Posted in Leadership, Life Inspiration

The Woman Who Caused a War

In search of scripture this morning to encourage my heart, I ended up in the book of Judges chapter 19, and there was a story, of the strangest kind that drew me in. The story of a Levite who took for himself a concubine, who then forsook him and went back to her father’s house. Funny thing about “unattached” people, there is no bond that requires them to stay and be faithful. But the Levite goes to the home to retrieve his gal (kindly) and does so after a hiatus with her father where they partied like it was 1999 for 5 days, and then began his journey home. He, his servant and the girl opted to pass through the city of Jebus because they were not of the children of Israel. So they lodged in Gibeah, the home of the tribe of Benjamin,  where after searching for a place to stay without success, a man invites them in for the night; where again they party like it’s 1999. (Seemed to be a theme with the guy). While they were partying, some men of Belial (of the Devil) came to kill him and his servant. But the master of that house bartered with them and gave his daughter and the concubine instead. The concubine returned the next morning and fell dead at the door. And now the Levite was upset. 

I have to wonder, where was he last night when his woman was being raped and brutally attacked. I am aware that it was a different day, when women were not always held in high regard, but this was extreme in my mind. 

Then in an act right off of a “48 Hours Murder Mystery Show”, the Levite cuts his gal up into 12 pieces, symbolic of the tribes of Israel, and has them delivered to the actual tribes of Israel, he later stops by to explain and rehash the tale of his concubine. Now keep in mind, this is the Bible according to Shari, not the KJV scripture. So you should really go read the story yourself in Chapters 19-21 of Judges for reference.  

When the Levite asks their counsel, it brings on full out war between Israel and their own fellow Israelites, the Benjamites. Israel inquires of the Lord, and He says go and fight. The Benjamites kill (scripture says “destroyed down to the ground”) twenty two thousand of the Israelites. They’re shocked! God had told them to go to battle and yet they were defeated. So they inquire of God again, and He once again tells them to battle the Benjamites. Once again they’re destroyed to the ground, eighteen thousand of the children of Israel. They weep sore again to God and inquire of Him. This is extreme obedience! They go a third time… but this time they destroy the Benjamites. Twenty five thousand, one hundred men of the tribe of Benjamin fell that day. 

Israel took care of it’s own, but at a great cost. And not without God’s counsel. What drew me into this scripture and the lesson I gleaned were the words that began and ended chapters 19 and 21.

Judges 19:1a KJVS

[1] And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, …

Judges 21:25 KJVS

[25] In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Twice in this story it is brought to our attention that “there was no king.” No leadership. And every man was doing what they viewed as right in their own eyes, which we know is a recipe for disaster. 

For me and my way of thinking, that story reminded me much of America right now.  The biblical role of the Levite tribe was that of worship leaders, trustees of the church, taking care of the temple as well as teaching, judging and maintaining the cities of refuge. None of those acts were mentioned in the story. From what I could gather, he was the Levite was a partying Jew unconcerned about the church until he himself was disrespected. And then he seeks through their counsel. It’s basically the same thing I do when I’ve messed up… “God I screwed this up, now will you fix it back?” And God is faithful. But it still comes with a cost. For Israel it was the lives of their people. The same price America is going to pay if we don’t get off this road we’re on. 

Right now we have two forms of leadership in the United States: evil and mentally incapacitated. The Nation for which everyone in a bad nation wants to become a citizen is now no different than those from which the immigrants come from. Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes of Israel was fraternizing and defending evil and was the cause of war among their own people. Causing the deaths of 65,100 people. Can you see that similarity in America. The smallest minority of opinion (those of Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ, and other likeminded liberals) are 1% of our nation. And they’re at the ship’s helm steering us into battle. Good grief! How did we get here? 

We got here the same way Benjamin did. Protecting evil.

God will not be mocked and a nation that calls evil good, is clearly going to answer for it. If you read those chapters in Judges you find out that Benjamin nearly got itself disinherited from God’s chosen people, all because of a few of Satans minions, a whore (the Bible’s word, not my own)  and leadership refusing to turn them over. How many cover-up have we had lately? And again I say good grief!

There’s one major problem in America’s theory of it’s high position in the world. It was people who  began calling us a “godly nation, a blessed nation, a chosen nation,” not God. And our earlier behavior backed it up. But not so now. And the difference between us and Israel…you will find the U.S.A. written no where in prophecy. 

I’m not a prophet. I’m the Jesus Chick from Grantsville, West Virginia. I don’t have any inside track on end times, and I know just enough about the Bible to be dangerous. But I know when I read the word of God and He shows me things like this, it’s for a reason. It’s for a warning for myself that I need to be more diligent about sharing the gospel. I need to be bolder when people are calling sin something less. And I need not ever bow a knee to anyone other than Jesus Christ, and that includes the 1%.

