The Depths of Depravity

Judges 19:30

"Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"

We approach one of the most distressing parts of the bible as we read the living life devotional today.

That is not to say that there aren't many, but that this episode in history is detailed and just offends our sensibilities. One key is that the bible is a composite book that includes many literary genres, spanning cultures in human co-authorship and therefore various writing styles, perspective and approach. Those facts really make it the greatest work of the ancient world and it is amazing that it all points to the story of God's reaching out to us ultimately through the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This often comes up as criticism to the character of the God of the Bible. Skeptics fail to understand that the Bible does not approve of everything it records. This is absolutely crucial to understand. In these passages the Bible records the brutal rape and murder of a young woman who was a Levite’s concubine. Moreover, the actions of the Levite are less than honorable, and the crime results in a vicious civil war within the nation of Israel. But a careful reading of the text will show no approval of the actions that took place, and no commendation from God for the Levite’s behaviour. This is the part of the Bible where it is simply recorded history, and that this shows how depraved humanity is or has become, and more importantly, will become, where moral relativism is the culturally dominant worldview. I certainly believe that everyone, Christian or not, is capable of moral living and good works, the only question is does it ultimately make sense? And that is there some sort of universal binding, beyond artificial convention against acting/behaving otherwise? Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky said via the skeptical character Ivan who concedes in The Brothers Karamazov that "Without God, everything is permissible.", more like "In those days, there was no king, everyone did what was right in his own eyes". And clearly we see that not even God was considered King in Israel in the Book of Judges in the lives of the people. That is to say, objective moral values can only exist if God exists. Objective moral standards that transcend time and cultures do exist, and it is found in the character of a Holy Father Who is Just, All-Good and All-Loving. Is this character consistent in the Bible, in its entirety? Absolutely. Now it is up to us to make Jesus Christ that King in our lives and our flawless High Priest, and influence much our communities to see Him in the same way as well.

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

~14.10.2013