It’s God’s fault, let’s fix it
This brings us to the final chapter of Judges and this story as the nation finally realizes the outcome of their vengeance is that one of the tribes of the nation is headed to extinction. This chapter shows us the amount of wasted energy spent on finding a solution to the problem they created by not seeking the Lord as they try to fix it again without seeking Him.
Vs. 1-3 They portray God as the One who is to blame for their dilemma as He should have prevented them from acting apart from seeking Him. People are always insisting on having things their own way then they blame God when they don’t like the results of been allowed to have the thing the way they wished.
Vs. 4-12 They had made a vow not to allow any of their daughters to marry any of the Benjamite men then took the tribe down to only 600 men but where were the men going to get the wives so they could have children? They recalled a remote area of Jabesh-Gilead who had didn’t show when the mandatory call for civil war which put them under the same judgment. So they decided to go out and wipe out the whole town except for 400 virgins which would take care of all but 200 of the men.
Vs. 13-25 Again in verse 15 they blame God for the 200-virgin gap and come up with another clever way to keep their vow not to give their daughters in marriage to any Benjamite, legalized kidnapping! Tell the 200 Benjamite men to go up to the vineyards of Shiloh and hideout there and wait for the girls that perform their dances and then kidnap them and bring them back home. This was clearly not part of the tabernacle worship at Shiloh but a Canaanite influenced event. What about those 400 gals from Jabesh-Gilead who had their families killed when all they needed to do was go to a dance? Reading this section we have a tendency to be very judgmental towards this time in biblical history but what about our time where such events as these are made into movies and TV shows. Folks, we have not only become a society that practices these kinds of things we actually flock to theaters and view them as entertainment! All of this was because they refuse to allow God to rule over their hearts as King. Now they were on the verge of becoming a Monarch just like the nations around them and guess what tribe their first king will be from, that’s right Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and they were still doing what was right in their own eyes.
Conclusion: Five lessons in faith and morality
These three chapters teach us five lessons with regard to faith and morality:
- The basis of morality is of critical importance: Why we do or don’t do something is as important as what we do. For years people have said that premarital sex is wrong because of the possible outcomes, (social stigma, a child and STD’s). But societal standards have changed, better forms of birth control and medicines that lesson the effects of STD’s have come into play. Hence if the only reason for sexual purity was based upon fear of negative consequences and those have been lessoned or negated then the need for sexual purity has ended and sexual experimentation becomes entirely acceptable and appropriate in our own eyes! But if our moral behavior is grounded on God’s Word and living in a loving relationship with Him then we won’t end up doing what is right in our own eyes. That is why the greatest question we can ask ourselves is, “Why is this or that wrong, moral or immoral?” And the way we answer that will determine our future behavior.
- Moral relativism goes against humanity: The current philosophy is “Do you own thing”. The current standard is that any morality no longer has any meaning for today. It’s all about “personal freedoms” and not laying on any moral guidelines that would inhibit personal freedoms. You have probably heard that you “Can’t legislate morality” but that’s not true any law or lack of law is a legislation of morality. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2:19 “They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.” So called, “Sexual liberation” has only become a new form of sexual bondage and not only a moral cancer but often criminal and always an economical drain upon the whole of society. The National Physicians Center put together just some of the annual financial costs for society just looking at teenage pregnancy: STD treatment costs the U.S. 8.4 billion, pregnancy 36 billion which puts the annual tab at almost 45 billion a year and that is just teenage pregnancy.
- You cannot compartmentalize the sacred from the secular: The only true standard for morality is to be found in the character and nature of God. Right and wrong is not to be found in what people think they are to be found only in a relationship with God. Furthermore once found they cannot be separated from or compartmentalized away from every other aspect of our lives. God is Holy and since He created us and loves us He knows what is best for us. We may be free to do what we want but it will never be freeing unless it is aligned with Him.
- The answer to a lack of morality is not legalism or formalism: The answer is to be found in a dynamic personal faith in Jesus Christ! It is in a growing relationship with Jesus that we discover daily the joy of right living it is not in right living that we discover a relationship with Jesus! If we get the order of this wrong than what people will see in society is a life-less, joy-less, legalistic life that offers nothing but boredom and bondage! To live in a daily relationship with Jesus is to live the most fulfilling, exciting, dynamic, joy filled life any human can ever experience! Jesus was no monastic recluse! He laughed, played with children, and went to where the world was trying to escape and said follow me to freedom and life. He alone is as He Himself said, “The Way, The Truth and The Life!”
- It is not enough to know the truths we must live them: To enjoy this joy-filled life is not only about instruction it is all about application. Our goal is to be “Like Jesus” in every aspect, every moment of the day so much so that the world that is living by what is right in their own eyes will look at our consistent relationship to Jesus and say, “How can I have what you have?” Our children need to hear not only “What did you learn in Sunday school” but “How are you going to apply what you learned this week?” To accomplish this we will need to continually be in contact with three things:
- The Holy Spirit
- The Word of God
- The people of God
This is a placeholder. Notes will be added