Posted in Christian Service, Leadership, Life Inspiration, Political

A Man and His Concubine (An American tale?)

chick tale

So this morning I sat out to spend some time in the Word of God and settle for myself a scripture that I had heard over the weekend being used out of context. Funny thing about God… my ways are not His ways. In the process of searching out that scripture I found three references, the first of which was not the one for which I sought to understand. That of course was the one God opened my eyes to. The scripture reading for me today was in the book of Judges, Chapters 19-20. I was drawn into a dark, gruesome and horrific story of a man and his concubine.

Judges 19:1-2

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah. And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.

That’s quite the story opener is it not? Here’s what caught my eye: Israel has no leadership… wow, doesn’t that sound familiar. You’ll note I’m not asking a question. We all know that we have no leadership. Well… technically poor leadership. By the biblical responsibilities of the tribe for which he belonged this unnamed Levite man of the story should have been a minister of God. But to Shari quote what I’m reading, he’s shacked up with an unscrupulous chick and has to go chasing after her back down to her daddy’s house in Bethlehemjudah where life is just one big party. His father in law convinces him again and again to spend the night in party central until finally after five days he says, ‘I gotta go.’ So he, the dame, and his servant saddle up their donkey’s and hit the highway. The first towns they come to are heathen towns for which the servant suggests they stay. But the Levite informs him that they’re not staying in a town belonging to people who are not Israelites. It must have been their version of Las Vegas. So they passed through those towns and come to their own people in Gibeah, who won’t give them the time of day or a place to stay! So now they’re homeless in the street; when along comes an out of town farmer who has a place to stay there in that city and brings them in for the night.

The story only gets worse.

Sodom and Gommorah rises from the ashes as some men in the city (of their own people) come to the farmer’s house “wanting the men” to join them. The farmer decides to appease them by offering up his own daughter (which they deny) and the Levite’s concubine (whom they accept) and take her and rape her all night, returning her dead in the morning on the farmer’s doorstep. Horror movie in the making. So the Levite returns to his hometown, cuts his dead concubine in pieces and sends the pieces out to his own people in the form of a shock-o-gram intending incite war on the Benjamites who killed her.

Following the Lord’s approval the war ensues, killing twenty-two thousand of their own Israelites the first day, and eighteen thousand the second day; which caused them to question God if this battle was such a good idea.

God said go, so they went and victory was theirs the third time.

When I read this terrible tragedy my first thought  was, “sounds like America.” This could possibly be a State of the Union address illustration if we’d get a President who was saved. Totally judgmental I know… But I’m not taking it back. I’m tired! I’m tired of America whoring after whoever or whatever it is that’s out there in all of their political correctness with total disregard for what we’re marrying into (literally and figuratively). The Iran deal that’s on the table is like climbing in bed with the terrorist and when they slit your throat proclaiming…. “I didn’t see that coming.” Really? Our Washington representatives allowing the President to visit and call the  homes of criminals while making no attempt to comfort the hearts of grieving police families is every bit as appalling as the farmer and the Levite’s willingness to sacrifice their women so that the men would leave them alone. And every bit as stupid as their shock when the woman was returned raped and murdered. So by comforting people who kill cops… cop killers will stop, is that the theory? American powers that be have given our children to be killed in abortions, but we’re shocked that they would cut the babies apart and sell them.

Suddenly the story in Judges isn’t so unfamiliar is it?

And so they incite war within America. They turn it into a racial, gender, rich vs. poor, educated vs. non-educated, etc. etc. until everyone has something against someone. The 40,000 people lost in the battle for justice in Israel were killed by their own people. The average American sees it but sits helpless. What’s the answer?

Here’s a few ideas:

  • Israel didn’t need a King, they had God. So do we!
  • Stop sleeping with the enemy ourselves. As servants of God, why are we marrying the world’s ideas? It doesn’t matter what the world says is right. If God says it’s wrong it is.
  • The enemy that’s doing the most damage is in our own camp. It’s not the people who “aren’t like us,” that we have issues with. They, like us, need God.
  • Stop allowing access to our children (those born and those unborn)
  • We’ve literally had the body parts of an innocent child sent to us.

Today’s blog isn’t meant to incite war, it’s meant to cause you to first examine yourself, and then the world around you.

What state are you in?

  • Spiritually? Do you have a right heart with God?
  • Literally? I’m in West Virginia… where are you?

It’s time to examine both and start cleaning house. Don’t wait until they’ve taken your family and then start the battle. Start protecting what’s yours.