Power Read The Bible In 60 Days With Jeff AndersonНамуна

Day 13

CONNECTING THE DOTS

[Scheduled Reading: Judges 16-21; Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-10]

Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?(1 Samuel 9:21)

One of the cool things about reading 15-20 chapters a day is the opportunity to connect the dots.

In today’s scheduled read, you’ll see in Judges 20 about Israel’s war with one of their tribesmen – the Benjaminites.

It was a nasty fight that follows a most gruesome story about a Levite who cut up his dead concubine into 12 pieces and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. (The Levite’s concubine had been murdered by some Benjaminites in an all-night rape.)

This was before Wiki-leaks and fake news, but I’m sure rumors were still strong.

When folks learned this event wasn’t fake news, it got all of them fired up… against the Benjaminites. 

400,000 Israelites (from the 11 tribes) took on 26,000 Benjaminites. It was a blood-bath. Over 25,000 Benjaminite men were lost at battle, leaving 600 men running for the hills. The tribe was nearly wiped out. 

It was a sad day for Israel.

Now let’s connect some dots that all occur in this one day’s reading:

1. Fast forward through Ruth and into 1 Samuel, Saul is being picked as Israel’s new king. Saul says to Samuel, Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?

This makes more sense as to what Saul meant: What kind of stigma must it have been for Saul to grow up a Benjaminite?

2. Another thought nugget is when Saul is introduced as the son of Kish, a “Benjaminite, a man of wealth” (1 Samuel 9:1). It makes sense this man Kish was a wealth-holder given that his ancestors were among the few survivors of the Benjaminite blood bath. These survivors likely inherited some of the land previously owned by their Benjaminite brothers.

3. In the next day’s reading (1 Samuel), David appears. Where does David come from? The tribe of Judah, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed. Where does Obed come from? From Ruth, the Moabite who married Boaz. (The book of Ruth is sandwiched between Judges and 1 Samuel).

These are quite a few interesting connections in just a few day’s reading.  Enjoy today’s read. Keep the pace.