Readings for today: Judges 19-21
In 1784, a man named Robert Burns wrote the famous poem, “Man was Made to Mourn: A Dirge.” It was a lament reflecting on human cruelty, suffering, evil, and the lack of compassion in the world. One of the most famous stanzas in that poem says, “Many and sharp the num'rous ills / Inwoven with our frame! / More pointed still we make ourselves, / Regret, remorse, and shame! / And man, whose heav'n-erected face / The smiles of love adorn, / Man's inhumanity to man / Makes countless thousands mourn!” That last line in particular hits hard. Especially as we finish the Book of Judges. It’s a brutal ending to this period in Israel’s history. Rape. Dismemberment. Civil war. Thousands dead. The almost complete annihilation of an entire tribe. The raid and abduction of the women of Jabesh Gilead. Man’s inhumanity to man does indeed make countless thousands mourn!
This is one of the many reasons I love the Bible. It doesn’t whitewash the horrors of humanity. It never makes excuses or justifies the sinful actions of God’s chosen people. The reality is God’s people are just as capable of great evil as the pagan tribes around them. They more they abandon the worship of the Living God, the more they descend into darkness. The more they resist God’s will and disobey His commands, the more God turns them over to their basest and most corrupt desires. We’ve seen this cycle before. Think of the descent of man from Cain to Noah. What does God do? He destroys humanity in a flood and starts over again with Noah. Think of the descent of man from Noah to the Tower of Babel. What does God do? He judges humanity, scatters them across the earth, and starts over with Abraham. Now consider the descent of man from Abraham through Moses and Joshua to where we find ourselves in Judges today. What will God do? He will start over with the prophet Samuel and King David.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. This is the cycle we find ourselves in even today. Humanity has brief interludes where God raises up particular leaders who lead with wisdom and godliness which leads to blessing and abundance. However, our sinful nature always takes over. We soon find ourselves descending into darkness which leads to all kinds of suffering and pain. It’s spiritual entropy on display. Things always moving from order to chaos. And what is God’s answer? Jesus Christ. The Messiah God sends to deliver us from the endless cycle we find ourselves in. He defeats the power of sin in our lives. He destroys the works of the devil. He comes to make all things new and then He sends us, His people, out to proclaim this good news to the world.
Readings for tomorrow: Ruth 1-4