Psalm 12:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. 2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
NOTE: The period of Judges ended with Samson as the last Judge and then followed by an ugly and lurid story of the near destruction of one tribe, Benjamin. A repeated phrase ends the book:
Judges 21:25 (ESV) — 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Samuel is arguably the last judge of Israel. His name appears in the book of Samuel which is the start of the kings. He travels a circuit in Israel teaching the law. His sons were wicked men and Israel asks for a King. The nation hardly looks different than the world around it. Sin has engulfed the nation, and God chooses a man named Saul from the small remnant of Benjamin to lead Israel. But Saul was steeped in the culture of his time. The King does not lead the people to God. Spurgeon believes this Psalm was written during the reign of Saul when he gave the order to kill the priests for having given David bread and a sword.
Sometimes it seems as if things have never been worse for belief in the one true God. And as for the history of the United States, that statement is probably true. But Israel had many periods of outright rebellion and idol worship. There were evil men who ruled and no one stood up for what is right.
God knows the time. He sees the evil. He will judge the wicked. It is folly to ask "when?" His timing will be perfect.
PONDER:
- Am I discouraged by the sin of my time? I should be.
- Do I make excuses for my sin and others?
PRAYER: Father, forgive my nation for our sin. We have done evil in your sight. We have rebelled against even the most basic of commands. We lie, cheat, and steal from one another. Open the eyes of the nation to its wickedness. We have a sin problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment