Sunday
Evening Bible Study
December 9, 2001
Introduction
There is a phrase that pops up four times at the end of the book of Judges,
“there was no king in Israel”. It is
found twice in the story of the Levite who led the tribe of Dan into idolatry
(Judges 17:6; 18:1)
(Judg 17:6 KJV) In those days there was no king in Israel,
but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
(Judg 18:1 KJV) In those days there was no king in Israel …
It is found twice in the story we’ll look at this morning, at the beginning
(19:1) and at the end (21:25).
Both stories seem intended to give us an open window into the conditions of
the nation at the time of the Judges.
Especially in the story we see this morning, we see just how utterly
corrupt the people had become.
Later, in the book of 1Samuel, the people will be begging the prophet
Samuel to give them a king –
(1 Sam 8:7 KJV) And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto
the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not
rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
What we have in our story this morning is really a picture of what life
becomes when Jesus does not reign in our lives. He is a king –
(Isa 9:6-7 KJV) For unto us
a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. {7} Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon
his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
(Rev 19:16 NLT) On his robe
and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords.
When Jesus isn’t King - Judges 19
:1 when there was no king in Israel … a certain Levite …
Levite – a man from the tribe of Levi. The Levites were to be the
spiritual leaders of the nation. The Levites were to be helpers for the
priests. This Levite has been living among the people of the tribe of Ephraim.
Though this man ought to be acting like a spiritual leader, you won’t see
it in his actions.
He’s a man whose life is characterized by partying. He’s a man who doesn’t
have a clue about being a good husband. He’s a man who is more concerned for
his own safety than his wife’s.
mount Ephraim – the hill country belonging to the tribe of Ephraim. See map
Bethlehemjudah – the town of Bethlehem in Judah. Same as the
birthplace of David and Jesus. See map
This town has an interesting history.
In the book of Judges, when there was “no king”, it was the town where some
pretty confused people came from.
Back in Judges 17-18, this was the town that another Levite came from,
Jonathan the grandson of Moses, who became an illegal priest to the tribe of
Dan and led an entire tribe into idolatry.
Here, it is the town where this other messed up Levite married a concubine.
But in the book of Ruth, this is the town that Elimelech and Naomi will
come from, the town where Ruth will find her husband Boaz.
This is the town where a king would be born, a man after God’s own heart,
David.
This is the town where another King would be born, the King of Kings.
:2 And his concubine played the whore against him
concubine – this was a relationship similar to marriage, but not
quite. A concubine was kind of like a “second class” wife. She was guaranteed
food, clothing, and marital privileges (Ex. 21:7-11; Deut. 21:10-14), but she
had no authority in the family nor shared in the household government. Her
children didn’t necessarily share in the family inheritance (Gen. 25:1-6). Though Abraham had a concubine, and Solomon
had hundreds of them, the relationship was not what God originally designed for
marriage.
The concubine didn’t like the way things were at home, so she left and went
back to her daddy’s house in Bethlehem.
Lesson
When Jesus isn’t King, your marriage
suffers
The idea of having a concubine in the first place is off base.
God’s original idea was for one man and one woman to be committed to each
other for life. God’s idea was for
woman to be man’s helper, not his servant. God’s idea of marriage was one of
total openness and acceptance. God’s
idea of marriage was that a man and a woman intermingle their lives so much
that the two become one.
The Jewish historian Josephus writes (Antiquities, 5:2:8)
… that they quarrelled one with another perpetually; and at last
the woman was so disgusted at these quarrels, that she left her husband, and
went to her parents in the fourth month.
Having a concubine was tolerated in the Old Testament, but it wasn’t what
God originally designed. It was a cheap
substitute.
When Jesus isn’t King in your life, your value of the things He values goes
down.
God’s idea of marriage is that a husband learns to love his wife completely
and sacrificially.
(Eph 5:25
KJV) Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
:3 And her husband arose …to speak friendly unto her
friendly – leb – inner
man, mind, will, heart, understanding. He came to speak to her “heart”. He
wants to talk and bring his wife back home.
The father-in-law apparently likes the Levite.
:4-9 (don’t read)
The Levite stays at his father-in-law’s house for five days. Every time the Levite decides to head home,
the father-in-law asks him to stay for one more meal, for “just one more
drink”. Finally, the Levite decides it’s time to go.
:5 Comfort thine heart with a
morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.
The father-in-law has been enjoying this time with his son-in-law and asks
him to wait until a meal is served before he goes.
:6 Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.
