One More Night In Bethlehem | Pastor Paul McGee

In Jesus and just to take him at his word, a man.

There's nothing like taking him at his word, a man.

We're grateful today, a man. We are blessed people, Amen.

We're a blessed people. God is our king.

He's the king of all kings. He's the king of glory of our

lives, and we should count it an honor to be his children, Amen.

The Bible talks about how as many are led by the Spirit of

God. They are, They're the sons of

God. And I'm glad today to be

accounted as a son or a daughter, Amen, of God this

morning. If you'll stand with me today,

we're going to turn into the scriptures of the book of Judges

today, the book of judges and I'm trying to my iPad's giving

me fits up here. So might to go off my phone.

I even deleted things off this this thing this week and

everything worked fine. I just checked it right before I

got up here, but it's it's being whatever.

So if that's the case, I'll just use my phone.

Amen. That's just the way things work

sometimes. Judges chapter 19.

Judges 19 · chapter mention

And technology, I always say, is one of our greatest discomforts,

our greatest comforts and greatest discomforts.

Amen. Judges Shepherd 19 and verse #10

And we were going to read just that one solitary verse that's

tucked here among all of this storyline today.

The Bible says these words. But the man would not tarry that

night. But he arose up and departed and

came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem, and there were

with him to asses saddled his concubine also was with him.

I want to draw your attention to the first phrase of this, of

this verse here this morning. Bible says, but the man would

not tarry that night for a little while.

This morning, with the help of the Holy Ghost, I want to

minister this, this morning. One more night in Bethlehem.

One more night in Bethlehem. Can you pray into the Lord

today? Father, we need your help.

God, we need your power, Lord Jesus here this morning.

God, do your Lord perfect work, Lord, upon us.

Help us, O God, today to be mindful, Lord of your spirit and

mindful God of your power in this place.

We need you, Lord, to do God, the work that only you can do.

Speak and minister each and every heart, each and every

soul, each and every mind. Help us God to be directed by

the Holy Ghost Lord, as you would do your work this morning

and will not fail to thank you and praise you Lord for what you

accomplish in this place. In the lovely name of Jesus

Christ that I pray, Amen, Amen. The church say Amen, Amen.

You may be seated this morning in Jesus name.

It is perhaps the normal or stereotypical father-in-law and

son-in-law type of thing here in Judges chapter 19.

Judges 19 · chapter mention

In the early years of my wife and I's marriage, whenever we

would make trips down to Tennessee to visit relatives and

spend some time there in the home of my mother-in-law and

father-in-law. Whenever we plan to leave on a

certain day, we usually had, I had maybe more so than my wife,

a certain time that I wanted to leave and get back home by.

It's just kind of what I do, you know, that kind of plan things

in my head and I tried to share them with her and what the plan

is, but it, it never failed. It happened so repeatedly that

off times whenever I did this that that there were times that

my father-in-law or somebody in the family would suggest, hey,

the morning that we're leaving. So hey, why don't we, you know,

get breakfast or why don't we make some eggs and bacon and

start, you know, contriving all these things for a dinner plan,

You know, and I'm, I'm thinking I need to get on the road by

such and such. And we'll go to, you know,

Denny's or, or one of these fame, the places that they would

like to go. And we would sit down and you

know how how things go. You know, you're going to order

your food, you're going to wait on your food, you're going to

eat your food, you're going to talk over your food.

It doesn't take much time for time to just to get away and

begin to elapse. Or it might be they wanted to

have lunch together. You know, it's not really

breakfast. It's not like we, you have

whatever's in between right brunch.

And so we, we would do that. And so my timeline would be

totally pushed back, just totally all messed up because I

took them up on the offer. And so this happened repeatedly.

This just wasn't a one and done in our times there.

My wife can vouch for me that you could almost, you could just

almost bet on it that that is going to take place wanting to

meet for breakfast somewhere. And I would warn my wife before

we ever went on these trips, I said, you know what's going to

happen, don't you? The day before we leave, you

know what's going to happen. They're going to ask if we want

to have breakfast or if we want to have a meal.

And I meant sometimes I was somewhat frustrated with that, a

little bit frustrated with that, and it altered my whole

expectations. I guess that's the reason why I

was frustrated. And so I can identify just a

little bit this morning with this gentleman in Judges chapter

#19 because for some unknown reason to us, the story, I'm

going to tell you the story today.

