Judges
chapter 21 reminds us that many times we are frustrated by trying to
live lives that honor God after a lifetime of bad decisions or wrong
choices. The consequences of those earlier wrong choices force us to
settle for less than God’s best. At the end of our own wisdom, we
are forced to our knees; the place where God’s grace is found. The
chapter begins with the entire nation of Israel gathered together at
Bethel broken hearted at the fate of their brothers in the tribe of
Benjamin. The entire tribe had been wiped out in rebellion (except
the remnant), and the rest of the nation had taken an oath before the
war, “Not
one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite“.
They wept openly before the Lord for the missing tribe, “Today
one tribe is cut off from Israel… The Benjamite survivors must have
heirs“.
There appeared no way to save the tribe of Benjamin without breaking
their oath. In spite of their foolish oaths and ignoring God’s
commandments, with God, there is always a new hope.
The
Israelites had also taken another foolish oath, “Anyone
who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah should certainly be
put to death“.
“They
discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for
the assembly“.
They sent twelve thousand fighting men to Jabesh Gilead with the
instruction to “Kill
every male and every woman who is not a virgin“.
When we selectively follow our own set of rules, it is often messy.
They found four hundred young women who had never slept with a man
and took them along with a peace offering to the Benjamite remnant at
the rock of Rimmon, “but
there were not enough for all of them“.
The elders of the assembly recalled “there
is an annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh… instruct the
Benjamites to hide in the vineyards there and watch. When the girls
of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush from the
vineyards and each of you seize a wife“.
“When
their fathers complain we will say… do this kindness by helping
them… you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to
them“.
The Benjamites returned to their cities and rebuilt them, “each
to his own inheritance“.
Sadly, the Book of Judges ends with the awful verse, “In
those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit“.
Without God’s wisdom, man’s depravity is boundless.
From
the beginning of creation, Satan had one desire; to separate man from
God in order to destroy mankind. Even as God was pronouncing
judgment at the fall of Adam, He prophesied to Satan of the coming
Redeemer, “He
will crush your head and you will strike His heal“.
Each time Satan tried to cut off the line of Christ, God made a way
to protect His people. Until Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God completed
the work by paying the total cost of the sin of mankind on the cross.
Through the perfect sacrifice of Christ all of my debt has been paid
in full. No longer am I separated from God. Romans 6:22-23 explains
that all who ask for forgiveness through faith in the resurrection of
Christ will be restored. “But
now you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God,
the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal
life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Jesus Christ our Lord“.
Regardless of what mistakes we have made in the past we have the
promise of a new life in Christ. With God, there is always a new
hope.