it is also not the complete story. I wonder what would have happened if the Levite had told them that he had in fact put is wife out to the mob resulting in her death. While he might not be lying, leaving out key facts can be just as misleading. And with huge consequences. A half-truth is not being truthful!
Judges 20:8-13New King James Version
8 So all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, nor will any turn back to his house; 9 but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot. 10 We will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the vileness that they have done in Israel.” 11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.
12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? 13 Now therefore, deliver up the men, the [a]perverted men who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!” But the children of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.
So Israel decides to immediately mobilise and go ”up against” Gibeah.
Let’s pick up a few learning points so far.
When you make a big decision make sure you get all the information first. I’m not saying the incomplete testimony would have prevented war, but it does cast a different light on what has happened. They could have at least checked the testimony of the home owner and even asked the Benjamite village leaders for an explanation of what has happened. Before we make big decisions we need to make sure we get all the key stake holders input and any expert advice you can.
Proverbs 15:22 NIV
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 20:18 NIV
18 Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance.
And then before any decision is made we lay it out before God. Remember Hezekiah
2 Kings 19:14-37 NIV
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
But they don’t do this. So at this early stage they decide to go up against Gibeah .They did not even approach God. The start of the Lord’s prayer is “Thy will be done”- not my will. So we should ask “what is Your will Lord”?
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The second point is this; in the heat of the moment don’t rush into a decision. Look at how they respond in vs 8
Judges 20:8-10 New King James Version
8 So all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, nor will any turn back to his house; 9 but now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot. 10 We will take ten men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they may repay all the vileness that they have done in Israel.”
We don’t jump into big decisions. I love what Romans 12:19 says, - we need to “leave room” for God more specifically “…. leave room for the wrath of God”. There is a difference between justice- which works through the laws of the land and vengeance which is doing what is right in our own eyes. We work through the laws of the land and in the very least the Judge at the time should have been consulted. That would have been justice, but taking retribution because it is right in our opinion/eyes- that is vengeance. And “vengeance is mine says the Lord”. There is also a big difference between an emotive popular and quick decision vs a stepping back, slower and prayerful decision. With the former we do what is right in our own eyes. So in big decisions give God room!
Getting back to the story. Benjamin refuses to surrender the murderers from Gibeah, so they too now mobilise for war
Judges 20:15-18 New King James Version
15 And from their cities at that time the children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who numbered seven hundred select men. 16 Among all this people were seven hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth and not miss. 17 Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.
18 Then the children of Israel arose and went up to [a]the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?”
The Lord said, “Judah first!”
It’s quite ironic really and quite illuminating in a way, because Benjamin was Jacob’s favourite son, about to be nearly wiped out by his own “brothers”. And the name Benjamin actually means “son of my right hand”. But here they have assembled what you may call their special forces, their SAS, who mysteriously are left handed- mollydookers! As a group of left handers there may have been some battlefield advantage- surprise perhaps? Whatever they are all highly trained and effective. And while you may think that did not stand a chance against the rest of Israel with their 400,000 troops, this was not to be. When God is in control you soon learn that advantage, numerically or otherwise makes no difference at all!
Judges 20:19-25 New King James Version
18 Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?”
The Lord said, “Judah first!”
19 So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at Gibeah. 21 Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. 22 And the people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the first day. 23 Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, “Shall I again draw near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?”
And the Lord said, “Go up against him.”
24 So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the second day. 25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of Israel; all these drew the sword.
Talk about prayer being answered! Israel has just lost 40,000 of their troops (10%). Now we have an interesting situation.
Let’s pick up a few points from this
Do you notice how Israel asks God to rubber stamp a decision they have made to go into battle, simply asking who shall go first? They have already decided to go into battle and just wants God’s blessing on who to send first. At first I shook my head at this, but soon realised I am no different. How often do I make a decision to do something, and then ask God as I’m on my way to do it, to bless and protect me? Is that not exactly what these Israelites did? We sometimes treat God as a genie in a bottle.
Just looking at very similar story in this Book of Judges in Ch1:1-2 vs this end of the book account
Judges 1:1-2 New King James Version
1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, “Who shall be first to go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?”
2 And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up. Indeed I have delivered the land into his hand.”
The word for Lord used here is Yahweh- the personal name of God. But by chapter 20
Judges 20:18 New King James Version
18 Then the children of Israel arose and went up to the house of God to inquire of God. They said, “Which of us shall go up first to battle against the children of Benjamin?”
The word used here for God in Ch 20 is Elohim- the generic /plural term for God. It is not the personal name of God. Rather it’s like me saying I’m going to the Mader’s for some advice vs I’m going to see Glen for some advice. When I use Glen’s name its much more personal. In the beginning (Chapter 1) the Israelites had a personal relationship with God and they have now lost that personal relationship.
However when they lose the battle, they are drawn closer to God and they start calling Him Yahweh again.
It seems to me that God is more interested in a personal relationship with Him than us winning a particular battle we may have. It also seems to me that God is more interested in out holiness than our earthly successes or happiness? Long term that holiness brings eternal joy.
Do we also notice how Judah is always chosen to lead? It foreshadows the day when the Lion of Judah, Jesus, will lead the people into righteousness and reconcile them to Yahweh.
Getting back to the story
Judges 20:26-28 New King James Version
26 Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to ]the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?”
And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
Reading on from vs 34
Judges 20:34-36
34 And ten thousand select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them. 35 The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the sword.
36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated.
So just looking at the numbers. In the first battle at least 22,000 Israelites went into battle, because that’s how many were killed, in the second battle18,000 at least went into battle and were killed, but here we have 10,000 going into battle. Now if I was one of those 10,000 facing the Benjamites in the third battle I would be praying that those 700 left-handed SAS Benjamites had gone on holiday and also that we had some kind of new tactic or weapon because last time we had 22,000 troops and they got wiped out and this time we have 10,000 men going into battle! The statistics are not in my favour here!
One of my favourite Psalms is this one
Psalm 3 A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.
And it finishes with
From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.
Clearly God does not worry about statistics, He laughs at what we think are impossible battles or challenges and he says to us
Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The battle is in God’s hands.
There is a lot more in this story, but in the end the tribe of Benjamin was nearly wiped out leaving only 600 men who had fled into the desert were left. About 65,000 people killed because they they did what they thought was right- in their own eyes. But they finally do approach the Lord through the High Priest and draw close to Yahweh. Today we too can approach the throne of God, through the High Priest Jesus and bring our battles to Him.