Third Time's the Charm

Can you help me?

Logan and his baloon car project. We worked together on building and improving the first model. Switching out wheels, changing the length and width of the wheel base, etc… Then he takes it in for the first test and discovers the rubric on how it is going to be graded.

It’s scored on how much we improve the car between the first test and two more tests.

So you would think “Dad, can you help me make the car better after the first test?” But no. “Dad, do you remember how it didn’t work very well at first? Can you help me put it back like that for the first test?”

No, I won’t help you sandbag the experiment. Then we had a talk about scientific integrity.

Destroying Benjamin

Recap

The Trial

Judges 20:1–2 ESV

Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah. And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.

Judges 20:3 ESV

(Now the people of Benjamin heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”

Judges 20:4–6 ESV

And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead. So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.

White-washed story. Cleaned up and edited to make the Levite appear as a wholly innocent victim. Even the potentially embarrassing fact that the men of Gibeah wanted to rape him: he only says they “meant to kill me”.

The Levite manipulates the crowd and it is effective.

Judges 20:8–11 ESV

And all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house. But now this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot, and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.” So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.

But Benjamin rises to defend their town.

Judges 20:12–14 ESV

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you? Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel. Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel.

Instead they gather in force. 26,000 men (or 26 companies of men).

700 of them were left-handed!

But Israel has 400 companies of men! They are confident in their numbers and they come to ask God: who gets to go first?

Judges 20:18 ESV

The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

The terrain is hilly, rocky, hard for superior numbers to count. And the men of Benjamin are described as elite warriors, especially their 700 left-handed slingers. And the men of Judah get crushed.

Judges 20:21 ESV

The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.

But they pull themselves together.

Judges 20:22–23 ESV

But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.”

Notice the change in tone between their first prayer and their second? Now they are weeping before the Lord. Now they ask: should we even go again?

Again they attack… but again they are defeated.

Judges 20:25 ESV

And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword.

Now they come before God in an entirely different spirit.

Judges 20:26–28 ESV

Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

And this time they attack in a totally different way. I think, inspired by the Lord, they come with an epic battle plan. The people of Israel go up against Benjamin just like before, but they send men in ambush around Gibeah.

They fall back before the Benjamites, drawing their armies further from the city, falling back and falling back.

Then the men in ambush, 10 companies of elite, chosen men, they fall upon Gibeah and sack it, burning it. And when the rest of the army sees the smoke from Gibeah, they start fighting and smash the Benjamites between the two armies.

They killed 25 companies of Benjamin in that fight and as the armies fled from place to place.

Judges 20:46–48 ESV

So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor. But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.

Fire and devastation and nearly wiped the tribe of Benjamin from the map.

The Contrast

Prayer 1:

Judges 20:18 ESV

The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”

The prayer of the people of Israel here, at the end of the Judges period is this: God help me do what I want to do.

Let’s contrast this with their very similar prayer at the beginning of the Judges period, just after the death of Joshua.

Judges 1:1–2 ESV

After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

God gave them the command: conquer the Land. God gave the command. And they ask: “who goes first?”

The “who goes first” part is the same… but the whole tone of the prayer is different. The prayer in Judges 1 is in response to God’s command, God, this is what you are doing, what you have already told me to do, I just want to know how I can be a part of what you’re doing.

And God answers that prayer, and note that it comes with the promise of success.

The prayer at the end of Judges essentially says “God help me do what I want to do.” I will even give you input, God, on how I go about it.

I think this is why they fail. God doesn’t rebuke them directly, but we see the radical shift in their posture towards God through this story. By the third time, now they are praying and fasting, submitting before God and seeking His Will, His Way, before the ark of the covenant. By the third time, they are coming before God where He is and asking what they should be doing. Only then does God include the promise of “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

Our Prayer

Ask God to show His plans, not bless your dreams. -Billy Graham

Ask God to show you His plans and then give you the strength to follow them.

Let’s repent of “God help me do my thing.”

This is a change in posture. We still do life, we still move forward, we still make plans and make decisions. And much of the time, most of the time, making those decisions is going to feel just like we are making it up as we go along… not like we are receiving divine marching orders.

But the posture in which we proceed is everything. Wholly submitted. Listening hard for God’s leading and direction by the Holy Spirit. Praying and fasting, weeping before God’s presence which, no longer in the Ark of the Covenant, but now residing within all by faith in Christ.

Submitting to His Word, to His commands, being transformed in heart and mind so that my will conforms to His Will more and more.

God, let me be a part of what you’re doing. Point me in the right direction. In your direction. God guide the strategy, the objectives, the tactics and the method. Start to finish.

The prayer of the follower is: God let me be a part of what you’re doing.

Jesus’ Prayer and Example

Luke 22:39–44 ESV

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.

Not what I want: what do you want?

This is a posture of total submission. An ongoing practice of surrender. It didn’t start with this prayer, this prayer is the external vocalization of what Jesus practiced every moment of his life:

Not what I want: what do you want? “I only do what I see the Father doing.” Jesus has a will and a mind, he has choice and will, but fully and always submitted all of those to the will and mind of His Father.

It didn’t start in the garden.

Communion

Hours earlier, just before this moment, Jesus taught his disciples to remember his coming sacrifice.

Luke 22:19 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke 22:20 ESV

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.