In late January this year (2020), the San Miguel Sherrif’s department in Colorado issued a confusing tweet on their Twitter account: “Large boulder the size of a small boulder is completely blocking east-bound lane Highway 145 at Silverpick Rd. Please use caution and watch for emergency vehicles in the area.”
The tweet was retweeted over 71,600 times and received over 260,500 “likes”, with several interesting comments. One Twitter user wrote, “What’s heavier … a large boulder the size of a small boulder, or a small boulder the size of a large one? Asking for a friend.” A different user offered a potential fashion solution. “Perhaps the boulder was wearing Spanx or a similar compression garment? That would explain how a large boulder could fit into the size of a small boulder.” And still another user wondered if perhaps the boulder was having self-esteem issues.
After providing an update that the boulder had been removed, the sheriff’s office offered a clarification: “The boulder that fell onto Highway 145 at Silverpick Rd was approximately 4ft x 4ft x 4ft (64 cubic ft) and weighed about 10,000 lbs.” (Ed Mazza, “A Sheriff Department’s Attempt To Describe This Boulder Goes Delightfully Awry” HuffPost.com, 1-28-20; www.Preaching Today.com)
All kidding aside, large problems are often the size of small problems at the start. These are treacherous days when the smallest actions can have huge repercussions. I mean, who’d have thought that one act of police brutality on Memorial Day weekend would lead to nationwide riots and calls for the elimination of police departments in some of our major cities.
These are crazy days, but they’re not unlike the days of the Judges in Israel. So, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Judges 19, Judges 19, where the author is summarizing those days and where we can learn some lessons for living in our days.
Judges 19:1-3 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father’s house. And when the girl’s father saw him, he came with joy to meet him. (ESV)
A Levite takes a concubine, a secondary wife, just to have sex with her. The concubine cheats on the Levite and goes back home. After four months, the Levite is missing the sex, so he pursues the concubine again. And her father, despite the exploitation of his daughter for sex, is glad to see the Levite.
Now, no names are given, because the author whishes to imply that this is typical behavior in Israel during the days of the Judges. They’re all crazy and mixed up, but they don’t do anything that’s all that significant, or so it seems. These are little acts of indiscretion among some unnamed people, which you wouldn’t think would amount to much, but it does!
In a show of typical, extravagant Mideast hospitality, the concubine’s father keeps the Levite for five days, after which the Levite and his concubine leave for home. On the way, they stop at Gibeah, a town in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, where no one shows them any hospitality.
Since there were no hotels in those days, it was customary for people to invite travelers into their homes, but no one does in the little town of Gibeah. It’s in stark contrast to the extravagant hospitality the concubine’s father showed them over the last five days! Then someone from out of town invites them into his temporary lodging place and puts them up for the night. Skip down to verse 22.
Judges 19:22-26 As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.” But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. (ESV)
It’s sounds a lot like Sodom. Only it’s not Sodomites or Canaanites that want to rape the Levite; it’s Israelites, the people of God! The Levite, in callous disregard for his concubine, pushes her out to the crowd, who violate her all night.
Judges 19:27-30 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home. And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.” (ESV)
The Levite’s callous disregard for his concubine leads to a callous disregard for her body. He divides it into 12 pieces and sends them to each of the 12 tribes of Israel.This is a call to arms, which implies a curse: If you fail to respond, expect a similar fate. What started out as small acts of indiscretion has now become a national crisis. The whole nation is up in arms over what happened in the little town of Gibeah.
So what is the lesson here? Well, first of all...
TURN FROM THE LITTLE SINS before they become big problems.
Forsake the small acts of indiscretion before they do irreparable damage. Renounce even those small compromises before they yield big complications.
I like what Bruce Barton said years ago: “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things” (Bruce Barton, U.S. writer and politician, 1886-1967; www.PreachingToday.com)
British Cycling was in a desperate situation. For nearly 100 years, from 1908 to 2004, British riders had won just a single Olympic gold medal. Their performance was so bad that a top manufacturer in Europe refused to sell bikes to the team because they were afraid that it would hurt sales if other professionals saw the Brits using their gear.
Then the organization hired Dave Brailsford. What made Brailsford different was his relentless commitment to searching for a tiny margin of improvement in everything they did. He said, “You break down everything that goes into riding a bike. Then you improve it by one percent and you will get a significant increase when you put them all together.”
Brailsford and his team made small adjustments in hundreds of different areas. They redesigned the bike seats for more comfort. They rubbed alcohol on the tires for a better grip. The coach had the riders switched to lighter and more aerodynamic indoor racing suits.
