Latest / Lamp and Light Bible Reading Plan / September 26, 2026 - Judges 20 & Proverbs 16:9-12

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September 26, 2026 - Judges 20 & Proverbs 16:9-12 · Lamp and Light Bible Reading Plan

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Lamp and Light Bible Reading Plan, where we are seeking to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, with God's word lighting the way.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Tyler Sanborn, Student Ministry Director at Compass Bible Church South Ballet.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Today is Saturday, September 26, 2026.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a quick summary of Judges 20.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Our last chapter, we uh saw one of the more horrific moments in Israel's history and the the acts of the Levite who sent out pieces of his his dead concubine to the twelve tribes of Israel and the state of the nation uh is uh let's just say they're they're not at rest and they they join together to figure out what is going on in Gibeah, and they they want the men who are responsible for the evil that has taken place.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: We see that in verse 12.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: They join and say, Hey, what's going on?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Give them up, these worthless fellows in Gibeah.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: And the Benjaminites, the the people of this region are saying, We're not gonna give you these guys, we're gonna dig our heels in, and and we're not gonna tell you who it was, we're not gonna give them up to you.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: So this causes uh unrest in the in the land, and uh there is uh a bit of an internal struggle, a civil war, if you will, uh within Israel, within Canaan, and there is a uh a plan that that gets put together where Israel, aside from from Benjamin, they're gonna rise up and and uh go after uh go after these people uh of Gibeah because they uh were were not honest, they were not giving up these men.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Justice was not served.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So there are some lines being drawn, there's armies being assembled, and uh just over uh twenty-six thousand uh men from Gibeah are are assembled, and from all the the other tribes, uh, aside from Benjamin, there's four hundred thousand.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: They're taking ten percent of the warriors, the men of war, from the other eleven tribes, and uh it's it's lopsided.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: The the numbers are not fair.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking at a spreadsheet, you're like, well, this is gonna be an easy victory for the good guys who are seeking justice, but that doesn't happen so quickly.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: There's two defeats, and ultimately um the people of Israel are going to the Lord, and it's not clear why they're losing, but things are things are not going as planned.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so they lose once, they lose twice, and they go to the Lord.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: And and we look to verse uh 28 and we see Yahweh saying, Go up again, go up tomorrow.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: I will give them into your hand.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the Israel is seeking God's leading in this uh in this moment.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: There they're asking, shall we go out once more to battle?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Are we are we gonna go and lose again?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Surely this is on their minds, or should we stop?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Should we stop pursuing them?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: And God gives them the victory.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord defeated Benjamin.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: We see that in verse 35.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: So we we see in this chapter some some dust settling, but also there's some some interesting things that happen uh at the end of this chapter that that leave the tribe of Benjamin with without a future and and without uh these these men that retreat, the 600, uh, they they flee, and where where they are uh to go and where they are to to find um uh wives, to have offspring, to continue uh the lineage is is unclear in this chapter, but we'll see that um moving forward to Monday's reading as we conclude the book of Judges.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a quick summary of Judges chapter twenty.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Listen intently to God's written word.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs sixteen, verses nine through twelve.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: An oracle is on the lips of a king.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: His mouth does not sin in judgment.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: A just balance and scales are the Lord's.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: All the weights in the bag are his work.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, right when you think in the book of Judges, things couldn't get any worse.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um in the in the pursuit of justice, the the good guys are seemingly losing.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: They're losing the battle against the guys that are doing wicked and evil things and not not producing or giving up the men who are responsible for the wicked acts against uh the Levites concubine in Judges chapter 19.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And there's uh significant losses to uh to the good guys, the the tribes of Israel who are giving 10% of their warriors to enter into this battle.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Judah goes first, and then after that we we see another wave of men going after uh the the Benjaminites, and and they take a loss, and uh 22,000 fall, and then 18,000 fall, and then the Lord provides the victory.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: And in this chapter, we're thinking surely, surely the dust will settle, surely there is hope beyond uh beyond this for God's people, and we see destruction, we see towns set on fire as uh Israel is purging out and and destroying the people of Benjamin for the for the wickedness that they've done for for not uh honoring the Lord through the the proper and correct justice for uh the the death ultimately of these of these men who uh who were uh abusing and and and tormenting this this concubine in the previous chapter.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: And we we all look forward in this chapter looking for the the end and the ceasing of this wickedness, and you know we we have to we have to wait.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: There's still no king in in Israel.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's still uh there's still the the theme of people doing what is right in their own eyes, and we we would do well to just take a moment and pause and reflect as we think about how easy it is to sin, how easy it is for us to to cave into temptation.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: And sin is always knocking at the door, though we do have a way of escape that God provides each and every time, uh, we don't always exercise that option and and pursue the way of escape.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: We sin and we need forgiveness.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: We need a savior that would die for our sins.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And and praise the Lord that our Savior is Jesus Christ.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: He has accomplished a salvation.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: We do have forgiveness of sins through his blood, uh, through his through his resurrection.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: We have hope for life uh eternal because of what he's done.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: And and we look to a chapter like this where there's a lot of internal conflict, internal destruction, uh, internal wickedness, and just a lot of confusing and chaotic things that are going on with the different battles, the different numbers, and the different uh the different uh futures for one of the one of the tribes of Israel.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: The tribe of Benjamin is is looking uh looking at their future with uh with despair, with uh with bleak expectations.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: And there's a groaning and a need for these people uh to be to be restored back to the other 11 tribes.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: And and no one wants to, as we look to the next chapter, uh we're gonna see some challenges that rightly so.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think that the tribes surrounding Benjamin are gonna look at look at them and say, like, I want I really want nothing to do with you.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh though though we're family, though we have a common ancestor, uh we have Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as our as our forefathers, but I'd rather not be around you right now.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we we see some internal tension here.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: And though God's God's people are not faithful, not um not honoring to one another, we see God um God working in this.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: We see people seeking God's leading, his guidance as whether to fight or not fight.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: That that is encouraging.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_00: As we look to the the chapter and the the concluding two chapters of this book of judges, we we long and look forward to to someone who's gonna end and the destruction, end the chaos, and and end the wickedness that we see brewing within God's people.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh as we think about the the ways that the eleven tribes pursued God, pursued his plan, his way, his leading.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I look to verse 9 in our Proverbs section today in chapter 16, and the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be kind of confusing as the Lord directs Israel to to their lines, to their ranks, to to send them into battle in Judges chapter 20, and they lose.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And it can be kind of confusing, though, that you would think that God would have the victory immediately, uh emphatically, unanimously right off the bat.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we don't see that in in Judges chapter 20, and I think that's just kind of a um a nod uh to just really we don't we don't know exactly how how things are working in that chapter.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: We don't understand uh in in the in the frustration, the confusion of uh of the moment, people the people of Israel must have been thinking, and what what is the purpose of all this?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: What is justice not going to be served?
