Bible in a Year Blog

Judges 19:1-20:48 + John 3:22-4:3 + Psalm 104:24-35 + Proverbs 14:22-23
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Old Testament – Today’s readings in Judges 19 about the Levite’s concubine being raped and killed really made me tear up today. What a sad story! The evil of the act led to tens of thousands of men dying in battle in chapter 20. Notice the similarities between Judges chapter 19 and Genesis chapter 19?  In Genesis chapter 19 two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening and they planned to spend the night in the town square.  But Lot insisted they go with him and spend the night at his house.  Then, in the middle of the night the men of Sodom came to Lot’s house to have sex with the two angels.  Lot offered his two virgin daughters instead…   see the unfortunate similarities?  Social protocol of the time – protecting a house guest at any cost – unfortunately carried more authority in Judges chapter 19 than God’s law and moral convictions.  Obviously this is an extreme case in Judges chapter 19…. yet, is it possible that in today’s world social protocol of our time can sometimes carry more authority than moral convictions?  Will we stand tall today and protect someone when this is the case?  We will stand up for moral convictions over social protocol today?  An image is below for Judges chapter 19 verses 16 & 17 – “That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. When he saw the travelers sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going.”

And another image is below for Judges chapter 20 verses 4 through 7 – “The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, “My concubine and I came to Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, to spend the night. That night some of the leaders of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead. So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the land of Israel, for these men have committed this terrible and shameful crime. Now then, the entire community of Israel must decide what should be done about this!””

New Testament – Wow… I love John the Baptist’s words about Jesus in John chapter 3 today!  Great stuff.  Please read these verses again and meditate upon them in your life today.  The verse that really stood out to me today was verse 30 when John said this about Jesus – “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” How very true and how very applicable to our lives today.  We must let Jesus become greater and greater in our lives, hearts, and actions, and our individualism / selfishness must become less and less.  How are you doing on this?  Are you allowing Jesus to become greater and greater in your life and are “you” becoming less and less? 

Bible.org’s commentary on John chapter 3’s readings today titled “John’s Joy and his Disciples Jealousy” is at this link.

Psalms – Today we finish up Psalm 104, which we started yesterday. I mentioned in yesterday’s post, that this is a great Psalm of praising God’s creation. And indeed it is. What I didn’t realize yesterday, but I picked up today, is that this Psalm overall goes through Genesis 1 and the story of creation. Not quite in the same order of creation, or the same details. But, essentially this Psalm is a retelling of Genesis 1. Below is a wonderful piece of art from Pat Marvenko Smith titled “The Creation” – you’ll note this piece shows all 6 days of creation and what was created on each day, going from the left to the right:

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
To order prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site. 

I love Psalm 104 verse 33 today – “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!”  I so pray that this verse will be true for both you and me.  I pray we will sing to God as long as we live.  I pray we will praise God to our very last breath.  And in particular at our very last breath I pray we are praising God!

Proverbs – Proverbs verse 14 chapter 22 is awesome – “If you plan good, you will be granted unfailing love and faithfulness.”  Great stuff!  And so true.

Worship Video:  Today’s readings in Psalm 104 remind me of Bebo Norman’s fantastic song “I Will Lift My Eyes:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ9bLnyIEyw

Are you looking at God? Click here and lift your eyes!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “He (Jesus) must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that Jesus is becoming greater and greater in your life day by day and that you are becoming less and less. Pray for more of Jesus and for less of you.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Based on today’s Proverb, do you plan good in your life?  Do you consciously think of ways you can bless others?  Do you love others well?  Do you surprise others with grace?  Often?  Do you believe that if you plan good, you will be granted unfailing love and faithfulness?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

Judges 19:1-20:48

Israel had moved the bar, the bar of righteousness, the bar that set boundaries, the bar that said, “This is sin.” You have a Levite that has a concubine and as the text states, was unfaithful to him. First question, “What is a Levite doing with a concubine that is a loose woman?” As per Moses’ directive, Levites were supposed to keep the Law so that they could teach the Law. The bar/standard was lowered.

