The War of Israel and Benjamin

Many of us want God to fix the problem without touching us. Dr. Tony Evans says God may need to change us before he changes our situation.

So, as you are praying to God about a legitimate request, Make sure that you've dealt with anything in your life that needs to be dealt with so you free God up to do it if it's his will to do it. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. When God's people drift from Him toward idolatry, they also drift toward defeat. Before we get started, please note that the passages Dr.

Evans explores today include intense scenes of violence and moral corruption. accounts that may be disturbing and are not suitable for children. Please listen with discretion. As Dr. Evans walks us through one of the darkest chapters in Israel's history, a civil war among God's own people.

and reveals why spiritual victories often depend on restoring our relationship with the Lord before we seek His help. Let's join him as he begins. When God's people drift toward idolatry. They drift downward. We ended last time looking at one of the big horror stories of the Bible.

This mutilation of the Levite's wife. This leads to a civil war among the people of God. All the sons of Israel, chapter 20, from Dan to Bathsheba. Came out. and assembled as one man.

To the Lord.

So he tells the Benjamites, the fellow Jews, okay, send those men up so we can deal with them. That we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel. But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. We got a split between Jews. The Benjamites are Jews.

The sons of Israel are Jews. But the Benjamites do not agree because of their commitment to Gibeah, which belonged to them, even though it's a pagan place.

So what do we find? Benjamin is more protective of evil than of right.

So they had been Desensitize. Spiritually. Because if you hang out in the world long enough. What used to shock you won't shock you anymore. What used to embarrass you won't embarrass you anymore.

What you would be against now you want to protect. Even though it's wrong.

So strong was Benjamin's rejection of their brothers, the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities of Gibbeath. to go out and battle against the sons of Israel.

So they not only side with Gibead, they're going to now side with them so strong, they're going to fight. The Israelites. From the cities of that day, the sons of Benjamin were numbered 26,000 men.

So, this is a major deal. Who drew the sword besides the inhabitants of Gibbeath? 700 choice men. How big does this thing get? Verse 17.

Then the men of Israel beside Benjamin were numbered 400,000 men. Who drew the sword? All these were men of war. But this is a major civil war among God's people. Benjamin and the sons of Israel, Benjamin has decided with the unrighteous.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. which will throw a little curveball at this whole situation. Verse 18.

Now the sons of Israel arose. Went up to Bethel. And inquired of God and said, Who shall go out first? for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin. Then the Lord said, Judah shall go up first.

So they inquire of the Lord. I think we would all agree that's a good thing to do, right?

So the sons of Israel, well, they arise. Verse 20, the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel arrayed for battle against Gibeath. Then the sons of Benjamin came out from Give it and felled. to the ground on that day 22,000 men of Israel.

Now something doesn't seem right, right? We inquire of God. God tells us what to do and we lose. Because Benjamin defeats Israel, who inquired of God. to the tune of twenty two thousand men.

Verse 22, but the people The men of Israel encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again. in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day. The sons of Israel went up and wept before the Lord. Until evening. and inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall we again draw near for battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin?

And the Lord says, Go up against them.

So they asked the Lord again, and now the Lord said, Yeah, go fight. Then the sons of Israel come up against the sons of Benjamin the second day. Benjamin went out against them from Gibea and the second day and fell to the ground again, 18,000. Of the sons of Israel, all these drew the sword.

Okay, wait a minute. Why go to God if he gonna help me lose? What? I mean. I go the second time.

And the only reason I'm going is because I ask you. And you told me to go. And we lose twice.

So that that poses a a conundrum, if you will. Wh why is this the case? Ah, but look. Verse 26. Then all the sons of Israel And all the people.

Went up. And came. to Bethel. and wept. Thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted.

That day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days. Phineas, the son of Eleaza, Aaron's son, stood before it to minister in those days. Saying, shall I yet again go out into battle against the sons of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?

And the Lord said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.

So Israel set men in ambush. around Gibeath. The sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin the third day and arrayed themselves. The sons of Benjamin went out against the people. The sons of Benjamin said verse thirty-two.

They are struck down before us as the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee, that we may draw them away from the city. Then all the men of Israel arose from that place, arrayed themselves, And the men of Israel ambushed, so they set up an ambush. And as a result of that, verse. 35 concluding this.

And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel So that the sons of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day. all who drew the sword. Battle number one, they lose after inquiring of the Lord. Battle number two, they lose after inquiring of the Lord. Battle number three, they win.

After inquiring of the Lord.

So here's my question to you. What was different?

Okay. The answer to the difference In verse 26. Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept. Thus they remained there before the LORD and fasted. That day until evening.

