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July 17, 2025 14 mins

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Have you ever watched something spiral so far out of control that it made you sick to your stomach? That's exactly what the final chapters of Judges feel like—a society in complete moral freefall. 

Diving into Judges 17-21, we confront some of the Bible's most disturbing passages—stories filled with idol worship, sexual violence, tribal warfare, and moral chaos. These chapters repeat a haunting refrain: "In those days Israel had no king, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes." For the first time in the book, God doesn't raise up a judge to deliver His people. It's as if He steps back to let them experience the full consequences of abandoning His ways.

I draw an unexpected parallel with Disney's The Lion King, comparing Israel's deterioration to Scar's disastrous reign over Pride Rock. 

This devotional doesn't shy away from difficult truths but points toward hope on the horizon. The chaos at Judges' conclusion sets the stage for Ruth and Samuel, eventually leading to King David and ultimately to Jesus Christ. Sometimes God allows things to fall apart so we can recognize our desperate need for Him. No matter how dark things get, grace offers a way forward. Won't you join me next week as we begin our journey through Samuel, where we'll witness God's preparation for bringing the King who changes everything?

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, hello.
You're listening to the JesseMorgan Devotions for the
Christian Heart Podcast, episode62.
This week's devotional istitled Makes no Sense Sin the
Conclusion of Judges.
So excited, let's go.
Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan.
I used to just share home decorand renovation tips on social
media, but now I'm sharingsomething even closer to my

(00:21):
heart my journey and love forJesus Christ, my Savior.
Welcome to the Jesse MorganDevotions for the Christian Hot
Podcast.
This is a weekly devotional.
I started back in May 2024, butthe inspiration for it came
much earlier.
It was rooted in a faithjourney that began when my
daughter was born, four monthsearly in 2023.
Through that challenging time,god worked in ways that truly

(00:43):
amazed me.
On this podcast, I sharepersonal stories of faith, woven
together with scripture, toshow just how incredible God's
word can be in our everydaylives.
My hope is that through thesestories, you'll be encouraged,
uplifted and reminded of God'slove and presence, no matter
what you're going through.
So I invite you to spend lessthan 15 minutes with me each

(01:05):
week as we reflect on thesedevotionals together.
Let's all pray within.
Makes no sense sin Key passages, judges 17 through 21.
Hey everyone, welcome back tothe podcast.
I know I took a week off, butI'm excited to be back and just

(01:26):
really, really pumped toconclude our study of Judges.
Hopefully you've enjoyed it asmuch as I have.
So today is a very interestingtake on the last like five
chapters.
It was probably some of thetoughest reading I've ever read
in the Bible and I reallyencourage you to read it on your
own.
It's just chapters that I justdidn't even knew existed within

(01:52):
the Word of God, and Iunderstand why they're there.
So let's dig in.
So let's start off with aquestion have you ever watched
something spiral so out ofcontrol that it left you sick to
your stomach?
That's how I felt after readingthe last five chapters of
Judges.
I mean, oof, the level of whatI call makes no sense.
Sin is unreal.

(02:13):
I honestly don't remember everhearing a sermon on these
chapters growing up, and now Ikind of see why they are dark,
messy and just flat out ugly.
I'm not even going to dive intoevery detail because you can
read it for yourself, but it'sfilled with false priests, theft
, sexual violence, lying andcivil war, all within Israel,

(02:35):
god's chosen people.
It's complete chaos.
Just like watching someoneunravel and not knowing how to
stop them and then, for somereason don't laugh the movie the
Lion King came to mind for me.
Now, this might not resonatewith everyone, but just hear me
out.
I'm a huge Disney fan, grew upduring that Disney Renaissance

(02:58):
era.
Some of the best movies evermade in Disney history Little
Mermaid, aladdin, beauty and theBeast, hercules, pocahontas,
mulan, all of it but one of myall-time favorites is the Lion
King.
I think it's one of its bestand we all know the story, or
many people know it's.
Simba, the young cub destinedto be king, runs away from
tragedy when it strikes.

(03:19):
He has to wrestle with guilt,identity and legacy before
finally stepping into hispurpose.
But while Simba's journey is sopowerful, I want to really talk
about Scar.
Scar, simba's uncle, the villainof the movie, as we would say.
Scar was consumed by jealousy.
He wanted to be king so badlythat he murdered his own brother

(03:41):
, mufasa.
And after Simba fled, scar gotexactly what he wanted the
throne.
But what he did with it, youknow, was just always got me.
He gave control basically tothe hyenas, the enemy of the
lions, even in, you know,natural habitat.

(04:02):
Under Scar's rule, pride Rock,which is where they lived, simba
and his family and all of themlived, became desolate.
The water dried up, thevegetation died, the animals
left.
Scar's leadership was just sodestructive that even the
lioness, the ones who did thehunting, couldn't find anything
to keep the pride alive,couldn't even find anything to

(04:24):
eat.
But Scar, drunk in his ownpower, said so be it, we'll just
stay, we'll just leave, we'lljust die here.
And of course, mufasa's widowSarabi looked at him and said
it's over, there's nothing left.
We have to leave Pride Rock.
And he just refused.
And still he wanted to cling onto that title of king.
That scene always just got me,you know.

(04:48):
And Scar's pride, his refusal torepent, his inability to pivot,
it destroyed everything.
His leadership spiraled so farthat he started abusing the very
lions who could help himsurvive.
Sound familiar?
That's exactly what I see inJudges 17 through 21.
No one's repenting, no one'sturning back to God.

(05:09):
Really, they just keep goingdeeper and deeper into sin until
it totally collapsed.
And what's even more wild is inthese final chapters there's no
judge.
For the first time in the book,god doesn't raise up a rescuer,
a deliverer.
It's as if he stepped back andsaid let's see what they do
without me.
Spoiler alert it wasn't good.

