Judges 1:3-7 – Our victory is in the Lord

The sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, seeking to know which tribe should begin the campaign. Through the Urim and Thummim, the priest was able to indicate that Judah should take the lead. The tribe of Judah then invited the tribe of Simeon to join them in their campaign, promising that they, in turn, would help later. Since Simeon and Judah were both borne by the same mother, their people would feel more keenly towards each other. Besides, we know that the land allotted to the tribe of Simeon was located within the land given to the tribe of Judah. Naturally, they agreed, and so together they went about successfully routing the enemies. Their success was attributed to the fact that God was with them.

Their first objective was Bezek. The exact location of this place is uncertain. We are told that the Canaanite king Adoni-Bezek had a sizable army of ten thousand men. For a small state, this was a huge force. Regardless of the size, no one could come against the people of God when He is fighting with them. It was Yahweh who gave the huge force of 10,000 men, comprising of Canaanites and Perizzites, into the hands of Judah and Simeon. In defeat, Adoni-Bezek tried to run for his life. But he was apprehended and they cut off his thumbs and big toes. Why did they do this to him? Verse 7 gives us the answer. In his cruelty, he had cut off the thumbs and big toes of seventy kings and made them serve him by picking up scraps under his table. Here he got a dose of his own madness. He was then taken to Jerusalem where he eventually died. 

Two lessons for us to consider in these verses. Firstly, in our quest in life remember to have the Lord alongside us. Having Him is our assurance of success. Nothing is certain in life outside of the Lord. We must never lose sight of this. No matter how successful we eventually may become in life, without the Lord the success will not remain. Secondly, we can see that the rooster always returns to roost. Adoni-Bezek was dealt the same way he dealt with the seventy kings he captured. His thumbs and big toes were cut off just as he did to them. Remember, what goes around always comes around. We must not be arrogant. Deal with others kindly for with what measure we mete to others, Jesus said, the same measure shall be meted to us.