And so you don't have to read the whole chapter in essence.

But for some unknown reason to us, his concubine left him and

returned to her Father's house, which in Bethlehem.

And finally, after four months of being without her in her

absence in his home, he decided to travel 20 to 25 miles from

from where he was in Ephraim to Bethlehem to get her and to

bring her back. It it wasn't an odd thing that

he was a Levite and that he lived in the Hill Country of

Ephraim. The Levites were spread all

across Israel. They didn't have no land per SE

except for the land that various tribes gave them.

And so they had land all throughout the country of Israel

as a result of this. And they lived during a very a

very tenuous time in the book of Judges, the Bible says that

there was no judge in Israel, no king that is at this time, and

that every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

And so as Levite arrives at Bethlehem, he's warmly received

by what could easily be called his father-in-law.

He's warmly received by his concubines father and his His

father-in-law is pleased to see him there at Bethlehem.

As a matter of fact, the Bible says that his father-in-law

desired to retain this Levite there.

It says that he even asked him to abode with them for about

about 3 days and and the scripture says on the 4th day.

So they have already made this contractual almost agreement

that he's going to stay around for three days.

But on the 4th day, whenever this Levite decides he and his

concubine is going to leave and and return back home, the Bible

tells us that he rose early in the morning with every intention

of going home. I can identify with this man and

his father-in-law, then begin to urge him, Hey, why, why don't we

just sit down and share a little meal first?

Why, why don't we get some goat's milk, you know, and, and

a little bit of this, Let's spread the table out and share a

little meal here. And he would all time tell his

son-in-law, he said, eat this food and, and keep up your

strength and enjoy yourself, you know, while you're here.

And as time would have it, the hours, the minutes, the seconds

are elapsing. And now it's a little later in

the day. So his father-in-law said, well,

you know, it's later in the day now, you know, you're really not

going to have much time to get much travel under your foot.

You know, you, you're not in a, a, a car in these days.

So, so why don't you just stay? Why don't you just stay another

night? Why why don't you just stay

another night? And tomorrow morning you can get

a fresh start. And so he was very convincing

then to his in law to stay yet another night.

And and on the 5th day, the the, the, the Levite, he's good

enough in the morning. He he's packing the satchel, you

know, telling this, honey, let's, let's get things together

and let's get out of the house. And as they make their way, his

father-in-law meets him and he says, Hey, hey, buddy, he says,

why don't you stay and let's have a meal and let's, let's

have breakfast and let's have some good food to eat and he'll

be good. It's no cost to you at all.

And the Bible says that this man tarried until it was even

afternoon and again the father-in-law say and keep your

strength up and everything is well.

And so each time he's telling him come through your heart.

Enjoy your time here, enjoy the pleasure of being here.

Amen. And just be merry with it and

marry about it. But unlike the previous day, the

Bible says in our verse that I read to you today that the

Levite would he said night is on the hills.

Night is coming, so you should probably just stay right here in

Bethlehem. We got food, We we got a

pundits, we got exactly what you need here.

But the Bible says the Levite would not tarry that night.

He departed and it was evening. To understand, though just a

little significance this morning behind Bethlehem.

We must understand this that up to this point in time, Bethlehem

is known for a few things. Bethlehem is known as.

It's the place where Rachel died in Genesis 35.

It's known for also the place that her son Benjamin was born

in Genesis 35. It portrays these two events as

though they almost happened simultaneously.

The Bible says that Rachel is in labor and she's giving birth,

and her midwife is telling her that you also shall have this

son. She's encouraging her because

she's going to give birth to this Benjamin.

But the the way that it actually reads in Scripture, if you look

at it, is that Benjamin was really born and then Rachel died

almost simultaneous. But Benjamin did enter the world

and Rachel died. But what's so unique about this

story and unique about Bethlehem in particular, is this is that

Rachel's name means you or a lamb in Hebrew, and Benjamin's

name means the son of the right hand.

As a matter of fact, according to some Jewish sources, the

fields around about Bethlehem were used many times for raising

lambs that were used for sacrifice.

They would raise the lambs around Bethlehem that would be

used for the purpose of being brought to the temple for

sacrificial purposes or Passover lamb purposes.

They didn't die at Bethlehem, but they were reared there for

the purpose to die for the purpose, purpose of sacrifice.

And when we look at Benjamin being born the son of the right

hand, it is also Christ Jesus that many times is depicted as

God's son being at his right hand.

