A Damaged People (Part B)

The New Testament was the teachers and we want you was spiritual, restore such a one not at the cost of obedience… You cannot restore ring back into the flock goals who will refuse to tell the truth about their ways and agree with God, and that's what we getting here with the 600 and that's what the leaders are missing. Whenever people are more merciful than God. You have a problem. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Judges. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick will continue in Judges chapter 21 with his study called a damaged people. Verse three settle Yahweh God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel today. There should be one tribe missing in Israel, cough cough, you, you took the oath. You're the ones that created this situation, the 600 of them still held out and of course they concerned at how the wives for them to continue the try and it's just not the whole story that's another problem going to come across so they made a spiritual effort and what they ended up with because he didn't wait for God was a bizarre plan that cause more suffering, more bloodshed, more tears it it it it is you know we've covered spiritual derangement has been going through Judges this just a damaged people and remember this is early in the book of Judges.

This is the appendix. The writer goes back to the days right after Joshua and that's about the time that these events are taking place actually sets the stage for the judges to come along and that was, not as smooth as we would've liked it. So they go to the house of God. They call out to him, but they don't appear to wait for him and the reason why we can say that because is no recorded answer from God is no thus says the Lord. They just go to him. They cried a praying they build an alternative sacrifice and then they come up with these goofy plans and they are goofy and culture standard vertical well maybe not any gold is pretty groovy ones out there.

Verse four. So it was on the next morning that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings will. Here's why some of the commentators will sit with her at Bethel and that's why they built the altar there probably before the ark of the covenant, but the Scripture of this forbade random altars, it had to be at God's place, which is Shiloh of the tabernacle was and as I mentioned when we get verse 12 will find them · Shiloh. I think what is going on is the altar of Moses was in the state of disrepair is not able to handle the volume of sacrifices and so at Shiloh. They erected auxiliary altars, which is not of been a problem, but to go to the high places to offer make offerings that that would've been a problem either. Anyway, verse five, the children of Israel said who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to Yahweh, for they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come to Yahweh at Ms. for saying he should surely be put to death with these guys just full of oats.

So the first ones were not giving our lives in the Benjamite that survive in the second oath was in any of the tribes don't answer the call to war where going to deal with them. Also they going to put them to death. Timestamps of good here because Bharat and Deborah are going to be confronted with a very identical situation is so will Gideon and in a lesser way be confronted with this and and neither of the those judges will make a mess of things like these group of leaders here. The generation that came out of the wilderness with Joshua and often IL. The first judge, they're all gone now's a good time to take that Judges chapter 2 verse seven. So the people serve Yahweh, all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of Yahweh which he had done for Israel. So they serve the Lord.

The days of Joshua. But after Joshua things begin to in the generation that came out with Joshua but after that verse 11 then the children of Israel did evil in the side of Yahweh and serve the bowels and there begins the book of Judges up to this point in the book of Judges. It's sort of been you know the that the preface to the book with the goal what was taking place. Still in Joshua's leadership and those under his leadership and now beginning in mid range app. Chapter 2 we have this in the period of the judges which ends with chapter 16 in Sampson, and then the writer then goes back to chapter 17 to 21 and say let me also tell you about something that happened and that's when we get these two ugly stories from so coming back now to Judges chapter 21 they make this next valve that they going to put to death. Those who don't come to war verse six now pause for a minute they felt that they did not put a death penalty on not showing up for the war that a lot of tribes would not of come and they would've been under understaffed I'm not saying they're wrong for doing that, but how they go about executing this is way out of bounds. Verse six now and the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin there brother and said one tribe is cut off from Israel today. So here we have patriotism and compassion and regret, and those are all under these circumstances, virtuous still not enough in us will be coming across in the book of Judges is not enough to be right.

That was last week.

You have to be close to God. Also in here in this chapter is not enough to be sincere. Then look to be compassionate yet to still be plugged into the Lord abiding in Christ for us Christians in the New Testament. They were to abide with Yahweh.

Samuel told Saul, the king is better to obey the sacrifice. Keep your religion give me obedience and where you keep your ritual of religion is the idea and so because they were not listening to the Lord awaiting long enough for him. Human logic prevailed.

That's what were going to get human logic with religious attire. Verse seven. What shall we do for wives of those who remain seeing we have sworn to Yahweh that we will not give them daughters as wives. Now you think of this, you thought that we made the oath is a big problem.

