Unchecked Decay Series

Series: Spiritual Decay [#20]

UNCHECKED DECAY

Judges 21:1-25

Introduction:

This last chapter of Judges is a really sad and troubling story. It shows what happens when people forget God and do whatever they want. Their community starts to fall apart. We see a whole Tribe, Benjamin, almost wiped out, and the whole country of Israel in a mess. They try to fix things, but their fixes are also pretty messed up. This is a story about things falling apart when no one stops them.

As we look at Judges 21, we will see the bad results of not paying attention to God. We will see that when there's no good leadership, when people ignore God's rules, and when everyone just does "what felt right to them," things get worse and worse. It leads to fighting, unfairness, and even a strange solution that comes from being desperate, not from God. This chapter is a strong warning for us now. It shows us how dangerous it is to let sin and selfishness go unchecked. It reminds us that if we don't build our lives on God's truth, even our good tries can cause more harm.

Judges 21:1-6

Unchecked decay...

1. Leads to desperate and ungodly solutions.

This shows us what happens when people, or even just 1 person, stop following God's rules and promises. The Israelites, after their big fight, were in a panic because 1 of their tribes, Benjamin, was about to disappear. This happened because they made a quick, emotional promise before asking God what to do. This tells us that when a group of people gets lazy about doing what's right and starts to lose their moral compass, they stop knowing where to turn spiritually. They end up making choices based on their own fear and panic instead of listening to God's wisdom. It's like God is silent in this part of the story, which is a powerful message about how far people can get from God when they don't deal with sin and things falling apart. They stop asking God for help and try to fix things themselves, which shows they've stopped trusting that God can take care of them and fix what's broken.

In our everyday lives, this is a warning for all of us, whether we're on our own or part of a group. When we let our spiritual lives fall apart, (by not praying, reading the Bible, spending time with other believers, or admitting our wrongs) we make ourselves likely to make bad and desperate choices when trouble hits. This could look like cheating to solve money problems, lying and tricking people in our relationships, or dealing with stress in unhealthy ways. For a Church, letting things decay can cause arguments, focusing on human plans instead of growing closer to God, and eventually, not being a good example to others. The main takeaway is this- We need to actively deal with spiritual and moral problems by saying we're sorry to God, getting good advice, and purposefully relying on God. If we ignore the signs that things are falling apart, we will definitely end up in a tough spot that forces us to find solutions out of panic instead of trust in God.

Judges 21:7-15

Unchecked decay...

2. Fosters a culture of expediency over righteousness.

We see clearly how letting things fall apart in a group of people makes them care more about finding quick fixes than doing what's right in God's eyes. The Israelites had almost wiped out the Tribe of Benjamin and were stuck. They had promised not to let their daughters marry the remaining Benjamite men, but they had also promised to keep all the Tribes of Israel together. Their main worry was saving the Tribe, which sounds good; but how they went about it shows they were willing to bend God's rules. They attacked the people of Jabesh-gilead. They didn't do this because Jabesh-gilead had hurt them, but because they didn't show up for a meeting, which gave the Israelites an easy excuse. This attack, while it helped them find wives for the Benjamites, totally ignored how precious life is and the rules of fairness and right living that God expects. It shows a scary willingness to give up doing what's right just to get something done quickly, proving they had lost their way in understanding and following God's Law.

In our everyday lives, this idea of doing what's easy instead of what's right is a big deal for us and the groups we are part of. When we let things slide, (like not taking our faith seriously, not sticking to the truth, or not working on our relationships) we start caring more about what's convenient and what gets us results fast, instead of what is truly good and fair. Think about times we might be tempted to cheat a little to get ahead, or when we don't stand up for what we believe in to avoid trouble or get something for ourselves. This story warns us that these kinds of actions, even if they seem ok at the time, can make things worse morally and hurt other people. Just like the Israelites' quick fix involved fighting and trickery, our own easy choices can break trust, mess up relationships, and go against the very things we say we believe in. So, seeing how dangerous it is to let things decay unchecked means we need to actively build a way of living where we always try to do what's right according to God, even when it's hard or takes more effort.