How Evil Can Man Be When God Is Absent? Judges 17-21

 Judges 19:16-21 (ESV)

And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites. And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city. And the old man said, “Where are you going? And where do you come from?” And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the LORD, but no one has taken me into his house. We have straw and feed for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.” And the old man said, “Peace be to you; I will care for all your wants. Only, do not spend the night in the square.” So he brought him into his house and gave the donkeys feed. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

The above story is the beginning of a horrific tragedy recorded in the book of Judges.   The story starts with this old man in the above passage, showing compassion for an unnamed traveler.  From other passages we know the traveler is a priest.  We know he went to find a runaway concubine, found her and was taking her back to their home.  We know that this old man did not want them to stay in the open square of the city and brought them into his own home.  We will later be confronted by the men of the town and be asked to send the traveling priest out  of the home that the wicked men of the city might have sexual relations with him.   The old man does not allow that, but does send out the man’s concubine.  This result in a series of events in the next chapters that just seem so wicked.  The men of this town (Gibeah) are very wicked.  They rape and murder the concubine.   Even though the old man showed compassion on the priest, the men of the town showed wickedness and lack of constraint.   The priest will take his dead concubine home, cut her up into twelve pieces and send each piece to the twelve tribes of Israel and ask them to come and take vengeances on this town of Gibeah.  At the end of the entire story over 40,000 men will die, a city (Gibeah) will be burnt to the ground, a tribe (Dan) will be almost wiped out, and several other women will be put to forced marriages to assure the continuation of the tribe of Dan.  All this started, however, with an act of kindness from an old man.   His kindness kept the priest from being raped, but could not protect the concubine.   This all just shows what Israel was like because their rejected God as their king.    When God does not reign everyone does what is right in their own eyes.  The old man was kind.  The men of the city brutal.   The priest, who would cut up the dead body, was desperate.  The nation of Israel was lost.  No one lead.  When we have no godly leader we have a mixed set of events like the above.   Kindness is always trumped by evil when evil is not controlled by the worship of God.   

Idea-Goal Association Strategy - Genesis 32-35

Genesis 34:18-24 (ESV)

Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house. So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, “These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.” And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

The background of this story is that Hamor, the son of , saw Israel’s daughter Dinah and laid with her sexually.  He, in essence, raped her.   Israel, her father, did nothing about it.   But when her 11 brothers found out about it they convinced Hamor that he could marry Dinah (something Hamor wanted) if they and all the men of the town were to be circumcised.    Since Hamor really did love Dinah, they all agreed.  But Hamor had to  convince the fellow men of Shechem to also be circumcised.    This would not be an easy task.   It is one thing to be circumcised on the 8th day after brith (Leviticus 12:3) and quite another to be circumcised as an adult male.   That process is be painful, but you never remember it when you are 8 days old vs 18 and above years old.  The sons of Israel would use that pain to their advantage.  They would eventually come upon these men during that pain and kill them all.   That is the complete story.  But the point in the above text is how Hamor convinced his fellow men to be circumcised.  Their being circumcised would be to HIS advantage.   He would get married but they would be in pain.  To convince them to go along with his agreement, he could not use an argument (an idea) that would benefit him and not them.   Instead he uses the leadership strategy of idea-goal association.   He had to find a way to associate his idea (everyone joins a circumcision party) with a goal that would benefit THEM, not just HIM.   We read in the above passage that he tells them if they want to financial gain (property and livestock) from these men of Israel, they can use circumcision as a tool.   Once they are all circumcised, nothing will stop them in acquiring all of the property from Israel.   His argument was: Pain now, but gain later.  But it would be gain for THEM, not just HIM.   Sometimes when you want to convince others of an idea that would benefit you, you must first present the idea to others in a way it would benefit them.   Idea-goal association strategy. 

Priorities for Life - Romans 15-16

Romans 15:20-22 (ESV)

and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,

and those who have never heard will understand.”

This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.

Paul wanted to visit those in Rome; the body of believers he was writing to in this book.  But he could not.  Not because he didn’t want to come but because he was busy proclaiming the gospel to Gentiles in another region.   He was hindered from doing what he wanted to do because he had more pressing needs regarding what he was called to do.   We often can’t do what we want because we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.   We all would like a retirement mentality to do what we want, when we want and how we want.  Yet, that is not the ministry of the Gospel.  No matter our station in life, we are called to preach the gospel.   We are called to proclaim to the world around us the truth that Jesus died for mankind.   We might want to do other things; other things that are not bad things.   Paul wanting to fellowship with believers in Rome is not a bad thing.  Yet, he was so engaged in preaching the gospel to the world around him that he was prevented to do something else.   May we all have this challenge in our lives.  

Mob Pressure - Matthew 20-22

Matthew 21:26 (ESV)

But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

Matthew 21:46 (ESV)

And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Mob pressure is the worst pressure.   When we fear the crowds we lose direction in life.   The above passage are in reference to those who wished to harm Jesus.  So, we might think it is a good thing they feared the mob.   But latter they will use that same mob violence to crucify Jesus.    Peter will succumb to the mob by denying Jesus three times.   

Matthew 26:73-74 (ESV)

After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.

Later, Herod will so fear the crowd he will give the command to crucify Jesus:

Matthew 27:24 (ESV)

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

Crowd pressure is the worst type of fear to get caught up with when making decisions.   Shame is a powerful tool used against mankind to get them to acquiesce to whatever the crowd wants.   When we give into the fear of man we find ourselves in a snare we can’t friend escape:

Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

The fear of man lays a snare,

but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

If we wish to walk with God we have to avoid the fear of man.  