And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. In battle number one and battle number two, they prayed. Because they inquired of the Lord. But they were praying. with unaddressed sin in their midst.

So they were doing the right thing, praying. But they were praying to God while simultaneously not being in right relationship with the God they were praying for.

So, the principle I want us to catch out of this is you can do the spiritual thing. and it go backwards on you. because the relationship is not intact.

So they offer up a burnt offering. Of course, Jesus is our burnt offering. In the New Testament. He's our sacrifice. God used their right act to discipline them.

Not to fix the problem, Benjamin. Benjamin was the problem. But in answering their prayer, he had to fix them before he would fix the problem. Many of us want God to fix the problem without touching us. Don't make me right.

Don't make me better. Just fix what I'm praying to you about because what I'm praying to you about is legitimate. But when they got right Because they were praying about the same thing. The prayer didn't change. The prayer was the same.

You know, should we fight him? Should we fight him? Should we fight him? But when the relationship was right. And the Sing prayer.

Verse 35, the Lord struck Benjamin. Before Israel.

Now it wasn't them fighting Benjamin, it was God working through them to give victory over Benjamin. Because the relationship and the action and the prayer We're all in the same Place.

So, as you are praying to God about a legitimate request. Inquiring of the Lord. Make sure that you've dealt with anything in your life that needs to be dealt with.

So you free God up to do it if it's his will to do it. And you don't You're not praying about something that's coming back negatively at you. Because the relationship isn't consistent with the prayer. as indicated through the sacrifice. Dr.

Evans will return with the second part of today's lesson in just a moment. Don't go away. The thing about serving an infinite God is that no matter how much you know about Him, there's always more to learn.

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And while you're there, be sure to check out how you can receive a copy of the sermon series Tony is wrapping up today on the book of Judges. This 12-message collection gives insight into the consequences of moral and spiritual compromise. And stresses the need for unwavering faithfulness to God even in times of crisis. when you make a financial contribution to help support the alternative. We'll send you this complete series as our thank you gift.

And today's the final day we'll be offering an added bonus to go along with the Judges series. It's Tony's book on Kingdom Authority. Chapter by chapter, you'll learn practical strategies that put your God-given power to work. Getting to the root of spiritual problems and living a more confident, victorious life. Request your copy of this exclusive resource package online today at tonyevans.org.

Or call us at 1-800-800-3222. where a member of our friendly resource team will be glad to assist you. And be sure to check into the opportunity to upgrade your package to include the Kingdom Authority Leaders Kit. Perfect for those who lead or want to lead a small group Bible study on the powerful topic of being custodians of God's creation. All right now, let's get back to Dr.

Evans in Judges chapter 20. The rest of the chapter is a repeat of the battle. All he does is repeat the details of how they surrounded Benjamin in verse 43 and pursued them without rest. 18,000 verse 44 men of Benjamin fell their valiant warriors. 600, verse 47, men turned and fled toward the wilderness.

The men of Israel, verse 48, turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword.

So it repeats now the details of that same battle. Of the Lord.

Now, please notice the Lord struck them, but He struck them through the sons of Israel.

So he used human beings to administer his discipline. once they were right with him.

So that was the judgment. Chapter 21 is going to show us the mercy.

Now the men of Israel had sworn in this part, Saying None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin in marriage.

So the people came to Bethel and sat there before God until evening and lifted up their voices. And wept bitterly. Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this come about in Israel so that one tribe should be missing? Today in Israel. Because If there was nobody to marry.

And they weren't going to give. Their daughters to marriage, then over time there would be no propagation of the tribe.

Okay. So that's the issue that the tribe over time would be extinguished. Because of the prohibiting of marriage. And that's because of their association, them fighting Israel and their association with evil Gibeon.

So Verse 5. Then the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel? Who did not come to the assembly of the Lord, for they had taken a great oath concerning him who did not come to the Lord of Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be put to death. The sons of Israel were sorry for their brother Benjamin. One tribe is cut off from Israel today.

So they are. They had to do it, but they're sad that they had to do it. Because that's going to take 12 tribes down to 11 tribes, and there's going to be a great loss. What shall we do for wives? for those who are left.

Since we have sworn by the Lord not to give any of our daughters in marriage.

So they repeat the oath: we can't give them to these men because of what they did. Which leads to a very interesting event as this chapter closes out. It says in verse 11, this is the thing that you should do. Because everybody now has been just this place has been decimated. Verse 10.

You shall destroy, verse 11, every man and every woman who is lain with a man. and found among the inhabitants of Jabish Gilead four hundred young virgins. who have not known a man by lying with him. And they brought them to the camp of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. Sweet out.

four hundred virgins who've been brought. Then the whole congregation sent word and spoke to the sons of Benjamin. Who were at the Rock of Ra? Ramon. and proclaim peace to them.

