Burunche’s Blog

Judges 20:29 – 48 “So Israel set up an ambush around Gibeah. On the third day the Israelites went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against Gibeah as they had done before. The Benjamites came out against them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. “We are defeating them as before,” said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city onto the roads.”

So all the men of Israel got up from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah. Then 10,000 select men from all Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon them. The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated.

Now the men of Israel had retreated before Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set against Gibeah. The men in ambush rushed suddenly against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword. The men of Israel had arranged a signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of smoke from the city, the men of Israel would turn in the battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before us as in the first battle.” But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke. Then the men of Israel turned back on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized that disaster had come upon them. So they fled before the men of Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and the men coming out of the cities struck them down there. They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men of valor.

Then the Benjamites turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down 5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck down 2,000 more. That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen fell, all men of valor. But six hundred men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. And the men of Israel turned back against the other Benjamites and struck down with the sword all the cities, including the animals and everything else they found. And they burned down all the cities in their path.”

This whole mess started because the men of Gibeah did the unthinkable and their relatives stuck up for them. Had the rest of the Tribe of Benjamin sanctioned the men of Gibeah, all would have been well. But one bad decision led to another and now disaster was overtaking the Benjamites.

After the Israelites seriously sought the Lord, repented, and worshiped, God gave them new strategies to conquer the Benjamites. The Israelites mounted an ambush, drawing the Benjamites away from Gibeah and then torching Gibeah. The Israelite soldiers in hiding then attacked, destroying the Benjamite soldiers and all the cities in the Tribe of Benjamin. By the time these battles were over, the Tribe of Benjamin was nearly annihilated, all because they refused to discipline their own people.

APPLICATION: What made the difference between the first two days of the Israelite attacks and the third day? v. 35-36 “The LORD defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. Then the Benjamites realized they had been defeated.” God made the difference. The Israelites who were killed the first two days were just as brave and just as strong as those who defeated the Benjamites. It was God who made the difference.

When the men of Gibeah raped that poor young woman, they failed to consider the fact that God was watching. And when the Benjamites insisted on supporting the men of Gibeah, thus approving of their horrific acts, God was also watching.

Many times we feel that God is completely removed from our actions and that He will not intervene. But God is NOT removed and God DOES care.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to realize that You are intimately involved in all of our affairs. Help us to remember that You care about everything we do, everything we think, everything we plan. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Judges 20:18 – 28 “The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied. The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah. And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

But the Israelite army took courage and again took their battle positions in the same place where they had arrayed themselves on the first day. They went up and wept before the LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD answered, “Go up against them.”

On the second day the Israelites advanced against the Benjamites. That same day the Benjamites came out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000 Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

Then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hands.”

40,000 Israelites die in the first two days of battle against Benjamin! And these losses have taken place after the Israelites have already asked God for guidance. At this point, the Israelites are ready to give up; however, they do the most intelligent thing possible. Rather than sitting and lamenting, the Israelites all go up to Bethel where the Tabernacle is located. There the Israelites pray, weeping before the Lord and fasting until evening. In addition, the Israelites present burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord as required by Moses. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, is serving as high priest.

Why is this act of worship so important? The Israelites have realized that while they have asked God for guidance, they have not worshiped Him. Now as the Israelites are worshiping, God gives them assurance. Notice that on the previous two days, the Israelites asked for – and received – directions; however, God gave them no assurance.

APPLICATION: 40,000 casualties in two days! If that kind of loss happened today, social media would light up in a blaze of indignation! There would be calls for a halt to the battle, and people would be furious.

The question here is this: did the Israelites do anything wrong on the first two days of the battle? The Israelites asked God for guidance, and God advised them what to do; yet, their losses were catastrophic. No, the Israelites did nothing wrong, nor were they misguided. When we are facing evil, we must be prepared for setbacks and for losses. The Israelites did everything properly, but the very best thing they did was to assemble before the Lord, pray and fast, and offer sacrifices. Did God NEED those sacrifices? Of course not! An all – sufficient, all – powerful God needs nothing. But the ISRAELITES needed that time of prayer, of repentance, and of worship.