Leniency shown to the criminal misplaced leniency often means cruelty to the victim. I mean, these guys created the perverted men of tibia and how many other crimes that they commit and didn't get caught that. But this one they came out and they created tens of thousands of deaths and sorrows and families are now at the end we got them with well you know these guys. All that's left the danger of becoming too mild is what they fell for an end and in so doing, again the innocent are indirectly punished. How would you like to have lost you know your father or brother or a husband on the battlefield because of these Benjamite's just to find out that the survivors are going to be rewarded and still never repent of his terrible sins. This is not cruelty. Yes J bash this going to be the group that does not show up there guilty of not coming to the battlefield and they needed to be disciplined but not like what's going on in and not and then, like Benjamin get all get away with this on the 600 of them so they going to slaughter those that bet J bash Gilead because it's going to suit their purposes better and seems like that style the whole story goes, but continuing here in verse seven. These surviving members of Benjamin are held out and were told verse 4727 chapter 20 in verse 47 were told it was a four month deal and the 600 soldiers stranded here at the rock of Remeron were impenitent. You cannot restore in a righteous environment.

A person who is not repenting, who is impenitent, you can't. You they've got to own their sin, and if they do not do that. Just nothing you can really more you can do anything we say to a couple look if you know the wood trying to uphold the sanctity of marriage. You can't just as Christians live together and not be married, and then come into the fellowship that suggests blatant disobedience when not hating on you are not staying would all like you, which is saying that the disfellowshipped you because that's you you you can't fix this and I will do whatever we can help you go get the marriage license on you and I'll remarry right away or perform the service. Of course, that would be polygamy get you warmed up a little bit for Sunday because I'm thinking that's what it takes. Anyway, how again.

How many families suffered because of the 600 and the other 26,000 other Benjamite that are now dead because of their impenitent ways and so the elders dentists overlooking this Ellis time to restore them now. Okay, that's fine. You want to restore them to bring him to Shiloh, have them confess their sins. John the Baptist stresses from the first message of John the Baptist to repent. Then Jesus who enters into ministry public ministry. While John is still in public ministry, except John's message doesn't start off come out with his own message yet. Good develop that Christ is buddy he preaches John's message and by doing this I'm not usurping the authority of John that I've given him well. Repentance is the first word of the gospel and its demonstrator course. But what about Paul in dealing with it church at Corinth that had good people, but a lot of troublemakers. He writes to them in a second letter about another visit he paid to them and they didn't clean up their act and he he he see how he wants this fix is less when I come again, my God, will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication and lewdness which they have practiced. The New Testament was the teachers and we want your spiritual restore such a one not at the cost of obedience, don't you cannot restore bring back into the flock. Those who will will refuse to tell the truth about their ways and agree with God, and that's what we getting here with the 600 and that's with the leaders of missing whenever people are more merciful than God. You have a problem and we need to make sure that we can do this with love and firmness verse and let the chips fall where they may.

Verse eight and they said what one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Ms. foot to the Lord that Yahweh's covenant name, and in fact no one had come to the camp from Davis Gilead to the assembly when the people.

Verse nine were counted. Indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Davis, Gilead, was there so they take a roll call who didn't show up. The people of Davis, Gillett, Gilead. They did not, and so now the elders have found their sacrifice again.

Church does not deal with sin by sweeping it under the rug. But that's not what's going on here. They are going to kill more of their own people. After the Civil War when Deborah and Barrick were faced with tribes.

It didn't show up to the battlefield monastic add half of the tribe of Manasseh, Gad, Ruben, and a portion of Naphtali bar X number of barracks on dry. They did not go to kill them go to war with them. They wrote about them.

They put it into the records and they stay rebuke them in the Lord rebuke them, but they did not amass an army and go wipe them out. When Gideon was chasing after the enemies of God's people, and he arrived it one Jewish town and he asked for provisions. They told him no were not going to help you. You might lose this family to be stuck in Gideon Salama deal with you after I put these kings down in Gideon does. He comes back and discourages them MET probably killed some of what he did not do the whole village just leaders as those events happen again chronologically after this event here in chapter 21 maybe they learn their lesson. But the fact remains, this was overkill. Verse 10 so the congregation sent out there. 12,000 of the most valid men and commanded them, saying, go strike the inhabitants of Davis, Gilead, with the edge of the sword, including the women and the children.

Mrs. uninstructed seal hey I got a good idea, let's go deal with those who have not come to the war and let's take the virgins from that those people and were given to the Benjamite's this with a tribe can continue not easy to find out how the events unfolded, but in the end that's the picture Paul dealt with this emit a great comment about this kind of behavior just a very short sentence. Speaking of the Jews, he says, for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, not according to knowledge is their own zeal is not matching what we know from God's word is what Paul was saying and that's when they crucified Christ their own Messiah.

