Judges 20: Israel vs Israel!

Israel fought Israel—but only after they sought the Lord.

“The Israelites went up to the city of Bethel. At Bethel they asked God, “Which tribe will be first to attack the tribe of Benjamin?” The Lord answered, “The tribe of Judah will go first... The Israelites went to the Lord and cried until evening. They asked the Lord, “Should we go to fight the people of Benjamin again? They are our relatives.” The Lord answered, “Go fight against them.” The men of Israel encouraged each other. So they again went out to fight, as they had done the first day.” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭20‬:‭18‬, ‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭ERV

Sin is horrific. Division, devastating, but what gets me most is this: before Israel went to war with their own people, they asked God what to do.

They didn’t rush in with emotions flaring.

They paused. They prayed.

“Do we confront this?”

It still wasn’t easy. Thousands died. Just because God said go didn’t mean it would be painless. Isn’t that what setting boundaries in dysfunctional families can feel like?

Confrontation without God leads to destruction, but confrontation with God leads to healing.

Messy. Costly. Painful.

AND yet necessary.

Even when it’s uncomfortable, sometimes obedience means standing up—to protect what’s right, even when it’s someone you love.