Final Week of September Judges 21

Judges chapter 21

I want to make it clear that I have enjoyed going through the book of Judges. Within this book lies many of my favorite histories between Gideon and Sampson. I believe all of God's word is good for edification and encouragement. The final chapters though are somber and disheartening. I am aware there are still lessons to be learned and to hold these stories in remembrance may very well keep us from serious trouble.

Given these facts, this final chapter doesn't appear to offer much consolation in the choices made by the Israelites. All the tribes swear that they will not allow their daughters to marry into what is left of the tribe of Benjamin. I don't see anywhere that they were commanded by God to do this. If you notice, they swear among themselves, then go to God for advice. That was the wrong order back then, and that is the wrong order to seek God now. Go to God in prayer before you make your decisions, not the other way around. Then, when they see that the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead didn't come out to fight with them, they decide to go kill off the men of that city so that those woman can be wives to Benjamin. It also does not say that this was God's plan, it is just what they decided to do. God spoke to them when they went to battle against Benjamin, but he's not talking to them now, and I'm not so sure they would be listening.

So after this spectacular plan to kill off the males and married woman of Jabesh-gilead there is not enough 'virgins' for the remaining men of Benjamin. Make sure that if you make plans and leave God out of it, whatever is accomplished in the end, won't be enough to satisfy the need. Only God fulfills peoples lives and purposes for their lives. The tribes decide then that they will take the virgins that come out to dance at Shiloh at the time of one of the Holy days. Notice, that these people whom are going to be 'robbed' of their daughters are part of Israel so you would think that this breaks their vow. Well, in Numbers the 30th chapter are the commandments about vows. This doesn't indeed brake the letter of those commandments except that the Israelites who will have their daughters taken obviously won't know about this vow. It is more or less a sham, but they get to keep letter of the law so they think it is fine.

You can clearly see by all of this why God sent his son to die for our sins and make it a matter of faith and not works. You can always play tricks and find ways around laws, but you can not find a way around the feeling of the heart. God knows our very thoughts.