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10 June 2008
Word on the Web
Judges 20 v 18-28
The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel and asked God, "Which tribe shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?"
The LORD answered, "Judah shall go first."
The next morning the Israelites got up and made a camp near Gibeah. The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took their battle position at Gibeah. Then the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israelites during the battle that day. The Israelites went before the LORD and cried until evening. They asked the LORD, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?"
The LORD answered, "Go up and fight them." The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.
The Israelites came to fight the Benjaminites the second day. The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 Israelites, all of whom carried swords.
Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the LORD and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. The Israelites asked the LORD a question. They asked, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again, or shall we stop fighting?"
The LORD answered, "Go, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you."
Where is God when things go wrong? The Israelites asked God for guidance and did what he said, and two days later 40,000 of them were dead. Why? Could they trust the guidance they were hearing?
We don't really know what was going on here. Were they just asking God to confirm what they had already decided? Were they complacently relying on overwhelmingly superior numbers rather than using their brains? Were they so convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they just assumed God would sort things out for them?
By the third time, their prayers were getting serious, and they weren't asking leading questions. This time they gave God a real choice and received a promise as a basis for faith.
When you ask God for guidance, do you know what answer you want and refuse to listen to anything else? Are you sure who is giving the answer - do you test it? Do you say like Jesus the night before his crucifixion, "Not what I want but what You want"?
Prayer
"O let me see Thy footsteps, and in them plant my own. My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone. O, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end." Amen
Written by James Archer
Word on the Web
Judges 20 v 18-28
The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel and asked God, "Which tribe shall be first to attack the Benjaminites?"
The LORD answered, "Judah shall go first."
The next morning the Israelites got up and made a camp near Gibeah. The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjaminites and took their battle position at Gibeah. Then the Benjaminites came out of Gibeah and killed 22,000 Israelites during the battle that day. The Israelites went before the LORD and cried until evening. They asked the LORD, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again?"
The LORD answered, "Go up and fight them." The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they took the same battle positions they had taken the first day.
The Israelites came to fight the Benjaminites the second day. The Benjaminites came out of Gibeah to attack the Israelites. This time, the Benjaminites killed 18,000 Israelites, all of whom carried swords.
Then the Israelites went up to Bethel. There they sat down and cried to the LORD and fasted all day until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. The Israelites asked the LORD a question. They asked, "Shall we go to fight our relatives, the Benjaminites, again, or shall we stop fighting?"
The LORD answered, "Go, because tomorrow I will hand them over to you."
Where is God when things go wrong? The Israelites asked God for guidance and did what he said, and two days later 40,000 of them were dead. Why? Could they trust the guidance they were hearing?
We don't really know what was going on here. Were they just asking God to confirm what they had already decided? Were they complacently relying on overwhelmingly superior numbers rather than using their brains? Were they so convinced of the righteousness of their cause that they just assumed God would sort things out for them?
By the third time, their prayers were getting serious, and they weren't asking leading questions. This time they gave God a real choice and received a promise as a basis for faith.
When you ask God for guidance, do you know what answer you want and refuse to listen to anything else? Are you sure who is giving the answer - do you test it? Do you say like Jesus the night before his crucifixion, "Not what I want but what You want"?
Prayer
"O let me see Thy footsteps, and in them plant my own. My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone. O, guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end." Amen
Written by James Archer
