Readings for today: Judges 19-21
Today we encounter some of the most difficult material in all of Scripture. We see Israel at her lowest point. She has forgotten Yahweh. She has become like all the pagan tribes around her. She is more focused on her own gratification than she is on serving and honoring the Lord. Her world is full of idols and sexual perversion and violence. Yes, she still goes through the motions. She still makes her sacrifices. She still prays. Fasts. Appears before the Lord at the appointed times. But it’s all empty at this point. Everyone is doing what seems right to them. They are all following their own ways. They are plumbing the depths of sin. They are pushing the boundaries of evil. Unspeakable atrocities are taking place in Israel such as the gang rape of a woman whose body is dismembered resulting in a genocidal war that basically annihilates an entire tribe. It’s madness.
One of my favorite books is the Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. With penetrating insight, he describes the nature of man. Given the right conditions. Given the right set of circumstances. We will all succumb to temptation. In the book, Kurtz sets himself up as a god to be worshipped. He exploits those around him. He uses them for his own personal gratification and enjoyment. He is evil and selfish and insane. Towards the end of the story, he finds himself dying as he “returns” to civilization. His life flashes before his eyes. He reflects back on all he has done. And his final words are, “The horror! The horror!”
Horror. It’s a good word to describe what we read today from the book of Judges. There simply is nothing redemptive in the story. Nothing good. Nothing godly. Man’s inhumanity to man is on full display. It’s dark. It’s evil. It’s terrifying. Sadly, we see some of the same dynamics in play in our world today. Even amidst a global pandemic, some of our political leaders can’t stop lying. Can’t stop attacking one another. Can’t stop trying to tear each other down in order to make themselves look good. It’s horrifying. But it’s not just them. It’s us as well. Twitter is still full of rage and anger and hate. Racism is alive and well as people target Asian-Americans simply because the virus happened to originate in China. Ignorant and foolish people are being charged with assault for purposefully spitting on others. Greedy, self-serving opportunists try to make a quick buck by purchasing needed supplies in bulk to sell off at a profit. Hoarders strip the shelves bare of necessities leaving the most vulnerable among us to fend for themselves. And we haven’t even begun to see the worst. The next three weeks promise to be among the most difficult we’ve ever faced as a nation. People will get sick. Loved ones will die. Jobs will be lost. Businesses will close. Fear and anxiety will only increase. And that’s just here in the United States. What about those nations where the crisis is just beginning? Nations who do not have the benefit of first world resources? A national healthcare system? Access to technology? Doctors? Medicine? I shudder think of what this virus might do to the slums of Addis Ababa and others like it. Horror, indeed.
If we’re totally honest, we know all of us are guilty on some level. I give into fear. I give into anxiety. As the stress builds, it can bring out the worst in me. Darkness that I’ve tried very hard to bury deep starts to emerge. As I read our passage today, I realize all of us are perpetrators. All of us are victims. We are the Levite. We are the concubine. We’ve sacrificed others and we’ve been sacrificed for the sake of self-protection and self-gratification. In the Bible’s judgment, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18)
Perhaps it’s providential that we read this section of Judges as we enter Holy Week. A period of time where we reflect on the Cross. On the death of God. The most horrific act in human history. We reflect on the price Jesus paid. The blood He shed. The penalty He bore. This week we will reflect on the suffering He endured. The pain He experienced. The heartbreak of betrayal. We will reflect on the depth of our sin. The depravity of our nature. The darkness of our hearts. We will reflect on the cost of our salvation. On what it took to redeem us from sin and death. To deliver us from all evil. And as we reflect we also remember our salvation! God plunging Himself into the horror of our condition! Plumbing the depth of our darkness! Immersing Himself in the breadth of our madness! And embracing us as His own! Today we declare there is hope for the Levite and his concubine! Today we declare there is hope for the Kurtz’s of our world! Today we declare there is hope for the fearful and afflicted and anxious and afraid! Today we declare there is hope even for us! And that hope is found in Jesus!
Readings for tomorrow: Ruth 1-4