Judges 19.29-30 29 When he reached home, he took a knife
and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into
all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another,
“Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites
came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!” (NIV)
Call me morbidly fascinated, but this story always gets
my attention. It is weird, tragic and gruesome – and it’s right there in black
and white for everyone to read. It’s in the Bible.
The book of Judges is a tragic, weird, and gruesome
narrative of a nation that turned its back on the Lord. Now, they didn’t
completely fall away because there is some indication that they still believed
in God; but there is every indication that they just didn’t accept Him as their
“Final Answer”. God to the nation of Israel in Judges is much like God to Americans
today – we need Him when we’re in trouble but forget Him when times are good.
Now that’s not to say that everyone in Israel rejected or
neglected God. Surely some were faithful. But mostly, God was a non-issue as
far as practice and belief to those people. (Sounds an awful lot like us!) And
so, it took a maggot-infested, putrid, mutilated corpse to get their attention.
They were shocked. Who wouldn’t be? (I wonder who got what parts…)
Well, what’s the point? What does it matter that some 3300
years ago, this event took place? As far as my salvation is concerned, what
does it matter? Why even write about such a thing? Holy Spirit, what are You communicating?
I don’t have that answer; but I’ll bet you aren’t surprised that I have some
opinions.
I think this story speaks of the depths we can plunge to
when we decide we like God but don’t
want to be like God. I think this is
no different than the (nice, polite, churchgoing) ‘Christian’ family that is
emotionally brutalized by divorce, adultery, or child abuse. I think this is no
different than when we (culturally) are more interested in our pleasures
instead of our passions. (Or, our passions are our pleasures.) I think this is
no different than the person who is plagued by this or that, but rather than
call out to the Lord, decides: I can handle this on my own! I'll do as I see fit.
The reality is we are doomed to whatever whenever we marginalize God. Ancient Israel did it, and it
took a mutilated corpse to put their deadly marginalization into clear focus. What
ensued was a bloody civil war. What resulted was the last sentence of Judges: In
those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. The King they were
missing was God.
I am learning (albeit ever so slowly) that when I
marginalize God I simply attempt to raise my throne above His. I’m learning
that to ignore God and then do as I see fit is uncomfortable at best, and
deadly at worst. I’m learning that as I let go and let God that I don’t let go
of God lest I place my pathetic butt on a throne that is impotent to assure my
deepest satisfaction in life.
And so, Father, I pray these words and ask grace to live
them – honoring You as my Present King as I do:
I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.
I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their pow’r when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.
I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.
Annie S. Hawks, 1872
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