A little girl had learned the story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” She was telling the story to her mother. When she got down to the place where the prince kissed Snow White and awakened her from her sleep, the little girl said, “Mother, do you know what happened next?” Of course, The mother said, “They lived happily ever after.” The little girl said, “Oh no, they got married.” (That’s a little bit different, isn’t it!)
What is it about marriage? Everybody wants to get married. Young love wants to get married, old people want to do it all again, gays now have it, and who knows, perhaps even pet marriage is next! Wrong! People have actually married their pets already! From cats, to horses to cows to dogs to goats to dolphins, even snakes[i]… one website called “marry your pet.com” warns, “don’t let your pet live in sin! Marry your pet!
OK – reality check! Human – animal marriage is not recognized in any country (yet), although many attempts to marry animals have been recorded. One woman, Barbarella Buchner is celebrating the 10th pet-aversary of her felinage to two cats, She has even made herself a marriage certificate, and she says has never been happier and has no plans to find a human husband. [ii]
And no wonder, Marriage has one of the highest failure rates of anything we try. Most people who get married have no idea — none — what they’re getting into. Sorry romantics, but love alone is not enough. It seems like happy endings in marriage are about a 50-50 proposition. Maybe you’ll be happy, and maybe you won’t. (Good luck without Jesus, because you are going to need it!)
Let me talk about happy ending s for a minute. Hollywood has made a fortune on man / woman relationships that have happy endings. A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best. The story line almost always starts with danger and ends with a happy ending meaning they survive and successfully triumph in their quest or mission, and get married. Such an ending is necessary to sell movies, they say: “The hero must triumph over his enemies, as surely as Jack must kill the giant in the nursery tale. If the giant kills Jack, nobody will buy it.
However, a happy ending only requires that the main characters be all right. Millions of innocent background characters can die, but as long as the characters that the audience cares about survive, it can still be called a happy ending. Roger Ebert comments ironically in his review of the movie, The Day After Tomorrow: “Billions of people have died, but at least the major characters have survived. Los Angeles is leveled by multiple tornadoes, New York is buried under ice and snow, the United Kingdom is flash-frozen, and lots of the Northern Hemisphere is wiped out for good measure. ThankGgod that Jack, Sam, Laura, Jason and Dr. Lucy Hall survive.”
So we come to the end of the book of Judges, where we have one of the largest mass marriages in history, and our question is; “did they live happily ever after?” Or not? Or did myriads of people die? As a terrible ending, it just doesn’t get any worse than this. The book of Judges is not a “happily ever after” kind of story. Its purpose is to drive home with inhumane ferocity that without God, without The King, life on planet earth is destined to devolve into a terrible cesspool of crime, injustice and violence.
That’s why we need the king. That’s why we need Jesus. That’s why we need to live out our faith with unbreakable tenacity. I can tell you this with full certainty, that the only way to stop the madness is to spread the sanity of the love of Jesus to every creature on this planet. Short of that, there is no hope.
Foolish Vows
The last chapter begins with foolish vows
Now the men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin as a wife.” 2 Then the people came to the house of God, and remained there before God till evening. They lifted up their voices and wept bitterly, 3 and said, “O Lord God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe missing in Israel?”
Check this out: It sounds like before the battle ever begun, the people of Israel were so incensed with Benjamin that they swore a lifelong oath to God, that if God would help them win this battle, that they would never let their daughters marry into that terrible tribe of Benjamin! And it came back to bite them with a vengeance.
People sometimes think that they can impress God, and get a leg up on their situation if they make desperate promises to him: “God, if you heal me, I’ll serve you forever!” (fingers crossed) “And God, if you get me out of this mess, I’ll go to church every Sunday.” “And God, If you’ll help me get this job, I’ll give you 50% of my income.”
Why do we think that we can bribe God into answering our prayers by making outlandish promises or by doing some kind of holy penance or giving up something big for lent.
First of all, it is just better not to make foolish promises and vows to God. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. (Ecclesiastes 5:4-7). But, second, you don’t have to bribe God to answer your prayers. Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare his own dear Son, but delivered him up for you, how shall he not graciously give you all things?”
There are lots of verses that tell us that God loves us so much that he can’t wait to give us all good things. You don’t have to bribe God. He doesn’t want your bribes, he wants your love and adoration. God wants to answer your prayers because he loves you, not because you manipulate him into doing so.
This foolish oath had unforeseen consequences. One of the twelve tribes was decimated. God’s promises to the nation seemed like it was about to fizzle. They had massacred all the women and children of Benjamin, and six hundred men alone survived of the whole tribe. Without Benjamin, they weren’t a complete people. Yet instead of getting directions from the Lord, the eleven tribes depended on their own wisdom to solve the problem.
The incredible fickleness of the Israelites was on display. To solve the problem they created they tried to fix the fix that they were deeply fixed in. First they tried to fix the problem. When that made a mess, they tried to fix the fix! And then when they made a mess of that they were really in a fix! Have you ever tried to fix the fix? That’s what happens when you don’t seek God.
