[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY MARCH 17

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR THURSDAY MARCH 17

WORD OF WISDOM

I thought the dryer made my clothes shrink; turns out it was the
refrigerator.

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DAILY DEVOTION

He Still Crosses Lakes


They saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was
sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.
(Mark 5:15, NLT)

	 In Mark 5, there was a demon possessed man who lived among the
tombs. People tried to restrain him, but he would break the chains. Nothing
could control him. For years, night and day, he wandered through the tombs
screaming and cutting himself. One day Jesus crossed the lake and went
straight to where he was. The man fell at His feet, then Jesus cast the
spirits out, and he was instantly healed and restored to normal.
Jesus made a special trip just to get to this man. Sometimes forces of
darkness come against us, and we can't get free on our own. The good news is
that our God still crosses lakes. When you can't get to Him, He'll come to
you. The addiction seems too strong, the sickness too big, the failure too
great, but God is crossing the lake right now. The forces that have held you
back are being broken. What you couldn't make happen, the Most High God is
making happen.
	 
A Prayer for Today

"Father, thank You for crossing the lake and coming to me when I couldn't
come to You. Thank You for freeing me from what I could not free myself and
bringing me out of trouble that I could not get out of. I believe that Your
mercy is everlasting, and You never stop crossing lakes. In Jesus' Name,
Amen."

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DAILY BIBLE READING

Judges 19-21 New King James Version
The Levite's Concubine
19 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that
there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He
took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But his concubine
played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house
at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. 3 Then her husband
arose and went after her, to speak [a]kindly to her and bring her back,
having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into
her father's house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was
glad to meet him. 4 Now his father-in-law, the young woman's father,
detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and
lodged there.

5 Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the
morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman's father said to his
son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go
your way."

6 So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the
young woman's father said to the man, "Please be content to stay all night,
and let your heart be merry." 7 And when the man stood to depart, his
father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. 8 Then he arose early in
the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman's father said,
"Please refresh your heart." So they delayed until afternoon; and both of
them ate.

9 And when the man stood to depart-he and his concubine and his servant-his
father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is now
drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an
end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early,
so that you may get [b]home."

10 However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and
departed, and came opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the
two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him. 11 They were near
Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come,
please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in
it."

12 But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into a city of
foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah."
13 So he said to his servant, "Come, let us draw near to one of these
places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah." 14 And they passed by
and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs
to Benjamin. 15 They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And
when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one
would take them into his house to spend the night.

16 Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who
also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas
the men of the place were Benjamites. 17 And when he raised his eyes, he saw
the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where
are you going, and where do you come from?"

18 So he said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the
remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah;
now I am going to the house of the Lord. But there is no one who will take
me into his house, 19 although we have both straw and fodder for our
donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the
young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything."

20 And the old man said, "Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be
my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square." 21 So he
brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed
their feet, and ate and drank.

Gibeah's Crime
22 As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city,
perverted[c] men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to
the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to
your house, that we may know him carnally!"

23 But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them,
"No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has
come into my house, do not commit this outrage. 24 Look, here is my virgin
daughter and [d]the man's concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them,
and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile
thing!" 25 But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and
brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until
morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.

26 Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of
the man's house where her master was, till it was light.

27 When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house
and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door of
the house with her hands on the threshold. 28 And he said to her, "Get up
and let us be going." But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto
the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place.

29 When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine,
and divided her into twelve pieces, [e]limb by limb, and sent her throughout
all the territory of Israel. 30 And so it was that all who saw it said, "No
such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel
came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and
speak up!"

Israel's War with the Benjamites
20 So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as
from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man
before the Lord at Mizpah. 2 And the leaders of all the people, all the
tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God,
four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword. 3 (Now the children
of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.)

Then the children of Israel said, "Tell us, how did this wicked deed
happen?"

4 So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and
said, "My concubine and I went into Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, to
spend the night. 5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the
house at night because of me. They intended to kill me, but instead they
ravished my concubine so that she died. 6 So I took hold of my concubine,
cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of the
inheritance of Israel, because they committed lewdness and outrage in
Israel. 7 Look! All of you are children of Israel; give your advice and
counsel here and now!"

8 So all the people arose as one man, saying, "None of us will go to his
tent, nor will any turn back to his house; 9 but now this is the thing which
we will do to Gibeah: We will go up against it by lot. 10 We will take ten
men out of every hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, a hundred out
of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to make
provisions for the people, that when they come to Gibeah in Benjamin, they
may repay all the vileness that they have done in Israel." 11 So all the men
of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man.

