God Is Glorified In Selfless Obedience

The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the LORD’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” [1 Samuel 13.6-14] 

Satan is opportunistic when it comes to our fear. Count on it. When fears come, be need to pay close attention!

Idols (including the idol of "self") play on our fears, bolster our doubt, question God's Word, and incite us to act independently of God and His Word when times of fear come.

Every fear we have is an opportunity to see God's glory, unless of course, we begin to act upon our own ways and/or solicit help elsewhere, other than from God.

In contrast to Saul's succumbing to fear above, we find in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. Their response to fear was much different.

In short, Jonathan and his armor bearer faced their fears head-on, but not in foolish or arrogant bravado. Theirs was not a heady suicide mission either, but instead a strategically calculated plan of attack, against insurmountable odds (2 against 20), dependent entirely upon the help and leadership of God.

“Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”  “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”  “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the LORD’s sign that he will help us defeat them.” [1 Samuel 14.6-10]

When fear entices us to doubt God and turn to idols (including the idol of "self" and its ways), we miss an opportunity to see God glorified through our lives. Not only did Jonathan and his armor bearer defeat the 20 men they encountered, but their fearless obedience ignited a 'domino-effect' of uncontrolled fear among their enemies. God was glorified in their selfless obedience.

Contrast the events described in this article to modern "believers." We find every good reason to rely on our advanced ways of problem-solving (our intellect, our idols) and no reason to intentionally put ourselves in a situation where only God can see us through. Instead of defying fear in calculated defense of "faith in God alone," we rely on perfectly reasonable human solutions and call it good - and worse, we call it God's doing. That is the exact train of though Saul followed and got rebuked for. In contrast, it is everything Jonathan avoided.

Father in heaven, help us to see the contrast between Saul and his son, Jonathan. Help us study Jonathan so that we might emulate his confident faith seeing how his resignation to his own ways foreshadowed Jesus Who said give up your own ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. So be it.

What Part Of "God Alone" Do We Not Get?

“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the LORD with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! The LORD will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the LORD to make you his very own people. [1 Samuel 12.20-22] 

It was an idolatrous desire for Israel to have a king. It was wrong for them to want a king.

But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by tribes and clans.” [1 Samuel 10.19] 

Then, in Samuel's explanation why it was wrong for Israel to want a king, he reminded them of their history with idols: 

“Then they cried to the LORD again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the LORD and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ Then the LORD sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety. “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the LORD your God was already your king. [1 Samuel 12.10-12]

What part of "God alone" did Israel (do we) not get? 

You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the LORD to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the LORD for a king!” [1 Samuel 12.17]

As Bible history proves though, as long as Israel's king feared and worshiped only God, Israel was blessed. But, from this point in the Bible forward, Israel would have many more bad kings than good ones. This is not my interpretation of the Bible, but exactly what the Bible says.

God tolerated Israel having a king as long as that king led the people in worship of God alone. Indeed, God granted Israel's misguided request for a king, but it was not "God's best."

I would like to ask all the religious people who suggest that God gave us debt, insurance medicine and technology (to provide for us what God said He alone would provide for us) this simple qualifying question: As the industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology go (all of which can be identified as idols by their offering of benefits God said He alone would provide), do these alleged "gifts from God" overwhelmingly and undeniably worship God alone and lead us in worship of Him? Of course, they do not. In fact, they all portray and promote "self-focus" as they suggest we do for ourselves (at the exorbitant price of their interest, premiums, prescriptions and gadgetry) what God said He alone would do for us.

Idols have become so commonplace today that we are almost completely blind to their existence. All the while, God's Word is repeatedly warning us to stay away from idols. But! If we do not know what God's Word actually says because we do not read it for ourselves, we are none the wiser and idols therefore dominate our lives.

I will again quote the Apostle Paul here from yesterday's article:

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. [1 Corinthians 10.14]

Father, may we be found running face-first to You alone as we flee from the worship of idols, which is exactly what Jesus demanded when He said we must give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. So be it. 

Has God Abandoned Us?

So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the LORD. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them. Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD. [1 Samuel 7.1-4] 

Does it seem like the LORD has abandoned us? 

