Judges 20:14-18: a reflection

14The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. 15The children of Benjamin were counted on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, in addition to the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred chosen men. 16Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. 17The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war. 18The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”

Before going up to a hard and costly battle, the people of Israel first go to the house of God and ask his counsel, seeking his direction before they act. The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God, the account says. They asked, who shall go up for us first to battle? And the LORD said, Judah first. Faced with a serious and difficult undertaking, the people did not simply rush ahead on their own judgment; they first went up to the house of God and inquired of him, asking his counsel and direction: who should go first? And God answered, giving them direction. Before acting, they sought God's counsel. This shows the practice of seeking God's counsel before we act. Seek God's counsel before you act, especially in serious matters. Do not simply rush ahead on your own judgment; inquire of God first. It is wise to bring your decisions to God before you undertake them. Consult God's direction before acting, rather than after.

Notice the order of the people's actions: first they inquired of God, then they acted. They were facing a serious and costly undertaking, a hard battle. They could have simply rushed ahead, relying on their own numbers, plans, and judgment. But before acting, they went up to the house of God and asked his counsel: who shall go up first for us? They sought God's direction before undertaking the thing, and God answered them. Their first move was not action, but inquiry of God. This holds practical wisdom for our own decisions and undertakings. We often reverse the order: we decide, plan, and act on our own judgment, and only turn to God afterward, if at all, perhaps to ask his blessing on what we have already chosen. But the wiser way, shown here, is to seek God's counsel before we act, especially in serious matters, to bring our decisions and undertakings to him first, asking his direction, rather than rushing ahead on our own and consulting him only after. To inquire of God before acting acknowledges our need of his guidance and our submission to his direction. We do well to seek God's counsel before we act, especially in serious matters, bringing our decisions to him first rather than rushing ahead on our own judgment. Seek God's counsel before you act, especially in serious matters. Bring your decisions to God first, rather than only after you have chosen. Do not rush ahead on your own judgment; inquire of God's direction. It is wise to consult God before an undertaking, not merely after.

That is worth taking to heart, for it is wise to seek God's counsel before we act, and we do well to inquire of him first, as the people asked counsel of God before going up to battle. We often act on our own judgment and consult God only afterward; but the people sought God's direction before their undertaking. Inquire first. Before a serious undertaking or decision, do not simply rush ahead on your own judgment; seek God's counsel first, bringing the matter to him and asking his direction. Seek God's counsel before you act, especially in serious matters, bringing your decisions and undertakings to him first rather than rushing ahead on your own judgment and consulting him only after, as before going up to a hard and costly battle the people of Israel first went to the house of God and asked his counsel, seeking his direction before they acted, asking who should go up first and receiving God's answer; for faced with a serious and difficult undertaking the people did not simply rush ahead on their own judgment but first went up to the house of God and inquired of him, asking his counsel and direction, and God answered and gave them direction, so that before acting they sought God's counsel, which holds practical wisdom for our own decisions, since we often reverse the order and decide, plan, and act on our own judgment and only turn to God afterward if at all, perhaps to ask his blessing on what we have already chosen, but the wiser way shown here is to seek God's counsel before we act, especially in serious matters, bringing our decisions to him first and asking his direction rather than rushing ahead and consulting him only after, since to inquire of God before acting acknowledges our need of his guidance and submission to his direction, so that we do well to seek God's counsel before we act.

Lord, before going up to a hard and costly battle, the people of Israel first go to the house of God and ask your counsel, seeking your direction before they act. The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God, the account says. They asked, who shall go up for us first to battle? And the LORD said, Judah first. Faced with a serious and difficult undertaking, the people did not simply rush ahead on their own judgment; they first went up to your house and inquired of you, asking your counsel and direction. And you answered, giving them direction. Before acting, they sought your counsel. Show me the order of the people's actions: first they inquired of you, then they acted. They were facing a serious and costly undertaking. They could have simply rushed ahead, relying on their own numbers, plans, and judgment. But before acting, they went up to your house and asked your counsel: who shall go up first for us? They sought your direction before undertaking the thing, and you answered them. Their first move was not action, but inquiry of you. This holds practical wisdom for my own decisions and undertakings. I often reverse the order: I decide, plan, and act on my own judgment, and only turn to you afterward, if at all, perhaps to ask your blessing on what I have already chosen. But the wiser way, shown here, is to seek your counsel before I act, especially in serious matters, to bring my decisions and undertakings to you first, asking your direction, rather than rushing ahead on my own and consulting you only after. To inquire of you before acting acknowledges my need of your guidance and my submission to your direction. Take that to my heart. Before a serious undertaking or decision, keep me from simply rushing ahead on my own judgment; help me seek your counsel first, Lord, bringing the matter to you and asking your direction, consulting you before I act rather than only after, in acknowledgment of my need of your guidance.