As most Bible students would attest to, there are baffling passages. For me, one of such passages is in Judges 20. It details the battles that eleven tribes fought against the tribe of Benjamin. Here is the background to those battles. A priest had travelled with his mistress to the coast of Benjamin. There some street boys seized the woman and molested her all night long until there was no more breath in her. The priest cut her lifeless body into twelve parts, sending each tribe of Israel a part. That odious thing was the reason why they went to war, but not until Israel had demanded for the men who did this evil to be handed over for justice. It was Benjamin’s refusal that led to this war.
“losing some battles does not amount to losing the war…A child of God can be sure of winning the war ultimately because Christ has already conquered.”
The combined forces of 11 tribes lost the first two rounds of battle. They had a good cause, yet they lost. They sought leave of God before they went, yet they lost. That’s the reason I find it baffling. What do we make of this story? This throws up an irony, that a just cause alone does not automatically guarantee victory in life. The second lesson is that if things do not work out exactly as planned, get back to God. On each occasion that Israel lost, they came back to God who gave them fresh assurances. Thirdly, it is important to persevere until victory is recorded. This is particularly important when we are sure we are on the Lord’s approved cause. The final lesson is that losing some battles does not amount to losing the war. Israel lost two battles, but they eventually won the war. A child of God can be sure of winning the war ultimately because Christ has already conquered.
