The Moral State of God's People Exposed
Judges 19, 20, and 21.
From
"An Outline of Joshua, Judges etc."
From the beginning of chapter 17 to the end of the book
there are incidents which expose the moral state of the people of God in a very
sad way. Perhaps the greater evil comes first, that is, the connecting of
idolatry with the Name of Jehovah; that is the greatest evil possible, but it
did not awaken anything like the indignation that was aroused in Israel by the
moral corruption that came to light in Gibeah. There are things against which
the natural conscience revolts, and everybody would rise up against them, but
those are not the worst things. An offence directly against God in holy things
is the worst possible evil. There was no gathering of all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba in connection with idolatry in the house of Micah, furthered by a
grandson of Moses. It might have been expected that such a thing would rouse
all Israel as one man, but it did not.
This history shows that we are
more likely to be roused by something that offends moral propriety than by
something that touches directly the service and the glory of the Lord. The
natural conscience can take account of the former, but it needs real love for
God to feel deeply what sets God aside, and what is due to Himself among the
people. What was done was very dreadful; it was the result, no doubt, of the
association of the people with the Canaanites, and they had learned their
abominable ways. It was, as Scripture says, "lewdness and villainy in Israel";
all that the people said about it was true. So they all assembled unto Jehovah
in Mizpah and the gathering was spoken of as the congregation of the people of
God.
Dreadful as their state was, there was enough conscience left in
them to be shocked at this gross wickedness. They used right terms about it.
The Levite said, "They have committed lewdness and villainy in Israel", verse
6; and in the end of verse 10 the people said, "according to all the villainy
that they have wrought in Israel", and in verse 13 they spoke of putting away
evil "from Israel". But we often say right things without feeling them at all.
They did not feel it as the sin of Israel, but as the sin of Gibeah. If they
had felt it as the sin of Israel, they would all have been on their faces
before God, confessing it as their own sin. They took it up in a way God could
not support; they did not feel it, though they said what was right. There was a
natural indignation about what was manifestly wicked, which was not the fruit
of communion with God at all. There was no sign of their being humbled before
God. They did not seek direction; they decided what they would do; they say, It
cannot be tolerated; we must go and execute judgment on them at once. It was
right, but they were not moving with God in it. So, while this evil was dealt
with in faithfulness, yet it was only through much chastisement that the people
were brought into such a state that God could be with them in what they were
doing. Even then they had to go through the deepest sorrow about it, and
realise that the thing had been handled in such a way that they nearly lost a
tribe out of Israel. They did not take it up as the sin of Israel; they might
have learned from the case of Achan when Jehovah said, "Israel hath sinned",
and He held all Israel responsible. It should have been taken up as an assembly
exercise.
If anything happens among the people of God that is
unbecoming and offensive (there are some things offensive to the natural
conscience), the first exercise should be that such a thing has transpired in
Israel, so that it is for Israel to be humbled about it, to take up its shame
and sorrow in deep humiliation with God. One can quite concieve that, if they
had done so, it might have had a great effect on Benjamin; they would have
said, 'Why, they are all breaking their hearts in sorrow about what we have
done, and confessing our sin as if it had been their own'! I think it would
have touched them.
This is a very important consideration for us about
all disciplinary action, that is, as to our condition of soul in dealing with
it, whether we are really with God in dealing with it. When there is anything
glaringly wrong it is easy to say it is wrong and must be judged, but am I
really with God in doing it? This is a searching exercise for us, because it is
easy to see ten thousand things that are wrong, and many that are grossly
offensive, but how do we feel them? Paul says to the Corinthians, "Ye have not
rather mourned", 1 Corinthians 5:2. Even though they did not know how to deal
with the wicked person, if they had mourned, the Lord would have dealt with
him. Israel had to go through sorrow and very much exercise; they had to weep
and fast, and bring burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and to recognise that
after all Benjamin was their brother. Then they had to be severely chastened;
22,000 of them were killed in one day, and 18,000 on the next day. They were
doing what was right, but God did not support their action. They were so
indignant that they put themselves under a solemn oath to deal with it in the
most drastic fashion, but they were not with God.
