UNIQUE LESSONS ABOUT GOD’S DIRECTIVES.

Have you been slacking in the patience department lately? What lessons can you learn from Judges about perseverance? In Judges 19 and 20, there is a man, a Levite whose concubine is gang-raped by men from the Benjamite clan and in the process dies. So the man cuts her up into 12 pieces and sends each piece to the 12 tribes of Israel. The 12 tribes meet up to find out what the problem was and they decide to ask the Benjamites to release the men who did the atrocious act so that they can kill them. Unfortunately, the Benjamites did not comply and so the other tribes, through prayer, asked God what they would do. And God told them to attack the Benjamite. So the Israelites went ahead and attacked them.

Unfortunately, because the tribe of Benjamin had one of the best armies, they defeated the rest of the Israelites. They went back to God again to inquire and God still asked them to attack them but still, the Benjamites defeated them and this time killed even more people. Still, they went back to God for the third time weeping, and even fasted and offer sacrifices to God. And when they enquired on what to do, God told them to attack and this time He would give them victory and sure enough, they gained the victory. 

Then all the People of Israel came out. The congregation met in the presence of God at Mizpah. They were all there, from Dan to Beersheba, as one person! The leaders of all the people, representing all the tribes of Israel, took their places in the gathering of God’s people. There were four hundred divisions of sword-wielding infantry. Meanwhile, the Benjaminites got wind that the Israelites were meeting at Mizpah.

The leaders of the 11 tribes of Israel met because they wanted to find a solution and justice for the man. The Benjamites however, decided not to show up. And the Israelites wanted to teach the Benjamite a lesson.

The People of Israel said, “Now tell us. How did this outrageous evil happen?” The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke: “My concubine, and I came to spend the night at Gibeah, a Benjaminite town. That night the men of Gibeah came after me. They surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They gang-raped my concubine, and she died. So I took my concubine, cut up her body, and sent her piece by piece—twelve pieces!—to every part of Israel’s inheritance. This vile and outrageous crime was committed in Israel! So, Israelites, make up your minds. Decide on some action!”

This man wanted justice and I love his confidence. He was not afraid to stand up for his right. Let me ask you this when the enemy oppresses you, do you stand up for your rights? The truth is that you are victorious in Jesus. When something happens to you that does not speak to the truth that you are victorious, what do you do about it? Do you allow the enemy to mess with you all the time? Remember, the Bible says that when you resist the devil he will flee. It is time for you to take your power back today.

All the people were at once and as one person on their feet. “None of us will go home; not a single one of us will go to his own house. Here’s our plan for dealing with Gibeah: We’ll march against it by drawing lots. We’ll take ten of every hundred men from all the tribes of Israel (a hundred of every thousand, and a thousand of every ten thousand) to carry food for the army. When the troops arrive at Gibeah, they will settle accounts for this outrageous and vile, evil that was done in Israel.” So all the men in Israel were gathered against the city, totally united. The Israelite tribes sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin saying,

“What’s the meaning of this outrage that took place among you? Surrender the men right here and now, these hell-raisers of Gibeah. We’ll put them to death and burn the evil out of Israel.” But they wouldn’t do it. The Benjaminites refused to listen to their brothers, the People of Israel. Instead, they raised an army from all their cities and rallied at Gibeah, to go to war against the People of Israel. In no time at all they had recruited from their cities twenty-six divisions of sword-wielding infantry.

The Benjamites were on the wrong, yet they did not even want to repent. And before we judge them, let me say this, how many times have we instead of repenting for our actions justify them? So instead of taking the lessons that God wants us to learn we end up justifying our wrong behaviour.

From Gibeah, they got seven hundred hand-picked fighters, the best. There were another seven hundred supermarks men who were ambidextrous—they could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. The men of Israel, excluding Benjamin, mobilized four hundred divisions of sword-wielding fighting men. They set out and went to Bethel to inquire of God. The People of Israel said, “Who of us shall be first to go into battle with the Benjaminites?” God said, “Judah goes first.” The People of Israel got up the next morning and camped before Gibeah. The army of Israel marched out against Benjamin, and took up their positions, ready to attack Gibeah. But the Benjaminites poured out of Gibeah and devastated twenty-two Israelite divisions on the ground.

Has this ever happened to you? Fight for justice and end up losing? Does it irk you when you fail after doing things right? Yet someone who isn’t, gets the wins? This was what the Israelites felt. They knew they were on the right, but still, they lost. This even makes you wonder why you tried the said thing in the first place. They were devastated, to say the least. They inquired if they should do it again. And still, God gave them a go-ahead and you know what, they lost again? What lessons was God trying to teach them?

