Judges

If the book of Judges was a movie, it'd easily get an "R" rating, or perhaps something worse. Seriously, when people say that the Bible is boring and outdated, just direct them to Judges. They'll have to come up with a new complaint. The book's theme is fairly straightforward- in those days, the people did what was right in their own eyes. One of the funnier- not lol funny, but more sad kind of funny- passages is at the end of the book. The people are wondering why God seems to no longer be with them. As the reader, it's obvious, because I am sure it has something to do with their prostitution, genocide, idolatry, rape, sex trafficking and outright disregard for anything that resembles civilized behavior, much less behavior worthy of people who are called out to follow Yahweh.

And yet, I wonder how often I engage a similar question from time to time in my own life. Where is God? Why does it feel like he left? Asking similar questions without first examining my own life is going to be a pretty fruitless exercise. Not that I'm guilty of murdering a whole city or cutting up a body and sending it to the 12 tribes (oh read it, it's in there), but maybe, just maybe the times I encounter a spiritual distance be the result of something in my life?