Benjamin returned at that time and they gave them women who they had kept alive from the women of Jabez Gilead, yet they were not enough for them.

So there were too many soldiers and not enough wives for the soldiers. Verse 18, we cannot give them wives of our daughters. We can't we can't do that because we we made this oath in light of Their association, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.

So we're in a conundrum. We're in a dilemma. of how to fix this problem.

So they said, Behold, There is a feast of the Lord. From year to year in Shiloh. which is on the north of Bethel. On the east side of the highway that goes up. From Bethel To Shechem.

And the south side of Lebanon. And they commanded the sons of Benjamin. Go and lie in wait in the vineyards. And watch and behold. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dance.

Then you shall come out of the vineyard, and each of you shall catch his wife. from Shiloh and go to the land A Benjamin. This is called parsing words. The curse was We can't give them wives.

So they say But nothing was said about catching them.

So you show. Catch them from the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. Take them home. It shall come about when the fathers and their brothers come to complain to us. You know, the girls are gone.

That we shall say to them, give them to us voluntarily because we didn't. Not take for each one of Benjamin a wife in battle, nor did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty. You didn't give them.

So the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number, who they carried away, and they went and returned to their inheritance. And rebuilt the cities and lived In them. All right. There is this feast to the Lord. God has promised these 12 tribes, yet your tribe is going to be in trouble over time due to the lack of women to marry.

And we can't give them to you.

However, during the feast If and when these women come out, Dancing. Key phrases. Dancing. The word dancing is used three times.

So there's something about This getting your groove on before the Lord.

Alright.

So what is this dance all about?

Well, the dancing before the Lord around the feast. This was the dance before the Lord. Of these women who had reached marriage age, which is the whole issue of giving them or taking them. To let it be known in the presence of God that they were available. Hmm.

The reason why he chooses the word twisting or turning from labor. because this was the dance to indicate. I would be a great baby mama. Because he's a virgin, so they don't have babies. I would be a great mother.

And wife. And so what you have Is women making it known appropriately? That we are available. I often get the question. Is it Wrong to let a person know that you're interested.

or available. Not if done appropriately. And this passage validates that.

Now the issue is Do you really want to be caught? Because it would be the guys are hiding in the vineyard. And the guys are hiding in the vineyard and they're looking. And it's up to their initiative. to catch someone who catches their eye.

But it's before the Lord, so this is a holy situation. This ain't at the club. This ain't that. This is... This is a holy situation.

But it's a holy situation. with marriage in mind. That's why it was so easy for them to come get the girls because the girls were available to be gotten.

So it's okay to be gettable. Huh? If you want to be gotten. And it's okay for men. To see if they want to get you.

But the idea was, it was before the Lord, and all of this happened. The book closes with this line. All this stuff happens because in those days There was no king in Israel. And everyone did what was right in his own eyes. All right.

So what you've got is a book of chaos. Because everybody was making up their own rules as they went along. Using God when they wanted God, rejecting God when they didn't want God anymore. And as a result of all that, just all kind of configurations had to be worked out because because when we depart from God, we create chaos. Dr.

Tony Evans will return with a final thought to wrap up this study of the book of Judges in just a moment. First, though, many people live desperate, defeated lives because they haven't made a decision to commit to Christ. and sometimes even those who have don't fully recognize the power God has delegated to them. But the Bible has a lot to say on the subject, and that's the message in Tony's powerful book, Kingdom Authority. As I mentioned earlier, today is your final chance to get a copy of this book.

bundled along with all 12 lessons in the two-volume teaching series Dr. Evans is concluding today on the book of Judges. They're yours with our thanks when you support the Ministry of the Alternative. Make the arrangements right away by visiting TonyEvans.org. While you're there, you'll have the opportunity to upgrade this deal by adding the Companion Kingdom Authority Leaders Kit, if you'd like.

Again, that's tonyevans.org. or call our 24-hour resource center at 1-800-800-3222. That's 1-800-800-3222. When your stomach's empty, you know it's time to eat. But what about when your soul feels empty?

How do you recognize spiritual hunger and what do you do about it? Tomorrow, Dr. Evans shows how developing a deeper appetite for the things of God opens the door to divine provision and renewed passion. Right now, though, he's back with this concluding thought about the book of Judges. And so the good news of the book is that God was merciful, He preserved Benjamin.

on a technicality. Give versus catch. Technicality. but he preserved them, but all this chaos and carnage could have been avoided. If there was a mechanism that reverenced God, In the process, you can't fix all of yesterday.

You don't have to keep tomorrow going in that direction. You can have a different. Tomorrow. As you reverse the consequences to whatever degree God may allow.