Judges 21, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Christ Came to Open Eyes - May 31, 2022

Jesus still finds blind people and restores their sight. Did you know he promised that through his ministry “the blind shall see” (Luke 4:18 TLB). Christ came to give light and sight.

Consider what Jesus is doing in the Muslim world. According to Tom Doyle, “More Muslims have become Christians in the last couple of decades than in the previous fourteen hundred years since Muhammad,” and “about one out of every three Muslim-background believers has had a dream or vision prior to their salvation experience.”

Jesus, my friend, is in hot pursuit of the spiritually blind. And He finds them, he touches them. He may use a vision, or the kindness of a friend, or the message of a sermon, or the splendor of creation. But believe this: he came to bring sight to the blind. Remember friend, you are never alone.

Judges  21

Wives

 Back at Mizpah the men of Israel had taken an oath: “No man among us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.”

2-3 Now, back in Bethel, the people sat in the presence of God until evening. They cried loudly; there was widespread lamentation. They said, “Why, O God, God of Israel, has this happened? Why do we find ourselves today missing one whole tribe from Israel?”

4 Early the next morning, the people got busy and built an altar. They sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings.

5 Then the Israelites said, “Who from all the tribes of Israel didn’t show up as we gathered in the presence of God?” For they had all taken a sacred oath that anyone who had not gathered in the presence of God at Mizpah had to be put to death.

* * *

6-7 But the People of Israel were feeling sorry for Benjamin, their brothers. They said, “Today, one tribe is cut off from Israel. How can we get wives for those who are left? We have sworn by God not to give any of our daughters to them in marriage.”

8-9 They said, “Which one of the tribes of Israel didn’t gather before God at Mizpah?”

It turned out that no one had come to the gathering from Jabesh Gilead. When they took a roll call of the people, not a single person from Jabesh Gilead was there.

10-11 So the congregation sent twelve divisions of their top men there with the command, “Kill everyone of Jabesh Gilead, including women and children. These are your instructions: Every man and woman who has had sexual intercourse you must kill. But keep the virgins alive.” And that’s what they did.

12 And they found four hundred virgins among those who lived in Jabesh Gilead; they had never had sexual intercourse with a man. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13-14 Then the congregation sent word to the Benjaminites who were at the Rimmon Rock and offered them peace. And Benjamin came. They gave them the women they had let live at Jabesh Gilead. But even then, there weren’t enough for all the men.

15 The people felt bad for Benjamin; God had left out Benjamin—the missing piece from the Israelite tribes.

* * *

16-18 The elders of the congregation said, “How can we get wives for the rest of the men, since all the Benjaminite women have been killed? How can we keep the inheritance alive for the Benjaminite survivors? How can we prevent an entire tribe from extinction? We certainly can’t give our own daughters to them as wives.” (Remember, the Israelites had taken the oath: “Cursed is anyone who provides a wife to Benjamin.”)

19 Then they said, “There is that festival of God held every year in Shiloh. It’s north of Bethel, just east of the main road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and a little south of Lebonah.”

20-22 So they told the Benjaminites, “Go and hide in the vineyards. Stay alert—when you see the Shiloh girls come out to dance the dances, run out of the vineyards, grab one of the Shiloh girls for your wife, and then hightail it back to the country of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers come to lay charges against us, we’ll tell them, ‘We did them a favor. After all we didn’t go to war and kill to get wives for men. And it wasn’t as if you were in on it by giving consent. But if you keep this up, you will incur blame.’”

23 And that’s what the Benjaminites did: They carried off girls from the dance, wives enough for their number, got away, and went home to their inheritance. They rebuilt their towns and settled down.

24 From there the People of Israel dispersed, each man heading back to his own tribe and clan, each to his own plot of land.

25 At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Today's Scripture
Psalm 107:23–32

    Some of you set sail in big ships;

you put to sea to do business in faraway ports.

Out at sea you saw God in action,

saw his breathtaking ways with the ocean:

With a word he called up the wind—

an ocean storm, towering waves!

You shot high in the sky, then the bottom dropped out;

your hearts were stuck in your throats.

You were spun like a top, you reeled like a drunk,

you didn’t know which end was up.

Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;

he got you out in the nick of time.

He quieted the wind down to a whisper,

put a muzzle on all the big waves.

And you were so glad when the storm died down,

and he led you safely back to harbor.

So thank God for his marvelous love,

for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.

Lift high your praises when the people assemble,

shout Hallelujah when the elders meet!

Insight

Psalm 107 is a song of thanksgiving (vv. 1, 31) celebrating God as the loving and merciful Deliverer, Savior, Protector, and Provider of people in crisis (see vv. 2, 41). Citing four groups of people in various situations of trouble and distress (vv. 4, 10, 17, 23), the psalmist describes how God had redeemed and rescued them from adversity, bondage, foolish ways, danger at sea, and ultimately death. God will save those who turn to Him for help (v. 41). The psalmist calls on the worshiper to “give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” This refrain occurs in verses 8, 15, 21, and 31. Highlighting God’s sovereignty and mighty power (vv. 33–42), the psalmist closes his song with an invitation: “Let the one who is wise heed these things and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord” (v. 43). By: K. T. Sim

Hope Cuts through Storms

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
Psalm 107:29

In the spring of 2021, several storm-chasers recorded videos and took photos of a rainbow next to a tornado in Texas. In one video, long stalks of wheat in a field bent under the power of the whirling winds. A brilliant rainbow cut across the gray skyline and arched toward the twister. Bystanders in another video stood on the side of the road and watched the symbol of hope standing firm beside the twisting funnel-shaped cloud.

