“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25 KJV
We are privileged to be a part of a weekly Bible study in Ukarumpa and are currently working our way through the book of Judges, an Old Testament history of ancient Israel before the establishment of the monarchy under Saul and then David. The book follows a cycle: Israel is at peace with God, but over time the people walk away from the covenant to pursue their own way, God then punishes Israel, often by an invading army and Israel calls out to God, who raises up a leader (Judge) to deliver them out of chaos. Then, in the absence of an existential threat, the people once again forsake God, setting up the next cycle of peace, folly, crisis and deliverance. As we reflect on the Old Testament history, we see that not much has changed in human nature. We have better technology which makes our lives easier, but we are still in rebellion against our Creator. People still want to have their own way, even when that way leads to their own destruction. We still have idols, which often take the form of money, power and popularity. We try to solve our problems through external systems while ignoring our own sinful natures. We are under the mistaken impression that electing this or that person to office, making more money, getting in shape, or getting a better job will somehow make things right again. It won’t. Our broken condition is spiritual and ultimately requires a spiritual solution. If you have never read the Bible, in its entirety, we encourage you to do so. We’ve read the Bible multiple times and try to incorporate it into our daily living, through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There are reading plans to help you complete it in a year or less and God’s Word will change your life for the better if you let it.
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