How would we know if He had?

There is a simple test that indisputably reveals God's blessing. What is is? It is God's blessing. God's blessing sets apart His people from the godless people of the world. If the world is sick, God's people are well. If the world is poor, God's people are rich. If the world is well, God's people are even more well. If the world is rich, God's people are richer.

If God's people today compare themselves to the world, let's just face it, there is no difference. They look the same, act the same, have the same needs, and rely on the same solutions.

All the while, the Bible has for centuries declared God's distinct blessings upon His own.

Sameness with the world says God has indeed abandoned His people.

The thing about deception is that deceived people cannot see that they are deceived. This is the remarkable condition of people who compare themselves to each other instead of comparing themselves to the Word of God. While the Bible declares God's distinct blessings upon His people, it is of no consequence to people who are ignorant of His Word. 

However, when God's people read and understand the Bible for what it actually says, without extra-Biblical interpretation or denominational predisposition, they must conclude that their lives don't match up. They must conclude that their lives are no different than the world - that the LORD has abandoned them. They must conclude that they have followed idols, thus abandoning God. They must conclude that they need to repent and return to Him alone.

God would say to us today the same thing he told Samuel about Israel:

Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. [1 Samuel 8.8]

What makes God's people look like the people of the world? Everything God's people depend on just like the world: debt, insurance, medicine and technology (to name the principle offenders). The Bible is clear that God's blessing is distinguishable provision, protection, health, and even convenience compared to the world. But, there is also another idol that has blinded God's people to the truth of what the Bible says: religion. 

Religion has stealthily crept between God's people and God's Word effectively blinding them to the truth it teaches. For every failure of man to believe and trust God alone, religion offers a consoling partial truth reducing a would-be-believer to sameness with the world. Religion embraces idols saying they are "gifts from God" while ignoring the fact that the world utilizes the same idols in a blasphemous taunt that, in man's advanced ways, he does not need God. Eyes blinded by ignorance of God's Word will never see this despairing discrepancy!

Samuel's story remains forever written in God's Word to reveal that God-abandoned-sameness-with-the-world is God's permanent call to repentance and renewed faith in Him alone. It is an enduring call for God's people to rid themselves of idols paving the way for God's miraculous distinction to be made in their lives. It is the exact same call Jesus made when He said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Trusting God alone is serious business to God. Jesus only confirmed it. But, if we do not read and know the entire Bible for what it actually says without extra-Biblical interpretation or denominational predisposition, we are hopelessly blinded by every idol we depend on for blessings that God already promised to provide to distinguish those who are His from those who are not.

In the words of the Apostle Paul:

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. [1 Corinthians 10.14]

Father in heaven, may Your true followers rid themselves of every idol and perceived idol in deference only to You as Jesus demanded. May Your people seek the distinction of Your hand upon their lives in open rejection of sameness with the world. May Your people faithfully return to Your Word in all it teaches specifically understanding that Jesus is Your Word in the flesh. May Your people understand that Your Word is the antithesis to the world and that Your Word (Jesus) is all that glorifies You. So be it.

No Doctrinal Explanation Needed

“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. [1 Samuel 2.3] 

Like so much Bible truth, Hannah's words here are quickly dismissed as "Old Testament" and, therefore disregarded by "New Testament believers."

Let it be established here right now... If one is truly a New Testament believer, he is also every bit an Old Testament believer. Jesus said:

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39]

Jesus was talking about the Old Testament! With this established, we should go on to consider the context of Hannah's words in 1 Samuel 2.3 by understanding what follows it:

The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong. Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving are now full. The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman with many children wastes away. The LORD gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. The LORD makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order. [1 Samuel 2.4-8] 

1 Samuel 2.4-8 is an explanation of God's judgment spoken of in 1 Samuel 2.3. It has everything to do with the blessings and curses pronounced upon obedience or disobedience respectively in Deuteronomy 28. It has everything to do with the fact that God is a God of order: he has set the world in order.