12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin,
saying, "What is this wickedness that has occurred among you? 13 Now
therefore, deliver up the men, the [f]perverted men who are in Gibeah, that
we may put them to death and remove the evil from Israel!" But the children
of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brethren, the children of
Israel. 14 Instead, the children of Benjamin gathered together from their
cities to Gibeah, to go to battle against the children of Israel. 15 And
from their cities at that time the children of Benjamin numbered twenty-six
thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who
numbered seven hundred select men. 16 Among all this people were seven
hundred select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a
hair's breadth and not miss. 17 Now besides Benjamin, the men of Israel
numbered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men
of war.

18 Then the children of Israel arose and went up to [g]the house of God to
inquire of God. They said, "Which of us shall go up first to battle against
the children of Benjamin?"

The Lord said, "Judah first!"

19 So the children of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against
Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and
the men of Israel put themselves in battle array to fight against them at
Gibeah. 21 Then the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day
cut down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites. 22 And the
people, that is, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and again formed
the battle line at the place where they had put themselves in array on the
first day. 23 Then the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord
until evening, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, "Shall I again draw
near for battle against the children of my brother Benjamin?"

And the Lord said, "Go up against him."

24 So the children of Israel approached the children of Benjamin on the
second day. 25 And Benjamin went out against them from Gibeah on the second
day, and cut down to the ground eighteen thousand more of the children of
Israel; all these drew the sword.

26 Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and
came to [h]the house of God and wept. They sat there before the Lord and
fasted that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings before the Lord. 27 So the children of Israel inquired of the Lord
(the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying,
"Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother
Benjamin, or shall I cease?"

And the Lord said, "Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand."

29 Then Israel set men in ambush all around Gibeah. 30 And the children of
Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put
themselves in battle array against Gibeah as at the other times. 31 So the
children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from
the city. They began to strike down and kill some of the people, as at the
other times, in the highways (one of which goes up to Bethel and the other
to Gibeah) and in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the children
of Benjamin said, "They are defeated before us, as at first."

But the children of Israel said, "Let us flee and draw them away from the
city to the highways." 33 So all the men of Israel rose from their place and
put themselves in battle array at Baal Tamar. Then Israel's men in ambush
burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba. 34 And ten thousand
select men from all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce.
But [i]the Benjamites did not know that disaster was upon them. 35 The Lord
[j]defeated Benjamin before Israel. And the children of Israel destroyed
that day twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjamites; all these drew the
sword.

36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of
Israel had given ground to the Benjamites, because they relied on the men in
ambush whom they had set against Gibeah. 37 And the men in ambush quickly
rushed upon Gibeah; the men in ambush spread out and struck the whole city
with the edge of the sword. 38 Now the appointed signal between the men of
Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke
rise up from the city, 39 whereupon the men of Israel would turn in battle.
Now Benjamin had begun [k]to strike and kill about thirty of the men of
Israel. For they said, "Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first
battle." 40 But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of
smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and there was the whole city going
up in smoke to heaven. 41 And when the men of Israel turned back, the men of
Benjamin panicked, for they saw that disaster had come upon them. 42
Therefore they [l]turned their backs before the men of Israel in the
direction of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them, and whoever came
out of the cities they destroyed in their midst. 43 They surrounded the
Benjamites, chased them, and easily trampled them down as far as the front
of Gibeah toward the east. 44 And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell;
all these were men of valor. 45 Then [m]they turned and fled toward the
wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and they cut down five thousand of them on
the highways. Then they pursued them relentlessly up to Gidom, and killed
two thousand of them. 46 So all who fell of Benjamin that day were
twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all these were [n]men of valor.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of
Rimmon, and they stayed at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48 And the
men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them
down with the edge of the sword-from every city, men and beasts, all who
were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to.

Wives Provided for the Benjamites
21 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
[o]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?"

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.

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.

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.' "

23 And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their
number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned
to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them. 24 So
the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his
tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance.

25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in
his own eyes.

Footnotes
Judges 19:3 Lit. to her heart
Judges 19:9 Lit. to your tent
Judges 19:22 Lit. sons of Belial
Judges 19:24 Lit. his
Judges 19:29 Lit. with her bones
Judges 20:13 Lit. sons of Belial
Judges 20:18 Or Bethel
Judges 20:26 Or Bethel
Judges 20:34 Lit. they
Judges 20:35 Lit. struck
Judges 20:39 Lit. to strike the slain ones
Judges 20:42 fled
Judges 20:45 LXX the rest
Judges 20:46 valiant warriors
Judges 21:2 Or Bethel