Jubilee Life Coach: Daily Meditations

Jubilee Life Coach: Daily Meditations is a Christ-centered podcast for those who want to follow Jesus not only in belief, but in daily life.

The word Jubilee comes from the biblical Year of Jubilee, a time of release, restoration, and freedom from debt. In the fullest sense, Jesus Christ is our true Jubilee. In him, we are forgiven, set free from the debt of sin, and welcomed into the joy of God’s kingdom.

To be Christian is to be more than religious. It is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ the King—to belong to him, to listen to his voice, and to follow him with trust, love, and obedience.

Life is not merely about surviving the day or chasing success on earth. In Christ, we are called to live as citizens of heaven here and now. That means learning to walk in his presence, reflect his character, and bear witness to his kingship in the ordinary moments of everyday life.

Coaching here means a Christ-centered and gospel-driven way of helping believers grow in sanctification and spiritual fruitfulness. It is about encouragement, wisdom, reflection, and practical guidance for living faithfully before God. Not self-help, but Spirit-dependent growth. Not mere inspiration, but transformation in Christ.

Through these daily meditations, you will be invited to slow down, reflect on Scripture, fix your eyes on Jesus, and learn to live with greater freedom, faith, and joy in him.

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Jubilee Life Coach: Daily Meditations

Seeking God

October 10, 2026 • Jubilee Christian Life Coach • Season 1

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Opening

Dearly beloved, Judges is not an easy book to read in church. Chapter 19 told us of one of the darkest nights in all of Scripture, at a house in Gibeah. Today we see what Israel did after that night.

It begins with something that looks good. "Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead" (v. 1). From the far north to the far south. Every tribe but one. They gathered as one man at Mizpah. If you have read Judges from the beginning, this is surprising. For most of this book, Israel has been scattered. Tribes would not help one another. Some did not even come when they were called to fight the real enemy.

Now they all come. Four hundred thousand men who drew the sword.

So here is the question for this morning. When God's people finally gather, what gathers them? And when they finally pray, what are they really asking for?

Our passage ends with a prayer that is different from every prayer before it. Israel asks, "Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?" (v. 28). It took two defeats and forty thousand graves for them to learn to pray that way. Let us see how they got there. Let us also see whether we are walking the same road.

Part OneGathered as one, but at whose call?

(vv. 1-3)

Israel gathered at Mizpah. In those days the ark of the covenant was at Bethel (v. 27). Bethel was the place of worship. Mizpah was the place where the tribes met to decide and to muster. So the place itself tells us something. They came first to the war council, not to the house of God.

Think back to the first chapter of this book. After Joshua died, the people of Israel asked the LORD, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?" (1:1). The enemy was outside. The question went to God first.

Now look at chapter 20. The enemy is inside. It is their own brother, Benjamin. And the first voice they listen to is not God's. It is the voice of one wounded and angry man.

All through Judges, God called His people again and again. They were slow to answer. Some tribes stayed home. Some argued. But here, at the anger of one man, they come from Dan to Beersheba. They look united. Perhaps they even felt holy. The text says they assembled to the LORD at Mizpah (v. 1).

But gathering is not the same as following.

We know this from our own lives, don't we? We move very fast when something is right in front of our eyes. A news story stirs us. Someone at work wrongs us. A post on our phone makes us angry. We respond within minutes. But when God calls us through His Word to forgive, to serve, to wait, we can take years.

Are we perhaps satisfied with simply gathering? We come to church. We sit together. We sing. Those are good things. But the question is not whether we came. The question is who called us, and whether we are listening to Him.

Part TwoA true story told falsely

(vv. 4-7)

The people ask the Levite how this evil happened. His answer sounds like the truth. The men of Gibeah rose against him. They surrounded the house at night. They meant to kill him. They violated his concubine, and she died. Every one of those sentences has something true in it.

But listen to what he leaves out.

He does not say that he chose to stop at Gibeah. He does not say that the men asked for him, and he stayed safe inside. Most of all, he does not say what chapter 19 says plainly: "So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them" (19:25). He does not say that in the morning he opened the door to go on his way, and found her lying there.

He was a Levite. He was set apart to serve in the things of God. Yet in his whole report, he never once mentions the LORD.

Then he ends with this: "Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here" (v. 7). He hands the nation a story with only one guilty party. He is only the victim. And the nation takes it.

I want us to be careful here. The men of Gibeah were guilty of a terrible evil. Nothing in this sermon softens that. The woman was a real victim, and Scripture does not let us forget her. But the Levite's report is a mirror. It is not comfortable to look into.

How do we tell our own stories? When we explain a broken friendship, a church conflict, or a hard season in our marriage, what do we leave out? Usually we do not lie. We simply choose. We tell what was done to us. We leave out what we did. And very often, we leave God out too.