When the meal is finished, the day is almost gone, and the father-in-law
convinces the Levite to spend one more night.
:10 the man would not tarry that night … came over against Jebus
Jebus – one of the ancient names of the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem
is six miles north of Bethlehem. See map
The father-in-law tries the same approach as before, but this time the
Levite puts his foot down and leaves.
:12 we will pass over to Gibeah.
The Levite thought that it would be better to stay in the city of Israel
than to stay among non-Israelis. It might seem as if this was a mistake.
:13 to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
Cities about five miles from Jerusalem.
Gibeah – This will be the main city around which the action takes
place. About 5 miles from Jerusalem. See map
Ramah – About 5 miles from Jerusalem. See map
:15 for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.
In those days, there weren’t “motels” or “hotels” in every city. Instead, a
traveler would hang out in the city square and people would respond in
hospitality to invite you to stay at their house.
The fact that no one invites them in is not a good sign. This is the point
in the movie where the weird, scary music begins to play.
:16-20 (don’t read)
Finally, an old man from the same tribe as the Levite, walks by and invites
the whole group to stay at his house.
:20 let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
The old man, who is originally from the same area as the Levite, offers his
home for the night.
:22 making their hearts merry
The Levite is spending another night hitting the bottle, just like when he
was with his father-in-law.
:22 certain sons of Belial …Bring
forth the man
Belial – b@liya‘al –worthless,
good for nothing, unprofitable, “wicked men” (NIV), “perverted men” (NKJV).
that we may know him – These men are homosexuals. This sounds
exactly like what happened in Genesis 19, when the angels visited Lot to tell
him to leave Sodom (Gen. 19).
:24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden
I guess it’s nice that the old man wants to protect his guest, but what’s
with offering his daughter and the man’s concubine to these wicked men?
:25 the man took his concubine, and
brought her forth unto them
The Levite takes his concubine and pushes her out the door. She is gang
raped by the wicked men all night.
Lesson
When Jesus isn’t king, believers are
the same as the world
Who are these wicked men? They are
children of Israel. They ought to know
better. Yet they’ve descended into a
pit of wicked, uncontrolled lust. In
fact, their actions are exactly like those of the men of Sodom (Gen. 19).
As believers, we ought to be different than the world.
(Eph 5:1-6 KJV) Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear
children; {2} And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
{3} But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once
named among you, as becometh saints; {4} Neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
{5} For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous
man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of
God. {6} Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things
cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
The wickedness doesn’t stop with men of Gibeah.
The old man was more concerned the safety of his guest than the safety of
his own daughter.
The Levite is more concerned about his own safety than that of his
concubine.
You might think, “But these men were simply acting out of self-defense,
don’t be too harsh on them!”
When Jesus is King, a Jonathan is willing to face an entire Philistine army
on his own. When Jesus is King, a
Daniel will not stop praying and an angel stops the mouths of the lions.
:26 the woman … fell down at the door
The woman is on the verge of death, and with her last bit of strength,
collapses at the door of the old man’s house. She dies on the doorstep.
:27 her lord rose up in the morning
lord – ‘adown – firm,
strong, lord, master; husband
The woman was lying in the doorway, face down, with her hands clasping the
threshold.
He “rose up” because he had been “lying down”. You kind of get the idea that the Levite must have gone to bed
and had a good night’s sleep. Perhaps
he got up and cooked breakfast and packed his bags before heading out the door,
assuming he would be heading home.
:28 he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered.
Sounds like he really cared for his concubine, huh? NOT!
Lesson
When Jesus isn’t king, you don’t
care very much
Jesus said a sign of the end times was –
(Mat 24:12 NASB) "And because lawlessness is increased,
most people's love will grow cold.
But when Jesus is King in your life, you will be a lover of people.
(John 13:34-35 KJV) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye
love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. {35} By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another.
(1 John 3:16 KJV) Hereby perceive we the love of God, because
he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren.
:29 he took a knife …and divided her …into twelve pieces
The Levite is sending a message to the nation. Kind of grisly, isn’t it?
I’d hate to be one of the UPS guys who had to deliver the package. Josephus records (Antiquities 5.2.8),
he sent them to every tribe, and gave it in charge to those that carried
them, to inform the tribes of those that were the causes of his wife’s death
and of the violence they had offered to her.
Later, Saul will do something similar as one of his first acts as king. He
will cut up his oxen and send the pieces of the oxen throughout the nation with
a message –
(1 Sam 11:6-7 KJV) And the
spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was
kindled greatly. {7} And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and
sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers,
saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be
done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came
out with one consent.
