Good Discipline!
Reflections: Today in the Psalm we see the remembrance of the provision God gave Israel when he brought them out of Egypt. He used many of the elements of Creation to show His grace. The cloud was their covering by day, fire by night and quail and bread from heaven came from the sky. Water even came out of a rock as a sign that God’s supernatural provision could even make this happen.
Then, as we move to the Judges passage, we continue to see Israel trying to right its mistakes in regard to the tribe of Benjamin which is still recovering from its bad behavior. The current situation today involved trying to find wives for the Benjaminite men who had survived in the hills. It was important for the tribes to keep the family line and the inheritance intact, so they got women from Shiloh to match with the Benjaminite men. Since the families could not technically give their sons away due to an oath, the men hid in the vineyards and when the women appeared they seized them and took them as their wives to get around this oath. What a first date!!
At the end of the chapter it says the Israelites each returned to their own tribe and settled. And as before it says there was no king and everyone did as they saw fit. Then as we move to our Gospel in Luke we see the True King, Jesus the Messiah; defending himself from the onslaught of the Jewish leaders. Now a true King was in their midst and they treated like a criminal. But notice Jesus does not lose his cool, react, or lash out; but keeps His composure until the end. Quite amazing for the Son of God, who could have called a legion of angels to His side at any moment.
So here we have quite an irony. The men of the Law in charge of keeping the Law and leading the Jews to the Messiah by their teaching and behavior condemning and abusing the One who was who the Law and the Prophets preached. And the irony is the ones who should have been judged were judging the one who was sinless. And the sinless One, the One who created them and was going to go to the cross for all of their sins past present and future sits silent at their rebuke and abuse.
So the Question for today is: when we get judged wrongly how do we respond? Do we lash out to preserve our reputation or right the wrongs done to us? What would it be like to be like Jesus and not have to justify ourselves? How about when we are judged rightly by God, do we still rebel or accept the Lord’s discipline and grow from it? The bible says, “The Lord disciplines those whom He loves.” As we trust in the Lord even when we are wronged, God’s grace will provide for us just like He did for His Son at the cross. As God provided for the Israelites, He still provides for us each day with all the riches of Christ.
Psalm 105:37-45
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.
40 They asked, and he brought them quail;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord.
Judges 20:32-21:25
Wives for the Benjamites
21 The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” 2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?” 4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5 Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death. 6 Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. 7 “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” 8 Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. 10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin.” 12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan. 13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them. 15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’ 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’” 23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance. 25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
Luke 22:63-71
The Guards Mock Jesus
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” 70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you. Isaiah 26:8
When we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:32
When you see fit to judge us, God, help us to remember your love and grace. Call to our minds the redemptive purposes of your discipline and the promise of eternal life. Thank you for training us so we shall forever be your children. Amen.
Then, as we move to the Judges passage, we continue to see Israel trying to right its mistakes in regard to the tribe of Benjamin which is still recovering from its bad behavior. The current situation today involved trying to find wives for the Benjaminite men who had survived in the hills. It was important for the tribes to keep the family line and the inheritance intact, so they got women from Shiloh to match with the Benjaminite men. Since the families could not technically give their sons away due to an oath, the men hid in the vineyards and when the women appeared they seized them and took them as their wives to get around this oath. What a first date!!
At the end of the chapter it says the Israelites each returned to their own tribe and settled. And as before it says there was no king and everyone did as they saw fit. Then as we move to our Gospel in Luke we see the True King, Jesus the Messiah; defending himself from the onslaught of the Jewish leaders. Now a true King was in their midst and they treated like a criminal. But notice Jesus does not lose his cool, react, or lash out; but keeps His composure until the end. Quite amazing for the Son of God, who could have called a legion of angels to His side at any moment.
So here we have quite an irony. The men of the Law in charge of keeping the Law and leading the Jews to the Messiah by their teaching and behavior condemning and abusing the One who was who the Law and the Prophets preached. And the irony is the ones who should have been judged were judging the one who was sinless. And the sinless One, the One who created them and was going to go to the cross for all of their sins past present and future sits silent at their rebuke and abuse.
So the Question for today is: when we get judged wrongly how do we respond? Do we lash out to preserve our reputation or right the wrongs done to us? What would it be like to be like Jesus and not have to justify ourselves? How about when we are judged rightly by God, do we still rebel or accept the Lord’s discipline and grow from it? The bible says, “The Lord disciplines those whom He loves.” As we trust in the Lord even when we are wronged, God’s grace will provide for us just like He did for His Son at the cross. As God provided for the Israelites, He still provides for us each day with all the riches of Christ.
Psalm 105:37-45
37 He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
and from among their tribes no one faltered.
38 Egypt was glad when they left,
because dread of Israel had fallen on them.
39 He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.
40 They asked, and he brought them quail;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
42 For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
45 that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord.
Judges 20:32-21:25
Wives for the Benjamites
21 The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: “Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.” 2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 “Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?” 4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5 Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death. 6 Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. 7 “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” 8 Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. 10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin.” 12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan. 13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them. 15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: ‘Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.’ 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh, which lies north of Bethel, east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” 20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give your daughters to them.’” 23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance. 25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
Luke 22:63-71
The Guards Mock Jesus
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
Jesus Before Pilate and Herod
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. 67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” 70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you. Isaiah 26:8
When we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:32
When you see fit to judge us, God, help us to remember your love and grace. Call to our minds the redemptive purposes of your discipline and the promise of eternal life. Thank you for training us so we shall forever be your children. Amen.
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