The Danger of Self-delusion
The Danger of Self-delusion
Judges 21-26
“In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (26:25).
We live in the age of feelings. A new national survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that 74% of adults trust feelings over facts to discern moral truth, and two-thirds reject the belief that there is absolute moral truth. Today, the majority of people, including those who identify as Christians, believe in moral pluralism; that multiple, even contradictory, moral viewpoints can be valid. Even among those who identify as born-again Christians, only 32% believe in moral absolutes. Without any belief in absolute moral truth, the majority of people trust their emotional response to determine right from wrong. If the age of Enlightenment was the age of reason, today it is the age of feelings. If it feels right and feels good, it must be true.
However, the reliance on our feelings and desires to determine truth is not a new phenomenon. It was prevalent in the time of the judges. Verses 17:6 and again 21:25 serve to bracket the events described and provide the reason why Israel was descending into moral and spiritual chaos. As we come to the end of the book of Judges, two events serve to illustrate the degradation of Israel’s faith and morality that led to the spiritual collapse of the nation. The first reason was that “there was no king in Israel.” The issue was not that they did not have a human king, but that they had rejected God as their king. From the beginning, the nation of Israel was to be different from other nations. Instead of a monarchy, they were to be a theocracy where God was their king and they looked to Him for their protection and guidance. However, they rejected God and ceased to follow Him.
The second reason was a direct result of the first. Because there was no king, every man did what was right in his own eyes. This led to the moral and spiritual bankruptcy that characterized chapters 17 through 21. In these chapters, we see two illustrations of the ethical and spiritual debauchery that describe Israel. First, the nation descended into idolatry. Not only were they worshipping false gods, but a Levite, who were the designated priests of God, were leading the nation in the worship of idols. This reveals the depth of spiritual apostasy that Israel had descended into. The priests themselves were leading the nation in idolatry. Second, the nation descended into moral depravity. This was evident in the rape and murder of a Levite’s concubine. The callous response of the Levite to the rape and abuse of his combine demonstrates the moral decadence of the culture. As a result, the nation descended into civil war, which nearly led to the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin. By the end of the book of Judges, the nation was in spiritual, moral, and political ruins as it was marked by idolatry, immorality, and political division.
The book ends with the spiritual indictment that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes. When we abandon God, we abandon the basis for moral truth. God is a God of truth and holiness. He is the foundation upon which all moral truth is established. Morality is not the product of human reason and moral evolution; it is the product of a holy God who is the source of truth. His character dictates morality. Because He does not change, neither does His moral standard. In Romans 8:7, we discover “because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God.” In other words, moral law does not come from man, but from God. To reject God’s law is to place ourselves in a hostile relationship with His moral law and with Him. God’s character is not only the basis for truth, but He has communicated that truth to us (Romans 1:18-19). His law gives us life (Psalm 1, 19, 119). Moral clarity comes when we submit to God’s word. In our age of moral confusion, there is one source that we can turn to discover absolute truth, and that is God and His words. In them, we discover the foundation of life. When life becomes confusion, turn to God’s Word. It is the one source that gives us the answers to life we desperately need. To trust in ourselves and our moral compass leads to death (Prov. 14:12), but when we trust and obey God’s word, it leads to life (Isaiah 55:1-2).
Judges 21-26
“In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (26:25).
We live in the age of feelings. A new national survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that 74% of adults trust feelings over facts to discern moral truth, and two-thirds reject the belief that there is absolute moral truth. Today, the majority of people, including those who identify as Christians, believe in moral pluralism; that multiple, even contradictory, moral viewpoints can be valid. Even among those who identify as born-again Christians, only 32% believe in moral absolutes. Without any belief in absolute moral truth, the majority of people trust their emotional response to determine right from wrong. If the age of Enlightenment was the age of reason, today it is the age of feelings. If it feels right and feels good, it must be true.
However, the reliance on our feelings and desires to determine truth is not a new phenomenon. It was prevalent in the time of the judges. Verses 17:6 and again 21:25 serve to bracket the events described and provide the reason why Israel was descending into moral and spiritual chaos. As we come to the end of the book of Judges, two events serve to illustrate the degradation of Israel’s faith and morality that led to the spiritual collapse of the nation. The first reason was that “there was no king in Israel.” The issue was not that they did not have a human king, but that they had rejected God as their king. From the beginning, the nation of Israel was to be different from other nations. Instead of a monarchy, they were to be a theocracy where God was their king and they looked to Him for their protection and guidance. However, they rejected God and ceased to follow Him.
The second reason was a direct result of the first. Because there was no king, every man did what was right in his own eyes. This led to the moral and spiritual bankruptcy that characterized chapters 17 through 21. In these chapters, we see two illustrations of the ethical and spiritual debauchery that describe Israel. First, the nation descended into idolatry. Not only were they worshipping false gods, but a Levite, who were the designated priests of God, were leading the nation in the worship of idols. This reveals the depth of spiritual apostasy that Israel had descended into. The priests themselves were leading the nation in idolatry. Second, the nation descended into moral depravity. This was evident in the rape and murder of a Levite’s concubine. The callous response of the Levite to the rape and abuse of his combine demonstrates the moral decadence of the culture. As a result, the nation descended into civil war, which nearly led to the destruction of the tribe of Benjamin. By the end of the book of Judges, the nation was in spiritual, moral, and political ruins as it was marked by idolatry, immorality, and political division.
The book ends with the spiritual indictment that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes. When we abandon God, we abandon the basis for moral truth. God is a God of truth and holiness. He is the foundation upon which all moral truth is established. Morality is not the product of human reason and moral evolution; it is the product of a holy God who is the source of truth. His character dictates morality. Because He does not change, neither does His moral standard. In Romans 8:7, we discover “because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God.” In other words, moral law does not come from man, but from God. To reject God’s law is to place ourselves in a hostile relationship with His moral law and with Him. God’s character is not only the basis for truth, but He has communicated that truth to us (Romans 1:18-19). His law gives us life (Psalm 1, 19, 119). Moral clarity comes when we submit to God’s word. In our age of moral confusion, there is one source that we can turn to discover absolute truth, and that is God and His words. In them, we discover the foundation of life. When life becomes confusion, turn to God’s Word. It is the one source that gives us the answers to life we desperately need. To trust in ourselves and our moral compass leads to death (Prov. 14:12), but when we trust and obey God’s word, it leads to life (Isaiah 55:1-2).
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