Judges 1:24-2:1
The house of Joseph promised to spare the life of this man of Bethel, with his family, if he would show them the entrance into the city. This he did, and then they captured the city, sparing his life as they had promised. This, however, was contrary to the word of God, who had told them to let none escape. Since the Lord was with them, could He not have shown them the entrance to the city? Did He not know where it was without the help of an enemy? And yet how often we are like the children of Joseph! Even in our work for the Lord we sometimes lean upon an “arm of flesh” to our own sorrow and loss. And so here. What was the sad result of this foolish action? The man went away and built another city! He helped them to take Bethel, it is true, but then he built another city in the land of the Hittites which only strengthened the enemies of the Lord. We may be sure that if we spare the enemy, or seek help from them, it will only serve to strengthen their position against us in the end. We need to be reminded that full and complete confidence in the Lord, and obedience to Him, is the only way of fighting the Lord’s battles.
Then some of the children of Israel tried another plan. They made the people of the land whom they were unable to drive out, pay tribute to them. Others of the Israelites were forced to live in the mountains while their enemies possessed the fruitful valleys. It may seem very well for a time to let the enemy pay tribute to us, or dwell among us, but such things cannot continue. The enemy will only wait his opportunity to get the upper hand and rob us of our possessions. What a lesson for those in Christendom who still seek help from the world to carry on the work of the Lord! How different it was with the early disciples of whom we read, “For His name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.” 3 John 7.
At the first Gilgal had been the place of the camp of Israel, where they inquired (or should have inquired) of the Lord before going out to fight His battles. There had been no victories or evidence of power seen at Gilgal, but instead a very painful work — that of circumcision — but Gilgal was, nevertheless, the place of power and victory. This the children of Israel began to realize when they neglected it. It typies to us self-judgment — a hidden work which is all too often forgotten or neglected, because of its painfulness. But oh how needful it is! It is to get into God’s presence and learn there that “the flesh profiteth nothing.” John 6:63. We need this every day of our lives, as His Word tells us, “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:10. There can be no real victory without it. We are ever in a hurry, naturally, to rush forward in self-confidence, and alas, the hidden work of self-judgment is too often forgotten, to our own shame and defeat.
But God is patient with us, as He was with Israel. The angel of the Lord did not leave Gilgal at once; He was there to meet the people if they would but come before Him in brokenness. But Gilgal was forgotten; and yet the people did not consider the cause of their weakness. Have we failed to realize it today?
ML 08/02/1953