(Judges 19:30)
Perhaps the most horrific chapter in Scripture, the nineteenth chapter of Judges, recounts the journey of a Levite, his concubine, his servant, and some donkeys from Bethlehem to the tabernacle at Shiloh in the hill country of Ephraim. The Levite's servant suggests that they spend a night of their journey in Jebus, however, the Levite refuses to stay in a Canaanite town, opting to stay in Gibeah located in the territory of Benjamin. Due to the lack of hospitality amongst the Benjamites, the party prepares to camp in the town square. An old man from Ephraim returning to his home after a long day of work sees the party and, worried for the party, insists that they stay with him in his house.
Shortly after arriving at the old man's home, men from the town swarm the home and demand that the old man give them the Levite man staying with him so that they can rape him. The old man pleads with the mob, and offers them his own virgin daughter and the Levite's concubine to rape instead of the Levite. However, this proposition does not satiate the crowd's desire to rape the Levite, so the Levite casts his concubine to the mob. The mob of men brutally violate the Levite's concubine throughout the night.
As morning begins to dawn, the wicked Israelites release their helpless victim. Having been violated all night, she staggers and stumbles all the way back to where her Levite master spent the night with the old man before she passes out. Her master opens the door to continue his journey (without her, perhaps) and he finds her at the threshold. Unsympathetically and unwilling to become ceremonially unclean by touching her, the Levite demands that the abused woman get up so that they can get going. However, his concubine does not answer either because she has passed out due to her wounds or she has died. The Levite is forced to pick up her body, place it upon his donkey, and return home.
When the Levite returns home, he takes his concubine, dismembers her into twelve pieces, and sends pieces of her body to every tribe of Israel. In the following chapter, the Levite recounts his story to the leaders of the tribes of Israel, omitting the Benjamites desire to rape him and his crime of casting his concubine into their wicked midst. Bruce Waltke explains that, "(The Levite) gives the impression she died from the rape, but she may have died on the way home from his neglect or been murdered by him when he dismembered her" (Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, 2007). Waltke (2007) also points out that the Levite accuses the citizens of Gibeah rather than the wicked men in the town. Civil war against the tribe of Benjamin ensues along with a national vow not to marry Benjamite women. In an effort to ensure that the tribe of Benjamin is not erased from the tribes of Israel, the Israelites slaughter Jabesh Gilead, spare four hundred virgins, and give them to the six hundred Benjamites that survived the civil war. Waltke (2007) points out that, "They murder a whole city after finding Gibeah guilty of murdering a single woman." The problem of providing the tribe of Benjamin with a future in Israel persists, however, and the remaining two hundred Benjamite bachelors are encouraged to steal Canaanite virgins dancing in a cultic ritual in Shiloh.
This disturbing episode of Israel sets the stage for Samuel and King David to enter the historic stage. Bruce Waltke (2007) shows how the book of Judges should serve as a warning to the church today:
"Neglect of herem (war) is only the beginning of neglecting God's law. Eventually the nation falls into total anarchy because it loses its inspired catechism. This is partially so because the nation's leadership fails. Levites, who should have taught the nation the Catechism, become materialistic and opportunist, neglecting the word of God and not teaching the people. Gifted warlords, who should have furthered the kingdom of God, degenerate into leaders motivated by self-protection and/or a desire to secure their own political power bases and/or to revenge themselves. Political leaders without God's Torah become moral fools, doing what is right in their own eyes. Parents also fail in knowing the Law and are either unable or unwilling to communicate their faith to their children. Generations grow up not knowing I AM or his Word." (p. 618)
A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Gal. 5:9). In Joshua, Israel's conquest to purify the Promised Land of the wicked Canaanites is met with success and is evidence of their fidelity to God and His commandments. Judges, on the other hand, demonstrates the tragic result of lackadaisical Israel's growing infidelity to God and a deep-rooted tendency to embrace the Canaanites and their idolatry rather than destroy them. Israel's turning away from God and embracing pagan culture and gods reaches its climax in the last chapters of Judges. Unfortunately, Israel would not learn their lesson in previous generations despite the faithfulness of several prophets, priests, and kings.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
(Galatians 4:4-9)
Pornography, like so many other sins, is an off-shoot of a deeply rooted sin in the human heart. This root was planted by Adam in the Garden of Eden, and has plagued, enslaved, and cursed humanity ever since. Although Adam's sin was eating that which God commanded him not to eat, this sin was deeply rooted in Adam's deep desire to be like God, or a god to himself. Underlying all sin is man's desire to usurp God's authority over his life, scratch out God's copyright, and be in charge of his own life without God's say-so. All sin stems from man's fallen, hardened, deceitful, and dead heart that desires to cast off the yoke of God and be free to do as it pleases, knowing what is best for itself.
