This Lockdown could be a humbling process for God to use us for a greater purpose, as we read about the humbling process God used for the Israelites….Judges 20:18-28.

🙇‍♀The most difficult chapters for me to read in the Book of Judges are Chapters 19 & 20. It records some of the most sinful and gruesome acts of the tribe of Benjamin and about a civil war, set in the history of the darkest period of Israel. God wanted the Israelites to address the wrong done by their brothers belonging to the tribe of Benjamin.

🙇‍♀The unholy ways of the Israelites in Gibeah, left a lasting memory for generations to come, that this period is recalled in the Book of Hosea 9:9, 10:9, as in the days of Gibeah, when Israel sinned against God.

🙇‍♀What are the lockdown lessons that we can draw from the passage in Judges Chapter 20:18-28.?

🙇‍♀The backdrop to this passage is the depravity of a community of men in the city of Gibeah, from the small Benjamin tribe. The shocking incident in Judges Chapter 19, prompted the rest of the Nation of Israelites to come together like in the days of Joshua, except for Benjamin. It woke up the covenant people of God to address the issue head on, wanting to bring justice for the wickedness done by the men of Gibeah.

🙇‍♀This passage reveals how God was humbling the Israelites through frustation. Inspite of seeking God’s permission to go to war against their own brothers, the Benjamites, the Israelites, kept experiencing humiliating defeat at the hands of the Benjamites. After each defeat, they went back to seek God, crying their heart out not knowing why after God asking them to go and fight against the Benjamites, the Israelites would suffer severe loss and casualties.

🙇‍♀Here’s a lesson for us all in this lockdown which none of us saw was coming. Some of us might think that we were doing great work for God, only to be lockdown and restricted and forced to do our ministries differently. As I write this, more restrictions are being added to where I am, with increasing challenges, learning each day that, there is a process in this frustration.

🙇‍♀There is a process of humbling that God must bring His people through before He is able to use them. God called the Israelites to do something repeatedly that resulted in the nation suffering the loss of many of its greatest warriors. There had to learn that their military strength and strategy won’t win any battles, they had to break free from their self-will and their trust in their own fleshly strength and resources.

🙇‍♀Dear Child of God, Remember this, God cannot use us until we are humbled and brought to a place of full submission to Him, though we all want to be used by Him, as His instruments to fulfill His purpose. In this lockdown He can shape our lives where we can be useful to Him, by coming to the end of our self effort through brokenness and emptiness, so that we can be full of His strength and power, to carry out our assignments.

🙇‍♀The Israelites were so sure that their larger number of military superiority and high moral ground, would win the battle for them, against the much smaller army of the sinful Benjamites. They assumed that God wanted them to go to battle, by asking, which tribe should go up first, Judges 20:18. They thought they can bring righteousness without God’s help by putting confidence in their flesh

🙇‍♀It is interesting to note that God didn’t command them to go to war, He just gave them permission. Sometimes, when we run ahead of Him, He will take us through a frustrating path to take us from foolishness to maturity by bring us to a place of humility and brokenness, to free us from self-will and self-sufficiency to self surrender.

🙇‍♀Just as He brought victory eventually for the Israelites, He will bring victory through Christ through the process He allows in our Lockdown, which will be instructive and life-changing to pass on to those around us….Amen🙏.

anniekoshy@God’s Thirstydeer🦌
Breaking the Chain with You….⛓️