Judges 20:19-23: a reflection

19The children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. 20The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah. 21The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground. 22The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day. 23The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”

Israel goes to war against the tribe of Benjamin over a terrible crime, and they are, in this instance, in the right, seeking justice for a great evil. They even inquire of God, who tells them to go up. And yet, on the first day of battle, they are badly defeated, losing twenty-two thousand men. It is a bewildering setback: they are on the right side, they sought God's direction, and still they lost. But notice what they do: they weep before the LORD, inquire of him again, and, at his word, prepare to go up once more.

Notice the mystery and the response. Being in the right, even seeking God's guidance, did not guarantee an easy or immediate victory; the first attempt ended in painful defeat. That is a hard truth: doing what is right, and even doing it with God's direction, does not always mean smooth success. Setbacks come even in good causes, even to those seeking God. But Israel's response is instructive: they did not conclude they had been wrong, or abandon the cause, or turn from God. They wept, returned to God, sought him again, and persevered.

That is a model for the setbacks we meet even when we are doing what is right. A defeat, a failure, a hard blow, even in a cause we believe is God's, can tempt us to conclude we were mistaken, or to give up, or to turn from God in confusion. Israel shows another way: to bring the grief and confusion to God, to seek him again, and to persevere at his word. Do not assume that a setback means you were wrong or that God has abandoned the cause. Weep before him if you must, seek him again, and, if he says go up, persevere.

Lord, Israel, in a right cause and seeking your guidance, still suffered a painful defeat, yet they wept before you, sought you again, and persevered. When I meet setbacks even in doing what is right, keep me from concluding too quickly that I was wrong or that you have abandoned the cause. Teach me their response: to bring my grief and confusion to you, to seek you again, and to persevere at your word. Help me not to give up after a setback, but to return to you and press on.