Back to the Garden

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, Judges 6:1

Evil – How many times does it take to learn the lesson?  That seems to be the theme of the history of Israel in the book of Judges.  This verse expresses the common occurrence of Israel’s apostasy; all the more amazing since it comes on the heels of yet another divine rescue from disaster brought about by unfaithfulness to YHWH.  Perhaps the book of Judges is a lot more like our contemporary religious affirmation than we would like to believe.  Perhaps we need to pay a lot more attention to their constant return to the tree in the Garden.

The Hebrew word here is ra.  It is usually translated as evil, bad, what is inferior or poor in quality.  Immediately we see the problem.  What is evil is in the same category as Pilate’s famous question, “What is truth?”  From our perspective, evil is in the eye of the beholder.  What you consider bad is not always what I consider bad.  Individual taste and preference determine the matter.  Fortunately, the Bible doesn’t leave us with this preferential ambiguity.  In order to settle the matter, this word is often accompanied by the phrase “in the eyes of.”  Israel is measured not according to what they wished but rather according to what God revealed.  As Moses proclaimed, “This day I have set before you what is good and what is evil.”  In the final analysis, God determines what is good and what is evil.  How you and I feel about His choices doesn’t really matter, does it?  Isaiah makes it very clear.  “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.”  The moral absolute of good and evil is what God tells us.

So, what about that tree?  What does it have to do with determining good and evil?  Why was it so important for God to command Adam not to eat of that tree?  Perhaps the answer lies in the apparent subjectivity of good and evil.  Without the guidance of the moral absolutes of YHWH, every man actually does what is right in his own eyes.  People actually do call what is evil good.  Life really is a chaotic disharmony of competing preferences.  Eating of the tree disconnected Man from the divine distinction between good and evil by entertaining the option of the inner voice.  Instead of listening to YHWH, we decided to listen to ourselves.  And since we are not gods and were never designed to be gods, listening to our inner voices became the highway to hell.  We followed our hearts directly to destruction.

When we read this verse in Judges, there is a tendency to think that God is rather arbitrary in His indictment.  After all, we don’t really know what the Israelites did to offend God, do we?  The text doesn’t give any justification for God’s harsh punishment, and without justification, we might think that God’s decision was simply a matter of personal preference in the same way that our personal preferences often guide our decisions.  But this would be a serious mistake.  You see, doing what was evil in the sight of YHWH was quite clear because the Torah spelled out exactly what God expected.  Israel was punished because it ignored and disobeyed the direct instructions of God.  They listened to the siren call of the Tree instead of the voice of the Lord.

I wonder if we aren’t in precisely the same position.  Long ago our God delivered His instructions for living.  They are clear and certain.  But apparently we have decided that those instructions are simply a matter of personal preference.  We know better.  We listen to the “clear” inner voice.  Good luck to us.  We will definitely need it.

Topical Index:  Obedience