In Psalm 107, the psalmist offers hope and encourages us to turn to God during difficult times. He describes some who were in the middle of a storm, “at their wits’ end” (v. 27). “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress” (v. 28).

God understands His children will sometimes struggle to feel hopeful when life feels like a storm. We need reminders of His faithfulness, especially when the horizon looks dark and tumultuous.

Whether our storms come as substantial obstacles in our lives, as emotional turmoil, or as mental stress, God can still our storms “to a whisper” and guide us to a place of refuge (vv. 29–30). Though we may not experience relief in our preferred way or time, we can trust God to keep the promises He’s given in Scripture. His enduring hope will cut through any storm. By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

When have you struggled to feel hopeful during a storm in your life? How has God given you reminders of His promises through Scripture and His people when you needed a burst of hope?

Loving God, thank You for being my hope-giver no matter what’s going on in my life.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Put God First

Jesus did not commit Himself to them…for He knew what was in man. —John 2:24-25

Put Trust in God First. Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God’s grace could do for others. If I put my trust in human beings first, the end result will be my despair and hopelessness toward everyone. I will become bitter because I have insisted that people be what no person can ever be— absolutely perfect and right. Never trust anything in yourself or in anyone else, except the grace of God.

Put God’s Will First. “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:9).

A person’s obedience is to what he sees to be a need— our Lord’s obedience was to the will of His Father. The rallying cry today is, “We must get to work! The heathen are dying without God. We must go and tell them about Him.” But we must first make sure that God’s “needs” and His will in us personally are being met. Jesus said, “…tarry…until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). The purpose of our Christian training is to get us into the right relationship to the “needs” of God and His will. Once God’s “needs” in us have been met, He will open the way for us to accomplish His will, meeting His “needs” elsewhere.

Put God’s Son First. “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matthew 18:5).

God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to me. He expects my personal life to be a “Bethlehem.” Am I allowing my natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God? God’s ultimate purpose is that His Son might be exhibited in me.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The vital relationship which the Christian has to the Bible is not that he worships the letter, but that the Holy Spirit makes the words of the Bible spirit and life to him.  The Psychology of Redemption, 1066 L

Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 13-14; John 12:1-26

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Making Life an Adventure - #9232

I think it all started when the bananas started going bad. That's when our daughter decided to bake them up into four loaves of banana bread. Then she asked their church for some folks who might need a little lift right now. With that cheer-up list in hand and our then four-year-old and two-year-old grandchildren assisting, she proceeded to drop off some banana bread blessing at four homes. She took the boys with her into each house, and they actually are the ones who gave the resident the gift. First house, the man's wife had just died. He was so thrilled over their gift that he gave each boy a dollar which he refused to take back. Second house, a man with a very sick wife. He insisted on thanking the boys by giving them candy. Third house, a lady living alone, very serious, until the boys gave their gift. Big smile! And the fourth house, another lonely woman and a big hug for each boy. As our daughter debriefed her little banana ambassadors, our four-year-old recounted the unexpected gifts they had received in the process of giving, including a big smile and a big hug. Then the little guy summed up his feelings about the day: "Mommy, today was such an adventure."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Making Life an Adventure."

At the age of four, our grandson was starting to figure out what really makes life an adventure; it's called giving living. Living your life, not as a taker, but as a giver - not to make a name or make a fortune, but to make a difference. That's one reason we experience so much joy at Christmastime. There's something that feels really good about making others happy, sacrificing to give to them. Well, guess what? That's how we're supposed to live all year long!

Jesus taught this strange but wonderful truth. It's in our word for today from the Word of God in Luke 9:24. He simply said, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." Those who try to hang onto their lives, their time, their money, and their stuff will end up losing it. But those who do it Jesus' way; those who release what they have will end up actually gaining life. You lose it by keeping it. You find it by giving it away.

You don't give in order to get - that ruins it. But when you give, you do get. Jesus put it this way: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38). You pick the measure with which God will give to you based on the measure you choose to give to others.

If your life has seemed a little claustrophobic lately, unsatisfying, boring, maybe you've been all wrapped up in yourself, maybe with some reason because of what you've been going through. But you're missing the adventure. You're missing the healing power of getting your eyes off yourself and onto who you can help. There is no more exciting way to begin each new day than to say, "Lord, who needs me today?" I can guarantee someone does need your smile, your encouragement, your random act of kindness, maybe your compliment, your help; someone at work, someone at school, where you live, where you shop, in your neighborhood, online, in your church.

The equation of giving living goes like this, as spelled out in Proverbs, "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:24-25).

Look, if you don't believe me, go back to my grandson. Remember what he said? He would tell you that a day full of giving is "such an adventure"!