The gut-wrenching history of Israel continues to unfold. Brother fighting against brother. Levites leading in idol worship. Levites being anything but compassionate to their own wives. Cutting up dead bodies. War.
And it's not like people get to this position over night. You do not go to bed walking with God and wake up the next morning a homosexual of Gibeah. The process is generally the same. A person, or group of people, moves from spiritual strength to mediocrity and finally to gratuitous sin. Israel lived this and the author of Hebrews warned against this.
The large scale response by the people of Israel was costly. Their response was the right thing to do; God told them daily to do it. But once the conscience has been seared you can count on either miraculous repentance or a fight to the death. What troubles me is this is not the case just of Gibeah in the past but is indicative of the church in America today. As a whole, we have moved from strength to mediocrity to gratuitious sin. We must rise up and seek God's will. How would God have us to deal with our time?
Our Father in heaven, bring great praise to Your name. Bring Your kingdom, speed the return of Christ to this earth. I long to see Your will done with joyous perfection. I want a heart that desires joyous devotion to Your will. Satisfy me and make me content with what I need. Give me forgiveness and make me forgiving. Open my eyes and give me strength that I might see and turn away from temptation. One glaring temptation is the temptation to remain mediocre in the church. Just keep the doors open. Just keep the lights on. Let people sin and let them all come in; but nobody wants to come in. God, raise up Your church in holy devotion to Christ our king. Satisfy us with the glorious of Christ so that we will persevere in our worship and witness. Make us men of courage. Make us women of service. May we do Your work and never walk in the ways of Gibeah.
Believing in Christ
Amen
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