Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000519
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00:16 Hello, and welcome back to HIS WORDS ARE LIFE
00:18 I'm Kelly Mowrer and today we're reading in the book of Judges, 00:22 but before we start reading, Let's pray together. 00:25 Dear God, thank you for this time to come and to be 00:29 in your presence through your holy word. We thank you 00:33 that this word has for us all that we need to be fit 00:38 for your service and fit to be lights for you in this world. 00:42 Please teach us now what you would have us to learn. 00:45 We love you so much. Amen. 00:47 Reading in Judges in chapter 19 and we're going to start 00:53 on verse 28, and this is the King James Version. 00:57 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. 01:01 But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, 01:06 and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 01:09 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, 01:12 and laid hold on his concubine and divided her, 01:15 together with her bones, into twelve pieces, 01:18 and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 01:21 And it was so, that all that saw it said, 01:25 There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the 01:30 children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this 01:32 day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds. 01:38 Continuing now in Judges, chapter 20, King James Version. 01:43 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation 01:46 was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, 01:51 with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh. 01:54 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel 01:57 presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 01:59 four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. 02:02 Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children 02:05 of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh. 02:07 Then said the children of Israel Tell us how was this wickedness? 02:12 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, 02:16 answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth 02:20 to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah 02:25 rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me 02:29 by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine 02:33 have they forced, that she is dead. And I took my concubine, 02:38 and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all 02:41 the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have 02:44 committed lewdness and folly in Israel. 02:47 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice 02:52 and counsel. And all the people arose as one man, saying, 02:57 We will not any of go to his tent, neither will we any of us 03:02 turn into his house. But now this shall be the thing 03:06 which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; 03:11 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all 03:14 the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, 03:17 and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual 03:20 for the people, that they may do when they come to Gibeah of 03:23 Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought 03:27 in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against 03:31 the city, knit together as one man. And the tribes of Israel 03:35 sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, 03:38 What wickedness is this that is done among you? 03:42 Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, 03:47 which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away 03:51 evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin 03:54 would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the children 03:57 of Israel: But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves 04:01 together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle 04:04 against the children of Israel. 04:06 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time 04:09 out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, 04:13 beside the inhabitants of Gibeah which were numbered 04:16 700 chosen men. Among all this people there were 04:20 700 chosen men, left-handed; every one could sling stones 04:25 at an hair breadth and not miss. And the men of Israel, 04:29 beside Benjamin, were numbered 400,000 men that drew sword: 04:34 all these were men of war. And the children of Israel arose, 04:37 and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, 04:40 and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against 04:45 the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up 04:49 first. And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, 04:53 and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out 04:57 to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel 05:00 put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. 05:04 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and 05:08 destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day 05:12 twenty and two thousand men. And the people the men of Israel 05:18 encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array 05:22 in the place where they put themselves in array the 1st day. 05:26 And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord 05:30 until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up 05:34 again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? 05:37 And the Lord said, Go up against him. 05:40 And the children of Israel came near against the children of 05:44 Benjamin the second day. And Benjamin went forth against 05:47 them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down 05:50 to the ground of the children of Israel again 18,000 men; 05:54 all these drew the sword. Then all the children of Israel, 05:59 and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, 06:03 and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day 06:06 until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings 06:09 before the Lord. And the children of Israel inquired 06:13 of the Lord, for the ark of the covenant of God was there 06:16 in those days, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron 06:20 stood before it in those days, saying, Shall I yet again go out 06:26 to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, 06:28 or shall I cease? And the Lord said, Go up; for tomorrow 06:34 I will deliver them into thine hand. 06:38 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. 06:42 And the children of Israel went up against the children of 06:46 Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array 06:49 against Gibeah, as at other times. 06:51 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people 06:55 and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite 06:59 of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, 07:03 of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other 07:06 to Gibeah in the field, about 30 men of Israel. And the children 07:10 of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, 07:13 as at the first. But the children of Israel said, 07:17 Let us flee and draw them from the city unto the highways. 