Jdg 21:1-25 Wives Provided for the Tribe of Benjamin

[Study Aired September 27, 2021]

Jdg 21:1  Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 
Jdg 21:2  And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 
Jdg 21:3  And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel? 
Jdg 21:4  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 
Jdg 21:5  And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 
Jdg 21:6  And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 
Jdg 21:7  How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? 
Jdg 21:8  And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. 
Jdg 21:9  For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there. 
Jdg 21:10  And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 
Jdg 21:11  And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 
Jdg 21:12  And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 
Jdg 21:13  And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them. 
Jdg 21:14  And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 
Jdg 21:15  And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. 
Jdg 21:16  Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 
Jdg 21:17  And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 
Jdg 21:18  Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 
Jdg 21:19  Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 
Jdg 21:20  Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 
Jdg 21:21  And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 
Jdg 21:22  And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. 
Jdg 21:23  And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 
Jdg 21:24  And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.
Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

A key to understanding the spiritual implication of what we are being told in this story is to know what wives represent spiritually. We know that a woman or a wife or a girl signifies the church of the elect or Babylon depending on whether she is a good one or bad one.

Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

This chapter therefore deals with the importance of the church or the house of God in our walk with Christ and how our Lord guides our steps into His house, which is the New Jerusalem, for preservation and growth.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26  Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Heb 12:27  And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

In Hebrews 12 verse 25 here, we are admonished not to refuse him that speaks. The “Him that speaks” is Christ through the elect. We are His Christ, and we are speaking now the words of our Lord. So Christ speaking is us speaking.

Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

It is in the church that we hear Christ speak through His elect as indicated by what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

It will therefore be a tragedy if we do not pay heed to what we are hearing in our fellowship as we are told in verse 25 of Hebrews chapter 12. Verse 26 of Hebrews Chapter 12 affirms to us the fact that it is His words which judge us.

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.

With this understanding of who wives represent and their importance, let’s review Judges Chapter 21 starting from verse 1:

Jdg 21:1  Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.

Marrying an Israelite here is the same as being joined to Babylon in fellowship. So this verse is another way of saying to us that as God’s elect, when we leave Babylon, we are never to return to that system as the Israelites have sworn that they would not give their daughters as wives to the Benjamites who represent the elect.

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.

We, as the elect, leave Babylon to come and build the temple of God which is preparing our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to our Lord. That was the mandate given to Nehemiah who represents us and left Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem.

Neh 2:5  And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.

Jdg 21:2  And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
Jdg 21:3  And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel?

The Israelites coming to the house of God to weep for the tribe of Benjamin is the same as the churches of this world who think that the elect are lost or spiritually dead. That is what it means as they see our dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, Jerusalem.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

The tribe lacking in the congregation of the Israelites (Babylon) is the elect, which is represented here as the tribe of Benjamin. The many that are called are the congregation of the Israelites, and the few chosen are the elect, which is the tribe of Benjamin missing in Babylon.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

The Israelites weeping for the Benjamites is the same scenario of what happened to our Lord Jesus when He was carrying His cross to Calvary and the women of Jerusalem wailed and lamented him. This is what our Lord said to the women who represent the churches of this world:

Luk 23:26  And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
Luk 23:27  And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
Luk 23:28  But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
Luk 23:29  For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Luk 23:30  Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
Luk 23:31  For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

The barren or the womb that never bare or the paps which never gave suck refers to the elect who are blessed although the churches of this world or the world see us as barren or a people that are spiritually lost.

Jdg 21:4  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
Jdg 21:5  And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.

As indicated earlier, the congregation of the Israelites here represents Babylon. Our exit from Babylon means that we are not present in the congregation of the Israelites. As shown in verse 5, those who are absent from the congregation of the Israelites are surely put to death. This means that our absence from Babylon is a sure sign that we will surely die to the flesh and be raised up as overcomers.

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.

Those who will sit on thrones are the elect who have not worshiped the beast nor his image. This means that they have died to the beast or the flesh while they walked here on earth. In other words, they did not join the congregation of the Israelites or Babylon and therefore had to die in this life, which means losing their lives to gain them.

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Jdg 21:6  And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 

All the hostilities against God’s elect will be repented of one day. Outwardly, this verse is to let us know that one day Babylon will repent for the way they had treated God’s elect. Inwardly, we were all guilty at a certain stage of our walk with Christ for what we had done to God’s messengers. Admitting that we had done wrong is a necessary part of our walk as Christ told us:

Mat 23:34  Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mat 23:36  Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

We are all part of this generation upon whom all these things shall come upon. This is suggesting that we are equally guilty for the part we had played in persecuting God’s people and the death of our Lord. We need therefore to repent like the Israelites did of what they had done to the tribe of Benjamin.

Jdg 21:7  How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? 

As indicated in verse 1, the fact that the Israelites had sworn that they will not give their daughters to be wives of the Benjamites is another way of saying that as God’s elect, when we leave Babylon, there is no turning back to any form of fellowship with them. Doing that would mean sharing in their sins.

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.

Jdg 21:8  And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly.
Jdg 21:9  For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there. 
Jdg 21:10  And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children.
Jdg 21:11  And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man.

The inhabitants of Jabesh of Gilead refused to join in the punishment of the Benjamites for which every man or woman was put to death. These inhabitants of Jabesh of Gilead therefore represent the elect as they were judged and, in the process, died. As we had indicated, those who died are those who overcame the old man or the flesh and did not love their lives.

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.

The twelve thousand men of the Israelites who were sent to put to death the men of Jabesh of Gilead symbolize our brothers and sisters in Babylon who persecute God’s elect as shown by the following scriptures:

2Sa 17:1  Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

2Sa 10:6  And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men.

