April 5– Judges 19:1-9
April 5– Judges 19:1-9
19 In those days, when there was no king in
Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill
country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in
Judah. 2 And
his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her
father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months. 3 Then her husband arose and went after her,
to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a
couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father's house. And when the
girl's father saw him, he came with joy to meet him. 4 And his father-in-law, the girl's father,
made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and
spent the night there. 5 And
on the fourth day they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but
the girl's father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a
morsel of bread, and after that you may go.” 6 So
the two of them sat and ate and drank together. And the girl's father said to
the man, “Be pleased to spend the night, and let your heart be merry.” 7 And when the man rose up to go, his
father-in-law pressed him, till he spent the night there again. 8 And on the fifth day he arose early in the
morning to depart. And the girl's father said, “Strengthen your heart and
wait until the day declines.” So they ate, both of them. 9 And when the man and his concubine and his
servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him,
“Behold, now the day has waned toward evening. Please, spend the night. Behold,
the day draws to its close. Lodge here and let your heart be merry, and
tomorrow you shall arise early in the morning for your journey, and go home.”
These
verses share a Levite’s attempt to pursue his concubine who had run away. We’re not told why she left him and returned
to her father. Months later he seeks to
find her and bring her home. Do you
think the Levite was seeking not only to find her, but also offer
forgiveness? It’s difficult to forgive
when people wrong us. In fact, is it
even possible without God’s help?
Is
there someone you need to forgive and are struggling to do so?
Pray and seek God’s help in forgiving.
He is
willing and able. In fact, he’s waiting
for you to come to him.
Heavenly
Father,
There
are many times we need to ask forgiveness and don’t know how. There are times we aren’t really sure what we’ve
done to hurt someone and even if we do know, we know there isn’t a way to fix
it. One thing I know, anytime we sin we
need to ask You for forgiveness because all sin is against You.
One
thing I struggle with, is not necessarily forgiving others, but when can I
forgive, but not necessarily restore the relationship with that person I have
forgiven? There are times the broken
relationship truly can’t be restored, but even in those times, forgiveness can
offer us a peace that can help us get through the tough days ahead. Thank You Father for the forgiveness You give
us…that You give me. Thank You for
loving me in spite of what a sinner I am.
In
Jesus’ name.
Amen!
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