The Final Fall

Some events are so significant we remember them vividly. For many of us, Sept 11, 2001 will always be a day of remembrance for us.

Others may remember the birth of their children, the day of their marriage, or other life-altering events.

One event in the life of Israel is one of those life-altering events:

Judges begins on a positive note:

Judges 1:1 HCSB

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the Lord, “Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?”

As one the tribes of Israel seek God’s direction. However, in

Judges 2:20–23 (HCSB)

The Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He declared, “Because this nation has violated My covenant that I made with their fathers and disobeyed Me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I did this to test Israel and to see whether they would keep the Lord’s way by walking in it, as their fathers had.” The Lord left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.

Now, prior to the birth of Samuel, who was to become a bridge between those men and women God used to deliver His people and a strong monarch, the people of Israel have drifted far from the powerful and confident people of Judges 1.

Now one phrase defines these people whom God had so powerfully demonstrated His presence.

Judges 19:1 (HCSB)

In those days, when there was no king in Israel,

Judges 21:25 HCSB

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted.

There were likely many different illustrations of just how far Israel had drifted, but the account of Judges 19 is a memorable and graphic reminder of just how far God’s people had fallen away.

None of the characters in Judges 19 - 21 are named, save one - Phineas, the grandson of Aaron who was serving as chief priest by caring for the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ - the container with the two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God with the Ten Commandments.

A Levite and his concubine

A concubine, a slave girl taken as a ‘secondary’ wife by this Levite - one who is responsible for teaching the law of God - runs home to Bethlehem.

After waiting four months the Levite goes the her ancestral home to bring her back to his home.

After an extended stay (vs 3-9) the Levite, his male servant, and his reclaimed concubine begin the journey back to a remote area of Ephraim.

Nearing the village of Jerusalem (then called Jebus) the slave urges his master to stay the night.

The Levite insists on pressing on into the territory controlled by the tribe of Benjamin, centered in Gibeah,

As was the custom the Levite and his traveling party sat in the town square. No one offered to take them in for the night. An older unnamed man, identified as one from Ephraim temporarily working around Gibeah offers to care for them overnight,

The demands of useless men…

In a scene reminiscent of Genesis 19 - the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - men from Gibeah surround the house. they demand that the owner offer up the visitor - the Levite - that they might use him sexually.

The men were insistent. The host offered his daughter AND the concubine. The offer was refused.

Finally the Levite himself forces his concubine - yes, the secondary wife he had retrieved from her father’s home in Bethlehem - outside.

Overnight, the men of Gibeah

Judges, Ruth ((2) The Nature of the Outrage at Gibeah (19:10–30))

knew” … her, they “abused” … her all night until morning, and at dawn they “discarded” … her.

The next morning the concubine was dead just outside the hosts’ door.

The Levite and his concubine as a call to action

The Levite takes his concubine to his home, divides her body into 12 pieces. He sends one piece to every tribe and asks for a meeting:

Judges 19:30 (HCSB)

Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!”

CIVIL WAR

The tribes of Israel gather as one man before the LORD. Except they are no longer as ‘one’ before the LORD.

The Benjamites, the tribe centered in Gibeah knew of the gathering but did not send any representatives to the gathering.

The Levite recounts his story, his reason for the grisly call to action.

The tribes gather outside of Gibeah and demand the useless men who participated in this disgusting deed be handed over.

Benjamin refused to yield.

Instead of seeking God’s guidance as to what steps to take, the tribes gather in Bethel - where the Ark of the Covenant was located - and ask God who should lead the battle charge.

They had made up their mind. All they wanted to know is how to defeat the tribe of Benjamin.

Three times the tribes, minus Benjamin, seek God’s direction for battle. Three times God answers. After the third inquiry of God, Israel lays an ambush for Benjamin and the tribe of Benjamin is all but destroyed. Only 600 men remain.

Rebuilding

The tribes of Israel try and resolve a challenging situation.

Since every tribe had taken an oath to keep their daughters from marrying a Benjamite, where were the remaining Benjamite men to find wives from among the people of God?

In what is odd reasoning the tribes now decide their oath to God requires more killing!

Discovering that the citizens of Jabesh-Gilead, a city with family ties to the tribe of Benjamin, failed to send warriors into the civil war, Israel decides to kill them - and leave alive the virgin daughters of the village.

These 400 virgins, though not quite enough for the 600 remaining Benjamites, will provide a starting place for the rebuilding of the tribe of Benjamin.

The other 200 Benjamites are given an opportunity to ‘kidnap’ virgins from any tribe at a festival held at Shiloh (21:20-24).

REFLECT AND RESPOND

The event that triggered the civil war and nearly wiped out an entire tribe of Israel is gruesome.

It is certainly unforgettable.

It is not the event itself or even the response to the event that causes us to think about this terrible time in Israel’s life.

The trajectory of failure

As I noted, Judges begins with the people of God, gathered as one, seeking God’s direction for finishing what had been started under Joshua.

Judges 2:10 (HCSB)

After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel.

It did not take long for Israel to ignore God’s commands, even though there was a permanent reminder - the ARK of the COVENANT.

From the list of failures recorded in Judges 1 of the tribes that could not or would not drive out the people’s God had given them power over, to the very end of the era, God’s people were hot and cold - falling under the power of an enemy, seeking God, experiencing some level of deliverance, and then falling back into idolatry.

Finally, as we’ve examined today, Israel has completely broken apart. Every one did what was right in their own eyes.

Can the trajectory be reversed?

From the accounts of the various men and women God used to deliver His people and lead them into a time of peace and prosperity the answer is YES.

The real question is HOW?

From the incident we’ve looked at today let me offer a few ideas:

When we seek God, seek God’s direction not just His favor

Yes, Israel gathered and sought the presence of the LORD several times.

On each occasion God’s people didn’t ask God what to do…they simply asked, who should be first in battle?

Often, we are prone to have already chosen a course of action and our prayer merely becomes a time of seeking God’s blessing on our choice.

Instead, as Jesus reminds us,

Matthew 6:33 HCSB

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

First - is not just number one on a list of items. First means the overwhelming priority of our prayer is to be - what is God’s purpose? God’s direction?

When seeking God’s kingdom recognize your kingdom may no longer exist

Too many churches and church leaders (volunteers and paid staff) often assume that the church they serve IS the kingdom of God.

That’s simply not the case.

God’s kingdom is expressed in the local church, but the kingdom is much more than one local ministry, one local church.

There is a powerful temptation for a group of people - any group of believers - to start using possessive pronouns like,

‘our church,’ ‘my church.’

This is not our church. This building, these people, the resources we’ve accumulated are not ours.

They are God’s possessions. The tribes of Israel treated the Benjamites and even the people of Jabesh-Gilead as challenges, not as God’s chosen people.

God’s kingdom has a sovereign

Two rules really explain the way God’s kingdom is to be:

God is God.

You and I are not God.

Judges 21:25 HCSB

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever he wanted.

is a tragic ending to the era of the conquest begun under Joshua.

Can the trajectory be reversed?

Pray - as one under God’s authority, allowing Him to set the direction;

never forget that God is the one at work -we are privileged to join Him, He is never required to join us!

Always, always, always offer yourself as

Romans 12:1–2 HCSB

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.