KJB Daily
Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, March 19, 2016
Chapters: Judges 20-21
Message: Judges: On The Winning Side
Hello My Friend,
You know, life is like a race, and just like any competition sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Let me tell you, sometimes life is just not fair, a person in need of a heart transplant has to wait for another person's heart who will lose their life. Both sides are praying for the best outcome, but it is God who makes the decision of which life comes home to Him or gets to stay here a little longer. As Christians, we must remember, when we belong to Christ no one loses, we are always on the winning side. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 5:8.
When we are trying to live the best life we can we are not always going to make the right decisions, but when we belong to Christ everything comes together in our favor. In chapter 19 we read about the Levite and his wife who died when men took her and sexually assaulted her. Yes, he made a bad decision staying there in the first place, but the men needed to be held accountable for what they had done. Shortly after, a meeting was held to decide what needed to be done about it. The decision, bring the offenders, but the Benjamites refused and a war began.
“And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.” - Judges 20:8-14.
“And all the people arose as one man,” This war was not only an act of judgment upon the Benjamites, it was for all of Israel, and a reminder that we are all accountable for our actions to God. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” - 2 Corinthians 5:9,10.
Twice, Israel went up against the Benjamites and as a result thirty-eight thousand men lost their lives, even after asking God who should go up to fight them. This time they did things differently, they went to the temple, prayed and fasted, and then God said He would deliver them into their hands.
“Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.” - Judges 20:26-30,35.
“and fasted that day until even,” We may not understand the loss of so many people, but God allows wars and tragic events to bring people to repentance. What comes to mind here is, no sin goes unpunished, one might think that they have gotten away with something, but it all catches up to them eventually. And until they repent, there is no peace. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;” - Romans 2:9-12.
God lead Israel to destroy, all but four hundred men of the Benjamites, but after the war came peace, He used the remnant to keep their heritage going. The rest of the tribes found compassion on them and helped them fond wives to repopulate the tribe.
“And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.” - Judges 21:15-21.
“that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.” God made a promise that every tribe would be saved from extinction. He makes the same promise to every person who receives Christ as their Saviour. If we are saved and born again, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, we are going to suffer affliction through this race of life, we are going to see people die and some will live, and we are going to be accountable for our actions, but God will never destroy one soul who comes to Him through His Son. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” - 1 Corinthians 9:24,25.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed as the deliverer and preserver of the tribes. Jesus delivers every soul who believes in Him from hell and the lake of fire. Once we receive Him, He preserves us, we are His tribe, the body of Christ. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 12:12,13.
Today's Prayer: God, As one of Your children I know there are going to be times when we suffer not for our own sins, but through others. While I do not understand the affliction I face sometimes, I do understand that every thing I go through has a purpose and blessing behind it. Lord, help me run the race that You have put me in, keep my eyes on You so that I am prepared to handle any affliction, and let me not do what is right in my own eyes, but Yours. Show me the way to endure all the suffering I face so that I can the victory every time. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Saturday, March 19, 2016
Chapters: Judges 20-21
Message: Judges: On The Winning Side
Hello My Friend,
You know, life is like a race, and just like any competition sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Let me tell you, sometimes life is just not fair, a person in need of a heart transplant has to wait for another person's heart who will lose their life. Both sides are praying for the best outcome, but it is God who makes the decision of which life comes home to Him or gets to stay here a little longer. As Christians, we must remember, when we belong to Christ no one loses, we are always on the winning side. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 5:8.
When we are trying to live the best life we can we are not always going to make the right decisions, but when we belong to Christ everything comes together in our favor. In chapter 19 we read about the Levite and his wife who died when men took her and sexually assaulted her. Yes, he made a bad decision staying there in the first place, but the men needed to be held accountable for what they had done. Shortly after, a meeting was held to decide what needed to be done about it. The decision, bring the offenders, but the Benjamites refused and a war began.
“And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house. But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.” - Judges 20:8-14.
“And all the people arose as one man,” This war was not only an act of judgment upon the Benjamites, it was for all of Israel, and a reminder that we are all accountable for our actions to God. “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” - 2 Corinthians 5:9,10.
Twice, Israel went up against the Benjamites and as a result thirty-eight thousand men lost their lives, even after asking God who should go up to fight them. This time they did things differently, they went to the temple, prayed and fasted, and then God said He would deliver them into their hands.
“Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.” - Judges 20:26-30,35.
“and fasted that day until even,” We may not understand the loss of so many people, but God allows wars and tragic events to bring people to repentance. What comes to mind here is, no sin goes unpunished, one might think that they have gotten away with something, but it all catches up to them eventually. And until they repent, there is no peace. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;” - Romans 2:9-12.
God lead Israel to destroy, all but four hundred men of the Benjamites, but after the war came peace, He used the remnant to keep their heritage going. The rest of the tribes found compassion on them and helped them fond wives to repopulate the tribe.
“And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.” - Judges 21:15-21.
“that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.” God made a promise that every tribe would be saved from extinction. He makes the same promise to every person who receives Christ as their Saviour. If we are saved and born again, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, we are going to suffer affliction through this race of life, we are going to see people die and some will live, and we are going to be accountable for our actions, but God will never destroy one soul who comes to Him through His Son. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” - 1 Corinthians 9:24,25.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today, Jesus is revealed as the deliverer and preserver of the tribes. Jesus delivers every soul who believes in Him from hell and the lake of fire. Once we receive Him, He preserves us, we are His tribe, the body of Christ. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” - 1 Corinthians 12:12,13.
Today's Prayer: God, As one of Your children I know there are going to be times when we suffer not for our own sins, but through others. While I do not understand the affliction I face sometimes, I do understand that every thing I go through has a purpose and blessing behind it. Lord, help me run the race that You have put me in, keep my eyes on You so that I am prepared to handle any affliction, and let me not do what is right in my own eyes, but Yours. Show me the way to endure all the suffering I face so that I can the victory every time. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I'm Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.