The Israelites went back to the sanctuary and wept before God until evening. They again inquired of God, “Shall we again go into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers?” God said, “Yes. Attack.” The army took heart. The men of Israel took up the positions they had deployed on the first day. On the second day, the Israelites again advanced against Benjamin. This time as the Benjaminites came out of the city, on this second day, they devastated another eighteen Israelite divisions, all swordsmen. All the People of Israel, the whole army, were back at Bethel, weeping, sitting there in the presence of God.

How do you handle disappointments? Do you lay them at the feet of Jesus or do you sulk? The Israelites fasted. Imagine that! In their deepest despair, they turned to God for strength. One thing to learn from this is the proper way to handle disappointment and that is to turn to God. This should also encourage you that there will be moments where the path God calls you to leads to disappointment. And it might happen more than once. But if you hold on, God will bring you the ultimate victory. And the failure sometimes does not mean that the path is not ordained by God. It could be that God is teaching you something through the disappointments.

That day they fasted until evening. They sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings before God. And they again inquired of God. The Chest of God’s Covenant was there at that time with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, as the ministering priest. They asked, “Shall we again march into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers? Or should we call it quits?” And God said, “Attack. Tomorrow I’ll give you victory.” Judges 20:1‭-‬13‭, ‬13‭-‬28 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/jdg.20.1-28.MSG

Lessons to learn.

But what changed? Why did they receive their victory the 3rd time and not the times prior? Their strategy changed. One of the first lessons that God wanted them to learn was to change their strategy. God wanted them to align their thinking with His.

The first two times they fought the Benjamites on their turf and they had obviously perfected their craft there. They knew the best angles to throw stones using their slings and the best places to set up an ambush. But the third time the other tribes of Israel took them out of their turf by acting like they had retreated, while in essence, they were drawing the Benjamites out. Their retreat was strategic, so much so that they surrounded the Benjamites and therefore they had no way of escape. This gave the Israelites victory.

This time Israel placed men in ambush all around Gibeah. On the third day when Israel set out, they took up the same positions before the Benjaminites as before. When the Benjaminites came out to meet the army, they moved out from the city. Benjaminites began to cut down some of the troops just as they had before. About thirty men fell in the field and on the roads to Bethel and Gibeah. The Benjaminites started bragging, “We’re dropping them like flies, just as before!” But the Israelites strategized: “Now let’s retreat and pull them out of the city onto the main roads.” So every Israelite moved farther out to Baal Tamar; at the same time the Israelite ambush rushed from its place west of Gibeah. Ten crack divisions from all over Israel now arrived at Gibeah—intense, bloody fighting! The Benjaminites had no idea that they were about to go down in defeat—God routed them before Israel. The Israelites decimated twenty-five divisions of Benjamin that day—25,100 killed. They were all swordsmen. The Benjaminites saw that they were beaten. The men of Israel acted like they were retreating before Benjamin, knowing that they could depend on the ambush they had prepared for Gibeah. The ambush erupted and made quick work of Gibeah. The ambush spread out and massacred the city. The strategy for the main body of the ambush was that they send up a smoke signal from the city. Then the men of Israel would turn in battle. When that happened, Benjamin had killed about thirty Israelites and thought they were on their way to victory, yelling out, “They’re on the run, just as in the first battle!” But then the signal went up from the city—a huge column of smoke. When the Benjaminites looked back, there it was, the whole city going up in smoke. By the time the men of Israel had turned back on them, the men of Benjamin fell apart—they could see that they were trapped. Confronted by the Israelites, they tried to get away down the wilderness road, but by now the battle was everywhere. The men of Israel poured out of the towns, killing them right and left, hot on their trail, picking them off east of Gibeah. Eighteen divisions of Benjaminites were wiped out, all their best fighters. Five divisions turned to escape to the wilderness, to Rimmon Rock, but the Israelites caught and slaughtered them on roads. Keeping the pressure on, the Israelites brought down two more divisions. The total of the Benjaminites killed that day came to twenty-five divisions of infantry, their best swordsmen. Six hundred men got away. They made it to Rimmon Rock in the wilderness and held out there for four months. The men of Israel came back and killed all the Benjaminites who were left, all the men and animals they found in every town, and then torched the towns, sending them up in flames.
Judges 20:29‭-‬48 MSG

Quality over quantity.