Trying to Fix the Fix
4 So it was, on the next morning, that the people rose early and 
built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 The children of Israel said, “Who is there among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the assembly to the Lord?” For they had made a great oath concerning anyone who had not come up to the Lord at Mizpah, saying, “He shall surely be put to death.” 6 And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, “One tribe is cut off from Israel today. 7 What shall we do for wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”
8 And they said, “What one is there from the tribes of Israel who did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord?” And, in fact, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh Gilead to the assembly. 9 For when the people were counted, indeed, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead was there. 10 So the congregation sent out there twelve thousand of their most valiant men, and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, including the women and children. 11 And this is the thing that you shall do: You shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman who has known a man intimately.” 12 So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known a man intimately; and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
While they’re puzzling over this, they discover that the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead didn’t send any soldiers, so they sent an army against them, without consulting God. Build as many altars and as many cathedrals as you want, but what is the point if you don’t seek God! The Israelites solved the problem by killing more of their own people!
What should be done about foolish promises? Do you find yourself in a fix of your own making? You lost money in gambling, so you try to fix it by robbing a bank? Is that really a good idea? How about a little godly sorrow and repentance? You can sure solve a lot of your problems by seeking God instead of following your own ideas.
This is what happens when democracy becomes mob rule. When there is rule by mob, God given rights are trampled. But we are not done yet. Now that we’ve taken the eligible ladies of the town captive, we need to marry them off to the eligible bachelors of Benjamin. So I want to talk to you about how to woo a woman.
How to woo a woman 13-23
13 Then the whole congregation sent word to the children of 
Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon, and announced peace to them. 14 So Benjamin came back at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh Gilead; and yet they had not found enough for them. 15 And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
How to woo a woman; #1. (Kill her family). This is one of the original “shot gun” style weddings. I’m trying to understand this from the woman’s point of view. “Let me see. First you killed my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, my uncles, aunts and cousins, all to get me to marry a guy I don’t know? Did you ever think that you could have just asked?”
I don’t even know what to say… but there’s more. These people are way out of line:
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” 17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. 18 However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’” 19 Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
20 Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin. 22 Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’”
How to woo a woman; #2 Kidnap her. Somehow the tribes in their own imagination figured that they wouldn’t be violating their oath because they wouldn’t be giving the girls as brides. The girls were being taken. Rather than go through this charade, they should have simply confessed their sin of making a foolish oath and done the right thing instead of trying to make two wrongs equal a right. They all lived wickedly ever after, because there was no king in Israel.
As we come to the end of the book of Judges, I’m just a little overwhelmed at how low a society can sink when they put their mind to it. This is may be our last dance. The danger signals are everywhere. Over the last year I’ve systematically traced society’s descent into chaos.
You have been kind enough to listen as i have detailed the perils of compromise, the Muslim incursion, the dangers of appeasement, the evils of ISIS, church shootings, and the gay marriage decision; we’ve talked about the pillaging of America, gender wars, hurricanes, floods, prepping and the doom boom; the collapse of traditional marriage, the tragic fall of Christian leaders, and much more.
But in the bad news, there is always good news. And that is what Judges reminds us of. There are brave souls who are men and women for their time. History demands heroes. Men like Caleb who slew giants; Soldiers like Othniel, who dared to stand against vicious villains, Spies like Ehud who was a left handed man in a right handed world, Farmers like Shamgar who even though he was armed only with his pitchfork, he won the day; Women like Deborah who dared to lead when no one else would. Men like Gideon, who even though he doubted he still believed enough to be used by God. Even imperfect leaders like Samson who challenged the Philistine machine.
These people lived in the times of moral chaos and refused to let it defeat them. We live in those times. And it is still time for something spiritual to begin brewing. The Tide can begin to Turn. It could be a revival, It could be that God is going to use a small thing like you. You can be a difference maker.
God is the God of impossible causes. Never forget that! Never forget that you are never too far gone for redemption. You are never too far away for God to save you. You may have three strikes against you, you may be going down for the last time, you may be completely lost, finished, your life may be over, your appeals may have ended, you may be on your last breath… none of that is relevant to an almighty God. He is the God of impossible causes and hopeless circumstances.
Happily Ever After
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what 
was right in his own eyes.
This phrase is used four times in the book. Jud 17:6 In those days there was no king. Jud 18:1 In those days there was no king in Israel: Jud 19:1 In those days Israel had no king. Jud 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel:
Do you get the point? Please note it well, “There was no king.” Without a king… we as a people are lost!
The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews. He’s the King of Israel. He’s the King of Righteousness. He’s the King of the Ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of Glory. He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King.
I wonder, do you know Him?
My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful.
Do you know Him?
He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Savior.
I wonder if you know Him today?
He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captive. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. And He beautifies the meek.
I wonder if you know Him?
He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory.
Do you know Him? Well…
His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. And His yoke is easy. And His burden is light.
I wish I could describe Him to you. Yes…
He’s indescribable! He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hand. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him.
Yeah! That’s my King, that’s my King.
That’s why we need the king. That’s why we need Jesus. That’s why we need to live out our faith with unbreakable tenacity. I can tell you this with full certainty, that the only way to stop the madness is to spread the sanity of the love of Jesus to every creature on this planet. Short of that, there is no hope.
[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93animal_marriage
[ii] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2898715/Woman-celebrating-decade-marriage-two-pet-CATS-says-never-happier-no-plans-human-husband.html