What is the lesson here for us? When we are confronting evil and nothing appears to be happening, we need to double down and pray harder, search our hearts for anything that is hindering our efforts, and above all, worship.

How much difference was there between the Benjamites as a whole and the men of Gibeah? Evidently, there was very little difference if the rest of the Benjamites could go to war on behalf of those in Gibeah. But how much difference was there between the Benjamites as a whole and the rest of the Israelites? Probably not that much. Again, the Israelites were reaping the results of having failed to teach their children the laws of God and His ways. Despite the covenants the Israelites made with God as described in Deuteronomy 30, they had refused to follow the Lord and were wandering around becoming more confused instead.

When the Israelites came to the end of their own resources, they truly sought the Lord. And that seeking eventually brought victory. But what a price the Israelites had paid before they were willing to ask God for help and to worship Him!

How many of us are trying to make it on our own? We feel we have things figured out – oh, we might want a little divine guidance once in awhile, but really, we can handle things….. we think. And then we face sudden calamities – sickness, accidents, economic downturns, not to mention natural disasters such as fires, floods, and storms. Suddenly we realize the ice on which we have been skating is actually very thin indeed. The Israelites waited until things were really going wrong before they came before the Lord. Don’t be like the Israelites! Worship God now! Worship Him daily! Study God’s Word, the Bible, and let its truths nourish and strengthen your spirit. Then when calamities arise, you will be prepared mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You that You are always ready to hear us and that You care for us far more than we can possibly imagine. Help everyone who reads these words to seek You and to worship You in spirit and in truth. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 20:1 – 17 “Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah. The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords. (Now the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?” So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died. Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”

Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house. Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates. We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”

So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city. And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites. And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites. On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah. Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing. The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mustered 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.”

Leviticus 19:34 ”You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 22:25 “But if the man encounters a betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and lies with her, only the man who has done this must die. Do nothing to the young woman, because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him. When he found her in the field, the betrothed woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.”

A horrible crime has taken place! The men of Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin, Israelites who should have sheltered strangers whether or not they were fellow Israelites and who should have protected all women, have raped and murdered a young woman after attempting to rape her husband when the couple and their servant sought a night’s lodging in their city. While alive, this young woman probably cried as loudly as she could for help, but those who should have helped her attacked her instead. According to the laws of Moses, every one of the rapists should have been stoned, but they were not punished at all.

The outraged husband has cut his wife into pieces and sent the pieces throughout Israel in a demand for justice. When all the other tribes of Israel meet, the Benjamites are fully aware of the meeting but make no attempt whatsoever to attend. While the Benjamites might feel that they are merely siding with their brothers, in fact, they are doing something far worse. By refusing to attend this meeting, the rest of the tribe of Benjamin are graphically demonstrating that they actually approve of these heinous crimes.

APPLICATION: Several years ago, we were associated with a project whose leader asked me to assess its performance. Unfortunately, the more closely I examined things, the more I realized that this facility was operating along non – scriptural lines. Once I completed my report, the Holy Spirit spoke quietly to my heart and said, “What will you do now? Remember, silence implies consent. If you do not protest the wrong practices, you are agreeing with them.” We wrote out a statement indicating the practices with which we could not agree and offering to help the project address these problems. The leader became infuriated and dismissed us; however, we had peace because we had followed the Lord in this matter.

“SILENCE IMPLIES CONSENT.” Today, many of us are being bullied into ignoring practices that are immoral and unconstitutional. Some of us may find ourselves facing the loss of our jobs for our refusal to compromise. In such situations, what do we do? Only God can give us the correct answers; however, remaining quiet has far – reaching consequences. Later on, when things become far worse, our initial silence may be used against us. Far better to speak up in the beginning than to regret at the end. May God help each of us to stand firm when our faith is challenged!

PRAYER: Father God, you know the struggles we are facing. You know that many of us are being forced into untenable positions. Lord, help us to remain firm in our faith and to speak up. Send your warring angels to protect all who are standing for righteousness. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 19:22 – 30 “While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have relations with him!” The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage. Look, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine, and you can use them and do with them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.”

