RPG Adults
THE BITTER TASTE SIN LEAVES BEHIND
FRIDAY, MARCH 10
Judges 21
2 Corinthians 2:1-11
“…Sufficient to such a man
is this punishment…"
THE BITTER TASTE SIN LEAVES BEHIND
The conclusion of this second appendix gives in some measure a picture of the grief and loss that sin, when entertained, brings to a nation. The consequences of ruling our own lives and not submitting to the rule and law of the LORD are always disastrous, filled with grief and regrets.
“Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh…” (Judg 21:1). The first is the grief and regret from decisions made in the flesh and not according to the will of God. Man has no wisdom of his own, man’s heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9); and, as such, decisions made out of one’s own wisdom or by following one’s own heart will always be tainted by the depravity that pervades us. They decided in the heat of the moment when emotions were running high and thoughts clouded with the gross message they had received. Now, they were filled with grief and regret, and were bound and helpless by their own doing.
“And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother…” (Judg 21:6). The second is the grief and regret of actions dictated by the flesh and its emotions. When they had the responsibility of administering justice, and had the help of God, they went too far and almost annihilated Benjamin. Spiritual work cannot be done under the dictates of the flesh. They must be done under the guidance of spiritual principles and moderated by the fruit of the Spirit. The men of Israel had left their sword to slay unabated and the fire to burn, and in the blindness of the moment, spared not their brother.
“And the people repented them for Benjamin…” (Judg 21:15). The third is the grief and regret of giving Satan an advantage over them and being ignorant of his devices. The men of Israel realised that there was irreversible damage. They sought for alternative remedies, but those remedies too were not without faults. In their attempts to save Benjamin, they smote the men of Jabeshgilead. All this can be attributed to the self-rule of man. Satan gets an advantage over us when God is not Lord over our hearts!
THOUGHT: Is Christ my Lord? Does His Word hold sway over my life?
PRAYER: “Come in to stay, Come into my heart, Lord Jesus!”