When Israel masses itself to fight this “horrid” sin, the bar has been set so low that the “sin” they all are living in is not even a blip on their radar screen. The outrage is a culmination of outrages acts on the other side of that bar that has been lowered almost to the ground. I’ve heard people say, and I’ve said it myself at one time or another, “I wouldn’t do that,” or “Even I wouldn’t do that,” as if our or my personal behavior or standard was “IT.” I know that it is not. I think we do this, consciously or sub-consciously, to distance ourselves from our sin, the “white lie,” syndrome. God has stated that when we break one Law we have broken them all; but, we insist that we are not as bad as that guy or gal over there or across the street. Yes we are.

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 KJV)

When we do what is right in our own eyes, we have set ourselves up as God which was and is the sin of Satan. There are only two kingdoms on the earth, The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan; which one do we say we are in and which one are we really in? As Children of God, are we trespassing in the wrong Kingdom? Or, can we be citizens of the Kingdom of Satan trying to pass ourselves off as children of the Light? And worse yet, do we, like this Levite, play our sin off in such a way that we share the outrages consequences of our actions as if it just fell out of the sky into a innocent lifestyle getting everyone upset enough to call a prayer meeting to do “spiritual warfare?” Hmmmm!

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Anka:

Could the father of the concubine have been trying to get the Levite to spend 7days with his daughter so he could claim it was a wedding?Just a thought.The Levite lied to Israel,he didn’t mention that he had sent his concubine to the benjamites,he just said they raped her.What a horrible time for women it was,to be raped to death to protect a guest.God allowed heavy casulaties on both side.It must have broken his heart to see depraved Israel fighting each other.
Without God man becomes really demonic.Only satan can cause the degradation of humanity today as we see it and we let it happen.What must have started out as falling in love with the wrong person became a sick stronghold of lust.How can a whole gathering of men take pleasure in torturing a woman…it all started with a single uncontrolled lusty thought.
Reading Ramona’s post about the youth leader’s in a lustful relationship,I again remember the need to fear God.How can you lead God’s children while obviously giving tribute to the devil with your life.It’s mocking God to His face!Sadly it happens often:pastors having adulterous relationships with their secretaries while going for out of town conferences,leaders preying on their followers all in the name of “I fell in love”,worshippers supposedly worshiping God in public while worshipping the devil in private…Even non belivers see the earthquakes,pestilence,floods,wars and know the end is near.Will Christ find any faith left among his flock?
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.
If you believe that arsenic is poison,you will not even taste something that looks really delicious when you it part of it’s ingredient is arsenic.We all know what God says about the relationship between a man and a woman(just an example)can we really say we believe in Jesus when we stray from his teachings.We believe yet we act contrary to his teachings?May God open our eyes to the devices of the devil and may we constantly allow the Holy Spirit search our hearts lest we deceive ourselves.
God bless you all

Anka

====== Kristie:

Judges shows how bad it gets when people turn away from fearing God. Even the man who gave his concubine to the worthless men, then rallies everyone to fight doesn’t tell the whole story. Look at the way he just talks to her when she is dead on the doorstep. Everyone in this story is a depraved sinner.

Kristie

====== Mae:

Our last Sundaymorning Biblestudies have been about overcropping (premature exhaustion?). It was the first thing I thought about while I was reading todays verse from Proverbs. 1.) We have to give God the chance to make the changes in our hearts 2.) We have to plan well. If we TRY to do good in our lives, if we TRY to love others well, if we TRY to suprise others with grace, in the long run we will get exhausted if we do it all on our own energy. We have to let God work on our hearts, so we don’t have to TRY so hard ourselves. Okay … do I make sense here? I’m really trying to translate the notes I made in the Biblestudy. The thing is that we want to do the right thing everywhere: for God, in church, at work, in our relationships (marriage, the children, friendships etc). So in order to see everything clear, we have to plan well. So in the first place give things in God hands and in the second place, plan well ourselves. So yes, I really love todays Proverb “If you plan good, you will be granted unfailing love and faithfulness.” Indeed: so true!!

Mae

====== Robert:

Psalm 104

I really like how this Psalm raises the tackles the topic of Ecology. We are asked to have a right relationship with God, with one another and with creation. That way we are nurtured by and feed into a full and holistic spirituality. If we seek earth’s beauty and ask for forgiveness for the ways in which we participate in the destruction of this holy creation we are practicing God’s Ecology.