There are those who very much wish to believe that 1 Samuel 2.4-8 supports the idea that God randomly blesses or curses people, but that is quite impossible to prove based on the combined understanding of 1 Samuel 2.3,  For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions, and the last sentence of 1 Samuel 2.8, For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order.

What's worse is that there are those who very much wish to believe that Jesus somehow broke God's order - which, is a ludicrous idea. These same people believe God randomly blesses and curses people according to some random purpose that is completely unknown to man. They will quote John 3.16 without hesitation but must defensively resort to manmade doctrine (not the Bible) while hoping not to have to explain what follows John 3.16:

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” [John 3.17-21]

God's order is blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. All manner of curses, like those contrasted to blessings in Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, are God's judgment with the ultimate curse being eternal separation from God. Because man is sinful by birth, he is under judgment from birth and it is that judgment that Jesus came to redeem man from. 

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

So, if, as the result of man's "saving faith" in Him, Jesus redeemed man from the curse, why do "Christians" still suffer curses? Aaaaand, Pandora's Box of proud religious ideas is opened.

Curses are indicators of sin today no less than they ever were:

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

And yet, in deceived arrogant pride "Christians" deny God's established order. They must concoct elaborate "open-ended" doctrines that usurp God's established order of things (confusing God's establishment of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience). These "open-ended" doctrines all purport various versions of "why bad things happen to good people" but few, if any, accurately (Biblically) trace "curses" to "disobedience" thus requiring repentance. They push right past repentance and go straight to "faith," be it faith in Jesus to endure or faith in Jesus to overcome, but few if any effectively teach us to repent until the curse is lifted. By the way, "declaring" the curse is lifted is indeed scriptural if the curse is lifted, but if not, continuing to "declare" might better be replaced with repentance. Curses don't lie. And, if a curse cannot be broken with words, that means the blood of Jesus has not been applied. That means that genuine repentance and faith in Christ has not occurred and that true Biblical redemption lies dormant and unrealized.

We can argue my previous paragraph all we want, be we cannot deny Hannah's words in 1 Samuel 2.3:

“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. [1 Samuel 2.3]

It is foolish to declare "Christ has redeemed me" and remain burdened with curses. However, it is wise to declare "Christ offers redemption" and proceed in Biblical repentance and faith until the curses are lifted. But, alas, who really wants to live in daily repentance and faith? <<crickets>>

It all comes down to how we each interpret "give up your own way" and "take up your cross."

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

If there are any self-prescribed allowances made in response to Jesus' demand you must give up your own way then there is no redemption in a person's life but rather a deceptive dilution of idolatry (to self, if nothing else). Try telling Jesus "it's too hard" when He took the sin of the world to His Cross. Our emotion is our enemy. Only full obedience to Jesus transports us to the title "follower of Christ." We can make every possible confession of faith imaginable, but no amount of "rolling the engine over" in confession will start the engine of salvation without the fuel of repentance and faith (giving up our way for His way - the way of the cross - the way of obedience).

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. [Philippians 2.5-8]

It is no surprise that most folks do not quote verse 5 of the passage above You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had! They want the "blessings" of Jesus' death on the Cross, but they do not want or see the need for the same attitude Jesus had - they are unwilling to give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. Such a person cannot be saved until that attitude is changed.

God's order will not and cannot be changed. Again, to even think Jesus changed God's order is to deny that Jesus is God.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? [Numbers 23.19]

It is no mistake in the grand arrangement of God's Word that immediately following Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2, we find contrast in Eli and his sons who made their own rules to live by (doctrines to justify their actions) that resulted in the following warning from God:

So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel! [1 Samuel 2.29] 

Eli and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were unwilling to give up their own self-indulgent ways and they interpreted God's Word to mean what they selfishly and arrogantly wanted it to mean and not what God said. Oh, I wish this was not true among alleged Christians today!

The solution to the problem described here is also found in chapter 1 of 1 Samuel:

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. [1 Samuel 1.10]

In her curse of infertility, Hannah was in deep anguish and cried bitterly to the LORD. She would not have done that if she believed God was random in any way at all. And, she certainly would not have made the commitment to give the child she was asking for to the LORD. Why? Because God is a God of order. Hannah's repentance and faith started with deep anguish and bitter crying and continued with the act of giving her child to God. Her repentant attitude was rewarded not so much with the birth of Samuel (because giving him to God was still the act of her repentance), but with the birth of five more children afterwards.