Grace Instead of Wrath - Isaiah 40-44

 Isaiah 43:1-4 (ESV)

But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

Because you are precious in my eyes,

and honored, and I love you,

I give men in return for you,

peoples in exchange for your life.

To better grasp the beauty of the above words from God to Israel you have to remember the context of the book of Isaiah.   God is not pleased with Israel, His chosen people.   God is bringing in Babylonian warriors to crush them.   Their idol worship has grieved their God. As chapters 41 and 42 come to close we read the condemnation of Israel for their sins; their rejection of God’s mercy and goodness.  They turned to the worldly and forsook the blessings of God.   What should naturally follow this declaration by God of their guilt is the condemnation by God in their judgment.   Chapter 43 should begin with an opening phrase like:  “Since you abandoned Me for worthless idols I am going to do this to you ...!”   That is not what happens.  Instead of condemnation God pours out grace.    If you and I were to write the opening lines of chapter 43, it would read like this:

But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

I WILL CRUSH YOU UNDER MY WRATH!

Instead God speaks through Isaiah:

But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

“FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU;

This might be one of the most unexpected turns in Scripture.  This is equivalent to the writings of Paul when he writes:

Ephesians 2:1-4 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. BUT God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

In the midst of what we deserve God provides mercy and grace to cover our sins.   What an amazing God.   Rather than being disposed in God’s eyes, Isaiah writes that they are precious in God’s eyes.   Instead of judgment we receive salvation.   God is a merciful God.   

Man’s Response to Innocent Suffering - Job 15-17

Job 16:6-10 (ESV)

6 “If I speak, my pain is not assuaged,

and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?

7 Surely now God has worn me out;

he has made desolate all my company.

8 And he has shriveled me up,

which is a witness against me,

and my leanness has risen up against me;

it testifies to my face.

9 He has torn me in his wrath and hated me;

he has gnashed his teeth at me;

my adversary sharpens his eyes against me.

10 Men have gaped at me with their mouth;

they have struck me insolently on the cheek;

they mass themselves together against me.

When we suffer we often lose all perspective of what is real and what is not.  We are not sure what is happening and we begin to question God, blame God and challenge God.  And all that is in the context of when we deserve the suffering.  When we see suffering in others we do the same thing. Except, instead of blaming God we blame the one suffering.   Think about Job in his moment of innocent suffering.  The idea that an innocent man would suffer to the extent Job has, is not in the minds of mankind.  Remember, we know the beginning of this story and the ending of it.   Those in the story, in the middle of it, including Job, do not.  Job’s community only knows (and believes) that when people suffer they must have sinned and therefore deserves it.   Job, himself, knowing his innocence, has no context for this type of pain and sorrow.  In the above verse note what we learn in this unique moment of his trials:

1. (V. 6).   Job has listened to his pathetic friends who can only blame him for this suffering.   They have told him to be still and allow God to work.  He has tried to be still, he has tried to speak, but nothing removes the pain.  

2. (V. 7).   Job’s situation is that God has both worn him out and those that once supported him.  His company is gone.  Except for these three pathetic friends, Job feels abandoned.

3. (V. 8-9).   His conditioned is actually a bold witness to those who do see him, that something is wrong.  Had those who observed him even considered the concept of innocent suffering, they would have compassion on him.  But since his audience (his company) only see suffering has the result of sin, Job is despised and this suffering is their main evidence against him.   

4. (V. 10).   The reaction of the company around him is horrible.  They speak harshly to him.  Their words and looks are like strikes of the hand to his cheeks.  Collectively they form a mass of humanity pressing him.  

Our treatment toward someone during suffering is often tied to our ignorance about the suffering and the bias we have formed through it. Like the sailors with Jonah on the boat, we often simply wonder, “What did you do that is making this happen to you and us?”

Jonah 1:7-8 (ESV)

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?”

In Jonah’s case it was his sin. He was running  from God in disobedience.  In Job’s case it was Satan using him as a tool to fight God.  We know not the reason.  Our response to the suffering of others should not flow from ignorance.  It should flow from insight that God provides. As he does with Job’s story.  

Different Chapters, Same Truth - Psalms 21-23

Psalms 21:3-6 (ESV)

For you meet him with rich blessings;

you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.

He asked life of you; you gave it to him,

length of days forever and ever.

His glory is great through your salvation;

splendor and majesty you bestow on him.

For you make him most blessed forever;

you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

When we read Psalms 21, 22, & 23 we are struck with the contrast of David’s journey in light of the three songs.  In the above passage we read about David being blessed with a crown.  He has asked for life and God gave it to him.   He has a glory as the position of king.   He has splendor and majesty bestowed upon him.   He is blessed forever.  That is the beginning of Psalm 21, as stated above.    But note the tenor of the next Psalm, a different day and time in David’s life:

Psalms 22:6-8 (ESV)

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

“He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Those verses indicate a different mood for the king.   Here he feels abandoned.  Here he feels low, like a worm.   Instead of majesty he is mocked.  Instead of glory and splendor he sees the wagging of heads.   His trust in God in chapter 21 is mocked by others in chapter 22.   David has gone from great confidence of what God has done for him to great shame of what man says about him.  With all this in mind we get to the great truths in Psalm 23:

Psalms 23:4 (ESV)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

The resolve of David is insight for our own journey with God.  We too can recall all the blessings God provides and promises to the believer.   Yet, we have moments and even long chapters of our story that don’t always reflect those rejoicing blessings of splendor and majesty.   Instead we feel like a worm.   But it is in those shadow of death experiences that we know that God is with us.  He is comforting us with a firm rod and a guiding staff.   Despite the times in our journey we know that God is present with comfort, despite the tool He is using in our lives for that comfort.