Jdg 20:25-48 They Set on Fire all the Cities That They Came To

[Study Aired September 20, 2021]

Jdg 20:25  And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
Jdg 20:26  Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
Jdg 20:27  And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
Jdg 20:28  And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
Jdg 20:29  And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
Jdg 20:30  And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
Jdg 20:31  And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
Jdg 20:32  And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.
Jdg 20:33  And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
Jdg 20:34  And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.
Jdg 20:35  And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.
Jdg 20:36  So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
Jdg 20:37  And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Jdg 20:38  Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.
Jdg 20:39  And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.
Jdg 20:40  But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.
Jdg 20:41  And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them. 
Jdg 20:42  Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
Jdg 20:43  Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
Jdg 20:44  And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
Jdg 20:45  And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
Jdg 20:46  So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. 
Jdg 20:47  But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
Jdg 20:48  And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

The second part of Judges Chapter 20 deals with the continuation of the battle that ensued between the Israelites and the tribe of Benjamin because of the slaying of the concubine of the Levite by the Benjamites in Gibeah. As we walk with Christ in this journey of life to possess our inheritance, our Lord looks for occasions to come and judge us so that we will learn righteousness. In this case, ‘we’ represents the Benjamites who were being judged.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

This conflict between the Israelites and the Benjamites typifies a certain stage in our walk with Christ when we are brought to realize that the enemy of our progress in Christ is within (the old man), not external. We are therefore called to war against our members. This is explained to us as follows:

Jas 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Today’s study highlights what happens to us as we engage the old man within in the battle of our lives. Our victory over the flesh is not achieved by doing anything but depending on our Lord. That is what it means for Judah to go up first to engage the enemy. It is when we see our Lord in everything which happens to us that we come to rest from our own strivings, and that is when victory comes to us!!

Jdg 20:25  And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

As we are tried by the word of God through judgment, about eighteen thousand of the enemies within are destroyed on the second day. The second day here refers to when we come to understand the truth of the word of God from all the false doctrines we have imbibed in our heavens. This is shown to us by the creation story when the waters which were above (the truth) were separated by the waters below the firmament (the false doctrines) on the second day.

Gen 1:7  And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
Gen 1:8  And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

To understand the significance of eighteen thousand men dying on the second day, let’s look at the following scriptures:

2Sa 8:13  And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.

1Ch 18:12  Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand.

We can see that on two occasions, eighteen thousand enemies died in the valley of salt. We, the elect, are described as salt, and in the sermon of the Mount, Jesus admonished us not to lose our savor as salt as we then become good for nothing. So what we are being told here is that on the second day, as we are being judged and our eyes begin to appreciate the truth from the lies, our trials destroy all within us that will make us lose our savor as salt on the earth. The statement “all these men drew sword” means that what is destroyed constitutes part of the enemies within us.

Jdg 20:26  Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 

All the people of Israel coming to Bethel, or the house of God, to weep is the same as saying that we are brought to our wits’ end as we are judged.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Jdg 20:27  And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
Jdg 20:28  And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.

It is through the trials we face which forces us to seek the face of the Lord through His words. We therefore become as the church in Berea during the time of Paul when they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the scriptures to ascertain whether those things that they were thought were in accordance with scriptures.

Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

As we search the scriptures, we receive direction of the Lord as to what path we should take in life. In other words, our paths become clearer just as the Israelites became certain that they must continue the fight and that the next day victory would become theirs. We have been assured, just like the Israelites, that we shall be victorious in this fight against the old man. Several scriptures show us that the word of God directs our path in life and so whatever happens to us is not by mistake. God is in action on our behalf!!

Psa 119:104  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Thy word is a lamp

Psa 27:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD (the word of God) is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Jdg 20:29  And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
Jdg 20:30  And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

The third day refers to the fact that all that happens to us in our fiery trials is part of the process of spiritual completion through judgment just as the Israelites and the Benjamites were being judged as part of their process of spiritual completion.

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

Jdg 20:31  And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
Jdg 20:32  And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways.

What our trials accomplish on the third day is that we put to death thirty enemies of our flesh. The number thirty signifies the age that we are deemed ready to work in God’s house. So the killing of thirty men signifies the destruction of all that prevents us from being effective in our work in the house of God. That is what brings about our spiritual completion.

Num 4:3  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Num 4:23  From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Num 4:30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Num 4:35  From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:

In verse 32, the strategy of this war on the third day was to draw the Benjamites out of the city. As Benjamites (God’s elect), our trials are to take us away from the city or Babylon’s influences as part of our spiritual completion. Thus, God initiates these fiery trails in our lives to bring us out of Babylon completely so that we adhere to His command to leave Babylon.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Jdg 20:33  And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
Jdg 20:34  And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil was near them.
Jdg 20:35  And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

The men of Israel came up against the Benjamites at Gibeah with ten thousand chosen men ready for battle. The number ten means the completion or the fullness of the flesh.  So the ten thousand men coming against the Benjamites means that judgment has come upon us because our sins are full or our sins have reached the heavens or God has remembered our iniquities.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

The Benjamites thought that it was victory as usual since they had been victorious for the first two days of the war. We must never lower our guard as we deal with the old man or the flesh within. Paul admonished us as follows regarding this war against the flesh:

1Co 9:24  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Co 9:26  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Jdg 20:36  So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.
Jdg 20:37  And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
Jdg 20:38  Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

