Judges 21:25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.
There are some things that everyone would agree are just plain wrong. But even as I write this, I know that there are still some who see the world upside down morally. So even things like rape and child abuse are not held to be evil by some people. But let’s not get off track so early in the post.
When there isn’t a common way of looking at the world in a society, that society starts to fall a part. We see right and wrong differently. We see justice and charity from different perspectives. There is a difference in the role of individual responsibility and governmental responsibility. And these differences create dividing lines.
Israel had a problem. They rejected the clear guidance the LORD had given them about how the People of God would conduct their lives in the Promised Land. They decided, just like the First Couple, that they could decide what was good and what was evil.
Four times in the last chapters of this book the same words appear. “…Everyone did as they saw fit.” Once the LORD was removed as the One to guide and direct behavior, all bets were off. They did the most horrid things to each other. They became the worst version of the people of the land that the LORD said they were not not be like. They mimicked and amplified the worst in the surrounding cultures. Their behavior became a disgrace even to the surrounding peoples. What a sad story.
So the whole reason for their calling was negated. They were called to be a people reflecting the character and greatess of the LORD to the people of the world. They were to be the best of humanity, submitted to His will and way of life. They were to be a cut above, not as a ground for boasting, but as a ground of humble example. They were to be holy as the LORD himself is holy.
They were supposed to be different because the LORD was different from other gods. His people were to reflect that difference in their lives. They failed.
Are we different from those around us? Do we live lives of holiness, set apart by the grace and mercy we have received and by the grace and mercy we extend to others?
The Arnold Journey 