Week18/52

Week 18: My Daily Portion:

Monday: Judges 20-21, Psalms 119:1-88, 1Corinthians 12.
Tuesday: Ruth 1-4, Palms 119:89-176, 1Corinthians 13.
Wednesday: 1Samuel 1-2, Psalms 120, 1Corinthians 14.
Thursday: 1Samuel 3-4, Psalms 121, 1Corinthians 15.
Friday: 1Samuel 5-6, Psalms 122, 1Corinthians 16.
Saturday: 1Samuel 7-8, Psalms 123, 11Corinthians 1.
Sunday: 1Samuel 9-10, Psalms 124, 11Corinthians 2,3.

Judges 20:22 But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day.


The famous definition for the word 'insanity' is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Many times this is true, but there are times when we as believers find ourselves faced with the temptation to back off of what we know we are to do. Take a look at the Israelites. They were asking God which tribe should go first into battle against the Benjamites, and the Lord gave a clear reply, that it was the tribe of Judah.

I am sure the Israelites were very shocked when they came away from battle that day having lost 22,000 men. The Bible tells us that the Israelites went to God and wept in His presence and asked Him this time if they should even be going to battle. Their answer from God was, "Yes, go out and fight them." So the Israelites gathered themselves together, and encouraged one another, taking the same positions they had previously.

The second day of battle was almost as bad as the first as the tribe of Benjamin killed another 18,000 skilled swordsmen. At the end of this day all the people of Israel went into the presence of God again, weeping and fasting, and bringing burnt offerings to the Lord. In seeking God for direction they asked God again if they should go up and fight or if they should stop. God spoke again and said, "Go! I will give them into your hands tomorrow." Finally, on the third day the Israelites had their victory.

Sometimes in life we move ahead with the direction God gives and don't see the immediate victory. Sometimes the losses are so great that it seems we must have heard wrong, but in going before God again in prayer, there is still a clear directive from Him to proceed and take the same approach again. Even then, there may be more losses, and by this time we may even be questioning if we heard God right.

Those Israelites had to go to the same place and do the same thing they had done the previous day and get beat again and again! They had to look over at each other and encourage other to keep on going! They would win. They had heard from God! They were doing what they were supposed to be doing!

One of my favourite passages is found in John 7:35, and it says that "wisdom is proved right by the fruit that it produces," or "wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it." In other words, that fruit might take awhile to be produced, but it will come, and at that moment we will be so pleased that we never quit or gave up because that fruit is the proof we did what we we'd been asked.

How important is it that we hear God speaking to us and we continue on in obedience to that word in spite of the losses. Those losses are meant to be endured while we encourage others near us to take the same position we did the day before in response to God's counsel to us.