Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Judges 19 and Psalm 42

Judges 19:1 echoes the refrain of chapters 17-18, “There was no king in Israel”. That doesn’t only mean that there was no earthly king. It also informs us that even God was not given His proper honour as King of His people. That certainly showed! The events that unfolded in the rest of this chapter are so horrifying that the commentator F.B. Meyer actually recommended not reading it. In relation to v.1, he wrote: “It will be sufficient to ponder these words (“there was no king in Israel”) … without reading further in this terrible chapter which shows the depths of the depravity to which we may sink apart from the grace of God.” The details of the mob’s demands so closely mirror those of in Genesis 19:5 that the conclusion is clear – during the time of the Judges, Israel was as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah.

The abslute disregard for God displayed by the men of the tribe of Benjamin in the town of Gibeah, and the sins to which that disregard leads, stand in stark contrast to the attitude of Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Rather than the cold disregard for God revealed by the horrendously sinful living we see in Judges 19, our attitude should be one of zeal for God and for His presence, lordship and righteousness in our lives. This passionate surrender to God will lead to the sort of holy living God desires of us.

Heavenly Father, help me to heed the warnings of the book of Judges. I choose to enthrone You as God over every aspect of my life today, and to pursue Your presence with passion. Holy Spirit, inspire and empower my pursuit of the Father’s presence, and fire my passion for living a life that is pleasing to the Father. Amen.