I have trouble joining those “save the trees” groups because I am a business man and love development. I do think the two can live in harmony but it is a delicate balance. I just have to watch some National Geographic documentary and realize how beautiful God made this world. I pray I can be sensitive to how God wants to go about his re-creation and be a positive part in that.

Judges 19:1

“In those days Israel had no king.” This statement also found in 17:6, 8:1 and 21:25 links Judges to a future time when there was a king. It is preparation for the Monarchy and it has been suggested that it is a low-key apology for the Davidic Monarchy. Old Testament Survey by Bush. Page 164.

Robert

======= Jim:

Here is yet another story (that resembles the assault on Lot’s home in Sodom) about the poor moral condition of Israel where a Levite reconciles with an unfaithful concubine (usually a female servant forced into a spousal relationship – and, assuming the extra donkey is for her to ride rather than follow the custom of forcing a woman to walk beside her riding husband suggests at least some feelings for this woman) and sets out for home (after five days, instead of three, as again required by Jewish custom suggesting there is still some observance of the Law) about 3:00pm and as night approaches stops in Gibeah (rather than the very close Canaanite town of Jebus – an example of how close the Jews lived with the Canaanites despite opposing instructions of God) assuming safety in an Israelite town. They finally find lodging (the general failure of the townsfolk to honor the custom of hospitality should have been a warning of perilous morals afoot and they only find lodging from a fellow Ephraim who was passing through) but some men in the town come to rape him (the sin that brought judgment on Sodom is now common in Israel) and (after the host offers his own daughter attempting to honor his obligation to protect a quest at any cost) the Levite throws his concubine to them where they rape and brutalize her all night and she returns to die in the street outside the house alone. The Levite takes her body home and sends a slice of her body to each of the 12 tribes as gruesome evidence of the atrocity (as a call to arms).

While the Levite is silent about his own part in the murder, the judicial court (“before the Lord”) decides the acts of the Gibeahites merit death under OT Law and they chose (by lot) a tenth of their men. The Benjamites additionally merit their own death by refusing to punish the wicked. Their haste initially ends them with two losses in battle. Judah is sent first to fight, perhaps as a reminder they were supposed to be fighting the Canaanites as in 1:1-2 rather than fighting each other. The slings of the Benjamites (like the one used by David) were capable of accurately throwing 1 pound smooth rocks at up to 90 miles per hour – and yet, they were outnumbered (400,000 to 26,700), eventually out maneuvered, and killed to the last 600 men (who would carry on the tribe’s name). The mention of Phinehas (who earlier stopped the plague at Peor in Num 25:6-11) suggests these events occurred about the time of Joshua (see Josh 22). Without a king and royal court there was no place to rule over unjust treatment of visitors or revenge killing.

While the impression in John 3:22 is given that Jesus baptized, John corrects this idea in 4:2. Jesus provided the authority while the disciples performed the task. While I have heard many sermons on baptism, I have heard surprisingly little about the baptism of the Holy Spirit or of fire that John the Baptist spoke of in Matthew 13:11. We read yesterday, “He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” But, when does this new birth and spiritual baptism occur? It could be as soon as believing turns to a belief, when a repenting becomes a calling on the Lord, or during or after a baptism. Certainly baptism is not required for salvation as the thief next to Jesus on the cross had no opportunity and yet was assured entrance into heaven with Christ. All of the ten conversions in Acts involved a seven-step process described in many places of when hearing becomes a belief in Christ (Mark 16:15), a confession (Proverbs 28:13; Romans 10:9), a repenting (Acts 2:38), calling on the Lord (Acts 22:16), a baptism (Matthew 3:13), the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:5-21; Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 12:7), and rebirth with Great Commission discipleship in the body of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). These ingredients for a new Christian usually all take place in a very short time, almost as a singular event. The Catechism of the Catholic Church similarly describes the journey with the steps of “proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion.” But, Paul came across some Ephesian disciples who had received the baptism of John the Baptists without receiving the Holy Spirit. Paul conferred the Holy Spirit onto them through the “laying on of hands” (Acts 19:6). The Holy Spirit was also similarly imparted by Peter and John in Acts 8:14-17 to the Samaritans. And finally, Paul writes to Timothy, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith… For this reason I remind you to fan into flames the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Paul said in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit” and Jesus said he wants us to be so full of the Spirit that it will flow out of us “like a river of living water” (John 7:27-39). To be baptized in the Spirit is to be immersed to the point that it take over one’s life, including thoughts, words, and actions. John the Baptist continuing his work long after the Messiah arrives and takes over reminds us that there could well be a period of adjustment. Some believe that it is possible to have the Spirit without this by accepting Jesus as Savior but not as Lord – who have so grieved the Spirit that it is residing but not presiding. Nevertheless, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Wall, and Brenner have all affirmed that baptizo meant full immerse just as Romans 6:4 equates baptism to burial and not just to getting dirty. “For thirteen hundred years baptism was an immersion of the person under water.” (Brenner, Catholic) “When you send your Spirit, new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.”