We know in scripture this morning that God has not per SE

a, a physical right hand because God is a spirit, right?

And so many times the Scripture gives God as a spirit a lot of

physical identity. So we can late with God, Amen.

But when we look in scripture, this whole right hand symbolism,

Amen represent several things. It can represent the right of

the first born. It can represent greatness.

It can represent power and authority.

It can even represent salvation. The Bible says in the book of

Job chapter #40 and verse 14. These words then will I also

confess unto thee, that thine own right hand save thee.

God is having a conversation with a perplexed Job, a joke

that was questioning many things concerning God, and God is

setting Job straight. Job has contended with God.

Job has talked to God as though God was the one in need of

instruction. And so God sets Job in this

place and reminds him that there is no other that has the same as

ability as God does. And so God begins to challenge

Job with some things. Could could you, could you cause

a foul to come, you know, in the air, or could you do this or

could you do that? And so God begins to challenge

Job and gather all the prideful together and humble them in the

dust. Amen.

By his own power, He said, if you can humble them by your own

power, Job, if you can do this, He said, then I'll confess unto

you, Job, but that by your own right right hand you can save.

So the right hand was a hymn that saves.

And David mentions this on several occasions in Scripture,

Psalm 17 and 17, David says, Oh, thou that save us by thy right

hand. Psalms 20 and verse 6 says with

the saving strength of his right hand.

And so David emphasizes that God saves in a theoretic type sense

by his right hand. And so it's not, no, no

surprised him when we read in the book of Acts that while

Stephen is dying, he says, I see the Lord Jesus Christ standing

on the right hand of God. He is illustrating to us then

that Christ Jesus is the means in the way of salvation.

That's the reason why Matthew said Mary, Amen.

And Joseph, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save

his people from their sins, Amen.

And so right here, through even the names of Rachel and

Benjamin, Benjamin's birth, the son of the right hand, and

Rachel's death, both of these people here at Bethlehem, in

reality prefigure both the birth and the death of Christ Jesus,

Amen. He was the Lamb that was born

for the slay and from the foundation of the world, but He

was also the right hand. He was salvation, He was power,

He was authority. Someone came in, and I realize

that this Levite doesn't know this, but Bethlehem's

significance is encapsulated just even in those two names

alone. But I will tell you something

that the Levite would have knowledge of.

I'll tell you something he would know without any further future

events about Bethlehem, that Bethlehem, here Bethlehem and

what occurred in the book of Ruth happened during the time of

the Judges. It is most likely, according to

scholars, that our story of Judges 19 comes after what

happened in the book of Ruth. So this Levite should have

somewhat of an awareness about Bethlehem in this regard, that

Bethlehem had been Naomi's hometown, that this is the place

where Ruth, a foreigner, an outsider, met Boaz and got a new

leash on life that she never had before.

Bethlehem is where the outsiders become insiders at Bethlehem.

Bethlehem is where a wayward Naomi who left her home could

come back broken, come back bitter, come back estranged, but

she gets restored at Bethlehem. Bethlehem is the House of bread.

You got to understand here for a moment, as this Levite is

pondering in the visit with his father-in-law to depart from

Bethlehem, there's a Naomi somewhere that wishes she never

left Bethlehem. She understands that I stayed at

Bethlehem. It could have saved me perhaps 3

funerals if I'd stayed at Bethlehem.

It could have kept me from 10 years of separation from my

There's something going on there.

And so while the Levite is wanting to leave, there was a

roof that willingly abandoned everything that was familiar to

her, her family, her location, her false gods, just to get to

Bethlehem. Someone.

Amen. And though the Levite was urged

to stay, he didn't, he didn't. The story continues They arise

on that fifth day. They're urged right.

They're urged to keep their strength again urged to enjoy

themself, urged That night was coming.

But the the, the, the version of the Bible I'm reading this year

says that he was unwilling to stay at Bethlehem.

And so on their trip away from Bethlehem, nightfall is coming.

They're needing somewhere to stay.

They're needing a hotel. Hotel in biblical times meant

somebody hoping hopefully is going to be hospitable to you.

The place to find out if anybody would take you in for the night

was going to the well or in the center of the community.

Maybe someone spying you there would say OK buddy, you can come

home with me tonight. We'll take care of you.

