Daily Thought

A longer reading today. As 2026 is not a leap year we have included the reading for the 29th February in this reading so that the reader is not left hanging!

This was one of the saddest incidents in the history of Israel. There was warfare between the tribes as Benjamin faced the judgemental wrath of the rest of the nation. This was the result of a particularly sickening incident which had occurred to the concubine of a Levite while making an overnight stay in a town under Benjaminite jurisdiction. The woman had been so badly abused that she had died, and the nation of Israel sought to punish the guilty, for such a gross moral lapse defiled the whole nation.

Benjamin refused to release the wicked men for trial, and this led to the Israelite army being mustered for war. On two occasions that army was defeated by the much smaller Benjaminite forces. Altogether Israel lost forty thousand men in battle, and this was despite seeking the Lord’s face and weeping before the Lord. It would seem that the whole nation was being taught a lesson, and so each of the tribes lost men in the battles.

The third battle led to the defeat and virtual annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin, with over twenty-five thousand of their soldiers being killed. This victory for Israel had been the result of ‘all the children of Israel, and all the people’ going to the house of the God where they wept and fasted, offered sacrifices, and enquired of the Lord about their next course of action. This time ‘the Lord smote Benjamin before Israel’, 20. 35. Israel had been defeated twice, but this third battle was certainly the Lord’s, and the sinful tribe was punished most severely. Ultimately, it took a great deal of thought and effort, and considerable time for Benjamin to recover its strength from that defeat and to again take its rightful place amongst the tribes of Israel.

It is certainly true that sin amongst the people of God must be dealt with. However, it is never with anything but sorrow that individuals are confronted or disciplined. It must never be done without deep prayer and a true seeking of the mind of the Lord. There should be tears in our eyes and sorrow in our hearts whenever it is undertaken. The aim must be the conquest of sin and restoration of the errant believer into the household of faith and fellowship.

The effect of Benjamin’s punishment had left the rest of Israel with a problem. The problem was the need for Benjamin to recover its strength after so devastating a defeat, and to take its place again in the councils of the nation. With commendable devotion the people went to the house of the Lord and lifted up their voices in prayer and wept tears for the needs of Benjamin.

Their approach to God was not just a matter of minutes or of hours. Most of the day seemed to be spent seeking the Lord, while on the next day they continued by rising early and building an altar to the Lord.

There is much need today for a single-minded approach to seek the will of the Lord through prayer. We need to be burdened in prayer for the decisions we make, the people in need, and the work of the gospel. It is too easy to ‘shrug off’ prayer and put it on the sidelines as we use our minds in planning, organizing, and engaging in the normal affairs of life. In the busy life which so many live these days the communion of prayer and intercession too quickly can be lost. Yet it has always been true that genuine prayer moves the hand of God. This was certainly seen in the early church, which engaged in committed prayer before it moved out into effective evangelistic work where thousands were converted.

It is also true that to rise early to commune with the Lord means that we are truly serious about our relationship with God. This was the practice of the Lord Jesus while here on earth, Mark 1. 35, and early rising has been a proven aid to Christian godliness. The psalmist wrote, ‘In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up’, Ps. 5. 3. To lift up our hearts to God in prayer before the day begins, honours God and starts our day aright.

It is interesting that the people of Israel wept in the presence of God. Such emotion is decried in our day, but the Bible has a lot to say on the subject of weeping. To weep reveals a heart which is deeply concerned, and to weep over the condition of the lost shows a real compassion for them.

The Lord eventually answered Israel’s prayer and enabled them to bring about the restoration of the tribe of Benjamin.