Christian Living
As we look out across the ranks of God’s elect, we can’t help but see the sparkle of light reflected off of the gleaming armor. The lines are as impressive in number as they are in stature. Men and women standing tall vigilantly awaiting the enemies attack, their swords honed to a razors edge, their shields bolstered and their armor polished and fitted. Each warrior so fit that their muscles tremble with anticipation. The final battle is about to begin, and God’s people, His chosen are prepared to fight.
As the Almighty calls His soldiers to attention a very different perspective is seen. Through the eyes of righteousness and holiness appear a diminutive chaotic people. Their armor, once blood washed is again stained in sin. Their heads are held high with self righteousness but their eyes are cold and gray. Bones protrude from their skin and their eyes are sunk into their heads as they suffer from starvation and dehydration. Propped on their swords, dulled with a patina of rust and neglect, God’s people are barely able to stand. Cries of confusion can be heard as those in the rear try to make their way in to the light. The discord of moans and weeping can be heard as soldiers fall away. The strong, barely able to help themselves, are carrying the weak as the enemy’s barrages continue.
This is a fight to the death, eternal death and He grieves that we, who were once called by Him have given ourselves over to religion.
This is for us, you and I alike. Do not let your pride interfere. This is for us and it is time to set our hearts on Him and seek His will, not ours. You may say that the image portrayed is too pessimistic towards God’s people but I am saying it is not. It is because our perspective is so convoluted with immorality that we can no longer see clearly.
In Judges Chapter 19, a Levite was traveling with his concubine and stopped in Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, on his way home to the land of Ephraim. This Levite was living in a time when Israel had been taken into the Promised Land but in their disobedience had not claimed all of the land and allowed the enemies of Israel (Canaanites, Philistines, Geshurites, Gazites, Gittites and more) to dwell with them. Because of their disobedience God rebuked the Israelites in Judges 2 and cursed them. The enemies would be a thorn in their side and the enemies’ gods would be a snare to them. At the point where the story of our Levite begins Israel had already dwelled in the land a few hundred years and been repeatedly tormented by the enemies and delivered from them by God’s judges. We have a tendency to read the Word or look at other current situations and say” we wouldn’t be disobedient like they are”, but our flesh blinds us to the realities of our disobedience. I am sure that at the time of this story that there were many immoral Israelites and righteous Israelites but saints and sinners alike had become blind to how horrific the immorality had become. I am using this illustration purposefully to point out that we can be and often are very blind to how immoral our surroundings are and the influence it has on us.
As the Levite and his concubine traveled they passed the city of Jebus, a Jebusite city and nightfall was approaching. Although the day was nearing its end the Levite chose not to stay in the immoral city of a foreign people and pressed on to Gibeah, in the land of Benjamin. It was late when they finally found a place to stay and it was in the home of another fellow from Ephraim who was living in Gibeah. This man took them in and cared for them and their donkeys. The Levite felt safe in the home of a fellow Israelite within the land of Benjamin, a tribe of Israel. This was the land of his people and he thought he could take comfort in that. They were in the home later that evening when a group of men from town came and pounded on the door insisting “Bring out the man who came into your house that we may have relations with him.” The owner pleaded with them and offered his virgin daughter and the Levites concubine instead. Because of the doggedness of these men the concubine was given over to them and she was raped and abused all night. The next morning the Levite came out and found her dead. He was stunned by the actions of these people he trusted. He collected her body and took her home where in his anguish he cut her into twelve pieces and sent her throughout all the land of Israel. The chiefs of all the people responded and gathered a great army to stand against Gibeah. They confronted the tribe of Benjamin and required them to hand over the men who were responsible for this horrid act so that they may kill them and remove the wickedness from Israel. The Benjamites refused and banded together to stand against Israel in Gibeah.