We'll take care of your animals. The Bible says that they had

thought about going to Jebus or over in this area, but the

Levite wanted to get into Gibeah or Patch Rhema.

It was a city in the territory of some Benjamites.

They initially sought out a lodging place there in the

where, But again, no one's taking notice of them, no one's

being hospitable to them, no one's inviting them into their

home until a man who is also from the hill of Ephraim, who's

working in Gibeah, comes by. The Bible says he's a old man.

And he says unto them, why don't you come along with me?

Why? Why?

Why don't you enter into my home and I will take care of you this

night. And so the Levite explains to

this man, we won't be a burden to you.

We're not going to take advantage of you.

We want you to know, listen to these words.

We want you to know you can look at it in verse #19 that there's

nothing that we lack. There's nothing that we lack.

We got strong. We got provision for animals.

We, we don't have to worry about us being a burden.

There's nothing that we lack. And so they went into this man's

house. He the Levi and his concubine.

And the Bible says there's some men of the city that came around

about the house. Rapping on the door and they

wanted the Levite to come out and they wanted to abuse him,

Amen, in a sexual type of manner.

The old man came to the door. He says we can't have this

happening with this can't take place.

And so the Bible says that he gave him his daughter and the

concubine Amen outside the door. The Bible says that night, Amen

until wee hours in the morning that they abused that concubine

of the Levite. This is a day whenever every

man's doing what's right in his own, they abuse that, that, that

concubine, they they sexually mistreated her in so much that

in the morning as day was breaking, the Bible says that

the hands of that concubine was on the threshold of the door as

though she was one to get in but couldn't get in.

The Bible says they opened the door that morning.

And here's the Levite. He sees the concubine down there

and I know this seems a little abrupt, but he basically tells

her get up and let's get going. But he had no movement from her.

There was no sound from her. There was no voice from her.

He understood that she'd been abused to the point of death.

And the Bible says that he picked her up and put her on his

own beast. Now you got to understand

something. Although this Levite told that

old man that they didn't need anything, the Bible also says

that that old man said I'll take care of everything.

And yet this is the happening of the story and the situation.

He took that concubine. He placed her upon his beast.

He went home. And to add insult to injury, the

Bible says when he got home, he is overwhelmed by everything

that has happened. He cuts up and dismembers to

your Bible this concubine and cuts her in 12 pieces and sends

her body all throughout the tribes of Israel, where every

tribe of Israel would have a piece of this body.

And he's basically saying, I want justice for what was done

in this situation. Someone say, man, I want justice

for this. And the last verse of our

chapter basically says this, that there have been nothing

like this ever happened in Israel.

The time there is no king, The time when no one's there to

guide them. At a time when people acted

according to their own desires. There's a series of events that

unfolded after they left Bethlehem.

They left thinking they didn't lack anything.

They left looking for hospitality when they had it

there. Oh God, someone say man, he left

with the life of his concubine, but by the time he gets home,

she's no longer living. He left, if you will, in a

better place than what he was after he had left.

There's a series of events that take place.

And so the question for us remains for me as this, what if

the Levi stayed just one more night in Bethlehem?

Somebody hear me right now. What if he just stayed one more

night? What if his decision just to

stay one more night would cause a spin tale of different events

for him? What if he would still be

holding the living life of that concubine in his arms?

Can I tell you tonight he said he lacked nothing, but what he

did lack was one more night in Bethlehem.

Amen. And that's just the whole story.

And these events hinge on that question.

His reluctance to stay looking for a place finds the old man.

Others come around them. The abuse of his wife, the abuse

of the old man's daughter. If you continue reading the Book

of Judges to chapter #20 as a result of this happening and

then being taken advantage of by a certain tribe, the Benjamites,

you see them that the 12, the 11 tribes get together and they

have conversation about this. And you know what almost

happens? What almost happens is the whole

tribe of Benjamin is almost wiped completely off the planet

because somebody didn't just stay one more night, just one

more night in Bethlehem. Do you realize if there was no

Benjamites there had never been an Ester for the salvation of

the Jews in the Persian Empire? Do you realize if there were

never any Benjamites, there wouldn't have been an Apostle

Paul who was of the tribe of Benjamin who wrote almost 2/3 of

the Testament epistles and letters of instruction aiming at

how to live our lives for God after the matter.

All because someone wouldn't stay one more night.

One more night where the wayward can be restored.