But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. Early that morning, the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, collapsed at the doorway, and lay there until it was light. In the morning, when her master got up and opened the doors of the house to go out on his journey, there was his concubine, collapsed in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. “Get up,” he told her. “Let us go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. And everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!”

This story describes unimaginable depravity. First, the people of Gibeah have refused to harbor strangers in total rejection of their own culture. Now the men of Gibeah are thronging at the door, demanding that the young Levite be given to them so that they can rape him. Instead of a stranger needing shelter and protection, all these men can see is fresh meat for their lusts! The old man from Ephraim feels so strongly about protecting the young Levite that he offers his own virgin daughter as well as the Levite’s concubine for these men to rape instead. When the men refuse to listen, the Levite thrusts his concubine out the door, abandoning her to be raped all night until she dies at the doorstep of the house where the Levite is safely ensconced.

This story teaches on many different levels. One constant theme is the duty of right – thinking men in those days to strangers. Travelers were to be welcomed, sheltered, fed, and cared for. Even today, this tradition holds true in many parts of the world. In Ghana, we have had friends who have given us their beds, fed us the best food they had and heated bath water for us – all as a matter of course because we were travelers whom they were welcoming into their homes.

What has happened to the men of Gibeah that they have become obsessed with homosexual liaisons? The only possible answer is that these men have completely forgotten the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Successive generations of parents have failed to teach their children the things of God and this depravity is the final result.

Women and girls reading this story might be outraged at the outcome for the poor concubine. Why didn’t the Levite let his concubine remain indoors where she would be safe, rather than abandoning her to the mob? This young man might be from the tribe of Levi; however, his actions are not those of a holy man who knows the ways of God. In the first place, the Levite could have married this girl; however, he had gotten away with making her a concubine, paying a far cheaper price and automatically giving this girl far less status than that of a wife. The girl’s father probably thought that having his daughter allied with the tribe of Levi would give his whole family a boost in status, not realizing that he was giving his daughter to a man who would sacrifice her to save his own skin. But even had this girl been a wife, the reality was that women counted for far less than men on the social scale. (One other minor detail: there is no record to indicate that the Levite was sorry for having so poorly planned their travels that they wound up in Gibeah in the first place.)

The Levite returned home where he would be safe and then cut the girl into pieces, sending each piece throughout Israel. This terrible action was to wake up the rest of Israel to the moral mess into which Gibeah of the tribe of Benjamin had sunk.

APPLICATION; We read this story and feel morally superior. After all, WE would NEVER consider such horrible things…. Oh? How many of us or our children are addicted to violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto? Several years ago, in a small town in Georgia, a teenager who had been repeatedly playing that video game murdered a local police officer who had previously befriended him. The only explanation that could be found was that this young man had practiced murder and mayhem in a video game to the point that he was acting out the things he had been practicing.

St. Paul warned the Philippians, “ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things..”(NIV)

People training to become airline pilots spend long hours in flight simulators, practicing maneuvers until they can perform flawlessly and automatically. This practice is necessary so that in an emergency, pilots will be able to save their planes and the lives of all traveling with them.

What kind of things do you find entertaining? How about your kids? What videos are they watching online? What kind of online gaming are they involved in? The general trend with games has been to become more violent and increasingly perverted. You become what you watch and what occupies your mind. The process happens gradually. We should be striving to become more noble and more loving, not more depraved.

PRAYER: Father God, help all of us to check those things that entertain us and to turn away from anything that does not please You. Help us to know You and to love You more each day than we did the day before. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 19:1 – 21 “And in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. After she had been there four months, her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days, eating, drinking, and lodging there.

On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.” So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.” The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.

On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate. When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey home.”

But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”

But his master replied, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night. (The distance between Bethlehem and Gibeah is 12 miles or 19 km.)

That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites) came in from his work in the field. When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where have you come from?” The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home, even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.” “Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.” So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.”