Hannah's prayer of side by side blessings and curses was a revelation following her repentance and faith - no arrogant doctrinal explanation needed. God's order is established forever.

Father, much has been said here that should solicit response by all who read it. Whether people agree or disagree, I ask that You cause them to go to Your Word to know where they stand. And, may their stance (our stance) be that of Jesus on the Cross - not so much a "stance" however as it is a "hanging" - hanging helplessly submitted to the cross, having given up our own way, that Your resurrection life might follow. So be it.

Talk About A Change!

So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the LORD enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the LORD, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David. [Ruth 4.13-17] 

If we fail to understand the background of this passage, we fail to see just how great a redemption story is seen in it.

Ruth was an idolatrous Moabite. She chose to follow God. She became the great grandmother of King David. Talk about a change!

Father in heaven, help us to see just how capable You are of turning our idolatry into that which pleases You if we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.

Don't Be Distracted By The Love Story

In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him. The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons. The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later, both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband. [Ruth 1.1-5] 

Because of our distraction with the love story of Ruth's life, we have overlooked some important facts in it. These facts do not change the story, but they give more depth of meaning and more continuity with the whole Bible. That depth of meaning has everything to do with idolatry and God's instructions about it.

First, it was a diluting move of fear, not faith, that led Elimelech to move to Moab. Rather than trust God alone to meet his family's needs, Elimelech moved to Moab, a land well-known for its idolatry. Elimelech's move ignored Israel's painful history with Moab:

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. The LORD issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the LORD in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.” So Moses ordered Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death the men under your authority who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.” [Numbers 25.1-5]

In short, Elimelech's move set him in opposition to God. Allowing his sons then, to marry Moabite women, put them in harm's way as well. To assume the deaths of Elimelech and his two sons were just 'bad luck' is blatant disregard for Numbers 25.1-5. 

Naomi must have recognized the dilution she and Elimelech had allowed because when she decided to return to Judah, she attempted to separate herself from Orpah and Ruth:

But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the LORD reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. May the LORD bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.” But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD himself has raised his fist against me.” [Ruth 1.8-13]

While it seems over-dramatic that Naomi said God had raised His fist against her, she was not wrong. She repeated this conviction again later:

I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?” [Ruth 1.21] 

It is highly significant then that Orpah returned to her people but Ruth did not. Both women made a conscious decision: one to return to Moab and its gods, and one to reject Moab and its gods to follow the LORD. 

And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more. [Ruth 1.14-18]

So, finally, Ruth made the conscious decision to give up idolatry and follow God. THIS IS HUGE! AND, it points us right to Jesus. It was Ruth's known testimony of giving up her way and following God (the God of Naomi) that caught the eye of Boaz. Boaz married Ruth and, through the bloodline of their offspring, the Messiah of the world is identified!  And, what did He, the Messiah of the world say?

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

That is exactly what Ruth did. She forsook idolatry. She declared God alone as her God. That is how Jesus was seen in her. And, that is how Jesus will be seen in us. 

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12]

It is pure futility to expect Christ to be seen in us as long as we have not forsaken all other gods - the idols that promise us better life, but that only bring death and destruction.

Father in heaven, the depth of Ruth's story is a testimony of Your Almighty existence. I should not be surprised to find the reference to idolatry in Ruth, but I have been blinded by idolatry and the religion that shelters it, and have only just now seen it. May I be found trustworthy with this revelation and, like Naomi, affect a rejection of idolatry and more importantly, a return to You. So be it.

A Horrible Story - Our Story

In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. [Judges 21.25] 

The story that precedes Judges 21.25 (all of today's One Year Chronological Bible reading) is absolutely horrible. It is unthinkable that the Levite would push his concubine out to an enraged group of homosexuals to be literally raped to death.

It must be understood that the setting in which all these events were taking place was Israel's occupation of the Promised Land without having annihilated its idolatrous inhabitants. God was very clear in His warning that doing so would open the door for gross idolatry among His people and consequently every shameful ungodly thing that accompanies it.