07:21 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, 07:24 and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers 07:30 in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of 07:33 the meadows of Gibeah. And there came against Gibeah 07:37 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: 07:42 but they knew not that evil was near them. 07:46 And the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children 07:51 of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day 07:54 twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: 07:57 all these drew the sword. So the children of Benjamin saw that 08:02 they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place 08:04 to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait 08:08 which they had set beside Gibeah And the liers in wait hasted 08:13 and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait 08:16 drew themselves along, and smote all the city 08:19 with the edge of the sword. Now there was an appointed 08:23 sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, 08:26 that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up 08:30 out of the city. And when the men of Israel retired 08:33 in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men 08:37 of Israel about 30 persons: for they said, Surely they are 08:40 smitten down before us, as in the first battle. 08:43 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city 08:47 with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind 08:52 them, and behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven. 08:55 And when the men of Israel turned again, 08:58 the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come 09:02 upon them. Therefore they turned their backs before 09:05 the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness but the battle 09:09 overtook them; and them which came out of the cities 09:12 they destroyed in the midst of them. Thus they enclosed 09:17 the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them 09:21 down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. 09:25 And there fell of Benjamin, eighteen thousand men; 09:30 all these were men of valour. And they turned and fled 09:36 toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: 09:39 and they gleaned of them in the highways 5,000 men; 09:41 and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew 2,000 men 09:46 of them. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were 09:50 25,000 men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. 09:55 But 600 men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock 10:00 Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. 10:02 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children 10:05 ob Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, 10:07 as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came 10:11 to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to 10:16 Continuing in the book of Judges chapter 21, King James Version. 10:22 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, 10:26 There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin 10:30 to wife. And the people came to the house of God and abode there 10:34 till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 10:39 And said, O Lord God of Israel, why is this come to pass 10:44 in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking 10:47 in Israel? And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people 10:51 rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt 10:54 offerings and peace offerings. And the children of Israel said, 10:58 Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not 11:02 up with the congregation unto the Lord? For they had made a 11:06 great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord 11:09 to Mizpeh saying, He shall surely be put death. 11:11 and the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin 11:15 their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel 11:18 this day. How shall we do for wives for them that remain, 11:22 seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them 11:25 of our daughters to wives? And they said, What one is there 11:30 of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh 11:33 to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from 11:38 Jabeshgilead to the assembly. For the people were numbered, 11:41 and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead 11:45 there. And the congregation sent thither 12,000 men of 11:50 the valiantest, and commanded them saying, Go and smite the 11:54 inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the 11:57 women and the children. And this is the thing that ye shall do, 12:01 Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman 12:06 that hath lain by man. And they found among the inhabitants 12:11 of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known 12:14 no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the 12:18 camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 12:20 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children 12:23 of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, 12:25 and to call peaceably unto them. And Benjamin came again 12:29 at that time; and they gave them wives which they had 12:31 saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they 12:36 sufficed them not. And the people repented them for 12:39 Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes 12:42 of Israel. Then the elders of the congregation said, 12:45 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing, the 12:49 women are destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said, 12:52 There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin 12:55 that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. Howbeit 12:58 we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children 13:01 of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife 13:05 to Benjamin. Then they said, Behold, there is a feast 13:09 of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north 13:13 side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth 13:15 up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 13:19 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, 13:22 Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; And see, 13:26 and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance 13:29 in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you 13:33 every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, 13:36 And go to the land of Benjamin. And it shall be, when their 13:41 fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, 13:44 that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them 13:47 for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his 13:50 wife in the war: for he did not give unto them at this time, 13:54 that ye should be guilty. And the children of Benjamin did so 13:58 and took them wives, according to their number, 14:01 of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went 14:04 and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired 14:07 the cities, and dwelt in them. And the children of Israel 14:10 departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to 14:14 his family, and they went out from thence every man 14:17 to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel 14:20 every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 14:24 Thank you for being with me today to read the word of God, 14:28 and when we are together next we will start on the beautiful 14:31 story of Ruth. Until then, goodbye and God bless. |
Revised 2014-12-17