Does God really set up people to be condemned?

S: 1 Samuel 2:12-25 

²² Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting. ²³ He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear! You make Yahweh’s people disobey. ²⁵ If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will intercede for him?” Notwithstanding, they didn’t listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them.

O: At first glance, this sounds like God wanted to kill Hophni and Phinehas, so he didn’t let them listen to their father’s advice and repent.

However, Ezekiel 18:23 says “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord Yahweh, “and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?”

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Hophni and Phinehas were priests, raised with the Word of God. They knew that they were abusing the sacrifices, sleeping with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting and other abuses. They had plenty of teaching and warning, yet they continued in open rebellion against God. They’re not confused, badly-informed sinners, but hardened, defiant leaders.

Therefore, this isn’t saying that God wanted to kill them, so he made them not listen to Eli’s advice. It’s saying that God has pronounced the death penalty on them, because they had persistently refused to repent after many warnings. God does not arbitrarily make people stubborn. He hands over already-stubborn people to the consequences of their chosen rebellion.

So, the lesson for us is as stated in Hebrews 3:15: “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion.”

A: When God points out our sin, we need to repent immediately and not drag it out. Because of the grace of God, sometimes we feel like, “Sin now and repent later”. But that’s the wrong attitude to have. When we realise our sin, we need to repent now.

P: Father, I know I still sin. I need to repent immediately and not drag it out. Thank You for your forgiveness and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

When the World is on Fire: Finding Hope in Ruth

S: Judges 19-Ruth 2

O: The end of Judges tells us one horrible thing after another.

It starts with the Levite and his concubine avoiding “pagan Jebus” (Jerusalem) to stay in the seemingly safer Gibeah of Benjamin. Yet, these “believing Benjamites” commit the very sin God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah for. In fact, it is even worse, because they actually rape the poor girl to death

The “good” old man offers his daughter and the concubine to the mob—as a father of two daughters, I can’t imagine what kind of father would do that! Then the Levite pushes his concubine out the door, and the mob gang-rapes her to death!

Consider the Levite’s callous “Get up, and let’s get going!” in the morning. Then his outrage, calling the rest of Israel together to attack Benjamin.

They massacre all of Benjamin—men, women, and children—leaving only the 600 men who managed to escape to the rock of Rimmon. At first glance, Yahweh appears to endorse it, saying, “Go up against him.” But did He endorse the way they did it?

God can, in justice, authorise battle against a tribe that has collectively chosen to uphold such horror. However, the way Israel carries it out becomes wildly excessive and soaked in rage, not in holy, measured obedience. They ignored the Law of Moses, which says you only punish the person who committed the crime, not their relatives (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Then comes their remorse at having destroyed a tribe of Israel... and their “solution” is to kill everyone in Jabesh-Gilead to provide brides for the survivors! 🤦🏽‍♂️ They try to “fix” one sinful disaster by committing another atrocity. This shows a spiral: when people won’t break their foolish oaths or humble themselves, they will break God’s clear commands instead. Nothing about the Jabesh-Gilead plan looks like the wise, holy justice God later reveals in Jesus. It looks like panicked politicians trying to protect their own honour, no matter who else dies.

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.”

Then, a sharp scene change. We go straight into Ruth – traditionally thought to have also been written by Samuel.

This takes place around the same time, but suddenly we go from horrible sin, national unfaithfulness and tragedy, to zooming in on one family, and not just any family – a hybrid Israelite-Moabite family.

We go from 100 km/h speeding toward destruction to a sudden halt—a walking pace of 5 km/h. Wait a minute! In the midst of all this Israelite unfaithfulness, we see one Moabite woman who converted and is faithful to Yahweh, and one Israelite man who is faithful to Yahweh, and the compassion he shows to her.

There is still faithfulness. There is still love. And that love eventually results in King David, and ultimately, Jesus our Saviour.

A: The world today often feels like the end of Judges. The Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Israel-Palestine war. The Sudan civil war, and the horrible RSF atrocities there. The Burmese junta and civil war, bombing of civilians. Thailand vs Cambodia. The gang violence in Haiti.

It is easy to despair and feel helpless. However, Ruth and Boaz show us that even in the midst of national or international chaos, individual faithfulness matters. God is often working quietly in the background while the headlines scream disaster.

Even amid overwhelming chaos, our actions matter. Small faithfulness can ripple outward in ways we may never see.

This hits close to home. As Malaysians, we often ignore or look down on foreign workers or refugees, much like Ruth—a Moabite woman—might have been overlooked or despised in her society. Yet, Boaz noticed her and protected her. Let us be like Boaz. Let us stop ignoring the “strangers” in our midst and instead show them dignity, kindness, and compassion.

P: Father, as we live in this broken world, may we shine Your light. When the world feels like Judges, help us to live like Ruth and Boaz—witnesses of Your goodness in the everyday moments.

Open our eyes to those around us whom society overlooks. Give us the grace to treat the foreign workers and refugees in our nation with the same compassion Boaz showed Ruth. May our small acts of faithfulness ripple out for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

How many ways can you violate the Bible while claiming to worship Yahweh?

S: Judges 17-18

O: The story of Micah of Ephraim, Jonathan the grandson of Moses, and the tribe of Dan seems like an exercise in “How many ways can you violate the Bible while claiming to worship Yahweh?”

Micah steals silver from his mother. His mother curses the thief. Micah gives his mother back the money to avoid the curse. His mother says “May Yahweh bless my son” to break the curse, then proceeds to make the silver into an idol while saying she’s dedicating the silver to Yahweh! (Yahweh had explicitly said not to make idols!)

Then Micah made illegitimate priestly garments and other idols to go with it, made his son a priest, until Jonathan, a grandson of Moses, came along and he made him a priest instead, thinking that “Now I know that Yahweh will do good to me, since I have a Levite as my priest” as if that’s a lucky charm!

Then the Danites show up. They had not obeyed God to claim their territory, and their scouts took advantage of Micah’s hospitality. They even consulted Jonathan the priest and Jonathan said “Go in peace. Your way in which you go is before Yahweh.” Except it wasn’t. Instead of conquering the Canaanites God had told them to conquer, they went and attacked the peaceful city of Laish, simply because they were defenceless! They killed everyone there, and then invited Jonathan to come along and be their priest, stealing Micah’s idols, and threatening Micah when he tried to stop them. Sheer banditry, justified in the name of Yahweh!

As a result, Dan became an idolatrous province of Israel, all sanctioned by Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses! Even the lineage of Moses did not save them from this depravity.

A: I have to beware that I do not cloak my own selfish plans and actions with the cross of Jesus. Just like how the Crusaders justified their rape, pillage, and murder in the Middle East by cloaking atrocities with the name of Christ, we today might try to justify our own desires in the name of Christ.

If Micah, Jonathan, and Dan had merely consulted the Law of Moses, which was the part of the Bible they already had at that time, it would have been clear that what they were doing was wrong.

So it’s very important for us to keep studying the scriptures and bringing our minds into conformity with Christ. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2

P: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.