Can we today look into the scriptures just a little deeper? My post today is a story from the bible that shows how with God, a little can become a mighty one. God is the greatest Steward ever and He's accountable to no one but Himself. He creates, He recreates, He invests, He uses, He reuses, He makes a message out of a mess and He can indeed out turn a thing of shame into a story of fame.
Judges 21:19-21 NKJV
“Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin.”
When I read this story, I already had a couple of lines I was going to talk along....."Oh, ladies don't necessarily do what others do so you don't get what they get........., be led by the spirit always so you won't go to the wrong places ....etc but alas, The Spirit ministered something exciting into my mind.....
Meet Benjamin, the last born of Jacob and arguably the smallest tribe of Israel : in a story in Judge 20/21, they had committed a despicable act. Amongst them were homosexuals who wanted to sleep with a visiting Levite and after much begging and persuasion, they instead raped his concubine to the point of death( read the full story in Judges 21).
Anyway, the other tribes were angry at them and in one single day, 25,000 men of Benjamin were killed leaving just about 600 men. Women and children were all killed and the land was completely annihilated.....Phew! The clan of Benjamin had to start all over again; wives were needed for them for procreation and after getting 400 virgins from a town, 200 ladies were needed more; which led to the incident described in the scripture above. Believe you me, innocent girls were carried away from a feast, a modern day party. ( go read that story)What! How would you have felt if you were among those ladies. God forbid......And small did Benjamin become, having to start all over again.
God never forgot them. He was still interested in them. God had plans, if not for all, but at least two (2) out of those ladies and you know what the amazing , unclear, wrapped-in-obscurity plan was? ........they became the Matriarchs of 2 great people mentioned in the scriptures.
Saul the first King of Israel AND Saul( turned Paul) ,one of the greatest apostles of all times; who wrote 2/3rd of the New Testament! Yes both of them were from the tribe of Benjamin! ( Read 1st Sam 9:1-2, Acts 13:21 Rom 11:1).
Wow, that's not a coincidence, but a reaffirmation that God is the lifter of heads, the lifter of the downcast.
Who says destiny isn't up-gradable? You may have been born out of bizarre circumstances ( like Jabez), or maybe you were a product of an illicit relationship ( like Jephthah) or from a perceived weak lineage ( like Gideon). When GRACE locates you, it rotates your destiny by 360 degrees. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth!
You are the next great thing happening to your generation...Woohoo!
Love always,
The Pen
Photocredit:Galleryhip
