SUBNORMAL BEHAVIOR

Judges 20 SUBNORMAL BEHAVIOR One man out of touch with God and acting in the deception of the flesh, can cause more damage and suffering to the people of God than we could ever imagine. A Levite who should have been serving God but was moved by his own lust to take a woman who was not his wife. As a result of his own self-centered cowardice, she was terribly abused and killed. By his own perverted sense of justice, he caused the death of over 60,000 of his countrymen. One wonders at the person away from God who feels justified in creating havoc, bitterness and tragedy among God's people. Is he really a child of God? What ever happened to his mind and heart make him think this action he is determined to take could possibly be right? One thing we do know; the Lord hates lies, even under oath, and one who sows discord among his brethren.

The Levite in the self-righteousness of his own spiritual poverty, did what was "right in his own eyes," and appealed to the corporate identity of Israel to bring about his desire for revenge. Unless one party in a matter is willing to forgive, revenge, once it starts, is never satisfied. This man misrepresented the facts by leaving out his own selfishness and cowardly act and put a religious spin on the event. He did not admit his own failures and showed no sign of remorse for what he did. When one turns away from the standards of righteousness God has established in His word, it isn't long before spiritual discernment is lost. Then one becomes blind to his own guilt and looks for someone else to blame for the moral depravity that permeates a whole society, and soon, a whole nation.

It was not long before eleven of the tribes of Israel took matters into their own hands and did that which was "right in their own eyes." One person who is only concerned about himself and is blind to his own guilt, got others involved in this tragedy and soon had brethren united against one of their own tribes. Israel united to do what they wanted; not necessarily what God wanted. The people of Gibeah did not want to deal with the worthless "sons of Belial," and the tribe of Benjamin did not want to deal righteously with those of Gibeah. A misguided form of unity and lack of good judgment brings about consequences that go far beyond what we anticipate. To defend an unrighteous cause or person, and to be so self-assured that we don't go to God for guidance, is evidence that moral deterioration has permeated our assembly, family and/or nation.

The tribe of Benjamin foolishly refused to punish the guilty but actually defended them because they did that which was "right in their own eyes." The eleven tribes who said they will fight until Gibeah is destroyed, and those who didn't join in the fight would be killed - and even further said that no Israelite woman would ever marry a Benjamite, also did that which was "right in their own eyes." There doesn't seem to be any stopping the course of evil once we ignore the word of the Lord and begin taking things into our own hands. Brethren turn against brethren, even as the Israelites turned against the tribe of Benjamin. In a civil war, no one really wins when all is said and done. But in times of failure that end up in a battle in which serious casualties are taken, tears flow, an awareness of failure comes, and then an awareness of our need of God.

When casualties began to mount and two battles were lost, the Israelites got beyond the religious forms and got down to doing real business with God. When that happened, one man in touch with God, Phinehas, was able to step in and fill the gap between form and reality. Phinehas was tried and proven, and was finally listened to. Not only Benjamites were spiritually and morally sick, but because they refused to deal properly with the evil among them, they were completely defeated. When we get past a complacent attitude toward God, departure, decline and then depravity and get back to the Lord, there can be victory. However, 38,000 dead from the united tribes, and 25,100 dead Benjamites teach us that one self-centered man can create havoc, bitterness, tragedy and deep wounds that are almost impossible to heal.