Pornography flies in the face of what God created in so many terrible ways. When viewing pornography, the notion never passes your mind that you are watching God's creation, image bearers of God, participating in an act that is completely contrary to God's revealed will for man and woman. Why is that? It is because you want to be freed of God's constrictive Law and authority over your life. In essence, you are another Adam in another Garden of Eden with another tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are so focused on the one tree that God has forbidden you from eating that you are completely ignorant of all the beautiful fruits and nectars at your fingertips. You want forbidden love only because God has forbidden it, although God has afforded and offered you a world of opportunity to find a man or woman to seek after and join together in a blessed covenant of marriage.
Man has this behavior and disposition to sin hardwired into his thinking and it is evident in every form of sin, not just pornography. Despite God's promises of life and that everlasting if we follow His commands, we cannot keep our eyes on God for one second without wishing to divert them to our own wants and desires. Thus Israel's predicament at the end of Judges. Despite seeing God's blessing on them as a nation after Joshua's (the Hebrew form of the Greek word: Jesus) conquest of Canaan, they quickly forgot the Word of God, and turned to their own hearts' desire rather than God's revealed will for them. At first, they turned a blind eye to the encroaching sins of the Canaanites. They didn't conquer the Canaanites completely as God had commanded, but due to many mistakes, they even allowed the Canaanites to dwell within them. The leaven began to spread, and before Israel knew what happened, they were now partaking in the wickedness of the Canaanites. In many ways, they had become more corrupt and wicked than the people God commanded them to destroy. Therefore, the stage was set for a faithful King and conqueror to vanquish Israel of the Canaanite plague, return fidelity to the nation of Israel, and restore Israel as the chosen and holy people of God Almighty. And no, I'm not talking about King David. I speak of the King of kings, the great High Priest, and the very Word of God incarnate: Jesus Christ.
"When you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?"
Christians, the name of God has been placed upon us in our baptisms. We are the adopted sons of God. We are not only called God's people, like chosen Israel, but we are called sons and daughters of the Creator of all things, having been adopted in Christ. As Paul challenges us, how can we know God, or rather be known by God, and turn back again to the worthless elementary principles of the world and enslave ourselves once more to these principles? How can we testify of the conquest of the Holy Spirit in our hearts like the conquest of Canaan, and then seek to evict the Holy Spirit from our sanctified hearts and turn once more to assimilate the dwelling place of God into the customs of the Canaanites? Christ Jesus died on a cross so that we could be free once and forevermore of our sinful disposition to rebel against God, who spared not His only begotten Son so that we might be adopted as sons and know Him as our gracious and loving Father. How can we see God as our gracious Father and still rebel against Him, rejecting our adoption, rejecting Christ's death on the cross to ransom us from our sins, and mourning the Holy Spirit who now dwells in us as the holy temple of God?
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
(1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Look at Israel's history preceding the last few chapters of Judges. Despite God's countless mercies and miracles on Israel's behalf, they still forgot God and minimized His holy Law. Thus, the condition of the human heart after the Fall. Despite God's goodness towards His creation, despite His great works, despite His holy Word, and even despite His death on a cross to redeem His creation from the stain and rebellion of sin, our eyes remain shut to Him. Christ Jesus is the only savior sufficient to cover the stain of sin in our lives and replace it with insurmountable obedience and righteousness, and we only know Christ by faith, graciously given to us by our Heavenly Father.
