Wasted Valor
Wasted Valor
Judges 20:12-14, 46
And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “… Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel. Then the people of Benjamin came together out of the cities to Gibeah to go out to battle against the people of Israel. … So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.
Men of valor? Far from it. Men of vulgarity, more like. Sure, they may be talented at slinging swords, and perhaps they’re good at keeping the border secure from enemy invaders, but valor in its purest sense is a virtue they know nothing of. To be a man of valor is to walk with God in all purity and sincerity, and to do what’s right even to your own hurt—not to obstruct justice and fight to preserve evildoers.
What an absolute bombshell of a response by these Benjaminite brothers. Can you even begin to fathom their reasoning? What possesses them here? Perhaps the devil himself. How else do they choose to fight against their blood brothers in protection of gang rapists who just murdered an innocent sojourner? Why else are they willing to go to war on behalf of these worthless, demonically inspired criminals? It belies all common sense. But just when we think we’ve seen it all, just when we’ve reached the end of the Book of Judges and think we’ve witnessed corruption at its darkest, here comes another pernicious group of stiff-necked, fraudulent sons of God to dig the pit even deeper.
Oh, how much talent and potential and life we sacrifice on the fields of our futility! 25,000 Israelites now lay dead in a heap. 25,000 mighty men will never build or farm or produce ever again. 25,000 men sacrifice their own prosperity and their family’s fortunes for the worst sort of cause. And for what? Even if they win this battle, what will they achieve for their society? What story of honor and bravery can they pass down to their posterity after this?
Friend, before you go out swinging today, get on your knees before the LORD and make sure you’re fighting with Him and not against Him.