Our Lord Jesus was literally persecuted and put to death by the church of His day. Stephen and James all suffered the same fate. Paul and all the disciples suffered a lot from the churches of the Jews. The question is, “Are we exonerated from all these sufferings?” No, we are walking in the same path that they walked. These persecutions and suffering are marked out for us. The end result of all these persecutions and suffering from our brothers and sisters in Babylon is to facilitate the death of the old man in each one of us!!

Jdg 21:12  And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

These four hundred young virgins are the offspring or the work of the men and women of Jabesh of Gilead who died. These men and women of Jabesh of Gilead had nurtured these virgins. That is the work of God’s elect.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

The four hundred young virgins represent the whole of the churches or fellowships of God’s elect scattered all over the world. This is the New Jerusalem, which is the mother of us all.

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Currently, we are barren but in the fullness of time, we shall have more children than Jerusalem which exists now and is in bondage with her children.

Jdg 21:13  And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them.
Jdg 21:14  And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

Once we leave Babylon, God orders our steps to find a wife or the bride of Christ, which is the church of the first born or the elect. The scripture says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. What favor do we obtain from the Lord if we find a wife? Our coming into fellowship of the elect is the same as finding a wife, and our fellowship is with the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pro 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

It is in the midst of the gathering of the elect that we hear our Lord speak through His Christ which is us. That is what it means by “every joint supplies”. As we are aware, whatever our Lord says does not come back void. It accomplishes that for which it is sent. So the favor we are receiving in finding wives is the hearing of the sure word of the Lord.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Jdg 21:15  And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
Jdg 21:16  Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

In verse 16, the women that were destroyed out of Benjamin constitute Babylon or Jerusalem which now exists and is in bondage with her children. All that relates to Babylon in us must be destroyed through judgment.

Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Jdg 21:17  And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.
Jdg 21:18  Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

Verse 17 says that there is an inheritance for the Benjamites, and we can see from the conversation of the elders of Israel that this inheritance is tied to finding wives for the tribe of Benjamin. As God’s elect, our inheritance is dependent on finding young virgins who represent the church of the first born. All these examples are to emphasize the importance of fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters. It is through our fellowshipping or the church that our eyes are continually opened to know Christ and to possess our inheritance.

Our fellowshipping is with our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, and as our Lord takes the bread which is His words and breaks it for us, our eyes are opened, and we come to know Him just like what happened to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the resurrection day of our Lord Jesus.

Luk 24:30  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
Luk 24:31  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Jdg 21:19  Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
Jdg 21:20  Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
Jdg 21:21  And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

These verses are to show us how our Lord builds His church through us. Our whole time in Babylon or in the churches of this world is a long feast represented by seven days.

Deu 16:15  Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

During our time in Babylon, our Lord is not impressed by our feasts or our offerings and sacrifices.

Hos 9:1  Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor.
Hos 9:2  The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.
Hos 9:3  They shall not dwell in the LORD’S land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria.
Hos 9:4  They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD.
Hos 9:5  What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD?

During this period of our walk in Babylon, our Lord lies in wait in His vineyards (His people) for the opportune time to come to us. The virgins who came to dance represent the elect in Babylon who are not even aware that they are called and chosen. As we continue to worship our Lord in the flesh, symbolized by dancing, God comes to us and take us away from our Babylonian captivity to make us His bride. As the story suggests in verse 21, it is not that we go with our Lord willingly. No, we are dragged by the Lord to become His bride.

Joh 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Individually, we are sent to the children of Israel or Babylon to be a conduit for them to come to know the truth.

Eze 2:3  And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.
Eze 2:4  For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 2:5  And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

We therefore lie in wait among God’s elect (Our Lord’s vineyard) for the opportune time to approach them with the word of God. This opportune time is when they come dancing to us. In other words, when they ask us for a reason of the hope that is in us, we must be ready to answer them.

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

In God’s time, what we speak to them becomes the catalyst that drags them to the Lord as His bride.

Jdg 21:22  And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. 
Jdg 21:23  And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
Jdg 21:24  And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance.

Our exit from Babylon is without resistance. We are considered as dead spiritually by our Babylonian brothers and sisters, and apart from that we are subject to ridicule and are always being questioned to see whether we will contradict ourselves just to prove that we are fake or to confirm to the Babylonians that we are spiritually dead.

Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Our Lord Jesus was also questioned by the spiritual leaders of His day just because He operated outside the Babylonian system and was never in Babylon. He was considered spiritually dead just like us. Let’s look at one of His encounters:

Mat 21:23  And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
Mat 21:24  And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mat 21:25  The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
Mat 21:26  But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
Mat 21:27  And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

As the scripture says, as he was on this earth, so are we.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

What is most important to note is that in verse 24, every man departed to his inheritance. If we are blessed to be part of the elect, then whatever resistance we face in this life, we will possess our inheritance. This is not our work; it is the work of God as demonstrated recently by our brother Tony concerning the building of the temple in Jerusalem in his exposition of 1Kings Chapter 6:1-3. There was no sound of any iron axe or hammer in the building of the temple. The lack of sound means there were no human beings at work. The lord is the builder of our temple and will surely do it!!

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Jdg 21:25  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

This is the theme that runs through the whole of the Book of Judges. It is to let us know that when Christ has not ascended the throne of our hearts, we are subjected to the dictates of the old man or the flesh and therefore do whatever we want thinking we are serving God. That was what happened to the Israelites during the time of the Judges.  However, if we are blessed to be part of the overcomers, then in the fullness of time, the Lord we are seeking will suddenly come to His temple in our hearts. That will be the period of our judgment to refine us so we can offer sacrifices that please Him.

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal 3:3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Mal 3:4  Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Mal 3:5  And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.