Christ in Chaos

December 20, 2022

The early period of Israel’s history is often confusing and contradictory. I just finished reading the book of Judges once more; at this time in their history, they are a loose confederation of tribes, part of a major migration into Palestine that was anything but peaceful. The previous inhabitants naturally resisted, and the picture painted in this particular book is a mixed bag of success and failure. The conquest that sounded so complete in the book of Joshua turns out to have been anything but; the various tribes of Israel managed to conquer the highlands, but those living in the plains had iron chariots, what would have amounted to a combination of cavalry and tanks, against the invaders’ infantry. 

There were continual skirmishes, both against the native in habitants and other outside invaders who were themselves looking for a piece of Palestinian pie. The whole situation was pretty fluid for many years, as mastery see-sawed back and forth between the indigenous people and the Israelites. The chaos of the time is reflected in the phrase, “at that time, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:22)

So finally, the people decided that it wasn’t enough for them to be serially delivered from oppression by a succession of charismatic leaders called judges; instead, they wanted a king “like all the nations.” (I Samuel 8:20), a request God granted reluctantly. There is a confusing interplay here. The lack of a king was a clear detriment to the people; it meant chaos; everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” but against this obvious support for a royal line is the word that God told Samuel: “They have not rejected you, but me.” (1 Samuel 8:7). 

It’s almost like present day politics. If you are Democrat, you believe the Republicans are the worst enemies of democracy; if you are Republican, you feel the same about the Democrats. Your vision of the state of the country depends not upon the realities of the situation, but upon your interpretation of the events. The same situation existed in the stories of the Judges and 1 Samuel, but with one notable difference.

In 1 Samuel 12:13, God tells the people, “Now here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you.” God’s reluctance to give them a king was clear, but their decision, even though not God’s desire, was God’s doing. God is sovereign, and even in situations we don’t understand, and which are contradictory and destructive, God is at work. He takes bad decisions and bad situations, and works through them. This verse is the Old Testament way of saying what Paul said in Romans 8:28—“God works all things for the good to them who love him and are called according to his purpose.” The things themselves may not be good, but God brings good out of them. Whether it is the death of Jesus (bad) out of which comes our salvation (good), or the cancer my son is battling (bad), which has become a platform for his testimony of the faithfulness of God, and through which people have actually come to Christ (good). 

Trust in God. Put your faith in Jesus, and the crazy patchwork of your life he will rearrange into a beautiful tapestry of his love. Present yourself to him in your confusion, fears, and pain, and watch him create something new and beautiful out of it.