This is where it becomes apparent that the nation of Israel had lost perspective. In order to illustrate this I am going to share the next sequence of events backward. Israel did prevail against Benjamin but it was on the third day of battle that Israel finally defeated them and when they did they killed 25,000 people and sent the remainder of the Benjamites fleeing in the wilderness never to be seen again. The day before this great victory Israel lost 18,000 warriors in battle and because of their great losses they went up to Bethel where the Ark of the Lord was and wept before God. They remained there all day, fasting until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. These offerings were important, the burnt offering signified the complete dedication of the offerers unto God and the peace offering was expressive of gratitude for blessings, and spontaneous devotion to God. Israel humbled themselves before God and were completely given over to Him. They recognized that it was Him that gave them all they had and Him who would give them the victory. Only when they turned from their self reliance and sought the Lord in a real way and in obedience did God give them the victory.
Let me now share the parts I skipped over and give you the full perspective of what happened. When the Benjamites refused to hand over the guilty men Israel decided to go to war against them. The Bible says they went to Bethel to seek God’s instruction as to who should go into battle first. It does not say they fasted and wept before the Lord because they were going to fight their brothers or that they asked if they should go to war. They decided to go to war on their own, they just wanted God to tell them what order they should send the tribes into battle. They were God’s people, in their self righteousness they assumed they would win. They never stopped to think that as God’s people, He should go before them and lead them. The next day in battle Israel lost 22,000 men. Not understanding why they had been defeated they went to Bethel again and wept before the Lord. This time they were distressed because of their losses. In their distress they sought God and asked if they should stand in battle against Benjamin again. Still lacking sacrifices God sent them out to be defeated again. This time when they went out they knew God had sent them but what they didn’t consider was that their mission was doomed because they were not devoted to God. You can be God’s people and not devoted to Him. That day they lost 18,000 more men and it was at that point that they returned to Bethel and devoted themselves to God. God in his infinite love brought His people back to Him and took a half hearted people and returned them to Him but there were also many that died on those battle fields that never returned to devotion to Him.
The tribe of Benjamin was one of the twelve tribes of Israel and also received an inheritance in the land of Israel. During the reign of God’s judges, Ehud the second judge to deliver Israel was from the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was devoted to God. So what happened? Nowhere in scripture does it say that the tribe of Benjamin was more immoral than the others. In those last days before the great battle the Levite in this story thought he was safe in their territory. That is probably because they professed to be God’s people. They probably would have argued it to their death. No one had issue with the tribe of Benjamin until this horrific act. In a Biblical attempt to explain Benjamin let me go to Revelations. In the letters to the churches God says to the church in Ephesus that He knows His peoples deeds and that they are good but that they have lost their first love and He holds that against them. To the church in Pergamum He says they have held fast to His name and faith but He sees that they have taught of Balaam and allowed this to be a stumbling block to their brothers and He holds this against them. To the church of Thyatira He says that He sees their deeds of faith, love, perseverance and they are greater than at first but He also sees their toleration for the teachings of Jezebel and the acts of immorality committed by them. He goes on to condemn them to sickness and death if they do not repent. To the church of Sardis He says that they think that they are alive but they are dead. To the church of Laodicea He rebukes them for being neither hot nor cold but because they are lukewarm. They believe they have everything but have nothing and are wretched and poor. All of these statements were made to His Bride, the church. Clearly they didn’t understand what it meant to be devoted to God. As His Bride we were never asked to be religious we were drawn in to a covenant about devotion and relationship. Benjamin had lost their first love and accepted the false teachings of the foreigners. They had men committing rape and murder and wouldn’t call it sin.
Are we so different? What do we tolerate in our “Christian” society? Where is our leadership in government and churches? Many of us will complain about how corrupt the government is or how poorly our churches are governed but has it gotten better? Have we done anything to change it? Can anything but wholly submitting ourselves to God change any of this? We are no different. We call ourselves Christians and yet we do not submit to the Lord. Day after day we lose battles and continue to claim empty victories in Him. We have lost our first love and no longer kneel at the throne of God offering ourselves completely and spontaneously to Him. Church it is time to wake up and recognize the season. The letters in Revelation are for us. This is not a rebuke but a humble cry to consider your heart. Look at your life, right here, right now. Are you as committed to the Lord today as you were when He first drew you to Him? Have you grown in Him going from glory to glory sacrificing self for the sake of the gospel of Christ? This life was never about us, it has always been about Him. I pray the voice of God would be heard in your heart as you consider these words. Just as in the days of the tribe of Benjamin, there will be a day of reckoning.
-Darren Jones-
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