I find today’s readings very interesting. The narratives today about Micah and the Danites and then also the narrative about the Civil War with the Benjamites, takes place in time before Gideon and Samson. But the composer of the book placed them at the end because they wanted to show the first time reader how bad spiritually it had gotten in Israel. It got so bad spiritually in Israel that they were killing each other.
This got me thinking about the church today. How many churches do we know where the people are killing each other spiritually, mentally, and emotionally? How many churches do we know where the people in the church are shooting each other with words, actions, and thoughts. Do not know what I mean? Let me give a few examples
An unwillingness to forgive, so we rake the other person over the fires of our anger
Rather than go to the other person who hurt us, we gossip and complain about them to others
Avoid a serious conflict because it might “offend” someone
Do not extend a hand of grace to someone, but rather judge them for how they appear
Think less of yourself and forget others and call it humility
These are just 5 examples of how in the church today we have shot each other and killed others in our family of God spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I bet we could add many more to this list. These signs, just like they were in the book of Judges, are a spiritual indicator of the heart. They show how the last line of Judges plays out in action, “and everyone did as they saw fit in their own eyes”.
But there is a solution, and Judges helps us to understand it. Multiple times throughout the book it states that Israel had no King. Judges is crying out and preparing the way for a good King like David to come. But Judges is also crying out for a perfect King to come and restore peace and true worship. So in the church, how can the family stop killing each other? Remember who the true King is and who it is the church and the family of God serves. Jesus took the death for each person in the church and calls the church to stop killing themselves and starting working together for His mission.
This got me thinking about the church today. How many churches do we know where the people are killing each other spiritually, mentally, and emotionally? How many churches do we know where the people in the church are shooting each other with words, actions, and thoughts. Do not know what I mean? Let me give a few examples
An unwillingness to forgive, so we rake the other person over the fires of our anger
Rather than go to the other person who hurt us, we gossip and complain about them to others
Avoid a serious conflict because it might “offend” someone
Do not extend a hand of grace to someone, but rather judge them for how they appear
Think less of yourself and forget others and call it humility
These are just 5 examples of how in the church today we have shot each other and killed others in our family of God spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I bet we could add many more to this list. These signs, just like they were in the book of Judges, are a spiritual indicator of the heart. They show how the last line of Judges plays out in action, “and everyone did as they saw fit in their own eyes”.
But there is a solution, and Judges helps us to understand it. Multiple times throughout the book it states that Israel had no King. Judges is crying out and preparing the way for a good King like David to come. But Judges is also crying out for a perfect King to come and restore peace and true worship. So in the church, how can the family stop killing each other? Remember who the true King is and who it is the church and the family of God serves. Jesus took the death for each person in the church and calls the church to stop killing themselves and starting working together for His mission.
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