The Benjamites, although fewer, defeated the Israelites because they had perfected their craft. This was one of the other lessons God wanted them to learn. Often times we imagine that we need x amount of people or finances to breakthrough. But all that God wanted was for them to realize that as long as they were with Him, they would win. The number of people did not matter. Because ultimately, He is the one who grants the victory. You don’t have to have it all together to gain your victory. Just perfect on what you can, use what you can, and be better and you will see success in everything you do. 

Send out to us the bad men of Gibeah. Then we can kill them. This will make our people clean from the wrong that the men of Gibeah have done’. But the Benjamites would not listen to the other Israelites. They came from their towns and met at Gibeah to fight them. The Benjamites had 26,000 soldiers from their towns. Among all these soldiers were 700 men who used their left hands. They could use a leather rope to throw a stone. They could use it to hit a chosen place and hit it every time.

Judges 20:13‭-‬16 EASY

https://bible.com/bible/2079/jdg.20.13-16.EASY

The Benjamites had only 26000 soldiers compared to the 400000  Israelites soldiers. And still, they defeated the Israelites 2 times. And to top it all up, they had 700 men who used their left hand because they could no longer use their right hand. Their right hands had been injured. These men perfected the use of their left hand so much so they could use a sling to throw a stone and they never missed their target. You cannot control what happens to you but you can control what you do with what happens to you. Yes you lack the advantage with what you have. But what can you do with what you have left? What will you do with your leftovers? This was one of the key lessons that God wanted them to learn.

These 700 men did not let the fact that they could not use their right hand deter them. They learned how to use their left hand and perfected it to the point where striking a mark was a guarantee. How will you use what you have left to keep you in the battle? You don’t have to quit just because what you relied on is no more. What meal will you make with your leftovers? It is not over until God says it is. And you might have lost the battle, but you have not lost the war. There is something left that you can use. You are never fully depleted. 

Sometimes you will experience losses, even when God directs you to do something.

God told the Israelites to attack the Benjamites and lost two times. You would expect them to win since God had given them the instructions to attack. Unfortunately, that was not the case. They lost over 18000 men following God’s instructions. Have you had times when following God cost you more than you expected? Are you experiencing losses although you are going on God’s instructions and word? Can you imagine the agony the Israelites must have felt? To make it worse, it happened twice.

I don’t know about you, but doing the same thing the third time after experiencing losses the first two times would have been difficult, to say the least. But they persisted. They did not allow their prior losses to prevent them from moving forward. Along with the other lessons, God wanted them to know that there will be moments of loss. But the losses are launching pads to greater victories. What lessons has God been teaching you in the losses and failures?

Has the battle worn you out? Are you on the verge of quitting? Don’t! You might be so close to your miracle. Every time you step on the battleground, you get closer to your miracle and victory. But if you quit, you will never gain victory. Quitters never win and winners never quit. You might have lost twice, but God is telling you to try again. As long as you are in His will, you have guaranteed victory. It might not happen as soon as you would like but it will definitely happen. Do you have areas you have been contending for victory, but it’s not forthcoming? Keep at it, God is with you and He sees you. Endure until the end so that you can receive your reward and victory. 

Employ a different strategy. 

Don’t do things the same way you have always done and expect different results. God wants you to try a different strategy. Could it be the reason you are not receiving your victory is that God wants you to try something new? The Israelites received their victory when they employed a different strategy. 

Then Israel had a good idea. The Benjamites came out of Gibeah to meet them. But the Israelites led them away from the city. The Benjamites killed the Israelites again. They killed about 30 men in the fields and on the roads. These were the roads to Bethel and to Gibeah. The Benjamites were saying, ‘We are winning the fight again’. But the Israelites were saying, ‘We will run away so that the Benjamites will follow us away from the city’.
 The men of Israel all moved to Baal Tamar. Men hid to the west of Gibeah and attacked Benjamin. Then 10,000 of Israel's best soldiers attacked the front of Gibeah. The fighting was very strong. Benjamin did not know that the end of the fight was so near. The Lord helped Israel to win the fight with Benjamin. That day Israel killed 25,000 Benjamites soldiers.

Judges 20:29‭, ‬31‭-‬35 EASY

https://bible.com/bible/2079/jdg.20.29-35.EASY

 On that day, 25,000 Benjamites soldiers died. They were all strong, brave men. But 600 men turned and ran to the rock of Rimmon. The Benjamites stayed there for 4 months. The Israelites went back to Benjamin. They killed the people and animals in all the towns. They burnt all the towns that they could find.

Judges 20:46‭-‬48 EASY

https://bible.com/bible/2079/jdg.20.46-48.EASY

The Israelites gained victory by trying something new. What new thing is God asking you to try today? What strategy will you let go that is not serving you to embrace the new that God wants you to?