This is not only a problem of honesty. It is a problem of the center. When the self sits at the center, every story bends around it. We become the hero or the victim, but never the sinner who needs grace.

Are we living every part of life only from our own point of view? If this Levite became a mirror for us this morning, what would we see?

Part ThreeAsking God after we have decided

(vv. 8-25)

The people answer the Levite at once. They rise as one man. No one will go home until this is settled. They will go up against Gibeah by lot (vv. 8-9). Notice that the lot here is not used to ask whether. It is used to decide who will carry the food.

They do send men to Benjamin first. They ask the tribe to hand over the guilty men of Gibeah (vv. 12-13). That was right. But Benjamin refuses. Benjamin chooses loyalty to its own over justice. And so both sides prepare for war.

Only then does Israel go up to Bethel and inquire of God. Listen to the question: "Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?" (v. 18). It sounds almost exactly like Judges 1:1. But there is one difference. In chapter 1 the enemy was Canaan. Here it is a brother. And the question is not, "Should we fight?" That has already been decided. The question is only, "Who goes first?"

God answers, "Judah shall go up first." And they lose twenty-two thousand men on the first day.

They weep before the LORD until evening. They ask again: "Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?" God answers, "Go up against them" (v. 23). And they lose eighteen thousand more.

This troubles us. They asked God. God answered. And still they fell.

Let me say it plainly. Receiving an answer is not the same as God being pleased with us. God was sovereign over this war. He was also disciplining all of Israel, not only Benjamin. A society where everyone did what was right in his own eyes (21:25) could not be cleansed by cleansing one town.

And let me say this just as plainly. Benjamin was wrong. Israel was right to act against such evil. Justice matters to God. Turning away from it is sin. But even the right thing has its right time and its right way. And we must look at the heart that carries it out. James writes, "for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).

Sometimes we mistake revenge for justice. We feel the heat of anger, and we name it righteousness.

Don't we do the same in prayer? We decide in our hearts what is right and what we will do. Then we bring it to God for a signature. The better our cause seems, the less we feel the need to ask. When we are sure we are right, we stop seeking God's will. That is the danger of a good cause.

A prayer that does not truly seek God's will is not the right posture, however good the cause. So we must stay awake. Through the Word. Through prayer. Every day.

Part FourFrom seeking answers to seeking God

(vv. 26-28)

After the second defeat, something changes. All the people go up to Bethel. They weep. They sit there before the LORD. They fast that day until evening. They offer burnt offerings and peace offerings (v. 26).

They had wept before (v. 23). But this time they also fast, and they bring sacrifices. Before, they came with a plan. Now they come with empty hands.

The text slows down here and tells us two things. The ark of the covenant of God was there in those days. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it (vv. 27-28). This is the same Phinehas we meet in the days of Moses. So these events most likely took place not long after Israel entered the land. Yet the author of Judges places them near the end of his book. Why? Perhaps to show us where the whole road leads. When there is no king and everyone does what is right in his own eyes, brothers end up killing brothers.

Now listen to their prayer. "Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?" (v. 28).

Four words have changed everything. "Or shall we cease?"

For the first time, they leave the door open for God to say no. For the first time, they are not asking for victory. They are asking for God's will. The words "our brothers" first appeared in verse 23. Now grief has softened them. They are no longer only seeking the right answer. They are beginning to seek God Himself, whose presence the ark represented.

We so easily treat God as a tool. We use prayer to get the result we already want. To a religious person, God is the one who hands out blessings, and prayer is the way to get them. But to a Christian, God Himself is the blessing. Every situation, even defeat, is a place where we may seek Him.

And God answers: "Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand" (v. 28). The answer is the same as before. Go up. But the people who hear it are not the same. They are now listening with humbled hearts.

