The call to an 'again'

In Judges 20, Israel goes out against the wickedness of the men of Gibeah. (Read Judges 19 to obtain further background on this story). Israel seeks to purge the evil out of the tribe of the Benjamites by killing only the men of Gibeah. "Now then, deliver up the men, the worthless fellows of Gibeah, that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel. But the sons of Benjamite would not listen...(20:13)." This marks opportunity number one that Israel seeks to remove the wickedness.

Because the Benjamites refuse to give their men over, the LORD calls the rest of the Israelites to battle against their brother tribe. On battle number one, the men of Gibeah kill 22,000 Israelites.

"But ... the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and arrayed for battle again in the place where they had arrayed themselves the first day".

The Israelites inquired of the LORD, wept before Him, and then followed His command to return to battle. The second day of battle, the men of Gibeah kill 18,000 men of Israel (20:25). The result? The men of Israel return back to the LORD, with weeping, fasting, and offerings only to follow His command to return to battle once more; this would be their 3rd time in battle.

The Israelites have followed the LORD's command to join this fight three different times and have nothing to show for it at this point but a loss of 40,000 men. Sounds like defeat to me. Looks like defeat to me too.

What has grasped my heart and brought me to my knees in this story is the fact that each time the Israelites lose men, they return to the Lord, only to follow His command to return to battle again.

How often have I not returned to the battle? How often do we walk in the practice of what psychology would call 'learned helplessness?' Learned helplessness is essentially the effect of inescapable negative reinforcement. We participate in a conversation we shouldn't have, but we think we had no choice over our involvement. We maintain an unhealthy relationship because we have (wrongfully) accepted it, seeing that there is no way out. We choose to believe lies about ourselves or the way we view our Merciful God because we do not destroy the self-destructive thoughts that have molded us far too long. We sit back denying our sin. All the while, we are participating in the sin of omission. We do nothing. We say nothing. So we accept. We are blinded by the fact that our acceptance is keeping us bound to a life of defeat because we have chosen not to return to battle again.

Sister, simply because you may have lost on the first try, second try, or even third try does not mean the LORD has released you from that battle, nor the victory. Simply because your losing is more than your current gain does not mean that He has turned in His title as Conqueror and Redeemer. Simply because the 'wickedness' or 'sin' in your life has you in defeat right now does not mean that God has politely regarded your weary state and no longer asked you to remove the evil from your life.

It took 3 battles and the death of 40,000 Israelites until the LORD gave them victory. Why should it necessarily be any different for us? We need to cease dropping our swords and accepting the lie that things 'can't,' 'won't,' or 'don't.' Cease practicing helplessness sister, and return to your battle post. Next time there is defeat, follow the example of the Israelites: inquire of the LORD, weep, fast, and bring to Him the pleasing offering of your surrendered heart and will. But do not accept the status quo - your life is meant to be one of victory. You are meant to be complete in Christ, whole, holy, and free. I have worn the chains of a helpless victim so long that I made them spiritual necklace accessories. Newsflash: They're really not in style anymore! We are not called to be a victim, but we are called to be victors. Greater is He that is living in you than He that is in this world. Go, and walk in your 'again'.

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith." 1 John 5:4

In what area does unbelief keep you practicing in an area of defeat, rather than rising up to an 'again' battle with the Lord? I love you all so dearly. I cannot let you miss the blessing of the again, because it may very well be the last one before He delivers you from it. So I leave you with the question that He has stooped down to ask me countless times during my own paralytic defined times of life: "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:6).