home / devotionals / daily reading plan / the promised land / As One Man
Wisdom Seekers Christian University Online
365 Devotionals: The Promised Land
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22 AMP
The Seeds of Promise Devotional Series
As One Man
“In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself”. John 1:1 AMP
« The Promised Land
« Daily Reading Plan
« Devotions Home
| March | Book | Read From | Read To | Devotional |
| 30th | Judges | Chapter 20 | As One Man |
Devotional Reading: Judges 20:1-7 AMP
1 Then all the Israelites came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah, from Dan even to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead. 2 And the chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot who drew the sword. 3 (Now the Benjamites [among whom the vile tragedy occurred] heard that the [other] Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) There the Israelites asked, How did this wickedness happen? 4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, replied, I came to Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me and beset the house round about me by night; they meant to kill me and they raped my concubine, and she is dead. 6 And I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and [wicked] folly in Israel. 7 Behold, you Israelites, all of you, give here your advice and counsel.
The Ephraim Levite’s method of avenging his wife’s murder includes one of the most gruesome acts recorded in Scripture. However, the shock value seems to have evoked exactly what the Levite wanted in terms of reaction. When the various tribes of Israel began to learn of the concubine’s fate and the lewd wickedness of the people who were responsible for her demise, they each began to unify within their own tribes and between tribes, determined to as God often said of such evils, “put away this evil from among you.” The most important part of the impending retaliation against the Benjamites of Gibeah is that the rest of Israelites were of one mind and one accord, for the arose “as one man.”
Devotional Reading: Judges 20:8-11 AMP
8 And all the people arose as one man, saying, Not any of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his home. 9 But now this we will do to Gibeah: we will go up by lot against it, 10 And we will take ten men of 100 throughout all the tribes of Israel, and 100 of 1,000, and 1,000 out of 10,000, to bring provisions for the men, that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin they may do to them according to all the [wicked] folly which they have committed in Israel. 11 So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one man.
The united Israelites initially sought to punish only the offending “worthless men” who were involved in the specific incident that claimed the life of the Levite’s concubine. However, the tribe of Benjamin would not oust those men and instead decided to war against the Israelites, their kinsmen. 26,000 men of the tribe of Benjamin set themselves in array to battle against the other Israelites and they were might men of valor. They were joined in drawing the sword by 700 chosen, left-handed men of Gibeah who could each “sling stones at a hair and not miss.” The other Israelites united and found willing to fight against the men of the tribe of Benjamin, not less than 400,000 men of war.
Devotional Reading: Judges 20:18-21 AMP
18 The Israelites arose and went up to the house of God [Bethel] and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall take the lead to battle against the Benjamites? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up first. 19 Then the Israelites rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin and set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21 The Benjamites came forth out of Gibeah and felled to the ground that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.
Here we see the LORD’s choice warrior (many battling as one man), the tribe of Judah. Jesus is called the Lion of Judah, and they were the men who were to lead the Israelites in battle. It was no easy victory, but despite the 22,000 men of the Israelites who succumbed to the fight that day, the men of Israel “took courage” and went the second day to the same place of war where the stood the day before. Three battles ensued before the Israelites set the men of Gibeah to flight in retreat. The second day, 18,000 Isrealite swordsmen were slaughtered. After each battle, the Israelites wept and prayed to God and sought direction as they were in a hard fight, losing many men each day. The battle looked bleak, but the tides turned when God promised victory and the Israelites engaged in guerilla warfare.
Devotional Reading: Judges 20:26-34 AMP
26 Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up and came to the house of God [Bethel] and wept; and they sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the Israelites inquired of the Lord—for the ark of the covenant of God was there [at Bethel] in those days, 28 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days—saying, Shall we yet again go out to battle against our brethren the Benjamites or shall we quit? And the Lord said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand. 29 So Israel set men in ambush round about Gibeah. 30 And the Israelites went up against the Benjamites on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah as at other times. 31 And the Benjamites went out against their army and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite and kill some of the people as at other times, in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country—about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the Benjamites said, They are routed before us as at first. But the Israelites said, Let us flee and draw them from the city to the highways. 33 And all the men of Israel rose out of their places and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel in ambush rushed out of their place in the meadow of Geba. 34 And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard; but the Benjamites did not know disaster was close upon them
The Benjamites had an ally in God who could not be overcome in battle. God was for Israel and more than the world (including Gibeah) against them.
Devotional Reading: Judges 20:35- AMP
35 And the Lord overcame Benjamin before Israel, and the Israelites destroyed of the Benjamites that day 25,100 men, all of whom were swordsmen. 36 So the Benjamites saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites, because they trusted in the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. 37 And the men in ambush quickly rushed upon Gibeah, and the liers-in-wait moved out and smote all the city with the sword. 38 Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke arise from the city, 39 The men of Israel should all turn back in battle. Now Benjamin had begun to smite and kill some of the men of Israel, about thirty persons. They said, Surely they are falling before us as in the first battle. 40 But when the [signal] cloud began to rise out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to the heavens. 41 When the men of Israel turned back again, the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster had come upon them. 42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel and fled toward the wilderness, but the battle followed close behind and overtook them; and the inhabitants of the cities destroyed those [Benjamites] who came through them in their midst. 43 They surrounded the Benjamites, pursued them, and overtook and trod them down at their resting-place as far as opposite Gibeah toward the east. 44 And there fell 18,000 men of Benjamin, all of them men of valor. 45 And [the Benjamites] turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel picked off on the highways 5,000 men of them; they pursued hard after them to Gidom and slew 2,000 more of them. 46 So that all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor. 47 But 600 men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock Rimmon and remained at the rock Rimmon four months. 48 And the men of Israel turned back against the Benjamites and smote them with the sword, men and beasts and all that they found. Also they set on fire all the towns to which they came.
Heir Force Ministries 