At first this seems like a strange story to stick in the middle of the Bible, but it is there for a reason. This story marks the final degradation to which the Israelites have descended. This young man from the remote hill country of Ephraim somehow found a young lady from Bethlehem to be his concubine. Wikipedia tells us, “The position of the concubine was generally inferior to that of the wife. Although a concubine could produce heirs, her children would be inferior in social status to a wife’s children, although they were of higher status than illegitimate children.” The advantage for the young man was that he did not have to pay a high bride price, although he might pay some money to the girl’s family. The girl ran back to her family in Bethlehem, perhaps because she was homesick. The girl’s father was naturally anxious to keep the couple with him as long as possible; however, after several delays, the young man insisted on leaving late in the afternoon. The distance between Jerusalem and Bethlehem was only a few miles, but the sun was already setting as they neared Jerusalem. This stubborn fellow refused to stay in Jerusalem but insisted on pushing on a few more miles to the Israelite city of Gibeah.

Traditionally, strangers who entered a city would come to the city square and one of the local citizens would readily take the strangers into their home and care for them. The first indication that staying in Gibeah was a bad idea was that the local people totally ignored the young man, his concubine, and his servant. This was particularly perplexing since the strangers had all their provisions and only needed a place to shelter for the night. Finally an old man who was from the same area as the young Levite offered them hospitality.

APPLICATION: One of the indications that a culture is breaking down is the deterioration of common courtesy. Throughout the ancient world, hospitality to strangers was practiced as a matter of course. There are many horrifying details in this story, but one of the earliest is the failure of the citizens of Gibeah to welcome these strangers. It is ironic but likely true that had this small band stopped in Jerusalem, the Jebusites might have been kinder to them. Finally an elderly man steeped in the culture invites them into his home for the night. Little does he know that the citizens of Gibeah are about to riot at his doorstep.

As we become more dependent on cell phones, tablets, and computers, the opportunities for direct face to face interactions are steadily decreasing. The less contact we have with other people, the less able we are to interact with them and the less compassion we may have. Kindergarten and primary school teachers are complaining that children who have been using electronic media for several hours a day don’t know how to play with other children or to even relate to them. One teacher testified on Facebook that when she gave her high school class five minutes in which to chat directly with one another rather than messaging, many of the students had no idea what to do and simply put their heads down on their desks.

We may criticize the people of Gibeah, but how many times do we actually recognize the people around us as individuals, or more importantly, as children of God? Cell phones and tablets allow us to distance ourselves so that we can control our social interactions, but in so doing we are losing our ability to converse or to extend common courtesy. May God help us to lay down our electronic media, get earbuds or bluetooth devices out of our ears, and to appreciate the people around us!

PRAYER: Father God, help! We have been taken captive by our cell phones and tablets and no longer practice kindness and courtesy! Help us to remember that You have created people as individuals and to appreciate those around us and show them Your love. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 18:14 – 31 “Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.” So they turned aside there and went to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted him.

The six hundred Danites stood at the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war. And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men. When they entered Micah’s house and took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?” So the priest was glad and took the ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with the people. Putting their small children, their livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and departed.

After they were some distance from Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized and overtook the Danites. When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?” He replied, “You took the gods I had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.” So the Danites went on their way, and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were too strong for him.

After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city. There was no one to deliver them, because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites rebuilt the city and lived there. They named it Dan, after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was formerly named Laish. The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses,b and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up for themselves Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.”

The Danites might have wimped out against the Amorites and the Philistines, but they could afford to be big and brave when confronting Micah and his unarmed household or the unsuspecting people of the city of Laish. Graphically demonstrating that they had no spiritual insight whatsoever, the Danites insisted on capturing Micah’s priest, along with the idols and the ephod and hauling them off to their new city. There is no spiritually neutral location in the entire world. By establishing Dan on the basis of idolatry, the Danites doomed themselves and their clan. Later on, Jereboam built an enormous altar in Dan as a means of keeping the Israelites from returning to the temple in Jerusalem, but the rot started with Micah’s idols and that unholy ephod.

APPLICATION: Many of us would like to go our own way, behaving according to our own lights, dim as they might be, without any regard for the lasting effect it might have on our friends or families. We give lip service to the idea that we want our children to be good upright moral people; however, we ourselves are lousy models. “Do as I say and not as I do” has never worked for parents, not even for Adam and Eve.

