Judges 19 describes a time of great wickedness in Israel, when they had no king (v1) and every man did whatever was right in his eyes (Judges 21:25). This chapter follows the story of a Levite and his concubine who was unfaithful and had left him. After reconciling with her, they stopped by the Benjamite city of Gibeah on their way back to Ephraim. The subsequent events in Gibeah showed the depths of Man’s depravity and the sinful nature of the Israelites in the time of Judges.

The actions of the wicked men (v22) were eerily similar to that of the men in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:5). In this story, the Levite and the owner of the house were equally wicked, offering their own daughter and concubine so that they could save themselves from harm. Furthermore as a Levite, in addition to his unimaginable deeds, he had also neglected his priestly duties. The actions of these characters symbolise how far the Israelites have fallen since Joshua’s death, to the point where they are similar to the men in Sodom and Gomorrah.

For me, Judges 19 is a stark reminder of life without God at its centre. The book of Judges shows us what happens when Man does what is right in his own eyes. As humans, we are sinful by nature. Today, we are no better than the Israelites were back then. We have continued in this corruption of moral values and are seeing the same moral depravity in our modern society. When we have no “king” in our lives – when God is not at the centre of our lives, our lives will only reflect our sinful human nature.

In Galatians 5:16-17 Paul says: “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

While we may not encounter the severity of the actions in Judges 19 in our daily lives, it is important to remind ourselves to constantly walk by the Spirit so that we do not drift away from God. The Israelites in this chapter belonged to the new generation who did not know what God had done for Israel. Similarly, if we do not regularly walk with God in prayer and devotion, it is easy to forget God as the king in our lives.

Personally, it is the small distractions that are the most dangerous – like a few minutes of scrolling on my phone that suddenly becomes an hour, or feeling tired after a long day and deciding to forego my devotion and quiet time. These little things can have a snowball effect and have big impact on our spiritual lives.

I remember a saying that goes: “we are first Christians, before we are students / workers etc.”. Our top priority is to obey God as a Christian, and this sets the direction for our secondary identities in our school, workplace, homes and every other aspect of our lives. I hope this passage serves as an invitation for us to always keep God at the centre of our lives and to be intentional about walking closely with God daily. Let us not forget what God has done for us and His commandments for us as Christians.

Prayer : Dear Lord, I pray for the strength and wisdom to live a life that is centred around you. May You lead me to live a life that pleases and glorifies You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.