Infants, of course, cannot express a belief, a confession, a sorrow, call on the Lord, make a decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, or demonstrate an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This can only occur later in life, even for any “sanctified” infants. The ten baptisms in Acts occurred at once when people believed, upon hearing, or soon after on the same day of the conversion. The baptism did not came first and none involved getting someone else to do the baptizing as the “converter” carried it out each time – just as the Great Commission directs us to “convert AND baptize.” The Roman Catholic Church (and many others) would seem to view Baptism as only that of John as they believe as per the Catechism that even unbelievers with good intentions are somehow able to confer a baptism. The Catholic suggestion that an infant can only be “freed from the power of darkness” through infant baptism who would otherwise not be a “child of God” has historically even often lead to baptisms required for salvation at any cost including the death of the mother. It can be said that each moment carries with it every other moment. In other words, in a universe that carries the purpose of God, the present incorporates the past and the future. Evangelical Christians often speak of having received salvation at some point in the past, when they committed themselves to Jesus as Lord. The thief next to Christ on the cross, for example, was with Christ that day (assuming the comma comes before the word “today”) in paradise due to his belief. Jude 3 speaks about “the salvation we share,” in the past tense just as Titus 3:5 states, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth,” similarly as does Acts 15:11; Romans 8:24; Ephesians 2:5, 8; and 2 Timothy 1:9. At the same time, Peter speaks of salvation as a goal, an end result, not as something already possessed. Peter refers to a future salvation (1 Pet 1:5, 9-10; 2:2, 4:18) every time but when referring to Noah’s salvation (1 Pet 3:20-21). The New Testament makes frequent reference to salvation in the future (Rom 5:9-10; 10:9; 11:26; 13:11; 1 Cor 3:15; 15:2; 2 Cor 7:10; Phil 1:28; 1 Thess 5:8-9; 1 Tim 4:16; Heb 1:14; 9:28; 10:39). Finally, salvation is spoken of as a present process (1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 2:15). Each is true because salvation is not a moment in time, but a journey through time with a God who is timeless and outside of time. Saint Augustine held the Bible teaches that God transcends time and that creation is “with time” not “in time” (agreed to by the Big Bang theory). The mark of those who are “being saved” is their ability to remain firm in their faith under pressure. It is not those who just “make a decision for Christ,” but those who “stand firm to the end” (Mt 10:22; 24:13; Mk 13:13) who will be saved. In the Wesleyan tradition, salvation is tentative and may be lost, while in the Reformed tradition, God assures that those whom he has truly regenerated will in fact endure. Both traditions, however, accurately reflect that it is not a one-time decision, even if long ignored, that brings salvation, but a commitment to Christ lived out through obedience to the end of life. “I will praise my God to my last breath!”
Jim

======= Veronica:

God was Israel’s King, but they did not acknowledge Him as King so….
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.(Judges 17:6 KJV)
Veronica

======= Peggy:

THIS VERSE REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME TODAY. John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”[d]
THIS SAYS IT ALL
ALSO IN PSALM 104:33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
DON’T YOU JUST FILL LIKE SINGING WHEN YOU READ THESE WORDS? I KNOW I DO.
HAVE A BLESSED DAY!
Peggy

======= Laura:

MAY 4TH NATIONAL DAY
OF PRAYER
Lord I pray for unity in the churches and Godly wisdom in our government. Lord you have oppointed rulers who govern our counties, states and nation, please fill them with your Holy Spirit and guide them in the ways of righteousness, truth and knowledge. Lord hear our prayers.
Mike said, “in today’s world social protocol of our time can sometimes carry more authority than moral convictions” Will we stand tall today and protect someone when this is the case? Will we stand up for moral convictions over social protocol today? On this National Day of Pray this is something we all must think about. I am thankful that we have the word of God as our example of Godly wisdom. God has shown us how we are to live. Why can’t we learn from all the mistakes that people in the past have made and not repeat them? Why are we so stubborn and hardheaded? Lord soften our hearts and open our minds, and let your knowledge, wisdom and desernment lead us. Let this nation founded by you and built on Godly principals, go back to those roots as you have taught us. Lord hear our prayers.
Let there be an end to crime, violence, and injustice in the world and in our nation. Let conviction rather than apathy guide us. Give us boldness and courage to stand tall for you and let there be no more persecution for your namesake. Lord hear our prayers.
We really are living in the end times. As I read the paper,pray, attend church and come to the blog everyday, I am reminded that the Lord is coming back very soon. Iran with it’s treats,weapons of mass destruction, rumors of war,desease, disasters that have been occuring in the world all these things have been noted. Lord I pray for salvation and repentance for our nation and our world. Lord hear our prayers.
And all of Gods people said Amen!!!!
Laura

======== John:

Judges 20
Judges 17-18 Religious apostasy
Judges 19 Moral decline
Judges 20 Political anarchy
A familiar pattern?????
vs. 18-28
Why did it take three attempts to defeat tribe of Benjamin?
When Benjaminites would not listen and formed an army. Israel formed 400,000 men. Made a decision to go to war, and then – Oh yeah – in what seems almost an afterthought – ask God – ‘who goes first?’
Perhaps if they had gone about it the right way (more on that later) God would have pared down their force like Gideon and delivered the Benjaminites to Israel.
Israel suffered defeat, and wept and asked the Lord – should we do this?. Is weeping a sign of true repentance? Maybe they are sorry they lost so many men, maybe they are mourning, but there is more to this from God’s point of view.
Israel saw this as a “they sinned” idea, and God wanted them to know that it is a “we sinned” concept. It is the whole country of Israel that is sinning and turning from the Lord. Even if the sin on Israel’s part is just about “national pride” and their thinking they can take care of the situation. Perhaps God wanted to humble the whole nation.
Like Jesus said, ‘until they take the beam out of their eye, their is no way they can deal with the speck in Benjamin’s eye.’
So God sent them out again and they got “whooped”.
This time they came back fasted, made burnt and peace offerings, and consulted God through the High Priest. This is what they should have done from the git-go.
Now Israel was right with God, and He sent them out and delivered the Benjaminites into Israel’s hands.
John

======= John:

John 3:26
“They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
Reminds me of John 12:19
“So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”
Not quite bookends but similar reactions to Jesus. John’s disciples were ones that stayed with John – Why? John had already made clear that Jesus was the Messiah. Did they not believe????
Was their a comfort level in their preaching, their approach to the Jews, their ability to argue and persuade that they enjoyed. Perhaps John’s disciples felt that if they followed Jesus their roles would be diminished, they would not be in the forefront, they would not have as much individual power????? How often is this seen today in those that vary from the preaching of the Gospel to a message THEY feel has their stamp on it?????
We know the Pharisees in general did not believe. Perhaps for the same kind of reasons as John’s disciples. They might have to give up something to join Jesus. It is one of the hardest things to do when “Coming to Christ” – giving up yourself, swallowing your pride, submitting your will to Gods. Yet it is essential.
So from this perspective, the two groups of men are like little children.
They cannot even say Jesus’s name. And “EVERYONE is going to him” and the “WHOLE WORLD has gone after him”. Pure Hyperbole. Typical of a child’s argument for explaining why they acted the way they did in a situation. I can almost see the two groups of men standing there “stomping their feet” and throwing a mini-tantrum.
Sad, because they both should have known better. The Disciples because the man they followed revealed Jesus as the Messiah. The Pharisees because they were the learned men of Scripture and they could not even see that the Scripture they knew pointed to Christ.
John