The story of Micah and his idols and the Danites is pathetic for several reasons. Here are people who sense that they need God and His power in their lives; however, they are clueless as to how to reach God. In the absence of true knowledge of God or of His precepts, these people are simply making things up as they go along, hoping that somehow they are going to get something right.

At this point it is evident that the Tabernacle is still in Shiloh. Presumably, there are also Levitical priests who are also still in Shiloh and who continue to follow the worship practices laid down by Moses. But Shiloh is a long ways off. The Danites haven’t paid any attention to that stuff in years, and they aren’t about to start now.

What kind of worship did the Danites conduct using these idols and that ephod? Who knows? And when the Danites attempted to hear from God using the ephod as a divining tool, was it God who answered or was it Satan? There were really only two possibilities.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4 that “God is a spirit and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” How do we worship God when we have never known Him? Ask! God promises that He will always hear those who are searching for Him. Tell God your problems and ask Him for help. Then see what He will do. The results might be amazing.

PRAYER: Father God, there are many of us who aren’t sure Who You are or how to approach You. Please guide all who are truly seeking You into Your Truth. Thank you that You love us and that You always respond to those who want to know more of You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 18:1 – 12 “In those days there was no king in Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. So the Danites sent out five men from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. And while they were near Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” “Micah has done this and that for me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”

Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful journey.” And the priest told them, “Go in peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.” So the five men departed and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.

When the men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?” They answered, “Come on, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take possession of the land! When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has given it into your hands. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

So six hundred Danites departed from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war. They went up and camped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dana to this day. And from there they traveled to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.”

APPLICATION: Why was the tribe of Dan wandering around several generations after Joshua had given them their inheritance? (Joshua 19) The territory the tribe of Dan selected was west of Jerusalem and extended to the Mediterranean Sea. It extended north of the territory assigned to Judah and south of the territory given to Ephraim. But the tribe of Dan never occupied their inheritance. Judges 1:34-35 ^“The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim..” The Philistines also opposed the Danites and ruled over them.

What was the problem of the Danites? The Danites failed to trust God or worship Him and they also wanted their inheritance to be handed to them. While 85 year old Caleb was down in Hebron conquering the local giants, the Danites were whining because they didn’t really want to fight as hard as they should have. The result was that the Danites were squeezed into a small area in the hill country. This passage describes the hunt of the Danites for the new territory that they eventually found in the northeast corner of Israel. The ruins of the ancient city of Dan are so close to the borders of Syria and Lebanon that if one looks north, one sees Lebanon and if one looks east, one sees Syria. And while the spies who returned to Dan might have brought an encouraging report, the plain fact is that Dan still wound up with a fraction of the land they would have possessed had they conquered the territory originally allotted to them. (Source material from: https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/did-tribe-dan-move-does-judges18-1-contradict-joshua19-48/)

The tragedy of the tribe of Dan was two – fold: they lacked the will for prolonged struggle against the Amorites and the Philistines and they failed to trust and worship the One True Living God who had brought them into the land and who had promised to give it to them. Had the Danites trusted God and worshiped Him, they would have succeeded in conquering their enemies. God wanted the Danites to succeed; however, God could not bless their efforts when they refused to trust Him.

Perhaps today you are facing enemies that seem invincible. You heartily wish that God would let you go somewhere else where things are easier. But if God has called you to hard places, then God will guide you and give you the strength and courage to go through whatever it takes to succeed. And remember, worship is just as much a form of spiritual warfare as is prayer. The more we worship God, the more we apprehend the magnitude of His power and the more encouraged we will be in our faith.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to never look back but to look forward to You as You lead us and guide us. Help us to realize that when we face giant problems, we do not face them alone but that You are always with us. Help us to worship You in spirit and in truth. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 17:1 – 13 “Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” (1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver.) Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!” And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.”

So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah. (200 shekels is approximately 5 pounds or 2.3 kilograms of silver.)

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And there was a young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah. This man left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim. “Where are you from?” Micah asked him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”

“Stay with me,” Micah said to him, “and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” (10 shekels is approximately 4 ounces or 114 grams of silver.)

So the Levite went in and agreed to stay with him, and the young man became like a son to Micah. Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in his house. Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my priest.”

