"The Israelites inquired of the Lord—at that time, the Ark of the Covenant of God was there, and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron stood before it—saying, 'Shall we go up again to battle against the descendants of our brother Benjamin, or not?' The Lord answered, 'Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.' (Judges, ch. 20, vv. 27–28*).
The story from Judges, ch. 20, vv. 18–49 used to confuse me. The Israelites ask God whether to go into battle. They follow His words and lose, with 22,000 of them perishing. Then they consult the Lord again, and the answer is the same. They lose the battle again, with 18,000 casualties this time. A third time, they stand before God and ask for guidance. God's answer is, 'Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands' (v. 28*). Finally, the Israelites are victorious.
As I read this story, I wondered, 'Why does God give clear guidance to the Israelites, resulting in defeat?' It made no sense to me. But over the past year, as I faced my own apparent failure after following God's will for myself, I understood this beautiful truth: God's ways and thoughts are not like ours!
In each battle, the Israelites learn the best strategies to prepare for future fights. And most importantly, they learn complete trust and dependence on God, regardless of circumstances. God sees victory even in our apparent defeats because He knows the important lessons we will learn along the way.
Link to the original article: https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals/en-2023-06-12
*Scriptural quotations are from the Bible, New Translation from the Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013