“And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gilbeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.” Judges 19:14 (KJV).
Life on earth is full of challenges and trial. We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as he guides us by directing our path and ordering our steps. We must understand that life on earth is a journey that could take us through rough and rugged paths; there are mountains to climb and valleys to cross but through it all, God’s presence is assured.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5 (KJV). When we pass through the fire, it will not consume us and when we pass through the waters we shall not drown. He walks beside us to assist us along life’s pathway. In all of these life’s challenges and battles, we can be rest assured that we are more than conquerors through Christ that loves us. He will never allow us to see affliction because he was afflicted with our affliction, therefore afflictions will not arise a second time.
One’s sun is said to go down where one moves from prosperity to poverty, from success to failure, from victory to defeat, from glory to reproach, from righteousness to unrighteousness, from life to death, or from health to sickness and infirmities. Our light came, bringing fresh hope when Jesus came into our lives. We are to shine as the light of the world to give light to those in darkness. If our light goes down, our world will grope in the dark.
We are not ignorant of the constant attack from the pit of hell whose aim is to snuff off our light. Satan’s threefold agenda is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). We should, however, know that the greater one lives in us. To ensure that our sun continues to shine and not set, we must see that:
- We close the doors to Satan.
- We do not make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof
- Our hedge is in place- for if anyone breaks the hedge, the serpent will bite.
- We are wise as serpent but harmless as dove.
- We walk in unbroken communion with the Holy Spirit.
The Levite in this context fell victim to the skimming of his concubine and her parents (his father in-law). The sun went down upon him at Gibeah. He was traumatized, resulting in almost ending his journey in great tragedy but for the savior that God sent to rescue him.
PRAYER: Oh God my life’s journey will never end halfway in Jesus name.
Rev. Vincent Diolu