THE LORD SPOKE (December 11)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Hosea 10-11

William Foxwell Albright excavated it in the 1920's. King Hussein was building another Jordanian palace on top of it until the Six Day War put a stop to that. The modern day king of Jordan was attempting to make a political statement by building over the top of the palace of King Saul - the first king of Israel. Today Gibeah is a pile of ruins overrun by goats, grubby children, and occasional archaeology students.

And why did Saul pick Gibeah? Because he was of the tribe of Benjamin and Gibeah was a chief town in their tribal allotment. It also occupied a very strategic position on the main N/S road through the central hill country. Sometimes called “the Way of the Patriarchs” because they traveled so often on it, the route narrows dramatically just north of modern day Jerusalem and all traffic is forced through “the Gibeah Funnel”. Since Jerusalem was still just a little Podunk Center belonging to the Jebusites, Saul’s choice of Gibeah really did make a lot of sense. From its commanding height you can see a full 360 degree view on the heart of the country and it dominates the Central Benjamin Plateau.

Had you been there in the days of the judges, you would have witnessed one of the ugliest events recorded in all of Scripture. The story of the Levite and his concubine and the subsequent civil war which resulted in the decimation of the tribe of Benjamin is told in Judges 19-21. Because the tribe of Benjamin had defended the degenerate town of Gibeah, God wiped it out, leaving only 600 males to reconstitute the tribe. Three times the Prophet Hosea recalls the horrible degradation of Gibeah:

Hos. 5:8 - “Sound the trumpet in Gibeah.... Lead on, O Benjamin.”

Hos. 9:9 - “They have sunk deep into corruption as in the days of Gibeah. God will remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.”

Hos. 10:9 - “Since the days of Gibeah [some 700 years before!] you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers of Gibeah?”

The warning probably meant more to Israel than it does to us but consider the following lessons that we can draw from these texts:

1. Don’t follow the wrong trumpet and identify with the wrong side. The Benjamites did have a lot in common with the inhabitants of Gibeah but they should have flatly rejected their vile sin and joined the civil war against them not with them. Instead, they got themselves into a position where they defended evil.
2. Don’t let yourself sink ever deeper into sin. Stop it. Stop it now! Yes, you can do something about it. You won’t get away with blaming someone or something else. You won’t be able to stand before the Throne and use any of those excuses.
3. Get involved in spiritual warfare. If you don’t you’ll be overtaken by war. Either way, you’re in a war so why not choose the right side and make your life count?

Proverbs 11

He who puts up security for another will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe. (Prov. 11:15)

When the finances of individuals or the economy of a nation are built upon borrowing, they will result in tremendous loss of freedom. If allowed to continue, inflation and bankruptcy will eventually bring about God’s judgment. The consequences are certain.

Consider this matter of co-signing:

1. It is a dangerous form of lending. In reality, you are pledging whatever assets you have against the debt of someone else because he was not considered a good risk on his own assets. He is borrowing the money but asking you to stand behind the loan.
2. Scripture everywhere condemns the practice. Take a look at Proverbs 6:1-5 which says: My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge for another, if you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, to free yourself, since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor! Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
3. Your partnership encourages the one taking the loan to live beyond his means. It discourages him from waiting for God to supply his need.
4. You could lose everything that you have (see Prov. 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26-27; and 27:13).
5. You may be violating the Lord’s command to give to those in need.

Co-signing actually involves a double jeopardy loan and is not wise. Don’t do it!