Micah and the Levite, the tribe of Dan and the idol, the Levite and his concubine, Gibeah’s crime, and war between Israel and Benjamin. It’s as if the writer wishes to pile up, one after another, here at the end of the book, all this sin and all these catastrophes. What’s the adage? “Can it possibly get any worse?” And always it seems it can. It did in the days of Noah. It got much worse for Joseph before it got better. It seemed to go from bad to worse in the time of Moses. And the days of the judges? “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25). And now, these days? Not much has changed. That’s the bad news. The good news? “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness” (Psalm 130:3-4).
O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me. --Will L. Thompson (1880)
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