[One-Verse Meditation]

Judges 19:1 (NIV) “In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.”

[Meditation]

Judges 19 begins with the tragic diagnosis, “In those days Israel had no king.” The figure symbolizing the spiritual bankruptcy of that era was none other than a ‘Levite.’ He, who was supposed to be in charge of God’s holiness, took a concubine according to his own desires. He abandoned his holy identity and acted ‘as he saw fit.’ Because he had no true king, he himself had become king.

This Levite’s story sounds a warning for us today, because without a king, everyone, without exception, does as they see fit. The world encourages this, promoting ‘do whatever you want’ as the highest value. But the Bible declares resolutely that without a king, there is ruin. It says that a life that does not have God as king is ultimately a failure and a downfall.

It is precisely because of this desperate reality that God sent us a true King: Jesus Christ. He seeks out people like this Levite, makes us His own, and sits on the throne of our lives. Seeing us live this way, the world scoffs, ‘Why do you live like that?’ But no. This submission is true joy and genuine freedom. Therefore, the happiness we enjoy is to live while singing to the Lord who came as King.

[Prayer]

King Jesus, please crucify the desire of my old self to ‘live as I see fit.’ May I make Your will the joy and desire of my life, and may this be a day of boasting and singing of being Your people. Amen.
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[Daily Reading]

Judges 19:1-15