What the Spies Saw - Judges 1:24

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 in chapter one and verse twenty-four of Judges, we learn how, “the spies saw a man come forth out of the city”, where we read,

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.

The verse reads, “And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him,” The writer began with the words, “and the spies” which means “and the keepers, guards, observers and watchers” “saw a man come forth” or “observed a male human being exit, depart and go forward and proceed”, “and they said unto him” or “and they, the spies, uttered declared and proclaimed to him, the man that proceeded from the city”. The writer shared how the watchers from the tribe of Joseph observed a male human being proceeding from the city of Bethel, and the watchers said the following words to him. 

The verse continues, “Show us, we pray you, the entrance into the city, and we will show you mercy.” The writer added the words, “Show us” which means “make seen, visible and present to us, the spies”, “we pray you” or “we, the spies, entreat and beseech you, the man departing from the city of Bethel”, “the entrance into the city” or “the sunset coming in entry to the dwelling place, habitation and abode of Bethel”, “and we will show show you mercy” which means “and we, the spies, shall fashion, accomplish and produce goodness, kindness and faithfulness to you, the man who proceeded from the city of Bethel”. The writer shared how the “spies” from the tribe of “Joseph” confronted the man coming out of the city of Bethel and told him to reveal where the entry point of the dwelling place was located, and they would extend goodness and kindness to him.

When we consider the words in this verse, we discover what happened with the men who were dispatched as watchers and explorers from “Joseph” to “Bethel”. As they performed their duties, they discover a “man” proceeding from “Bethel”, and they asked him where the entry point of the city was located. They promised to extend goodness and kindness to him if he shared with them. God wants to extend mercy to us, and when we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth as He demonstrates His mercy to us over an over again. (See John 3:16; Matthew 5:7; Hebrews 4:16)

Next time we learn, “when he showed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword”, 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".