ODJ: the downward spiral
July 3, 2011
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done (Romans 1:28).
READ: Judges 19
Lori, Tyler, and Bandit the dog were sitting on the couch. Tyler reached out to touch Bandit, and Bandit attacked him. In surprise, Tyler withdrew his hand. Alarmed, Lori reached out and put her hands around Bandit in a caressing, consoling way.
Cesar Millan, known as the Dog Whisperer, said to Lori, “I love dogs. . . . But I would never choose a dog over my son.” Lori had chosen her pet Chihuahua over her own flesh and blood! Stories like this make me wonder what’s gone wrong with our world.
In Judges 19, we read of an unnamed Levite. Though Levites were the priestly tribe in Israel, it’s obvious that some were as messed up as the people they were supposed to lead. You see, the Levite had a concubine. They quarreled and she ran to her father’s home (v.2). After 4 months, the man decided to go after her and win her back. He and his father-in-law got along well, and they spent 5 days visiting together. Finally, the couple decided to leave (v.10).
What happened next is revolting. We read of the perverted desires of a group of men in the city where the couple lodged, and of gang rape leading to murder. How could a man sacrifice a woman to save his own skin, and then summon her to get up from the ground when he found her in the morning? (vv.25-28).
Paul explains it in Romans 1:28-29, “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.”
Whether in the Judges’ era, Paul’s, or ours, unchecked sin can lead to a downward spiral of depravity. —Poh Fang Chia
What other examples of moral and spiritual collapse—where people chose sin instead of God’s way—can you recall? What sin do you need to deal with today?
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