Year 1, Day 281: Judges 20

The Word Gets Out

Judges 20 is retribution time.  All of Israel gathers against Benjamin and against Gibeah.  Note that Benjamin had a choice to support the greater Hebrew people and instead chose to support Gibeah.  A war breaks out and eventually much of Benjamin is destroyed. 

If nothing else can be said, it is tragic to note how sin destroys communities.  Had the people of Gibeah been hospitable to the Levite, none of this would have happened.  Their choice to prefer the emotion of lust in sexual contact to that of love in hospitality is fundamentally why we get this story.  Don’t lose sight of that fact.  Had the people of Gibeah preferred love to lust, this story would have a different ending.

Messages from the Lord

Amidst the story, there was another theme that really got my attention today.  Notice that the Hebrew people gather at Mizpah and inquire of the Lord.  And then a strange thing happens.  The Lord says, “Go.  Fight.”  The Hebrew people do and they are routed.  This happens multiple days in a row even!

Now, as I was reading the text I began to think to myself, “Why would God say to go into battle only to have them lose time after time.”  The answer is because God was preparing the Benjaminites for a greater destruction.  More than likely the Benjaminites were expecting to be routed the first day.  After all, the numbers just weren’t on their side.  So the first day they probably all had retreat plans in order.  But then they win the day!  So the next day they go out with a little more confidence; but they are also expecting the Hebrew army to fight really hard to erase the shame of losing to Benjamin the first day.  And Benjamin wins again!

Do you see where I am going with this?  With each victory, Benjamin gets stronger and more confident.  On the last day, they are probably now expecting to win again.   They go out into battle confident and fall right into the Lord’s ambush.  They are destroyed far more greatly than they ever could have been if they had been beaten when they were prepared to lose, flee, and evade the greater army.

Now, this is a really hard lesson to learn.  Sometimes God expects perseverance through struggles knowing the victory is ultimately yours.  Sometimes when we inquire of God He says to do it – knowing that there will be multiple failed attempts.  Sometimes the failure is actually a part of the plan.  Just because we fail doesn’t mean anything is wrong!  Sometimes failure is preparing the person who fails for the sake of building up character.  Sometimes failure is priming the arrogance and confidence of the opposition who likely needs to be taught a lesson.  We often assume that failure is a bad thing when sometimes it is exactly what God needs to accomplish His purpose.  Here in this story we see that the first few days of battle are temporary failures for the Hebrew army – but God is using those failures to accomplish a greater point.

It brings to mind a military saying I once heard.  Sometimes to win a war you need to lose a few battles.  It seems really contrary to thought.  But it is very true.

So I wonder.  What plans from God did you begin to do and give up on because you experienced a little failure?  Was that failure actually bad – or was God trying to use that failure in your life to do something greater?  Did you quit on God thinking that failure meant you had misunderstood God when really God was using that failure to produce ultimate victory?

I know I’m guilty of this from time to time.

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