These verses focus on the strategy used by the Israelites to defeat the Benjamites. The Israelites made use of liers who waited at the opportune time to besiege Gibeah and smote the city with the edge of the sword. Remember that the Benjamites represent the elect. The liers in wait are the Israelites who were called but not chosen. They are those who parade themselves as apostles of Christ as indicated by Paul as follows:

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

These false apostles or liers in wait are used by the Lord to make us worse off, and it is through this process of judgment that we realize that we are the chief of sinners just like Paul.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

It is only when we come to this point of knowing that we are the worst sinners that Christ comes to us with His light (the word of God) to destroy all the harm the liars have caused in our lives.  That is, all the false doctrines which have been the source of all the suffering we are going through in our lives are destroyed by the light of God’s word.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The statement “that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city” means that all the false doctrines that have become our fortress as a city (Gibeah) are destroyed by the truth of the fire of the word of God. As our heavens are being cleansed of all these false doctrines, it becomes a sign to us, as shown in verse 38, that victory is around the corner. In other words, what our Lord has started, He is in the process of finishing!

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Jdg 20:39  And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.
Jdg 20:40  But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.
Jdg 20:41  And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.

It is when we see the flame (the fire of the word of God) begin to cleanse our heavens (the city) that we (the Benjamites) realize that evil has really overtaken us.  In other words, that is when we realize that we are indeed the worst sinners!

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Jdg 20:42  Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
Jdg 20:43  Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
Jdg 20:44  And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.

As indicated earlier, the death of eighteen thousand Benjamites means the destruction of all that makes us lose our savor as salt of the earth. The Benjamites turning their backs and being pursued by the enemy is the same as we coming to our wits’ end under God’s judgment.

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Jdg 20:45  And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
Jdg 20:46  So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.

In this war, it is not those (the Benjamites) who managed to escape who are saved. Rather it is those who die in the battle (the trials of our lives) who are saved. This is what our Lord Jesus was talking about when He said:</>

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

So all those who died in this war are those who died to the flesh. They are the victors! Not those who survived.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus are all those who died to the old man, represented here by the fact that they have not worshiped the beast.

As our fiery trials rage on in our lives, we naturally turn to preserve our lives. This is indicated by the fleeing of the Benjamites to the rock of Rimmon and to Gidom. According to Strong, Rimmon is the name of a Syrian deity. What this means is that we cling to another Jesus or anything apart from Christ to deliver us from our troubles.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

However, if we are destined to be part of the elect, then no matter what we do, everything in us that mitigates against Christ in us will be cut down (the meaning of Gidom) so that we die to the old man. That is where our victory is – the death of the old man or our flesh!!

Jdg 20:47  But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. 

The six hundred men who fled to the wilderness represent those who start this journey with Christ but cannot turn away from the rock Rimmon, which is another Jesus. In other words, the whole of their life, represented here by four months, is spent believing in this false Christ. Their lives are therefore preserved as they do not die to the old man through the trials of this life. However, they end up losing their crown.

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

This other Jesus becomes the idols of the heart of this symbolic six hundred men, and they therefore become deceived thinking that they are the elect.

Eze 14:2  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 14:3  Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

Jdg 20:48  And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to.

This verse is the summary of all that took place during the judgment of the Benjamites. God used the Israelites as His tool of judgment to refine the Benjamites who represent God’s elect.

Mal 3:2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
Mal 3:4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

The judgment here identified four items which were destroyed by the edge of the sword and by fire.  They were: the men of the cities, the beasts, all that came to hand and the cities themselves. Let’s look at these items to understand the objective of God’s judgment.

The men of the cities – This refers to all that is in us which makes us act as carnal or like any other human being. This includes envying, strife, divisions, jealousy, etc. In effect, this is the same as the beast within each of us which must be destroyed.

1Co 3:3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

The beasts – We are all beasts. In our lives here on earth, God takes us through an experience of evil so that we become humbled and come to the realization that we are the beast spoken of in the word of God. This is the same as coming to realize that you and I are the chief of sinners.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

All that came to hand – This means all that they found in the cities. This includes everything in our external environment that mitigates against us knowing Christ. These must be destroyed. It involves relationships which must be destroyed to set us free from their influences, things that engage our attention and takes away our focus from Christ, locations that are not favorable for our growth in Christ, etc. Sometimes through our fiery trials, we lose through death a relationship we treasure so much, and we come to our wits’ end. But this is what our Lord has to say to us:

Isa 43:4  Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
Isa 43:5  Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.

There are times that God makes it impossible for us to live in a certain location, and it is all part of God’s plan for us so we get closer to Him.

Act 17:26  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
Act 17:27  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

Cities – This is the last item destroyed by the Israelites when they set the cities on fire. The cities here represent Jerusalem which is and is in bondage with her children.

Gal 4:25  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
Gal 4:26  But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

So all that we have learned from Babylon, which is symbolized here by the cities, must be burnt with fire which is the word of God. As our understanding grows concerning the word of God, tribulation and persecution will arise because of the word to destroy like fire all that we have learned which is contrary to the truth of the word of God. That is what it means to set the cities on fire!!

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

We need to understand that all the destruction that took place was due to the edge of the word and fire. The word of God is the sword, and it is the also the fire. All of this is to assure us that as long as our eyes are seeing and our ears are hearing, what God has started in each one of us will be completed!!

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous <men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Next week, we will study the last chapter of the Book of Judges.  This will bring our study of the Book of Judges to an end. If our Lord permits, we will look at the Book of Ruth which is just four chapters and is part of the period of the Judges where every man did what was right in his own eyes because there was no king in Israel. After the Book of Ruth we will look at the Book of Daniel, God willing.