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: But we ultimately see that God does enact justice.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: We do see the tribe of Benjamin dismantled, dispersed, and and those men retreating, heading for the hills.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord is establishing the steps of his people.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: And in our eyes, we we don't always see it linearly, we don't always see God's plan.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but God does what he pleases, he dwells in the heavens, he his wisdom surpasses all understanding.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: And and who are we to know all the ins and outs of God's ways?
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: But we trust him.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: We we trust that the Lord is going to establish the steps of the man, uh mankind.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: We we work heartily into the Lord, we we plan diligently and and leave the outcome uh to the sovereign Lord.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 10 says, An oracle is on the lips of a king, his mouth does not sin in judgment.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: And in an ideal world, in an ideal kingdom, kings only do what is right, only do what is just, only do what is proper and serving and beneficial for the people of their kingdom.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: And and as we consider the the legacies of the different kings of Israel, not all of them were good kings, and uh and not all of them had legacies that were honorable, and not all of them did what was was right in the eyes of the Lord, and many of them sinned and sinned grievously and were wicked, and uh went after foreign gods to serve them.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um we think about just what what brings honor to God, what is on the lips of a king, the the lips of a king that are speaking God's truth, that are following after his ways, that are honoring him.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we we love the idea of a sacrificial leader, uh a servant leader, as we think about the the ways that Jesus led and lived his life, the way that he laid down his life for his friends, laid down his life in service and teaching and correction and judgment.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: God is always working to sanctify and purify his people.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And God will ultimately one day enact perfect uh judgment at the perfect time, and and we await, we wait that day as we we long for Jesus' return.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: A balance, a just balance and scales are the Lord's.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: All the weights in the bag are his work, and we could rest assured that God will have a perfect justice.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: There there is no lopsided or or uh swindly nature in God.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um we we think about the the way that God deals with with justice and and righteousness, and and that's what we we see in King Jesus.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: He deals justly, he deals with perfect righteousness.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: There is no flaw or um or hint of sin in him.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the Pharisees, the rulers of the day found no wrong in him, and it and it angered them all the more.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it angled angered them because they were the ones who were doing wicked, and Jesus was calling out their sin, calling out their hypocrisy and calling them to the scriptures to be confronted by the words of Moses, to be confronted by uh the prophets, and and they wanted nothing of that because they lived one way and and said and spoke and gave commands and ruled in a completely uh different way.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: So all the weights in the bag are his work.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: He he deals justly, he deals uh perfectly, he deals fairly.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: In verse 12, we conclude our Proverbs section today.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's an abomination to kings to do evil, and that is so true.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it is it is a disgusting thing to see leaders of any kind doing evil, doing horrific things, and not leading in a way that is honoring and reverent to the Lord.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: And how many, how many kings or how many leaders do we see in our world today that that don't serve the Lord?
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: They don't honor him, they don't they don't pay any attention or mind him in his way.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: They they may claim they they do, but we can tell that the actions that they they enact, the things that they say don't line up with the things that they might uh they might campaign with, or the things that they might try to promote, or um the face that they they give to the public.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: We we see a and and we long for a king that would come.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: We see this king in the scriptures, and one day he will return for his bride.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is the Lord Jesus Christ, and his throne will be established forever and ever, and he will reign with his people for eternity.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: For the throne is established by righteousness.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: The the righteous king Jesus will rule from Jerusalem when he returns.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: And we we hope and long for a day as we reflect on the wickedness in the book of Judges and how uh the people awaited their messiah, awaited their uh their king.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: As we look to the the following chapters, and and uh as we zoom through Ruth next week, we're gonna quickly uh jump into the book of First Samuel, and we'll start to see the kingly line and the king that would that would one day uh in King David be promised from his seed, from his offspring will come a king that rules with perfect justice.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: We we hope and long for that day.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: We in our in our suffering, in our in our toil, in our in our lives that seem to be mundane at times, we long for refreshment, we long for the day that sin will be no more.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: We we long for a day where all of our pains and all of our uh all of our suffering are are just wiped away.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we we call out Maranath, we call out, come, Lord Jesus, return for your bride.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: We long for a day that that we will reign uh and we will dwell with our God face to face and and what a what a wonderful uh what a wonderful eternity awaits us.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this was an encouragement to you today.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us on the Lamp and Light Bible Reading Podcast.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: For more information about Compass Bible Church South Valley, visit compassbiblesv.org.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: Keep reading, keep growing.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: God's word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.