The Levite has certainly gotten the attention of the nation
Illustration
I thought you said …
A man writes, “I was going to bed the other night when my wife told me that
I had left the light on in the shed, she could see from the bedroom window. As
I looked for myself, I saw that there were people in the shed taking things. I
phoned the police, but they told me that no one was in the area to help at this
time, but they would send someone over as soon as they were available. I said
OK, hung up, and waited one minute, then phoned the police back. “Hello. I just
called you a minute ago because there were people in my shed. Well, you don’t
have to worry about them now cause I’ve shot them all.” Within five minutes
there were half a dozen police cars in the area, an Armed Response unit, the
works. Of course, they caught the burglars red-handed. One of the officers
said: “I thought you said that you’d shot them!” I replied with “I thought you
said there was nobody available!””
:30 There was no such deed done …
It could be they’re talking about the cutting up of the woman. It could be
that they’re talking about the moral depravity of the men of Gibeah.
Judges 20
:1 the congregation was gathered
together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto
the LORD in Mizpeh.
Dan even to Beersheba – from the farthest north to the farthest
south
Gilead – the tribes that settled on the eastern side of the Jordan
River
Mizpeh – not the Mizpah in Gilead where Jephthah had been, but a
Mizpah located in the tribe of Benjamin. See map
unto the LORD – The nation is trying it’s best to do what the Lord
wants them to do.
:2 four hundred thousand footmen
that drew sword.
Do you think they brought the pieces with them? An army of 400,000 has been
created.
:3 the children of Benjamin heard
that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh
It’s possible that the tribe of Benjamin received one of the pieces of the
concubine, but chose not to go to Mizpeh.
:4-10 (don’t read)
The Levite tells the people all about what happened at Gibeah. The nation is so incensed that they promise
to take care of things.
:4 the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said …
the husband – ‘iysh – man;
husband
The Levite now will tell his story to the nation.
:10 take ten men of an hundred … to
fetch victual for the people
One tenth of the men will be employed with finding provisions (food) for
the rest of the army.
:13 Now therefore deliver us the men
The nation asks the tribe of Benjamin to hand over the men who perpetrated
the crime. The tribe decides to protect its own and won’t hand over the
criminals.
Doesn’t this sound a lot like what is happening in Afghanistan? We asked
the Taliban government to hand over bin Laden, and they have refused.
Lesson
It is right to bring judgment
We need to be careful not to think that this was a mistake. All along the way, the Lord is involved in
this decision of the nation to bring judgment.
God gives governments the right to bring judgment (Rom. 13:1-4). Several more times they will ask God just to
make sure, and God will make it clear that they are to enforce God’s laws.
(Rom 13:1-4 NLT) Obey the government, for God is the one who
put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. {2} So those
who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and
punishment will follow. {3} For the authorities do not frighten people who are
doing right, but they frighten those who do wrong. So do what they say, and you
will get along well. {4} The authorities are sent by God to help you. But if
you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for you will be
punished. The authorities are established by God for that very purpose, to
punish those who do wrong.
It was even proper for an entire city to be destroyed for it’s wickedness
(Deut. 12:12-18)
(Deu 13:12-18 KJV) If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities,
which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying, {13} Certain
men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn
the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye
have not known; {14} Then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask
diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such
abomination is wrought among you; {15} Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants
of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is
therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. {16} And thou
shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and
shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the
LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
{17} And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the
LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have
compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
{18} When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his
commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the
eyes of the LORD thy God.
:14 the children of Benjamin gathered themselves … to battle
All the men of Benjamin gather at Gibeah, where the battle will be.
Lesson
When Jesus is king, men admit their
failures
In our own times, we have seen these Taliban leaders protecting the
terrorists, and they are now rightfully paying the price.
Be careful that you don’t find yourself defending evil
In our own lives, when we are confronted with sin, the proper response is
not to get defensive and go to war, but to confess our sins.
(Prov 28:13 KJV) He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
:15-25 (don’t read)
As the battle begins to draw near, the Benjamites have an army of 26,000 to
face the rest of the nation with their army of 400,000. On the first day of battle, the Israelites
lose 22,000 warriors while the Benjamites lose nothing. On the second day of battle, the Israelites
lose another 18,000, while the Benjamites lose nothing.
:15 twenty and six thousand men …
Keep in mind, these 26,000 men are going to face the rest of the nation, an
army of 400,000.