======= Vance:

Judges 20 (NKJV)
12
Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?
13
Now therefore, deliver up the men, the perverted men [Literally sons of Belial] who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!”
26
Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God [Bethel] and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27
So the children of Israel inquired of the LORD (the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28
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 my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
44
And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valor.
NOTE:
Today, May 4, is the National Day of Prayer.
In honor of this day, note this small quote from George Washington’s prayer journal which is taken from William J. Johnson George Washington, the Christian(New York: The Abingdon Press, New York & Cincinnati, 1919), pp. 24-35.
“Almighty God, and most merciful father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise thee for thy protection both night and day, receive, O Lord, my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee; I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated to thine own service and for thine own honor.”
As I ponder the deep prayer, repentance, and faith of the father of our county, I am ashamed to say that I have been influenced too much by modern America. I find it a challenge to pray as I ought.
Thank God that God has made provision for us, even in this. The Holy Spirit came to teach me, and us, how to pray as we yield to Him.
Romans 8 (Amplified Bible)
26
So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.
NOTE for Judges 20:
Verses 12 and 13 show that this life really is about spiritual warfare. Note that these perverted men were also known as “sons of Belial”, which means “sons of Satan.” If sin is not repented of, the people of God can be oppressed and controlled by the evil one.
Can a Christian be demon possessed? No way – see the verse below:
I Corinthians 6 (NKJV)
17
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
But if sin is entertained, allowed to find a place and rule, that will allow a place for the enemy so he can rule in our minds and bodies.
Verses 26 – 28: Thank God for godly leaders. Note the compassion of the Lord guiding the wrath of God. The people, lead by the godly leader Phineas, weep before the Lord trying to find a way to spare their brothers. Yet, God tells them that there is no more room for repentance for the sons of the devil and for those who join them.
Psalm 103 (Amplified)
10
He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.
Verse 44: Note still how the Israelites honored their brothers.
Thank God for God’s justice—which is sorely needed to protect us from ourselves from sin, and from the devil. Thank God that His justice is always guided by looking for every opportunity to pour His love on us.
May we receive the “mercy of the truth” so that Jesus be demonstrated in our lives—so others may see that Jesus truly is Lord and not just seen as fiction or as a historical man.
Vance

======= Tim:

I enjoy the verse which says (KJV) ” In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury”.Please underline the word “In all labor”.
This should make every Christian positively productive for His glory
Tim

======= Jeff:

John 3:30 ~ How does, “I must decrease” practically look in my life today?
Jeff

======== Liz:

What I noticed in the O.T. passages today was that the Israelites sacrificed 40,030 men because of the evil that was done. It was probably indicative of the whole city, like Sodom. The Benjamites sacrificed 25,100 men for the homosexual perverts that took what they could get without any thought of the woman or her life. What I took away from this is that we know what God thinks about homosexuality. That it was obviously so egregious that the man offered his virgin daughter and the concubine rather than allow them to rape the man, because God calls homosexuality an abomination. I can’t get my head around it being better for them to rape a woman than a man, but I feel that an abomination is a worse sin. I believe there are degrees of sin. Not when it comes to salvation, all have sinned and need repentance and salvation, but in this world and in The Judges eyes, not finally, but now. There seems to be sin, and evil there. These men were “lewd” and evil and God allowed men to be destroyed because of them. Why, at the sacrifice of 40,000 Israelites instead of like He destroyed Sodom? Maybe because they were without a King and did what was right in their own eyes, until they prayed after the 40,00 were killed. They were not successful until God said he would give them into their hands.
There are many people in America that are trying to wipe homosexual sin from the Bible and even pastors do not speak of it anymore. If it was abominable to God, then, it is still abominable. The Benjamites would not turn over the wicked men which makes me think they were wicked, too, like Sodom. I fear for America. If not for the Methodist outside of America, the Methodists would have voted to sanction sin, but the American UMC, is working to leave the association so they can carry on in their sin. This kind of thing is happening in so many areas in our country. How long will God tolerate it? Will his judgement come by war, by fire from heaven, or by natural disaster? Maybe through political slavery. Praying for a great awakening for the United States.
Liz