One more night where the outcasts in the foreigner can be

received and get alive. Just one more night in

Bethlehem. Someone say thank you Jesus,

because see remaining in Bethlehem.

I mean, the figurative sense means we understand the weight

of our decisions, no matter how small they may seem or how big

they may seem. It could unfold differently,

hinged on a different decision. What if he stayed in that city

that was known to be the House of bread, where evidently there

was provision, where evidently there was restoration, where

evidently there was divine timing?

What, what if he stayed? What if he stayed where the

outside is welcomed in? What, what if he could find hope

again at Bethlehem? It's even the place that we

already looked at, foreshadowed even through Rachel.

It's where where the Lamb slain in the right hand of God

prevails. It encapsulates, if you will,

the salvation story of Christ from its birth to culmination.

Bethlehem, you'll stand with me this morning, but the Levites

going to leave. He's driven by impatience.

He's driven by a desire to move on on his terms, in his terms

was the springboard of A cause of imaginable consequences.

I ask you this this morning as we come to a close and just as a

side, now, I know I'm early tonight.

That's because I'm giving you time for the time I'm going to

take tonight. And I'm not joking.

How often do we rush the decisions of our lives moving

ahead? Perhaps when God's calling us to

stay one more night, for you it might be one more day, one more

week, one more. What did the gentleman say in

the New Testament concerning the plant that he had?

He said, God, give me one more year, I'll dung around and for

you know what he's saying, I'm not walking around, I'm not

walking away yet. I'm going to give this one more

year. I feel the Holy Ghost impressing

my spirit this morning that you may have already been

entertaining some time time plans in your life.

You might even be concerned and some time plans concerning your

church life. Listen to pastor this morning.

You need to consider what would happen if I just give it one

more year. How many blessings, how many

restorations, how many protections have we missed

because we were unwilling to wait, to mean to keep where

God's provision was? In what the story reminds me of,

It reminds me of this, that sometimes staying in our

Bethlehem a little longer and waiting on God's timing can mean

the difference between life and death, between ruin and

redemption. That right hand symbolize

salvation, power, authority. All of that was embodied in

Bethlehem, but his haste caused him to leave that place of

promise. I leave you with this this

morning, that sometimes the greatest act of faith is staying

right where you're at. You want a change, so you think

change will be the change. But maybe you need to spend one

more night in Bethlehem and change will come to you.

I guarantee the concubine wish they stayed one more night.

Guarantee the old man's daughter wished those people would have

stayed in Bethlehem one more night.

I want to trust God, going to trust His timing.

I'm going to wait in my Bethlehem because what happens

here could not just change the course of history for me, it

could change the course of history for future generations.

I got to learn how to spend one more night in Bethlehem.

We bow our heads all across this place.

I feel the sovereign presence of the Lord in this place.

What's going on? He's just stepping into that row

with that father-in-law. And he's saying, I know you want

to leave, but why don't you stay and enjoy yourself?

Why don't you stay and have one more meal?

He's saying, child, don't you know that night is coming?

Why don't you just carry one more night?

We got provision, we got supply. You're not a burden to us here.

Why don't you just stay one more night?

The voice of the Lord is speaking in this place tonight.

The people that's out in this audience that's entertaining.

To depart or to stay? Do I give it another chance?

Do I give it another opportunity?

Do do I stay there? Do I linger there?

Sir, Ma'am, hear the voice of the Lord.

It's urging us to stay just one more night, one more week, one

more year. How Hallelujah, this is

Bethlehem, it's known for restoration.

This is Bethlehem. It's known for new starts.

This is Bethlehem. It's where the lambs, Amen

common are are going to be slain in the destiny and where power

and authority rules. And this is Bethlehem.

These altars are open. For whomsoever will you might be

saying today, there's nothing I lack.

But Sir, ma'am, if you depart, you like one more night in

Bethlehem? You like one more night.

Holy Holy Night's coming. Just stay.

Night's coming. Just stay.

Just stay. Ruth.

Naomi, wish she never left. Tell me.

Wish she could regather the 10 years when she was gone.

Sir. Ma'am, just one more night.

Just one more night in Bethlehem.

Let's talk to the Lord this morning.

I wish you'd entertain the Spirit of the Lord.

You could kneel at your seat, stand, pray at your seat, bow

your head, lift your hands, whatever you feel compelled to

do by the Spirit today. But God is here.

I sense his presence here. I feel him right now.

Hallelujah.