:16 every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.
The tribe of Benjamin has 700 men who are very skilled with using a
slingshot. For this day and age, these men are equivalent to sharpshooters or
long-range artillery. These men would be able to attack an oncoming army before
the army even gets close to the city. I believe that from the descriptions of
the battles, that the men of Benjamin mostly stayed inside their city for the
first two battles and probably relied heavily upon these stone slingers.
:18 and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God
the house of God – the Hebrew is Beth-el. It could be that
the city of Bethel is meant. See map
Instead of attacking the tribe with all 400,000, the leaders decide that
the tribe should take turn attacking Benjamin.
Note: The Lord wants them to attack Benjamin.
:21 destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two
thousand men.
It seems that in the first day of battle, the nation loses 22,000 men,
while it doesn’t seem that Benjamin loses any.
:23 asked counsel of the LORD …
The people want to be sure that they’re doing the right thing.
It seems like it works the same way in our nation when we are at war. As
soon as the first casualties start appearing, people begin to wonder if we’re
doing the right thing.
The nation consults the Lord, and the Lord says they are to continue to
fight.
:25 destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen
thousand men
The second day is also a bad one for Israel. They lose an additional 18,000
men, bringing their total losses to 38,000. In the end, they will lose more men
than Benjamin.
:26 came unto the house of God
the house of God – the Hebrew is Beth-el. It could be that
the city of Bethel is meant. See map
:28 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron
Phinehas – the grandson of Aaron. This tells us that this whole
incident took place fairly early in the history of Judges. Phinehas was the
priest at the end of the time of Joshua (Joshua 22).
Again, God reconfirms that they are supposed to be doing this.
Why did God allow the nation to lose 40,000 men before defeating the
Benjamites?
Perhaps God wanted them to be at the appropriate place of brokenness over
the nation’s sin before letting the judgment be complete.
Lesson
Justice comes with a price.
Police officers are killed in the line of duty. There will be soldiers
killed in Afghanistan. Yet it is the right thing.
Jesus broke the power of sin in our lives by dying on the cross for us.
:29-48 (don’t read)
On this third day of battle, Israel will use a different strategy. It will
be very similar to the strategy used at the battle of Ai, in Joshua’s day
(Joshua 7).
This time, the Israeli army will pretend to be defeated and retreat in such
a way that they will cause the Benjamites to follow them. When they get about a mile from the city, a
group of 10,000 warriors who have been hiding will come out and take the city
of Gibeah and burn it to the ground.
When the smoke starts to rise up from the city, the main force will stop
their retreat and turn on the Benjamites, trapping them between the two armies.
This time, the nation will win and over 25,000 Benjamites will be
killed. Only a small group of 600
Benjamites will escape and find some caves where they will hide for a couple of
months.
:33 put themselves in array at Baaltamar
Baaltamar – about a mile from Gibeah. See map
:34 there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men
These 10,000 seem to be the ones hiding to ambush the city. The battle was
so fierce at Baaltamar with the main force that the men of Benjamin didn’t
realize what was happening.
:35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel…twenty and five thousand and
an hundred
Note: It was the Lord who finally brought the victory.
25,100 – this is the total number that would eventually fall that day.
:37 the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah
The ambush force of 10,000 take the city first and kill all the inhabitants
before they turn to fight the main Benjamite army.
:39 the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite …
When the main Israeli fighting force sees the smoke rising up from the
city, they stop running from Gibeah (“retire”) and turn to face the Benjaminite
army. At first Benjamin thinks it’s starting to win the battle again, until
they see the smoke behind them.
:42 the battle overtook them
The men of Benjamin panic and begin to try to make an exit by running
toward the desert. But they can’t get away in time and are destroyed.
:43 Thus they enclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them
The main group of the Benjamites flee to the east.
:44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of
valour.
In this first major battle, 18,000 were killed. The rest of the 21,500 will
be killed shortly.
:45 the rock of Rimmon … unto Gidom
Rimmon – a smaller group of Benjamites flee to the west. Rimmon is
about 7 miles northwest of Gibeah. 5,000 are killed on the way to Rimmon. See map
Gidom – Very close to Rimmon, another 2,000 are killed, bringing the
total to 25,000. See map
:47 six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon
600 men make it all the way to Rimmon and hide there in the caves for four
months.
:48 they set on fire all the cities that they came to.
The judgment doesn’t stop with the destruction of the army. All the cities
of Benjamin are wiped out.