Have you walked over the same mountain repeatedly? God is asking you to change your strategy. Stop attacking the problem from its level, rise above it. How you ask? Focus on the fact that you an do all things through Christ who strengthens you. View the problem from the angle of victory and take it from there. Have a victory mindset when tackling the problem. Don’t focus on the losses that you have already experienced. It’s a new day, the old things have passed away. It does not matter the number of times you have failed, today can be the day you win. Dwell on that. Remember the righteous always fall down 6 times and rise up 7 times.

As the Israelites were marching around the wall of Jericho, they did not see the walls come down until the the 7th time. Can you imagine doing the same thing 6 times and not seeing the results that you expect?

Jericho was shut up tight as a drum because of the People of Israel: no one going in, no one coming out. God spoke to Joshua, “Look sharp now. I’ve already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its crack troops. Here’s what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the city once. Repeat this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram’s horn trumpets in front of the Chest. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets. And then, a long blast on the ram’s horn—when you hear that, all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city wall will collapse at once. All the people are to enter, every man straight on in.” So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and told them, “Take up the Chest of the Covenant. Seven priests are to carry seven ram’s horn trumpets leading God’s Chest.” Then he told the people, “Set out! March around the city. Have the armed guard march before the Chest of God.” And it happened. Joshua spoke, the people moved: Seven priests with their seven ram’s horn trumpets set out before God. They blew the trumpets, leading God’s Chest of the Covenant. The armed guard marched ahead of the trumpet-blowing priests; the rear guard was marching after the Chest, marching and blowing their trumpets. Joshua had given orders to the people, “Don’t shout. In fact, don’t even speak—not so much as a whisper until you hear me say, ‘Shout!’—then shout away!” He sent the Chest of God on its way around the city. It circled once, came back to camp, and stayed for the night. Joshua was up early the next morning and the priests took up the Chest of God. The seven priests carrying the seven ram’s horn trumpets marched before the Chest of God, marching and blowing the trumpets, with the armed guard marching before and the rear guard marching after. Marching and blowing of trumpets! On the second day they again circled the city once and returned to camp. They did this six days.
Joshua 6:1‭-‬14 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/jos.6.1-14.MSG

The 7th day however they did something different. And through that they experienced the breakthrough they needed.

When the seventh day came, they got up early and marched around the city this same way but seven times—yes, this day they circled the city seven times. On the seventh time around the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua signaled the people, “Shout!—God has given you the city! The city and everything in it is under a holy curse and offered up to God. “Except for Rahab the harlot—she is to live, she and everyone in her house with her, because she hid the agents we sent. “As for you, watch yourselves in the city under holy curse. Be careful that you don’t covet anything in it and take something that’s cursed, endangering the camp of Israel with the curse and making trouble for everyone. All silver and gold, all vessels of bronze and iron are holy to God. Put them in God’s treasury.” The priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the blast of the trumpets, they gave a thunderclap shout. The wall fell at once. The people rushed straight into the city and took it.
Joshua 6:15‭-‬20 MSG
https://bible.com/bible/97/jos.6.15-20.MSG

So as you can see, there comes a time where you will have to employ a different strategy in order to experience the breakthrough you desire. In what ways can you employ a different strategy in order to experience the breakthrough you desire? Will you change your strategy?

Key Take away

You cannot win the enemy on his turf. Be different and employ different strategies if you want to experience lasting results. Mix things up, God has given you all the strategies you need to defeat the devil in His word. Use them and do not get stuck in one weapon. Use them all and be persistent. You will win if you faint not. 

You cannot rely on the past when God is taking you to new levels. Come up higher. So if you want to gain victory you will have to set your eyes on Jesus. 

You can never gain the victory if you do not turn to Jesus. The Israelites had to inquire from God and He gave them the go-ahead. Do not rely on your own understanding. Ask the Lord for strategy and let Him be the one to guide your every path and step. He ordains the steps of the righteous and He will never lead you astray. There is complete victory in Him. And He wants to level the mountain and extinguish the problems in your life.

In what areas do you want to experience breakthroughs? Run to Him and ask Him to tell you what to do.. He is more than willing. Be open to His ways. God wants you to experience Him in new ways and so He will have different strategies for you to use. You cannot carry the old into the new. And what worked before will not work now.

Use what you have left because even the little you have left if perfected, will bring you to your best days. Do not focus on what was rather, trust God in the new. Let go of the past and embrace this season. Your latter glory will always be greater than your former glory. And as long as you are alive, God is not done with you.