In Judges 17:1-13 we have an appendix to the book as the chronological history ends and what remains is not in order. The events described in the final five chapters take place earlier in the book of Judges before the 41 year rule of the Philistines. They chronicle religious people (tribes of Dan and Benjamin) who first live in religious corruption (chapters 17-18) then moral corruption (chapters 19-21). The key to understanding these 5 chapters lies in the twice repeated phrase “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6, 21:25). In that statement we learn two very important truths as it relates to His Church today:
•The Israelites didn’t do what was wrong in their own eyes: They were convinced that they were doing what was right. Their value system, moral and religious standards had lost touch with God’s Word. But they were still right in their own eyes!
•These two stories reveal a “cause and effect” of the destruction of God’s people and the nation He had blessed them with: When people “spiritually” do what is right in their own eyes, it is only a matter of time before they do what is morally right in their own eyes…even within the walls of His church!
In the Sulphur Mountains of the Canadian Rockies outside of the town of Banff is an area famous for its views and its wildlife specifically their mountain goats. There are signs everywhere not to feed them the leftovers from the Teahouse Restaurant that sits atop the mountain. The reason is they got hooked on the junk food and as a result neglected their normal diet of grass and began to lose weight and become sickly. One of the rangers explained it this way, “Sheep develop a taste for junk. I wish people would realize their kindness amounts to cruelty.” Folks that is not just true for four legged sheep, it is true for us two legged variety as well, spiritual junk food; is like its candy counterparts and shares four things in common:
1. It always tastes good
2. It doesn’t immediately destroy us
3. It has little or no nutritional value
4. It spoils our appetites for what IS good for us
We become spiritual junk food addicts to what only satisfies our taste buds which results in our spiritual starvation. Author Eugene Peterson made this observation regarding today’s church; “We have celebrities but not saints…people aimless and bored that amuse themselves with trivia and trash”