And you know they would make statements search and see see if any prophetess come from Nuno Nazareth near there were so this these are the problems that belong to not doing the hard work that is required to try to find out what God is actually say so covering one's stupidity with the greater one is not the way to go and continues here in verse 10, with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. Then again, this is unjustifiable. This is heartless, the slaughter is in their own people while they go to this of the Philistines and the Canaanites, not sound execution military justice at all, so that income to the battlefield.

Find the leaders once he made the decision to do your research and investigation and then execute your punishments with this is not right is a shameful but assertive purposes and we see why the book of Judges, then, becomes the book of Judges as depressing as it is because these amendment issued the generation into the coming chapters was excessive and I think again Deborah Dunbar Barragan, Gideon.

I think they knew the story and what was their turn to in similar situations. They did not do this is true that during these days, reprisals and vengeance was the law the lands that is no excuse what they have done this if the Benjamite has 600 wives are ready with a still have done. This is impossible to tell.

But it shouldn't even be a question and it is it's not inflammatory to identify the guilty.

Of course that's with this demonic liberalism is all about the times we live in. Don't you dare point out the people that are committing the crimes as inflammatory speech to tell the truth, exactly the other way around. Paul talks about that in Romans. He says they suppress the truth in unrighteousness. It's not honorable to do that is not only dishonorable. It's harmful because you then.

How convenient to you. You can commit in all crimes and no one can say anything as inflammatory. You can be immoral as you want, destroy all generation that's okay.

Well, we disagree, we we disagree and it's okay to tell. And in fact it is our duty to tell the people of the world they engages in conversation. It is our duty to say. We disagree with you, and we side with God want you like it and if you don't tough, but were not going to change what we believe and if you persecute us will be persecuted well the list of story that's were another story because in getting to whole civil laws and stuff like that but anyway verse 11 and this is the thing that you shall do. You shall utterly destroy every mail and every woman who has known a man intimately so they found among the inhabitants of Davis, Gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man intimately and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, lives at Shiloh reference in verse 12 I mentioned earlier so since suited the solution spare the virgins. Josephus tells us that the virgin girls wore certain Todd had a certain attire garb. I think it was longer sleeves on their and their clothing with one of their tunics and so they would. That would've made them more easy to identify. We find that mentioned about the daughters of King David is the virgin daughters of the King and second Samuel. They had a special tunics made for them and so that would've helped identify not to kill in the heat of battle or the took them captive and and just you know that other means.

But anyway, that's them the easiest one to believe from Josephus, it's would be nice if you had footnotes like that in the Bible.

He did and spent 23 hours taking stuff like that one commentator can make a comment and I hope great how my going to verify this. This would be really nice if I could verify and many times you just can't find it think it is something he just walk on this one. Other times, you gotta cut through so many ancient writings and stuff his home managed to get into the commentary. I know, the snow comment for this well where are we okay verse 13. Here they are now going with their in this case to putting their tribe to community their families ahead of God. Human logic does he follow God. You will always put everybody you would be better for every body. By following God. Human logic goes the other way gets to point with execute can do better.

Verse 13 then the whole congregation sent word to the children. Benjamin, who work at the rock of rim on an announced piece to them. These are the 600 holdouts that have not repented and yet there announcing peace with them.

So Benjamin came back at that time and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabez, Gilead, and yet had found not that had not found enough of them. So the restoration without repentance brings big trouble and their compromises not solve the problem is. Still, they still come up short. At no point is there any indication that they figure any of the cell.

At no point is you know what we okay we should make the oath about the Benjamite's and yet we maybe should play the oath about killing you know where the Angels of the battle that will work for us, but they never come out and say you maybe we shouldn't wiped out on people in an Jabez Gilliard and maybe we should be adjusted to the new money was gone with goofy story.

Verse 15 and the people grieved for Benjamin because Yahweh had made. Avoid and the tribes of Israel. Now the historian is writing with the peak, the sentiment of the people at the time. Blaming God is always a step in the wrong direction.

It is so easy to do and you get nowhere with it, except of guilt feeling of guilt for doing it. When you come back to your senses. That's how does Yahweh else would he do all by commanding men not to be perverted as they were to not murder anyway. Verse 16 then the elders of the congregation said, what shall we do for wives. For those who remain since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed. Verse 17 and they said there must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin that the tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. So now we're going to get is the end justifies the means, which is worldly thought this human logic is not God's.

God forbids it.

Paul talks about in Romans three verse eight and why not say let us do evil that good may come to rhetorical policy and will do that would charge would do anything we don't do it that good, the good may come. We do not do evil that good may come does not come from doing evil may not suffer the consequences.

Instantly you will, they will be worse. Move thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Judges cross reference radio is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you'd like more information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there, and we encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast Work. Just follow the links and cross reference radio.com that's all the time we have for today.

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