READ: Judges
19
Judges is not all chronological. Chapters 19-21
describe events that quite likely occurred sometime earlier in the time of the
judges (see 20:27-28). The author is writing by theme, ending the book with a
prime example of Israel’s extreme apostasy. The book concludes with a terrible
story: a young woman is raped to death, triggering massive civil war. There are
so many things wrong about this story – that the men of Gibeah would be so
corrupt as to demand sex from the old man’s guests, that the Levite could be so
callous as to throw his concubine into the hands of these corrupt men, that the
people of Israel could be so angered over this sin while ignoring the sins in
their own lives! The people are shocked that such a thing could happen (v 30),
yet horrific things have already been happening in Israel for years. This act
is nothing more than the obvious outplaying of a sinful society. In fact, every
Israelite has played a part in this crime by wandering away from Yahweh and
embracing other gods.
Within this story we find an eerie resemblance to
our current culture. The people have allowed and embraced pagan gods, which
they were commanded to destroy. They
have abandoned God for their own desires. They have (or at least will) invited
corrupt governance (chapter 9). They have sacrificed their children to the
flames of Baal. They have engaged in every variety of sex as an act of worship
to Ashtoreth. And now they cry out for justice because someone’s wife has been
raped and the husband “gets on the news” by informing the tribes in a most
gruesome way.
Have we not done the same? Our society has wandered
away from God and embraced idols of self, wealth, materialism, sexuality, etc.
We have invited corrupt governance – people who will help us to do what is
right in our own eyes. We have sacrificed our children through abortion. We
have engaged, encouraged and taught every form of sex under the sun as a “sacrifice”
towards individual freedom. Today our society jumps on bandwagons called
“social justice” and “equality” getting up in arms about the very things that
we ourselves have caused through our denial of sin and our love for
self-gratification.
Who can say what is right or wrong if God is not
Judge? What allows us the right to get offended or enraged at “injustice” if
there is no one to tell us where the line between just and unjust, right and
wrong, lies? Who in Israel was able to condemn the men of Gibeah for actions
that their own pagan religions encouraged and justified? Without God, mankind
is lost. There is no moral compass pointing us in the direction of what is
right. We have nothing to go on but our own feelings and desires, and we
determine that whatever seems good to us is “right”. But there is no peace in
this. To truly live according to each man’s desires only brings chaos and
sorrow. Our God is Yahweh – the great I AM – who has always been and always
will be. He is the moral compass for
our times; right and wrong spring from His
nature. No matter what our society teaches us, we can be confident Christians,
knowing that truth is found in God’s Word and that life is found through Jesus
Christ alone. We have much hope to offer the world; let us be bold to proclaim
it!
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1. Call out to Jesus on behalf of our culture.
Confess the sins of our culture and ask the Lord to redeem us. Ask Jesus to
open our eyes to the reality of sin – that sin is real, that it is rebellion against a holy God, and that we need
forgiveness. Pray for God’s mercy, and pray that many will turn to Jesus and be
saved.
2. What makes you confident as a Christian? Proclaim
your confidence and your joy by thanking God for these things. Thank God for
how He has stirred in your heart today.
3. Ask Jesus: What message of hope do I have to
bring to others today? How have I experienced Your hope and how can I bring
this to others?
