QT 31 Jan 17, Judg 6:28-31, If we believe in God, then we know that he knows best

Judges 6:28–31 (ESV) —

28 When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.”

NOTE: There is a downward descent in Israel, during the period of Judges, that this passage highlights. The Israelites are no longer just being pulled in by the culture around them, but now they are defending what is evil. Someone might argue that this is the destruction of personal property, although it is property that God made clear should not exist in the land. Later on in the story of Judges (near the end), they will defend rape and murder, showing the final end of the slide. This is what playing both sides does to a person--we start losing our ability to recognize right and wrong, all the while justifying it with some supposed "intellectual" argument, as if we were smarter than God. There is a reason the Creator established certain rules. As the creator, designer, and builder of our bodies, he knows what is best for us. We imperfectly guess what is best for us, but God knows what is best for us. When we claimed that something God has prohibited is really a good thing, we are saying that we know what is better for us than the person who created us. It is far better to stop playing games that we believe in God at that point, because it makes no sense to believe in God and to also believe we know what is better for our souls.