Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 21:1-25.  Let’s go!

Judges 21:1-4 (NIV)
1  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  “O LORD, the 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.

On verses 1-4:  The Israelites weep bitterly before God when they realize that one tribe of Israel, the Benjamites, is nearly extinct.  In verse 3 they ask, “O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?”  According to scholars like Daniel Block from the New American Commentary, the tone of the Israelites’ questioning of God is one of accusation.  In other words, rather than seeing how their actions resulted in this heart-breaking result, they blame God.  Isn’t that so like us humans to do?  We make a mess of our own situation and then we blame God for the mess.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 20:18-32.  Let’s go!

Judges 20:18-28 (NIV)
18  The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, “Who of us shall go first to fight against the Benjamites?” The LORD replied, “Judah shall go first.”
19  The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah.
20  The men of Israel went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah.
21  The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day.

On verses 18-28:  There are only a few times in the book of Judges where we see people inquiring of God.  In chapter 1 the Israelites inquire of the LORD after the death of Joshua (1:1).  In chapter 6 Gideon inquires of God with his famous fleece.  In chapter 13, Manoah the father of Samson inquires of the LORD regarding how to honour Him (13:17).  Whenever people in Judges inquired of the LORD, it seemed to be a God-pleasing thing, a move that would be followed immediately by a wise decision or an immediate victory.  Whenever you’re not sure what to do, the best thing you can do is inquire of the LORD.  He will lead the way for you.

But here in Judges 20, even though the Israelites inquire of the LORD repeatedly, notice that the first couple times that they follow the LORD’s directions, they lose, and lose badly.  After the first time that the Israelites inquire of the LORD (v18), God tells the tribe of Judah that they will be the first to go up against the Benjamites, and yet that day 22,000 of them are cut down (v21). 

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 19:16-30.  Let’s go!

Judges 19:16-30 (NIV)
16  That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the men of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields.
17  When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
18  He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD. No one has taken me into his house.

On verses 16-30:  Here we read of one of the most shocking and vile crimes ever described in the Bible.  To protect themselves from a sadistic mob, the Levite and his old man host in Gibaeh offer up the Levite’s concubine to a sadistic mob who gang rapes the concubine all night, leaving her for dead.  Then the Levite takes his concubine and cuts her up into 12 pieces and disperses her body parts throughout Israel.  This raises a bunch of questions, not the least of which include:

(1) Which man was it – the old man or the Levite – who gave the concubine over to the sadistic mob in verse 25?  In any event, the fact is that this Levite allowed his concubine to be gang raped this way to protect himself.  Contrast this to Jesus who allowed himself to be abused, tortured and killed to protect us his bride, the church.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 18:14-31.  Let’s go!

Judges 18:14-20 (NIV)
14  Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do.”
15  So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah’s place and greeted him.
16  The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance to the gate.

On verses 14-20:  Earlier when this priest needed a place to stay, Micah gave him a home and a job.  Now, upon being offered more opportunity and prestige by the Danites, this priest quickly abandons Micah and even takes Micah’s idols with him.  Micah must have felt utterly betrayed and sucker punched by this priest’s lack of loyalty and low EQ, as he did not even discuss the matter with Micah.

What’s the lesson here?

–    Before you decide to make a significant investment in someone as Micah did in this priest, make sure you get a good sense of that person’s character.  Otherwise, you may end up betrayed and sucker-punched the way Micah was by this priest.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Judges 17:1-13.  Let’s go!

Judges 17:1-6 (NIV)
1  Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim
2  said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse–I have that silver with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “The LORD bless you, my son!”
3  When he returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I solemnly consecrate my silver to the LORD for my son to make a carved image and a cast idol. I will give it back to you.”
4  So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into the image and the idol. And they were put in Micah’s house.
5  Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest.
6  In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

On verses 1-6:  Verses 1-5 describe a man called Micah and his mother and how spiritually confused they were.  Here Micah’s mother says that she is consecrating silver to the LORD by making idols with the silver? (v3)  Apparently at this time in Israel’s history, spiritual confusion and religious syncretism were rampant throughout Israel (v6) and the worship of the LORD as the LORD had commanded has all but disappeared.