April 5th

Judges 16:1-18:31

As a whole, the nation of Israel has betrayed its covenant with God. This compromise is evident in every story of Judges. You witnessed it again in the sad story of Samson, the maddening mess of Micah and his mom, and the discourteous deeds of the Danites. The book reads like a contemporary television show. How droll and depressing! Is there not someone who stands for godliness, righteousness, or justice?

What is on display in these unfortunate stories is the truth that belief affects practice. One’s doctrine influences one’s deeds. One’s view of God, whether high or low or even non-existent, will affect one’s view of everything else, including how he lives. A healthy fear of God leads to faithful obedience to God, while a separation from God leads to sins against God and a stroll down the path of self-destruction.

Isn’t it interesting that the political chaos that is pictured during this time — there was no king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes — was produced by the immorality of the people, which was linked to their religious beliefs? It started with idolatry and the worship of false gods, which led the people to perform all manner of immorality and injustice.

God called His people to separate from the world, yet Samson chose to separate from God and, instead, embrace the world. Rather than stand against the paganism of his day, he was sleeping with the enemy. In the end, he ended up bare, blind, and bound. Micah separated from the Lord, then stole from his mother, set up an idol, and secured for himself a Levite to be his personal priest; and, the Danites abandoned the Lord, abused Micah and his family, and then affirmed idolatry in their tribe for generations to come. Belief affects practice. Behavior follows belief. Sin follows separation.

Daily Reflection

All of these stories hinge on a relationship with God. Allowing distance, apathy, or separation to occur in that relationship is detrimental. How do you prevent these from occurring?

One of the first lies the enemy dares you to believe is the one that says, “The grass is greener on the other side.” Have you ever fallen into this trap? How so? What can you do in the future to avoid this pitfall?

The Gospel — your relationship with the Lord — is more than just dealing with your sins, making you right before God, or securing your future. Your understanding of the Gospel should affect how you live. Your behavior follows your beliefs. Focus first on your relationship with the Lord. Everything else will fall in line.

BiAY.org | Day 95 — 270 Days to Go