Then we see a very
much worse condition in Benjamin. It was not the whole tribe that was guilty,
but certain sons of Belial in a certain city; yet the whole tribe of Benjamin
refused to judge the matter, and that was worse than the sin; to refuse to
judge the evil is worse than the sin itself. Someone asked Mr. Darby how much
evil would justify one in leaving a company of Christians, and he answered, No
amount of evil would justify anyone in separating from any company of
Christians, but the refusal to judge the least bit of evil would justify
separation. It is important to understand that. Evil may come in anywhere, but,
if it comes in, it must be judged. The holiness of God and the righteousness of
His throne demand judgment, and, if we refuse to judge, everything is
forfeited. Benjamin refused to judge the evil; they would not deliver up these
sons of Belial, so Benjamin came under the avenging stroke that was really
divine justice.
There is twice an appeal to the whole company to
deliberate and give counsel. It is sometimes easier to do that than to ask
counsel of God. We do not find that they enquired before they decided their
course. This represents a state of things, no doubt, very likely to be found in
the last days of the church. There may be a certain indignation about that
which is wrong, and faithful dealing with it, and yet it may not be handled in
a spiritual way, and the result may be very solemn. ...
There is often
a refusal to judge things on the part of even chosen men. They are very
accurate men too; they could sling stones at a hair and not miss. How sad that
men like that should refuse to judge what is evil! It is sad to see better men
than ourselves who are not prepared to judge what is manifestly evil. We ought
to feel it. I have seen it able men, accurate men, chosen men the
more excellent they are, the more we should feel it if they are not prepared to
judge evil. We see earnest, devoted and godly men, not prepared to judge what
is evil, and we ought to feel it much. ...
Self-righteousness can come
in in a very subtle way, even in connection with the judgment of evil. If I am
on the line of 'You are wrong, and I am right', that is pure
self-righteousness, and that is just the point God had to bring the people to.
They had to be brought to the house of God, to Bethel, to weep and fast, and
offer burnt-offerings and peace offerings. They had to come to the foundation
on which they stood with God, and the foundation on which they could go on with
one another, and that is the death of Christ. It is not that Benjamin is wrong
and I am right; that is not the point.
When they went to Phinehas they
brought the burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. A remarkable cluster of ideas
is brought forward; the ark of the covenant and Phinehas are there. Now
Phinehas was a man who in his day executed summary judgment on what was evil.
No man in Scripture was more noted than Phinehas for judgment of evil; he
judged it unsparingly, but God says of him, "He was jealous with my jealousy",
Numbers 22:11. We have to be brought to this, that we are not jealous with
natural indignation, but with God's jealousy. We have to ask when we judge any
kind of evil, Is this my jealousy or God's? If we have God's jealousy we shall
have a blessed sense of the burnt-offerings, the peace-offerings, and the ark
of the covenant. These are fine things to take account of when discipline is on
hand. Phinehas had the covenant of the everlasting priesthood; he was entirely
apart from any human motives; he took the javelin in his hand in jealousy for
God; there was no natural indignation with him at all, but holy, priestly, and
spiritual indignation. We have to come to that. A man of the world can judge
what is wrong, for men have their code of good and evil, but God says to His
people, I want you to judge it with Me I want you to be in communion
with Me about it, and judge it far more deeply than you would judge it with
your natural conscience. Paul was the Phinehas of the New Testament.
On what ground are we? If we are going on with God it is on the ground of the
value of the burnt-offering; we are with God entirely on the ground of the
death of Christ. We are with the brethren on the ground of the peace-offering;
that is the death of Christ in another aspect. That preserves us from any
feelings of self-righteousness when judging evil. If not, we shall have the
spirit of self-righteousness; I should say, That brother is wrong, and I am
right. God will not have that spirit. ...
These closing chapters give
us the moral state of Israel generally. It is not like a political history,
under judges, but they are incidents brought in to show us the actual moral
state of the people, how far they were from God, even in judging evil; they
were doing what was right in their own eyes. All this is very exercising for
us. This would not be put in God's word if we did not need it.
From
An Outline of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, by
C. A. Coates. Pages 184-191.
"Take heed therefore to yourselves, and
to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers, to shepherd
the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own. For I
know this, that there will come in amongst you after my departure grievous
wolves, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall rise up men
speaking perverted things to draw away the disciples after them. Wherefore
watch, remembering that for three years, night and day, I ceased not
admonishing each one of you with tears. And now I commit you to God, and to the
word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give to you an inheritance
among all the sanctified. I have coveted the silver or gold or clothing of no
one. Yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my wants, and to those
who were with me. I have shewed you all things, that thus labouring we ought to
come in aid of the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he
himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:28-35.