Everyone did what was right in their own eyes // E todos faziam o que era certo aos seus proprios olhos
There is a chapter in the Bible that horrifies me every time I read it. I don’t even like to think about it. Strangely, I have been thinking about it since I read it: Judges chapter 19. I am not going to quote it. Why am I telling you this? First, I think this chapter of the Bible is intended to do exactly this: horrify us. We are supposed to become indignant, appalled, and sad—very sad. What happened in that chapter is the result of their choices, not one man’s choice, but Israel’s choices. They had chosen to betray their God. They turned their backs to God. So, did God punish them? No. God did not. God just let them be. “Israel had no king, and they did what was right in their own eyes.” They had decided they had no king. Not that a king would make much difference (we’ll see in the next books of the Bible). They rejected God as their King. They had forgotten about the Law. As we read this book, we see that every time they remember God, and ask for help, Go...