This is a terribly sad story! Joshua and all those of his generation and several generations afterwards are all dead and God’s laws and ordinances have been forgotten. What has survived is a form of Jewish folk religion – a mixture of magic practices with a pinch of truth, but only a pinch.

Micah steals a large quantity of silver from his mother and then later returns it, probably because he fears the curses his mother has put on anybody who has taken the money. Micah’s mother dedicates the money to the Lord…. for a graven image and a molten idol. HUH? God has expressly forbidden the Israelites to make any idols; however, parents have failed to teach children, and now the worship of the One True Living God has deteriorated into idolatry. Micah now has a shrine, an ephod that he has made, and some household idols. After Micah has ordained one of his sons as a priest, a young Levite from Bethlehem shows up. Micah doesn’t remember much about the priests of the Lord, but he does remember that the Levites are the priestly tribe, so he recruits the young Levite to be his personal priest. Having already done several things that are completely against the will of God, Micah tops it by assuming that having a Levite in his house will bring a blessing.

APPLICATION: The term “meshugganah” is a Yiddish word indicating someone who is crazy! This story is sad because Micah genuinely wants to worship the Lord but has no idea of what to do. Without any priest or teach to guide, Micah decides to create some of the trappings of the original tabernacle of Moses. Surrounding tribes have idols so Micah makes idols. The ephod was originally used for seeking the will of the Lord, so Micah creates an ephod in hopes of learning God’s will by divination, something else that God has forbidden. And Micah vaguely remembers that he needs a priest, so he looks around and selects one of his sons to act as a priest. Of course, this fellow has no idea how a priest is supposed to function, nor does he realize that he is from the wrong tribe to become a priest in the first place.

Given all these considerations, Micah might be excused if he gets really excited when the young Levite shows up. Somehow Micah remembers that the Levites are the priestly tribe, although he doesn’t remember anything else.

The key sentence in this chapter is verse 6: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” By this point in Israel, things are really in a mess, morally and spiritually, as illustrated by this story. What happened? Despite God ordering the Israelites to teach their children and their grandchildren His ordinances, the Israelites became so caught up in conquering the land of Canaan and enjoying the cities, fields, vineyards, and olive groves, that they lost sight of the Lord.

What are we doing with our children and grandchildren? Are we teaching them about God or are we hoping that if we send them to Sunday School, somebody else will teach them? Are our children and grandchildren seeing us honoring God in our lives, or do they see us worshiping fame, wealth, social position, or our professions? We are the most vivid Bible that our children and grandchildren will ever see. If we fail to honor God in our own lives, how do we expect them to honor God in theirs? God help us if we fail as parents and grandparents!

PRAYER: Father God, help! We ourselves do not honor You as we should; yet, we want our children and grandchildren to do what we are failing to do. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to teach our children and grandchildren the things of God, but also help us to show them how much You love them. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 16:15 – 31“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she told him, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!” Finally, after she had pressed him daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death, Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”

When Delilah realized that he had revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands. And having lulled him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left him. Then she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”

When Samson awoke from his sleep, he thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the prison.

However, the hair of his head began to grow back after it had been shaved.

Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.”

And while their hearts were merry, they said, “Call for Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison to entertain them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the temple, so I can lean against them.” Now the temple was full of men and women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson entertain them. Then Samson called out to the LORD: “O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.”

And Samson reached out for the two central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.”

Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he killed more than he had killed in his life. Then Samson’s brothers and his father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he had judged Israel twenty years.”

APPLICATION: This story needs no explanation. Samson, called of God and gifted beyond all other men with supernatural strength, weakens and finally tells Delilah his secret. Captured and blinded, Samson becomes a slave. But while the Philistines are mocking Samson, his hair is growing.

At this point, many of us might question God. “Look, Lord, this guy has really made a royal mess of his life! So what if his hair grows. Big deal.” But God is not through with Samson; even if Samson has failed in much of his calling, God wants to prove to the Philistines that their god Dagon is no god but a useless demon who cannot deliver his worshipers. When Samson is brought into the temple so that the Philistines can mock him, Samson prays what may be one of the few sincere prayers in his entire life. Samson begs the Lord for his strength to return for one last desperate act, and God agrees.

