Day 123
Judges 17:1‐18:31; John 3:1‐21; Psalm 104:1‐23; Proverbs 14:20‐21
No King, No Direction!
At the very end of Judges, we have two stories in the days when there was no king in Israel. During this period of moral lawlessness, people did as they saw fit: A young man steals silver from his mother. He is blessed by her, and the silver is profanely consecrated for the Lord. It is made into an idol. A young priest chooses to serve this idol instead of the One God of Israel. Throughout the passage, the Lord’s name is profaned. People believe that their actions will bring about God’s favor. The priest’s complicity in this situation shows that there is truly no moral compass or authority in the land.
The Lord is absent in these stories. Prior stories in Judges were filled with God’s presence in the lives of the Judges and the people. Here, He is absent because the people no longer seek Him and are content making flawed assumptions. They no longer rely on God and instead act out of their own initiative.
This is a reminder to the people of God: When we stop relying on God and start looking inward to ourselves to do what is right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25), we risk being ruled by our own passions. We must remember we have a King, and we must seek to do what is right in His eyes, or we risk becoming like Micah, his mother, and the young Levite.
Jose Rodriguez