Good morning! It’s Thursday, April 4, 2024. This portion of scripture depicts the mess mankind can get itself into. It must be one of the more gross stories of the Old Testament. The Bible uses raw, unedited accounts of human failures to teach us lessons in the present. He doesn’t endorse them; he simply uses these to show us how far left we can stray when we take matters into our own hands! Read on ….
Today's Reading:
Judges 19,20,21; 2 Corinthians 4
Scripture
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25).
Observation
This portion of Judges plays out like a Hollywood drama, spiced with lust, murder, and war. The final scene ends with shocking actions of vengeance, reprisal, and score-settling. The concubine dies in torturous rape by her own kin, the Benjamites. Her death and dismemberment ignite the fierce anger of the remaining tribes, triggering an all-out war. The aftermath of this bloody civil war leaves the tribe of Benjamin decimated, with 60,000 dead on the battlefields!
“In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” It started with unsafe neighborhoods that were unpatrolled. Then, moral principles were abandoned to lust. Even the priests had little common sense, and then retaliation!
When right and wrong become a matter of one’s own interpretation, chaos is close behind. When there is no direction—even among those who claim the Name of God—anarchy follows.
Application
The church, our communities, and our country are crying out for heroic leaders, just as the nation of Israel was. We need men and women who know right from wrong. We search for leaders of courage, integrity, and the skill to unite people into a cohesive force for good. We need leaders who have the heart of David, Nehemiah's skills, and Job's endurance. We cannot merely sit back and react with shock at leaders' injustice and poor choices.
C. T. Studd once said, "The gamblers for gold are many, but the gamblers for God are so few. Where are the gamblers for God?"
Leadership is not about winning a popularity contest. Taking leadership requires responsibility, discipline, and self-denial. It demands that we grow deep roots and character with the strength of steel and a heart of compassion.
But in the end, it will be worth it all.
Prayer
Dear Father, Your people are precious and deserve to be led well. Raise up many leaders to hear the call and respond to You – men and women unafraid to be … Gamblers for God.
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