Chain Reaction (11 of 11)
Series: Unlikely Heroes of the Bible
Jim Perdue
Judges 19:21
Intro/Attention
Tonight, we finish up our series through the book of Judges. I entitled this series Unlikely Heroes of the Bible. And that may be true in some spots early in the book. But as we have continued our study, we are finding less heroic people and less heroic actions. In fact, in these last three chapters, it's tough to find a hero anywhere.
The closing three chapters in Judges are some of the most chilling in the Bible. The gruesome events we read about-which probably happened soon after the Israelites had taken possession of the Promised Land-expose the extent of the decay. READ 21:25
After reading these three chapters, if you were to scan your daily newspaper or weekly news magazine, you'd have to admit that times haven't changed too much. For in these closing pages of Judges you find reports of wife abuse, blatant homosexuality, gang rape leading to murder, injustice, brother killing brother, and even kidnapping. It's the kind of narrative that almost makes you agree with British essayist Samuel Johnson, who said back in 1783, ''I have lived to see things all as bad as they can be.'' What would he say today? Of course, events like these are the daily food of people who enjoy TV violence; and researchers tell us that what happens on the screens is often duplicated on the streets. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, there are five violent acts per hour in prime-time TV programs; and on Saturday mornings when the children watch cartoons, violent acts per hour multiply five times. When a nation is entertained by violence, is there much hope for that nation? When evil isn't dealt with properly, it has a tendency to grow.*
In the three remaining chapters, we see a story of War and Peace. But in fact, there's much more war than peace. Sin in the city of Gibeah eventually infected the tribe of Benjamin and led to war in ...
Series: Unlikely Heroes of the Bible
Jim Perdue
Judges 19:21
Intro/Attention
Tonight, we finish up our series through the book of Judges. I entitled this series Unlikely Heroes of the Bible. And that may be true in some spots early in the book. But as we have continued our study, we are finding less heroic people and less heroic actions. In fact, in these last three chapters, it's tough to find a hero anywhere.
The closing three chapters in Judges are some of the most chilling in the Bible. The gruesome events we read about-which probably happened soon after the Israelites had taken possession of the Promised Land-expose the extent of the decay. READ 21:25
After reading these three chapters, if you were to scan your daily newspaper or weekly news magazine, you'd have to admit that times haven't changed too much. For in these closing pages of Judges you find reports of wife abuse, blatant homosexuality, gang rape leading to murder, injustice, brother killing brother, and even kidnapping. It's the kind of narrative that almost makes you agree with British essayist Samuel Johnson, who said back in 1783, ''I have lived to see things all as bad as they can be.'' What would he say today? Of course, events like these are the daily food of people who enjoy TV violence; and researchers tell us that what happens on the screens is often duplicated on the streets. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, there are five violent acts per hour in prime-time TV programs; and on Saturday mornings when the children watch cartoons, violent acts per hour multiply five times. When a nation is entertained by violence, is there much hope for that nation? When evil isn't dealt with properly, it has a tendency to grow.*
In the three remaining chapters, we see a story of War and Peace. But in fact, there's much more war than peace. Sin in the city of Gibeah eventually infected the tribe of Benjamin and led to war in ...
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