For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
(Romans 10:13-17)
Christians, the church today should not be plagued by the same problems that plagued the Israelites in Judges. Unlike Israel in Judges, the church today is not prone to backsliding due to their inability to obey God, but rather, we are buttressed against all forms of sinfulness by the blood of Christ graciously poured out for us and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit conforming our lives to His perfect image. We have no reason to backslide as the Israelites did throughout Judges. We do not lack the spiritual guidance and leader they did. We do not lack the completed revelation of the Word of God that they did. We do not lack the revelation of a holy savior, the Lamb of God, as they did.
And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
(Luke 12:47-48)
Should it not deeply concern God's people when evidence of the wickedness of the nations that surrounds us is revealed to dwell in our own midst? Shouldn't the problem of pornographers in the pews and even behind the pulpits of Christ's church be cause for alarm? How has it gotten this bad? How can we claim that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to transform lives to the world, and yet witness an internal, cancerous decaying of the body of Christ due to sexual immorality grow and grow? What must it take in order to get us to open our eyes and face the enemy at the gates?
Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.
Israel received one of their eye-openers in Judges, and their reaction to the problem only further elaborated the wickedness that ran rampant throughout the land. Similarly, we see a problem in the church today, and it is time we consider it, take counsel, and speak. However, our reaction to the problem and our approach to eliminating it is more crucial than anything else. Our natural tendencies, much like Israel's reaction, is a witch hunt. The finger pointing takes place, civil war ensues, innocent people get hurt in the crossfire, and the problem only consumes us rather than us eradicating it. Therefore, we must consider the problem, take counsel, and speak lest we make the same mistake Israel did.
Consider it:
What is the problem underlying every superficial problem on the surface? The tribe of Benjamin wasn't Israel's problem. The men who performed the most heinous act in Israel's history at the time were not the underlying problem. These men were influenced by the wicked customs and gods of the pagan Canaanites that lived in their midst. The Canaanites lived within their midst because the people of Israel didn't obey God's command to destroy the Canaanites throughout the land. The Israelites didn't obey the commands of God because they turned their back on His Law and failed to teach it to their children and their children's children. The underlying problem in Israel was turning away from God, neglecting His Word, and failing to live according to His revealed will. This is, arguably, the same problem underlying every sinful problem that the church is struggling with today. We have turned away from the Gospel and embraced the world that surrounds us. The church's new message is God wants us to be happy, healthy, rich, and love everyone just as they are. We have turned away from the Law of God and more importantly, we have rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ is no longer preached from behind the pulpit, and in His place pastors preach health, wealth, prosperity, and happiness. God wants you to be happy, no matter what! That's the new "gospel" and it's really bad news. Instead of being a light to the world, many churches are being consumed by the darkness of the world. The Gospel of Christ separates the church from the world, and without it, the world will only continue to creep into the church unabated.
Take Counsel:
The church today does not have to re-invent the wheel. This is not a new problem. This problem has been dealt with successfully and unsuccessfully countless times before. History provides numerous lessons that we would benefit from if we would only consider their counsel. Not only can we benefit from Israel's history and the early church's history as it is revealed in the Scriptures, but we have over two thousand years of church history to turn to for counsel. And without exception, every historical success of reformation stemmed from church-wide penitence and a return to God's Word and God's gracious Gospel. If we would only take counsel from God's Word, then half the problem would already be fixed. If we would turn to prayer as a church and further seek God's wisdom as it is revealed in His Word then we would be well on our way.
Speak:
This cannot remain a silent problem. Looking through redemptive history and church history, it was those who spoke up about the problems they saw rampant throughout Israel and the church that were the greatest catalysts for reformation. They did not only speak, but they admonished, encouraged, and preached Christ and Him crucified. Men considered the problem, they took counsel in God's Word, and they were outspoken about the problem and the solution. If you recognize a problem, detest it, and yet keep your mouth shut, then you are not solving the problem but ignoring it, allowing it to get worse. Especially today, everyone has a voice. Whether it is oral or written, we all have access to the very same instrument that the enemy is utilizing to spread the problem of pornography on a global scale. It took more than one pornographic video to get us into this mess, and it is going to take more than one voice to challenge the church to get seek God's counsel in how to get out of it. Either you raise your voice with God's people, or you passively contribute to the spread of a larger and louder voice that seeks the destruction of everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
(1 John 2:10-17)
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