Judges 21:25
I’m sure you are familiar with the phrase, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” I think it is an appropriate one to apply to our present situation. In the book of Judges, the nation of Israel found itself headed down a path that our society is presently traveling. If you really want to understand the book of Judges, you need to read the last verse. It simply says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
During the time of the Judges, Israel had no leader or basis of authority. It was a time when truth was viewed as being relative. It was a time of situational ethics. The Israelites had rejected the rule of God, their rightful King, and each person became a law unto himself. The book of Judges is a warning of what can happen to a society of people that forsakes the Lord and His Word. In short, it presents us with a picture of societal collapse. When people reject God’s rule and seek to establish their own and create their own version of morality, chaos and destruction will always follow.
As dark and hopeless as it may seem, there is a silver lining. Each ‘judge’ that God raises up to deliver His people serves to point us to the ultimate Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ. Judges is a book that reminds us that we need a Savior. We need revealed truth. Jesus said that if we abide in His Word, we are His disciples indeed. We will know the truth, and the truth is what sets us free.
You can be sure that a world at its worst demands a church at its best. The light never shines brighter than when it is surrounded in darkness.
For more, read John 8:31-32
