Pastor Joe Sugrue - Grace and Truth Podcast

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Complete commitment to God and keeping faith alive.

The epistle of James states, "Do you want to live with your faith gone dead, or would you like to mature your faith like our father Abraham?" What believer could ignore such an awesome call as that?

Faith in the word of God will become action with the word of God. And this will keep your faith alive and vigorous.

James therefore wishes his readers to know that works are in fact the vitalizing "spirit" which keeps one's faith alive in the same way that the human spirit keeps the human body alive (2:26). Whenever a Christian ceases to act on his faith for a relatively long period of time, that faith atrophies and becomes little more than a religious corpse. Hence, we must recover from faithlessness...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1686

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Complete commitment to God and keeping faith alive.

In our study of complete dependence upon God and complete deference to His will, we have encountered the principle that:

Faith that has gone unused will atrophy and die out. The believer will not lose his salvation, but he will lose his vigor and diligence to live the plan of God.

Jam 2:14 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

We have grown up in a world that has for many centuries read the word "save" in the Bible and only interpret it as salvation from the Lake of Fire. No Greek reader in the first century would do this. To them, sozo (the Greek verb) appeared in many...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1685

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; Complete commitment to God and keeping faith alive.

God calls us to complete dependence upon Him, which means trusting Him when we are in difficulty, which almost everyone can see, but it also means that we give all of ourselves over to His ways and His commands, which almost everyone tries to avoid.

The Christian in trouble will find it easy to cry out to God for help, and he should - every time. But will he cry out for God's help in humbling himself, removing all of his pride, so that he may give all of himself in the service of others. This is why the love for God is followed by the next greatest commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. We cannot confidently say that we serve God with all of ourselves if we do not do the same to the body of Christ. As our Lord clarified: "If you have done...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1684

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; humility before God's will.

After two defeats by Benjamin, the army of Israel offers burnt and peace offerings, likely for the sins of their brother Benjamin, they weep for Benjamin, and they fast. They revealed a love for their brethren and a complete submission to the will of God.

We had begun to look at what God calls fasting in the scripture, and although it would be related to forsaking food for a time, it is actually the acts of sacrificial, brotherly love towards others. In these we certainly deny ourselves legitimate needs so that we may serve and benefit another person.

Sacrificial brotherly love will only be realized in a believer who has fully given his life over to God and has fully deferred to God's will above his own....

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1683

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; the biblical concept of fasting.

Benjamin defeated the much larger army of Israel twice. It was then that they humbly sought for God's will.

God taught Israel that they must fully defer to His will, and that their attitude toward Benjamin should be of sorrow and not vengeance.

Jdg 20:26 Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

Jdg 20:27 And the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Jdg 20:28 and Phinehas the son...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1682

Title: Judges 20. The second appendix: The Benjamite War; humility before God's will.

Benjamin defeated the much larger army of Israel twice. It was then that they humbly sought for God's will.

God taught Israel that they must fully defer to His will, and that their attitude toward Benjamin should be of sorrow and not vengeance.

Jdg 20:26 Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came to Bethel and wept; thus they remained there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

Jdg 20:27 And the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

Jdg 20:28 and Phinehas the son...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1681

Title: Judges 19. The second appendix: The Benjamite War.

The tribes war against Benjamin, Jdg 20.

Jdg 20:1 Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.

Jdg 20:2 And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 foot soldiers who drew the sword.

Unity is a major emphasis in both Testaments. It is based on spirituality and maturity in love that sets aside pettiness concerning personality, racial, and cultural differences.

The people gathered for holy war. "Congregation" - kahal, which is used in the Torah for gathering to worship God....

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1680

Title: Judges 19. The second appendix: The Benjamite War.

Jdg 19:21 So he took him into his house and gave the donkeys fodder, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.

The old man came upon the travelers in the evening, which is a dangerous time to be out if you were a stranger. This speaks of the conditions in Israel.

The old man was a sojourner who had only set up temporary residence in Gibeah, while everyone else was a Benjamite.

The Benjamites are shown to be evil while the old man from Ephraim shows them hospitality.

The Levite points out that he would have not been a burden to anyone since he had his own provisions for him, his servant, his concubine, and his animals. All he needed was a bed and a...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1679

Title: Judges 19. The second appendix: The Benjamite War.

Some final comments on the first appendix.

The Danite conquest and the making of the Danite temple of idolatry.

This history is being recorded in order to inform us about the spiritual condition of Israel and what men, blessed immeasurably by God, are capable of doing.

Jdg 18:27 Then they took what Micah had made and the priest who had belonged to him, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire.

Jdg 18:28 And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone, and it was in the valley which is near Beth-rehob [literally - house of the street]. And they rebuilt the...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1678

Title: Judges 18. The first appendix: The tribe of Dan seeks land that God hasn't given.

Jdg 18:7 Then the five men departed and came to Laish and saw the people who were in it living in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no ruler humiliating them for anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone.

Laish was under the rule and umbrella of Sidon, but they were far apart and between them were the Lebanese mountains. The Sidonians were occupied with maritime trade and didn't bother Laish.

The land is well watered and fertile. It is surrounded by mountains, the great Mt. Hermon in the northeast. No one exercised authority over them and they prospered greatly. The Sidonians were making tons of money in the Mediterranean trade and...

for full notes: http://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=1677