Why does Samson beg God for the privilege of dying with the Philistines? What else is Samson to do? Samson is blind, and he knows that he has shredded his Nazirite vows and has spoiled God’s plan for his life. But finally Samson is facing God and acknowledging God as the Source of his strength, perhaps for the first time in his entire life. God is giving Samson one more chance to do things right, and this time Samson humbly and sincerely asks for God’s help.

Is the story of Samson a total disaster? Much of this account grieves us; many of us have had gifted friends who have wasted their gifts. But the final act in this story is NOT a disaster! Belatedly perhaps, but for once in Samson’s life, he truly turns to God and God acts mightily. Ironically, the temple collapse kills more Philistines than Samson has killed during his lifetime. God has triumphed over the false idol of Dagon. Has Delilah has come to the temple to gloat, only to die in this disaster? We don’t know. But we do know that at this point in time, the name “Sorek” has been fulfilled. Worship of a false god has proven to be a fruitless tree.

PRAYER: Father God, some of us feel that we have messed up our lives beyond all fixing. But YOU are the God of second chances. Your Name is Redeemer and Savior. Please come into our hearts, redeem us and save us from ourselves. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Judges 16:4 – 14 “Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” (1,100 shekels is approximately 27.6 pounds or 12.5 kilograms of silver.)

So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” Samson told her, “If they tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will become as weak as any other man.”

So the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him up with them. While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be tied up.” He replied, “If they tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any other man.” So Delilah took new ropes, tied him up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the web of a loom and fasten it with a pin, I will become as weak as any other man.”

So while he slept, Delilah took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she fastened the braids with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin with the loom and the web.”

Reading this story might cause us to ask ourselves how stupid can one man be? The first time Samson attempted to marry a Philistine girl, it was a disaster. The incident with the prostitute in Gaza resulted in Samson having to escape from Gaza at midnight, hauling the city gates with him. Now Samson has become entranced by yet another Philistine girl, this time from the valley of Sorek, a name some sources believe to mean “fruitless tree.”

Samson’s Nazirite vows are undoubtedly abandoned, apart from his allowing his hair and beard to grow. Delilah sees Samson as her opportunity to become rich and sets out to trap him by any means possible. Why is Samson sleeping as Delilah is tying him up with bowstrings and ropes? Who in their right mind is going to lie asleep while someone weaves his hair into the web of a loom? Has Samson been drinking each time these things happened in further rejection of his Nazirite vow?

Samson is so sure of himself that he continues to flirt with danger. One might observe that Samson’s ego is in a gaseous state, ever – expanding.

APPLICATION: At this point in the story, Samson is not yet completely doomed. If Samson stops, realizes how far he has fallen and repents, there will still be hope for him. Samson can tell Delilah “good – bye and and good riddance” and return to Israelite territory and stay there, renewing his Nazirite vows and leading a blameless life. But Samson has walked on the wild side and gotten away with it for so long that anything else appears dull by comparison. Samson has become an adrenaline junkie; the path of virtue doesn’t promise any adrenaline rushes.

God’s mercy extends down to the very last breath we take; however, we never know when that last breath will occur. Some of us may be in the same position as Samson. We have spent years chasing one thrill after another, searching for that next adrenaline rush that will spur us on to further exertions.

Perhaps your drug of choice is cocaine or meth. Perhaps you like alcohol. Perhaps you have become a gambler, betting on everything you can find. Perhaps your addictions are more socially acceptable – on – line gaming, playing the stock market, extreme sports, racing any vehicle you can find, or even working as many hours as possible. Whatever gives you your adrenaline fix has become an addiction, and addictions always separate you from friends and family until it becomes too late to turn back. One day, you look around and your friends and family are gone. Your children have grown up. Your spouse has found someone else. And you are alone.

Stop before it’s too late! Don’t copy Samson! Don’t tell yourself that you can always quit or that your obsessions aren’t harming anybody. Turn to God and let Him help you break out of that cycle. Let God lift you into a glorious life.

PRAYER: Father God, we confess that we have become adrenaline junkies, longing for the next high. Help us to see that You are the Life – giver, the Way – maker, and the only One who can truly fulfill us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.