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome. This is Coach Brian with Jubilee Life Coaches. Today's message comes from Judges chapter 20, verses 1 through 28. The title is Shall We Go or Shall We Cease? Judges is not an easy book to read. Chapter 19 told us of one of the darkest nights in all of Scripture at a house in Gibeah. Today we see what Israel did after that night. It begins with something that looks good. Then all the people of Israel came out from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead. Every tribe but one. They gathered as one man at Mizpah. For most of this book, Israel has been scattered. Now they all come, four hundred thousand men who drew the sword. So here is the question for today. When God's people finally gather, what gathers them? And when they finally pray, what are they really asking for? Part one. Gathered as one, but at whose call? In those days, the Ark of the Covenant was at Bethel, the place of worship. Mizpah was where the tribes met to decide and to muster. They came first to the war council, not to the house of God. In the first chapter of this book, after Joshua died, Israel asked the Lord, Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites to fight against them? The enemy was outside. The question went to God first. Now the enemy is inside. It is their own brother, Benjamin. And the first voice they listen to is not God's, it is the voice of one wounded and angry man. All through judges God called his people, and they were slow to answer. But here, at the anger of one man, they come from Dan to Beersheba. But gathering is not the same as following. We know this, don't we? A news story stirs us. Someone at work wrongs us, we respond within minutes. But when God calls us through his word to forgive, to serve, to wait, we can take years. The question is not whether we came, the question is who called us and whether we are listening to him. Part two. A true story told falsely. The Levite tells his story. The men of Gibeah surrounded the house. They meant to kill him. They violated his concubine, and she died. Every sentence has something true in it. But listen to what he leaves out. He does not say that he stayed safe inside. He does not say what chapter 19, verse 25 says plainly. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. He was a Levite, set apart to serve God. Yet in his whole report he never once mentions the Lord. Then he ends with this Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here. He hands the nation a story with only one guilty party, and the nation takes it. The men of Gibeah were guilty of a terrible evil. Nothing here softens that. But the Levites' report is a mirror. How do we tell our own stories? When we explain a broken friendship or a church conflict, we usually do not lie, we simply choose. We tell what was done to us, we leave out what we did. And very often we leave God out too. When the self sits at the center, every story bends around it. We become the hero or the victim, but never the sinner who needs grace. Are we living every part of life only from our own point of view? If this Levite became a mirror for us today, what would we see? Part 3. Asking God after we have decided. They ask Benjamin to hand over the guilty men. That was right. But Benjamin refuses, and both sides prepare for war. Only then does Israel inquire of God at Bethel. Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin? It sounds like Judges chapter 1. But the question is not, should we fight? That has already been decided. The question is only, who goes first? God answers, Judah shall go up first. And they lose 22,000 men. They weep and ask again, Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin? God answers, go up against them, and they lose 18,000 more. They asked God. God answered, and still they fell. Receiving an answer is not the same as God being pleased with us. God was disciplining all of Israel, not only Benjamin. Benjamin was wrong, and Israel was right to act against such evil. Justice matters to God. Turning away from it is sin. But even the right thing has its right time and its right way, and we must look at the heart that carries it out. James writes, For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Sometimes we mistake revenge for justice, and don't we do the same in prayer? We decide in our hearts what we will do. Then we bring it to God for a signature. When we are sure we are right, we stop seeking God's will. That is the danger of a good cause, so we must stay awake through the word, through prayer every day. From seeking answers to seeking God After the second defeat, all the people go up to Bethel. They weep, they fast until evening, they offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. Before they came with a plan, now they come with empty hands. Phinehas, the son of Eliezer, son of Aaron, ministered before the Ark. So these events likely took place not long after Israel entered the land, yet the author places them near the end of his book, perhaps to show us where the road leads. When everyone does what is right in his own eyes, brothers end up killing brothers. Now listen to their prayer in verse 28. Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease? Four words have changed everything. Or shall we cease? For the first time they leave the door open for God to say no. They are no longer seeking only the right answer, they are beginning to seek God Himself, and God answers. Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand. The answer is the same as before, but the people who hear it are not the same. We so easily treat God as a tool and prayer as a way to get what we already want, but to a Christian, God Himself is the blessing. Every situation, even defeat, is a place where we may seek him. So where is the good news in a chapter like this? Go back to that door in Gibeah. When danger came, the Levite saved himself. He pushed someone else out into the dark. Now think of Jesus Christ, our great high priest. When the judgment of God came for our sin, he did not push us out, he went out himself. Hebrews tells us that Jesus suffered outside the gate to make his people holy through his own blood. Israel's problem was not that they cared about justice. Their problem was that they tried to carry out God's justice with hearts that were not yet clean. We have the same problem. Our sense of justice is real, but it is bent. It always leans toward ourselves. At the cross, God's justice was fully carried out. Paul writes, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. So we do not need to carry the weight of settling every account ourselves. In Christ, God has done it. Through Christ, we do not only receive answers, we receive God Himself. That is what it means to be freed to live. Three questions to carry this week. First, is there a decision you have already made in your heart and now only want God to approve? If you asked him, Lord, what do you want? What might change? Second, think of a time when righteous anger and the revenge of a wounded heart were hard to tell apart. Standing before Jesus, who bore God's justice for our sin, what might that part of you hear anew? Third, are you in a season that feels like defeat? If it became a place to seek God Himself more deeply, what might your prayer look like today? Let us pray. Gracious Father, we are quick to gather and slow to listen. We bring you decisions already made and ask you to sign them. Forgive us. Thank you for Jesus Christ, who did not push us out to save himself, but went out for us. Teach us to pray, shall we go or shall we cease? Give us hearts that want you more than the answer. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening. Godspeed.