“Always Consult Jehovah” (10 min.)
Decision making has been a fundamental part throughout our lives. For example, when it comes to having a family, buying a house, getting a job, where to study, at what school, at what university. All this implies that one must make simple but effective decisions. Why? The rest of our lives will depend on it.
That is what we are going to talk about in this section of Treasures of the Bible with the title: “Let us always consult the Lord.” Specifically, we're going to talk about decisions we need to make that will affect our relationship with him. For example, if we use as a situation what happened at the time of the Judges of Israel, we have already seen in these previous weeks about what they had to face various nations that were constantly having problems with them.
But here it has a lot to do with the hospitality that should be provided and when it was done, unfortunately things did not go well. To summarize in Judges chapter 20, the situation of a Levite with his concubine arriving in the city of Gibeah is presented. They wait patiently for someone to offer them hospitality. Nobody did until a certain person approaches him and invites him to come to his house.
After that, many inhabitants of this city come to this house to request that these people be handed over for sexual immorality. It was a terrible thing they were requesting. However, when the concubine was given to all the people, because they terribly abused her, they raped her. And finally, she died, they murdered her.
In retaliation, all the other tribes of Israel went out to fight against this one, Benjamin. Why? Because the logical thing was that they handed over the men, the people who had caused this damage, because there were clear violations of God's law, such as rape and murder. Even so, the tribe of Benjamin covered up the situation and did not want to collaborate.
What were the Israelites to do? Consult Jehovah if they should attack one of his tribes. There were twelve of them, if they attacked one and destroyed it. God's purpose was no longer fulfilled.
LET'S READ: Judges 20:17,18.
17 Not including the Benjaminites, the men of Israel gathered 400,000 men armed with swords: they were all experienced warriors. 18 They set out and went up to Bethel to inquire of God. The people of Israel asked him: "Which of us will go to the front in the fight against the Benjaminites?" Jehovah answered them: “Judah will go to the front.”
When this fight happened, according to the story, the Benjaminites went out to fight and killed twenty-two thousand of these four hundred thousand who were. So it didn't seem like the right thing to do, which is why in verse 23 they ask.
LET'S READ: Judges 20:23.
23 The Israelites went up to Bethel and wept before Jehovah until evening, asking Jehovah, “Should we go again to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And Jehovah answered them: “Go against them.”
This could imply that the first decision was wrong and what they needed was to reconfirm that Jehovah said to go ahead with those plans. In other cases, brothers, we sometimes have situations where we have to think again and again regarding what will be the best decision on Jehovah's part.
They told Jehovah even Jehovah mentioned to him who should go first, but then he reaffirmed the point. They consulted Jehovah again because they wanted to keep the name of their God in the highest, the highest, the cleanest.
LET'S READ: Judges 20:26.28.
26 Then all the men of Israel went up to Bethel, where they wept and sat before the Lord. That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 After that, the Israelites inquired of Jehovah, since the ark of the covenant of the true God was there in those days.
We can see that the Israelites did over and over and over to make sure they were getting Jehovah's answer. They made sacrifices to be in the right spiritual position before God. They consulted with an experienced man like Eleazar, who served on the ark. It was there before the ark, because they wanted to have the appropriate advice directly from Jehovah. And so was the answer. "Go, tomorrow I am going to deliver them into your hands."
We also want to make sure that the decision we are going to make, whether it is related to health issues or having a spouse or something that is going to affect our spirituality. We can consult with publications, yes, but what if we also consult with experienced mature brothers who are available to advise us and, of course, listen to advice.
We don't just want to hear what we want to hear, but what Jehovah really says is best. The Israelites paid attention and acted once again.
LET'S READ: Judges 20:35.
35 Jehovah defeated Benjamin before Israel. That day, the Israelites killed 25,100 men from Benjamin, all of them armed with swords.
They consulted with Jehovah, and things went as they should. We also, if we have, must make decisions regarding our affectation of spirituality. Let's do the right thing, let's consult with biblical publications, let's consult with the Word of God, let's consult with experienced brothers.
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