As these one percent improvements accumulated, the results came faster than anyone could have imagined. In just five years the British Cycling team dominated the cycling events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. They won an astounding 60 percent of the gold medals available. Four years later, at the London Olympic Games, the team set nine Olympic records and seven world records. (James Clear, Atomic Habits, Avery, 2018, Pages 13-16; www.PreachingToday.com)
It’s the little things that can bring you down. So it’s the little things that can turn you around. Don’t be fooled. One little look can destroy your family. One little snort can ruin your life. One little indiscretion can wreak havoc on all you hold dear. So turn from the little sins before they become big problems. Then...
TURN TO THE LORD!
Cry out to God even if you’re in big trouble! Look to the Lord for wisdom in difficult times.
That’s what Israel does as they gather for war. 400,000 armed men from every tribe of Israel, except the tribe of Benjamin, gather to attack Gibeah. Israel invites the tribe of Benjamin to join them, but the Benjaminite’s refuse, choosing to defend their little town instead.
So what does Israel do? Let’s pick up the story in Judges 20:18
Judges 20:18 The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.” (ESV)
Their request is virtually identical to what they asked at the beginning of the book: “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites” (Judges 1:1)? Only here, the Benjaminites have taken the place of the Canaanites as Israel’s enemy.
And notice, they don’t ask IF they should fight the tribe of Benjamin. They ask WHO should fight them. Israel is not interested in discerning God’s will here. They just want God to help them with what they have already decided to do.
As a result, Israel loses 22,000 soldiers the next morning in their battle against the tribe of Benjamin. So they come to God again.
Judges 20:23 And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.” (ESV)
This time, Israel comes to God with tears, but still they lose 18,000 soldiers the next day. You see, they’re STILL not interested in doing GOD’S will. They just want God to bless THEIR will.
Now, God is not playing with them here; He’s proving them, trying to move them into a right relationship with Himself. Well, finally, the third time they come to God with the right attitude.
Judges 20:26-28 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.” (ESV)
They weep and fast and sacrifice to the Lord, repenting of their sins and renewing the covenant they had with Him. Now they’re truly interested in doing GOD’s will, so God gives them a tremendous victory. They eliminate the entire tribe of Benjamin except for 600 men, who escape.
A. C. Bowling says, “It is a mark of grace that God’s leadership is available. There is no other reason why God should have communicated with such a corrupt, apostate people” (A C. Bowling, 1995, Judges, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, Vol. 3). And yet He does, because they turn from their sin and turn to Him for guidance.
You do the same. No matter how great your trouble, turn from your sin and turn to the Lord for guidance. Don’t just look for God to bless YOUR plans. Seek to discover HIS plans for your life.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” God will graciously guide every believer, who truly seeks His will.
In his book Resolving Everyday Conflict, Ken Sande tells about watching a blind woman, who resisted the repeated warnings of her loyal and protective guide dog.
One day during his morning run he noticed a blind woman walking on the other side of the street with her Seeing Eye dog, a beautiful golden retriever. As he was about to pass them, he noticed a car blocking a driveway a few paces ahead of them. At that moment, the dog paused and gently pressed his shoulder against the woman's leg, signaling her to turn aside so they could get around the car.
Sande says, “I'm sure she normally followed his lead, but that day she didn't seem to trust him. She had probably walked this route many times before and knew this was not the normal place to make a turn. Whatever the cause, she wouldn't move to the side and instead gave him the signal to move ahead. He again pressed his shoulder against her leg, trying to guide her on a safe path. She angrily ordered [the dog] to go forward. When he again declined, her temper flared.”
Sande says, “I was about to speak up… when the dog once more put his shoulder gently against her leg. Sure enough, she kicked him… And then she impulsively stepped forward—and bumped square into a car. Reaching out to feel the shape in front of her, she immediately realized what had happened. Dropping to her knees, she threw her arms around the dog, and spoke sobbing words into his ear.” (Ken Sande, Resolving Everyday Conflict, Baker Books, 2011, pp. 99-100; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s a picture of the way a lot of people treat God’s guidance. He often nudges them to turn aside from the path they’re on, but they get angry and end up kicking against His guidance. As a result, they run smack dab into a big problem!
Please, don’t do it! Instead, trust the guidance of God’s Word. Trust the gentle nudging of His Holy Spirit; and do what God wants you to do, not what you want to do. You’ll avoid a lot of problems that way, and life will go a whole lot smoother.
In these crazy days, turn from the little sins before they become big problems; turn to the Lord; and...
TRUST THE LORD TO WORK OUT HIS PLAN.
