Now in those there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
— Judges 21:25
All of the stories at the end of the book of Judges provide a good picture of how confused the situation was among God’s people at that time when it came to the worship of God! Where was the priesthood? How could a Levite function as a priest? How could Jehovah be worshiped with idols? We see how violent and immoral the people had become through the account of the Levite and his concubine. It is unbelievable that one tribe could even pray to God about going up against another tribe in battle. God may have given them permission, but was asking such a thing according to His heart? Was God happy with such intercession? Did He feel, “Yes, hallelujah, tomorrow you may slaughter each other some more”? This did not glorify God. Yet how often Christians approach God with prayers like this rather than with prayers that are after His heart!
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, pages 16-17.
Tomorrow: “God’s Leading or God’s Heart?”