Judges 21
:2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even
before God
house of God – or, Bethel (see Judges 20:26).
till even – until evening
:3 why is this come to pass in Israel
The people are very upset that the result of this punishment has ended with
one tribe being almost completely wiped out. They have killed all but the six
hundred men hiding in Rimmon. With their vow to not give any of their daughters
to Benjamin, there is no way for this tribe to continue.
And so a grand scheme is hatched to find six hundred wives for these six
hundred warriors, but to do it in a way where they don’t break any of these
oaths.
First, they ask if there were any cities that had not participated in the
campaign against Benjamin. When they
find out that the city of Jabeshgilead had not sent anyone, they send an army
of 12,000 men and wipe out everyone in the city, except for 400 virgins, which
they then give to the Benjamites.
Josephus records (Antiquities 5.2.11), Accordingly, those that were sent
slew the men of war, with their children and wives, excepting four hundred
virgins. To such a degree had they proceeded in their anger, because
they not only had the suffering of the Levite’s wife to avenge but the
slaughter of their own soldiers.
When Jesus isn’t king, anger goes unchecked.
But they are still 200 wives short.
Someone else cooks up an idea of having the remaining Benjamite
Bachelors show up at the next feast in the city of Shiloh. When the young gals come out to dance during
the feast, the bachelors are given permission to kidnap the girls. If a parent complains, tough luck. No one will come under the curse since no
one will have willingly given their daughter to a Benjamite.
:5 Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up
Somebody comes up with an idea. It starts with finding out who didn’t help
with this judgment on Benjamin.
:8 behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
Jabeshgilead – a city on the eastern side of the Jordan River. This
is the city that King Saul would rescue from the Ammonites a couple hundred
years in the future (1Sam. 11). See map
:9 there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
Nobody from Jabeshgilead ever showed up to help with the punishment of
Benjamin.
:11 Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by
man.
It seems to me that the nation here is going too far in their judgment of
Benjamin.
:12 they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh
Shiloh – one of the cities where the tabernacle had been. See map
:14 Benjamin came … they gave them wives
The people give these men from Benjamin the four hundred gals that they had
taken from Jabeshgilead, but they were two hundred short.
Benjamin came again – Josephus records that they came with
repentance (Antiquities 5.2.12) –
So these men with sorrow confessed, that what had been done was
according to the decree of God, and had happened for their own wickedness;
:15 the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a
breach
repented – nacham – to be
sorry, repent, regret
breach – a gap
:19 there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh … Shechem .. south of Lebonah.
a feast of the LORD – possibly the Feast of Tabernacles, or, Booths
(Sukkoth), which happened at the end of the harvest, a time of feasting,
joy, dancing, etc.
This would probably have been a time when much of the nation was gathered
together for the feast. It wouldn’t just be people from Shiloh.
:21 catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh
They are suggesting that these men of Benjamin kidnap the women of Shiloah
for their wives.
:22 Be favourable unto them for our sakes
Since the fathers in Shiloh didn’t willingly give their daughters to the
Benjamites, they were not guilty of the curse.
:23 whom they caught: and they went and returned
The Roman historian Livy recorded that in the 8th century BC,
during the founding of the city of Rome, there was a shortage of women. The king of the city, Romulus, held a big
festival and invited all the neighboring cities. But it was all a plan to grab wives. With a predetermined signal, the young men of Rome snatched all
the young Sabine women and carried them off.
Later they sweet-talked the women into staying.
:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was
right in his own eyes.
Lesson
Anger brings trouble
When Jesus isn’t your King, your anger will get you into trouble.
(Prov 19:19 KJV) A man of great wrath shall suffer
punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
(Prov 19:19 NLT) Short-tempered people must pay their own
penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.
(James 1:19-20 KJV) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every
man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: {20} For the wrath of man
worketh not the righteousness of God.
Lesson
The folly of human wisdom
If you read carefully through chapter 21, you will notice that God is not
directing any of these crazy ideas.
How could they wipe out Jabeshgilead like this? How could they encourage kidnapping? These are human solutions to
human problems.
When Jesus is King in your life, you will ask Him for direction.
Back when I was in college, we had a tract called the Four Spiritual Laws
from Campus Crusade that we used to share with people. In one place in the tract, there were two
circles, representing two different lives.
In each circle there was a “throne”.
One circle contained chaos, and it was the circle where “self” was on
the “throne”. The other circle pictured
order and peace, and it was the circle where Jesus was on the throne.
Who is on the throne in your
life? Who is your King?
