April 6, 2017. Judges 19-21

Love And Joy

Horrifying!!!  How else do you explain these three chapters to finish out the book of Judges?  Events that could have been taken from any news media feed in 2017.  We could try to scholarly discuss what is going on with each of the events, and similar events today, which some will do.  But all of the scholarly discussion in the world does not lessen the fact that these are horrifying events.  Whether they are the events in these three chapters or similar events we see today.

There is, though, both a reason and a solution to horrifying events like these, seen in the very last verse of Judges.

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

The Complete Jewish Bible states:

“At that time there was no king in Israel; a man simply did whatever he thought was right.”

The reason for horrifying events like these?  There is no leadership for a person. He or she determines what is right and does that.  The problem with this life path is the truth of Proverbs 12:15 and 21:2

            The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

            Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,

The solution for horrifying events like these?  Leadership in a person’s life.  But not just any leadership, leadership from God.  Leadership from Jesus Christ the Lord.

God tells us exactly what happens when a person rejects His knowledge:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; (Romans 1:17)

Does that not describe our passage today?  Does that not describe the horrifying events in today’s news?

But when Jesus Christ is the Lord, here is what happens.

Jesus says, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10-11)

Abiding in the Love of Jesus and His Joy remaining in us – quite the contrast from a debased mind.

Christians can avoid a lot of the problems that come about when we do things that are not fitting, because we did what was right in our own eyes.  Our leader, or Lord, is Jesus and His commands are commands that enable us to abide in His love and for His joy to remain in us.

A good and fun exercise is to look through the New Testament (the Word of Jesus) and jot down His commands from Matthew to Revelation and then strive to “keep them” in your daily life.

Here are just a few to get you started: Philippians 4:4-8, 1Thessalonians 5:15-22, 1Timothy 6:11-12, Galatians 6:9-10, Ephesians 4:29.

Enjoy, His Love and Joy!