I Get Knocked Down But I Get Up Again

The last chapters of the book of Judges reads like an R-rated Hollywood movie. In Judges 20 the Israelites are verging on civil war. All of Israel is coming against the tribe of Benjamin to wart out the sin that happened against the Levite’s concubine in one of their towns. However, the tribe of Benjamin would not hand over the men that viscously raped and killed the concubine. It’s a story you’ll have to read or reread on your own. Sometimes I still can’t fathom it. Yet, tucked away in this story of violence, vengeance, and struggle are some truths I have often overlooked. One truth being, that initial defeat doesn’t mean we are out of God’s will.

In Judges 20 the Israelites first send messengers to speak with Benjamin and give them a chance to do the right thing. When they refused they inquired of God which tribe should go first to attack. God responded saying Judah should go. Unfortunately they were utterly defeated and lost 22,000 soldiers. Keep in mind, Benjamin was the smallest tribe of all of the 12 tribes. The next day they went out to fight after seeking God again and lost 18,000 men. A third time they consulted God. This time they even fasted and offered burnt offerings. Again God told them to go and fight, but this time God added that tomorrow He would hand over their enemy. The next day Israel gained victory and almost destroyed the entire tribe of Benjamin except for 600 men. So let’s look at some points that can be drawn from this story.

Send your praise first.

When the Israelites asked God which tribe should be sent out first, God says Judah. Judah means praise. Why is praise important? Praise is a weapon. Think of all the examples where battles were won and/or things were first set in motion by praise. The walls of Jericho (Joshua 6), Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16), The enemy of Ammon and Moab defeated (2 Chronicles 20), the list goes on.

Why is praise a weapon? Praise removes the focus from ourselves and puts it on the only One who can really change our circumstances. Zechariah 4:6 says “…It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” It’s not us, it’s Him. Just like the Israelites learned, sheer force of numbers doesn’t guarantee success. They heavily outnumbered Benjamin, but still were defeated two times.

Praise is a weapon because it involves our mouth.

Proverbs 18:21 says “ Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” My praise speaks life into my situations. In Ezekiel 37 God takes Ezekiel to the Valley of Dry Bones. He asks him if the dry bones can live again. He then tells Ezekiel to “speak” to the bones. He does and the flesh and life came back to them. Our mouths have the power to speak life into dead areas and situations. Our words have power. It is with the “confession” of our mouths and belief in our hearts we receive Christ as our Savior. (Romans 10:9). God wants us to open our mouths. Even if we don’t “feel it” at the time when we praise, over time our mind will catch up with what our spirit knows is truth.

The last point I want to make from this passage is to not give up when it seems like we’ve failed. The Israelites did the right thing. They sought God and got direction each time and yet, they were defeated twice. Our first instinct when we seemingly lose, may be to question if we really heard God right. Initial defeat doesn’t mean our hearing is off. If anything initial defeat should stir us to press in more to God. What did the Israelites do? They went back to God for direction and even fasted and gave sacrifices to the Lord. Instead of packing up their weapons and heading home, they headed deeper to God’s presence. When you know God has promised you victory, a set back isn’t truly a set back, it becomes an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to strengthen and deepen your trust in God. If we believe God keeps all His promises then we know we will not be the one exception to the rule. We will find comfort in the fact that we may be down for a moment, but we’re far from out.

God eventually gives absolute assurance of victory to the Israelites in the form of a time frame. In verse 28 God says "…Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.” It’s tough when you don’t know what God’s timeframe is. I know this and am living this right now. It’s tough when you don’t know if you just need to hold on for another day or if many years are ahead. Waiting is never “fun”. But the bible gives us assurance time and time again that if we wait on Him we will not be disappointed. He will come through for us. Isaiah 40:31 says “ But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” When we wait on the Lord God will renew us to keep going. We will be like eagles. What do eagles do? They soar. They rise above it all. God will cause us to rise and soar above our issues, our problems, our setbacks and continue on. When we really wait on Him the plans of the enemy can’t really take us down because we are already above all he tries to throw at us.

The book of Judges has many stories of man’s triumphs and failures. In chapter 20, tucked away are some strong spiritual truths we can hold onto and apply to our lives today. The first one being, there is power in our praise. Secondly, initial defeat doesn’t mean we are out of God’s will. If you’ve been kicked down today, get back up. Keep trusting and believing and know God has already won the battle for you.