Don't fall for the context logic
Judges (49) Do not fall into the logic of the situation (Judges 19:26-30)
< Lessons from the Gibeah incident >
When the Levite's concubine was killed by the gangsters of Gibeah, the Levite returned to his residence with her body on a donkey. Then he cut the concubine's body into twelve pieces with a sword and sent them to the four corners of Israel (verse 29). When the people of each tribe saw the fragments of the body, they were shocked and called an entire assembly of Israel to take action (verse 30). There are many lessons from the Gibeah incident, but I will consider only two of them.
1. Take a lesson from history
The Gibeah incident seems to be a reproduction of the Sodom incident in Genesis. In the past, Sodomites were annihilated by God's judgment for homosexuality, and thus the Dead Sea was created. Since the Dead Sea is located not far from Gibeah, the people of Gibeah must have often heard the historical sounds as they passed the Dead Sea. But few listened to it. It was because of their homosex that the entire tribe of Benjamin, to which Gibeah belonged, was later judged to be almost annihilated.
It is often said, “You must have a sense of history.” The more the word is mentioned, the more it is an era of historical transition. The period of the judges was such an era. It is very important to have such a sense of history. Because the attitude toward the past determines the attitude of today's life. In the end, historical consciousness determines the success or failure of future history and further determines the success or failure of personal blessings.
For example, when a business fails, some people do not reflect on the cause or meaning of failure with a fatalistic historical consciousness that “everything is up to us!” So, when he runs a business again, he gambles with his tomorrow in front of fate and fortune to catch one more chance. On the other hand, some people try not to repeat such mistakes when they start business again with a reflexive historical awareness that “the failure is due to the fault of that part!” We must have such a self-reflecting sense of history.
2. Don't fall for situational logic
As we go through life, we find many such situational logics. “If you want to make a living, you have no choice but to miss Sunday worship.” However, if you find a way to win even if you keep Sunday well, you can find it. In particular, such situational logic is often talked about in relation to material issues. In fact, how often do you use the phrase “I couldn’t help it” as an excuse for compromising with injustice in material matters?
If poverty makes people miserable, the biggest reason is probably because it makes people servile rather than because poverty makes people suffer from hunger. We also witness a lot of rain, who cannot sublimate poverty into the basis of new creation, and live as complaining about poverty, lamenting, and humiliating themselves. However, even if you are poor, you must not live a servile life. Even if you are poor, you must have holy arrogance to live uprightly and honestly. Never be swayed by situational logic.
Of course, it is not easy not to become servile when attacked by constant poverty. Maybe it's the realm of adults outside the limits of ordinary humans. Therefore, we must seek practical wisdom to escape poverty and make practical efforts. God is the God of blessings. There is no need to forcibly turn away from God's blessings. If you can share the wealth that God has given you with many people, that wealth is not to be blamed.