“So be very careful to follow everything Moses wrote in the Book of Instruction. Do not deviate from it, turning either to the right or to the left. Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or serve them or worship them. Rather, cling tightly to the LORD your God as you have done until now. [Joshua 23.6-8]

But, without a king, there was simply no designated leadership to abide by everything Moses wrote. The leadership of a king was defined earlier in Israel's history:

“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. [Deuteronomy 17.18-19]

A king would serve as a focal point for God's laws to be honored among all the people - as long as that king was true to God's laws himself. But, that's another story that will be seen soon enough as Israel's history progresses beyond Judges...

Sufficient for this article today is that Israel had disregarded God's warning against intermingling with the idolatrous occupants of Canaan and today's appalling story is just one more example of how that intermingling played out.

Homosexuality is at the heart of the story of the Levite and his concubine in today's reading. The very fact that it is politically incorrect to make such a distinction in American society today is proof positive that the USA (and every other country that embraces homosexuality) is just as guilty of idolatrous intermingling as was Israel.

Are we beyond the point that God's Word can change our hearts and minds about idolatry? Will God's people stubbornly insist that the plethora of idols today (easily identifiable by their offerings to do for God's people what God jealously said He would do for us Himself) is just the way it is? Will no one associate the overwhelming powerlessness of the Church today (compared to Jesus - not each other) with the stubborn rebellion of idolatry repeated over and again in the Bible (refusing to trust God alone)?

Jesus left no room for anyone to reason (through education, common sense, emotion, or otherwise) what is, or what is not an idol in his or her own life. Jesus simply said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

In just today's One Year Chronological Bible reading alone, more than 65,000 people died. How can we read this and fail to see the gravity of the situation described? Idolatry leads to death! And, it was not only from the offenders that death occurred (from the tribe of Benjamin), but also from the entire nation (Israel) of which those offenders were citizens! 

Homosexuality is only one symptom of idolatry. Paul provided to Timothy a general list of other symptoms:

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! [2 Timothy 3.1-5]

Before the list to Timothy above, Paul was a bit more descriptive in his letter to the Romans:

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. [Romans 1.18-32] 

Look closely at the sentence above: "And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles." Before defending ourselves as "idol-free,' should it not concern us how the (made) industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology utilize images to identify themselves? They use people in most all their advertisements, while some use birds (emus?) and animals, and others use reptiles (snake on a stick, and lizards). But far more damning than their symbols is that the benefits they all provide (at a notable cost) are all benefits God promised (for free) to those who trust Him alone.

What more evidence do we need that society is rife with idolatry when all the shameful things Paul listed to the Romans are commonplace among us today? And what's more, are not all these shameful things justified by those who embrace them as things their hearts desired?

And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. [Romans 1.23-24]

Why do we not see this? Because we do not know the Bible! Oh sure, we may know the tenets of whatever denominational preference we hold, but we remain willfully ignorant of the whole Bible and Jesus Christ Whom it reveals. 

The sin problem of man is idolatry. The solution Jesus boldly declared is repentance and faith (described in word in Mark 1.15 and in action in Matthew 16.24):

“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” [Mark 1.15] 

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

I apologize if my tone is harsh here. However, I will not apologize for the Bible passages quoted. They are neither misquoted nor taken out of context. They are from the Old Testament AND the New Testament and consistently reveal the sin problem of idolatry. Jesus' demand to give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me is no less exclusive than God's 1st Commandment (You must not have any other god but me).

Will we follow our king, Jesus, or will we continue to do whatever seems right in our own eyes?

In the telling widespread and overwhelming absence of a king - the King, Jesus, the WHOLE Word of God, the horrible story of Judges 21 is, sadly, our story. The cause is idolatry and the effect is every evil and vile thing Paul described above existing in our society - void of the Jesus-mirroring, indisputable power of God. 

Father in heaven, may Your Word open our eyes to its Truth, Jesus. May we be found genuinely giving up our own way (idolatry), taking up our cross (faith in You ALONE), and following Him. So be it.