Depend on God to accomplish His good and perfect will through it all. Rely on Him to bring about something good despite the chaos.
In Judges 21, Israel is in a mess again, because they go back to doing their own thing. You see, one of their tribes is nearly wiped out, with only 600 men left of the tribe of Benjamin. On top of that, they swore an oath not to give any of their daughters in marriage to the men of Benjamin. So they complain to the Lord about it.
Judges 21:3 And they said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened in Israel, that today there should be one tribe lacking in Israel?” (ESV)
It’s almost as if they’re blaming God! The next day, they offer sacrifices, but they don’t ask God what they should do.
Instead, they come up with their own hair-brained scheme. They decide that since no one from Jabesh-gilead answered their call to arms, they would slaughter all its inhabitants, except for 400 young virgins. These, they force on the 600 men of the tribe of Benjamin, but they were still 200 short! So they invite the 200 Benjaminites to kidnap the young ladies dancing at a festival in Shiloh.
They had sworn an oath not the GIVE their daughters in marriage to the tribe of Benjamin. But they reasoned that if the men of the tribe of Benjamin TOOK their daughters, they would not be violating their oath.
Their crazy scheme involves violence against hundreds of teenage girls, sacrificing virgin girls for the sake of the men just like the old man suggested in Judges 19. So there you have it: The rape of one woman in Judges 19 has multiplied into the rape of 600 women in Judges 21 (Steve Matthewson, “Is There Any Hope when God’s People Fail,” www.PreachingToday. com)
The Israelite society is all messed up! Why?
Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (ESV)
Everybody does what they THINK is right, not what God SAYS is right. Now, that’s the state of our society today! We’re all messed up, because everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes.
Six years ago (2014), there was a trendy little acronym that's making the rounds in managerial circles – VUCA. It stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The U.S. Army War College first introduced the concept to describe the new realities after the Cold War ended. VUCA refers to the perfect storm of circumstances that sometimes hit individuals, families, and communities. It's what happens when you face a string of complicated and ever-changing “unknown unknowns.” Or as the Harvard Business Review put it, VUCA is a catchall phrase for “Hey, it's crazy out there!” (Nathan Bennett and G. James Lemoine, "What VUCA Really Means for You," Harvard Business Review, January-February 2014; www.PreachingToday. com)
If they thought it was crazy in 2014, I wonder what they would say about 2020. Hey, it’s REALLY crazy out there today – double VUCA!
But this is NOT the end of the story! Amidst all the craziness, God is up to something.
When you get to the end of Judges, it leaves you depressed and wondering, “Is there any hope?” Then you turn the page to the book of Ruth, which we’ll start looking at next week. It’s a beautiful love story that takes place during this same crazy time period; and there, you read that God is working behind the scenes to raise up a king, who will bring order to the chaos! As it turns out, Ruth is the great grandmother of King David, one of Israel’s greatest kings, and one whose descendants will include the Messiah, the King of all kings!
Jesus is the hope, not only for Israel, but for anyone who puts their trust in Him.
Pastor E.V. Hill used to tell of a time he received a death threat from the Black Panthers because they didn't like his preaching about that “white Jesus.” This was his reply:
“I don't know anything about a white Christ – I know about Christ, a Savior named Jesus. I don't know what color He is. He was born in brown Asia, He fled to black Africa, and He was in heaven before the gospel got to white Europe, so I don't know what color He is. I do know one thing: if you bow at the altar with color on your mind, and get up with color on your mind, go back again – and keep going back until you no longer look at His color, but at His greatness and His power – His power to save!” (Benjamin Kasankya, Facebook posting: www.facebook.com/ PSBenjaminkasankya/posts/866481453842243)
Jesus is the only One who can save us, because He died for all people no matter what color they are. He died for the sins of the whole world, then rose again three days later! So put your trust in Him and let Him straighten out your mess.
In these crazy days, turn from the little sins before they become big problems; turn to the Lord; and trust Him to work out His plan.
Kentucky farmer and writer, Wendell Berry, put it this way: “Often I have not known where I was going until I was already there. I have had my share of desires and goals, but my life has come to me or I have gone to it mainly by way of mistakes and surprises. Often, I have received better than I deserved. Often, my faintest hopes have rested on bad mistakes. I am an ignorant pilgrim, crossing a dark valley. And yet for a long time, looking back, I have been unable to shake off the feeling that I have been led.” (Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow, Counterpoint, 2001, page 133; www.PreachingToday.com)
I have been led by the hand of a gracious and loving Heavenly Father. He is at work behind the scenes directing my every step. My dear friends, trust Him to lead you today!
