What should we do if we pray for wisdom, implement the wisdom we receive, and then the wisdom fails?
The story we examine today smashes assumptions. Nevertheless it yields important lessons about praying for wisdom.
The assumption it breaks into pieces is, if God guides me what to do, the results will immediately be golden. In the story we now examine, success came after several failures, and yet each time Israel had inquired of the Lord.
Civil war
Judges 20:11–35 narrates a civil war among the twelve tribes of Israel. One of the cities of the tribe of Benjamin had committed great evil, and the other eleven tribes gathered their armies to punish them.
Verses 12–13 say: “And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, ‘What evil is this that has taken place among you? Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.’ But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.”
The result was war.
Day 1
Before entering into battle, the army of Israel prayed for wisdom. “The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, ‘Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?’ And the LORD said, ‘Judah shall go up first.’” (Judges 20:18)
So it seemed that Israel was good to go. God had answered their prayer and told them a crucial element of strategy: which tribe should lead the attack.
Judges 20:19–28 says, “Then the people of Israel rose in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.” (ESV)
So the result of the first day of battle is a defeat for Israel, a devastating defeat. We are not told why here, but the wider context of the Book of Judges explicitly states and shows that the entire nation had fallen into depraved apostasy: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6 and 19:25). Although in the present situation Israel had done two commendable things—they inquired of the Lord and came against Benjamin because of its sin—this defeat is most likely God’s punishment upon Israel for their backslidden state.
The war continues.
Day 2
“ [22] The people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day. [23] And the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?’ And the LORD said, ‘Go up against them.’ [24] So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. [25] And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword.”
Again Israel suffers a devastating defeat. Yet this defeat came after God had answered their inquiry and told them, “Go up against them.” Again we are not told why Israel lost the battle, but verse 25 says it was not because they were poor soldiers. These were “men who drew the sword.”
God never has to explain his actions, and in this account he does not. But the rest of the Book of Judges does make sense of it: the entire nation has fallen from God and deserves to be judged.
The war continues.
Day 3
“ [26] Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. [27] And the people of Israel inquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, [28] and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, ‘Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?’ And the LORD said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.’”
And that is exactly what happens. Israel employs a different strategy, and this time they prevail against the tribe of Benjamin and the wicked city of Gibeah.
Notice that verse 28 says for the first time that God would give Benjamin into the hands of Israel in this battle, which means he had not done so in the previous two battles. That explains why Israel had been defeated twice. Benjamin deserved to be punished for protecting a wicked city, but so did the entire nation for its apostasy.
Takeaway
This story has valuable lessons.
1. We should not assume that God’s wisdom will bring direct and immediate success every time. We should not assume that praying for wisdom will give guidance that will be a foolproof, failproof silver bullet, making everything easy, answering every question, solving every problem, providing perfect success from that moment forward. That can happen, but we should not be disillusioned if it does not.
2. We may not experience immediate success because God has other larger purposes he is pursuing. Our situation is part of a much larger picture. For instance, God may be disciplining or teaching us (see Hebrews 12:5–11). But there are many other purposes God may be pursuing.
3. If received wisdom fails, we should not conclude that praying for wisdom does not work. We must not lose confidence in God’s promises, in God or his Word, in our ability to recognize God’s wisdom when it comes. We should keep humbling ourselves before him, repenting, and praying for wisdom.
In the story, Israel increased the intensity of its inquiry each time: on the first occasion, “The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God.”
On the second occasion, “the people of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until the evening. And they inquired of the LORD.”
On the third occasion: “…all the people of Israel, the whole army [which suggests not everyone had come to Bethel the previous two times], went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.”
4. God might at times lead us through failures and setbacks to reach success, but he is using even those setbacks to accomplish his mysterious purposes.
5. When you implement the wisdom you believe is from God, if it does not bring the result for which you hoped do not be disillusioned, quit, and fall into unbelief. Rather, keep praying for wisdom and using your understanding of it. In this way you acknowledge him in all your ways and receive the promise of Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Jeremiah 9:23–24: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.’” (ESV)