The Entrance of the City - Judges 1:25

In the book of Judges we learned how, “the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them. And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Show us, we pray you, the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy”, and in chapter one and verse twenty-five of Judges, we learn, “when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword” where we read,

And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.

The verse reads, “And when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword;” The writer began with the words, “and when he showed them the entrance” which means “and at the time and moment he, the man departing from the city of Bethel, made seen, visible and present the entryway” “into the city” or “to the dwelling place, abode and habitation of Bethel”, “they smote the city” or “they, the people of Joseph, struck, hit, beat and killed the dwelling place, habitation and abode” “with the edge of the sword” which means “by the sharpened implement of war such as an axe, mattock or knife”. The writer said the  man leaving the city of Bethel shared the location of the entryway with the “spies of Bethel”, and the tribe of “Joseph” struck and killed the dwelling place with sharpened war weapons. 

The verse goes on to say, “but they let go the man and all his family..” The writer continued with the words, “but they let go” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover they, released and set free” “the man and all his family” or “the male human being and each, every, the whole and everyone of his, the man who showed the entryway to Bethel’s, kinsmen, kindred and relatives”. The writer shared how the people of “Joseph” set free the man who showed them the entryway to the city of “Bethel” as well as his relatives. 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the “man” who revealed the entryway of the city of “Bethel” to the “spies” of Joseph was saved along with his “family”. This “man” blessed the people of “Joseph”, and they blessed him by setting him free. God wants to bless us, and when we yield our lives to His Son Jesus as our “Savior and Lord” who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days, He will bless us with forgiveness of our sins, everlasting life and His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth so we receive His “mercy” because we simply believe. (See John 3:16; Hebrews 4:16)

Next time we learn how, “the man went into the land of the Hittites”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".