A question was asked Pastor John from Judges 19 and it was phrased in terms of the title above.
In the following 13-minute video, Pastor John provided three reasons for the violence in the Bible.
[The following points are summarized highlights from the video; Piper’s words are used in part.]
- There two phrases in the book of Judges that provide a glimpse into the answer to this question, they are 1) in those days, there was no king in Israel; and 2) In those days, everyone did what was right in his own eyes
His big point under this heading was that the river of evil flowing from the human heart runs wild without the dam of civil authority to keep it from spilling over onto the entire earth.
[That statement reminded me of the summer of 2020, when the left allowed it to flow into society; I was also reminded of their soft-on-crime legislation that permitted smash-and-grabs to unsettle San Francisco; furthermore, in how they protect criminals and punish law-abiding citizenry.]
2. Because the Bible accurately reflects the violence in the world. The fall, in Genesis 3, resulted in God judging humans and the creation itself, as in Romans 8:20, subjecting the creation to futility.
God ordained that the effects of moral evil be permitted to impact mankind via physical evil, violence against him such as earthquakes, floods, famines, pandemics, wars…. Such things were a testimony to mankind that would enable him to understand God’s outrage against their sin.
- Revelation 13:8 talks about the Book of Life and the Lamb who was slaughtered before the foundation of the world.
The crucifixtion is the center or foundation of our faith; God established it upon this violent act.
Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
That is, God planned to save us through the death of His Son, through violence
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxszErfCwzo&list=LL
Episode 1530. Read or subscribe:
https://www.desiringgod.org/interview…