(05:30):
There's a story of a Levite,someone from the priestly tribe,
who stumbles into a man's houseand the man his name was Micah
just makes this Levite hispersonal priest.
Like what?
No direction from God, noprocess, just vibes.
And that same man, micah, hadpreviously stolen money from his

(05:50):
own mother and then turned itinto, you know, his mother and
him, turned it into some type ofidol.
There's another story withinthese five chapters where a
horrific crime led to a brutalcivil war within Israel Israel
against the Benjamin tribe andbasically one tribe or one like

(06:11):
the rest of Israel, wiped out.
Another tribe there was.
There is rape in this.
In these chapters, there isabuse, there is violence.
It's the worst of humanity thatI've ever read and you know in
the Bible it's Scar letting thehyenas take over the, taking
over Pride Rock.
So the repeated phrase in thesechapters says it all.

(06:34):
In Judges 21-25, it says inthose days Israel had no king
and everyone did what was rightin their own eyes.
That same phrase is repeatedover and over again within these
chapters.
So, basically, no guidance, nounity, just spiraling chaos.
And honestly, is that not whatwe live in today?

(06:56):
We're watching people maketerrible decisions, blame each
other, ignore truth and walkaway from God.
We see it in tragedies likeSandy Hook and violence that
targets the innocent, andleadership who just refuse to
lead properly.
And in a world that seems to beconstantly divided, it makes no
sense sin all over again.

(07:17):
But here's the hope in all thisSometimes God lets things fall
apart so that the people can seehow much they need them.
After Judges, we step into Ruthand then we step into 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel is a transition into anew era.
Basically, god is preparing tobring a king.

(07:37):
First a flawed one, saul, thena faithful one, david, and
eventually King Jesus, the Kingof Kings, jesus Christ.
I can't wait to dig into 1Samuel with you, studying.
David sets the stage for Jesusin such a profound way and it
connects the dots between thechaos of sin and, like, the hope

(07:59):
and grace that comes withredemption.
So this week I just want toremind you sin is ugly, sin is
hideous.
When there's no spiritualleadership, things crumble.
But the beauty of grace is thatyou don't have to stay in the
mess, you don't have to spiral.
Even if you've made terribledecisions, jesus still gives you

(08:20):
a way out.
Always, let's be people whodon't let the hyenas take over.
Let's be people who recognizethe signs of decay and run to
the only one who can bring lifeback, and that's Jesus.
Let's make that shift.
Who's with me?
So on to Samuel 1.

(08:40):
But first let's pray.
Heavenly Father, I thank you somuch for the study of Judges.
Never thought in a millionyears that I would touch this
book and I'm so glad I did withthe amount of heroes and the
amount of war and the amount offaith that was brought in this
book, with those amazingdeliverers that delivered Israel

(09:02):
when you needed them to Lord,and the amount many times that
Israel, you know, repented andthen they went back into their
old ways.
But it also showed, lord, howmuch you loved your people and
how much you love us.
We send, we go in and out allthe time and you always are
there to be the deliverer whenwe call upon you and we change
our ways.

(09:22):
And, father, I thank you somuch for the study.
I thank you so much for thecontinuation of this podcast.
Bless everyone who hears it.
Lord, we love you.
We praise you in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Love you all Till next time.
Well, that wraps up this week'sepisode.
I hope these devotions help youdraw closer to God each day.
If this episode encouraged you,please share it with someone

(09:45):
who might need the same messageand don't forget to subscribe so
you never miss a weekly episode.
Also, if you feel compelled,leaving a nice review would be
so appreciated as well.
For more information or toreach out, check the show notes
or visit jessimorganhomecom orfind me on Instagram at
jessimorganlife.
Remember God's timing is alwaysperfect.

(10:07):
Keep trusting him Until nexttime.
This is Jessi Morgan prayingoff.
Jessi Morgan Devotions theScenes starting right now.
Hello, hello, welcome back tothe Jesse Morgan's Behind the

(10:31):
Scenes, so excited to be withyou today.
Just to kind of like wrap upJudges, conclusion of Judges.
I will say this has been one ofthe most fulfilled studies I've
ever done.
Judges is so hard to read attimes.
It's just so brutal, it'sviolent, it's just cutthroat.

(10:55):
But I feel like God put thatbook in the Bible for a reason
and that book, or this book, isto anchor that pathway as we
shift into, like the next phasein the Old Testament, where we
shift into the first Kings ofIsrael and the main king that's

(11:19):
going to come, which is JesusChrist and judges.
It amazes me the cycle thatIsrael went through, where they
would rebel, they would beoppressed, then they would
repent and then God would rescuethem through a judge, and then
they rest and then they do itall over again and, if you
really think about it, we're allguilty of being in a bad cycle,

(11:41):
whether it's a relationship,whether it's temptation from a
specific task or a thing thatyou like to do that's not good
for you.
We all deal with our cycles,and that is what Judges is all
about, is you have to get out ofthat cycle but then also
understand that you make amistake, you repent.
God is going to help deliveryou.

(12:03):
He's going to want to rescueyou because that's how much he
loves you and those judgesrepresented that.
And it's so interesting becauseall those judges had so many
different backgrounds.
I mean, one was left-handed andseen as a freak.
One was born of a concubine andthat was looked down upon,

(12:24):
especially back then.
One was a woman.
I mean one was born withamazing strength and, honestly,
was super arrogant.
I mean there's just so manythings, so many different types
of deliverers, and it just showsyou that God can deliver you,
god can save you in so manydifferent ways and I feel like
that's what Judges representsand I just encourage you to

(12:46):
never be afraid to look at thisbook, never be afraid to talk
about it.
It's a tough book to read, it'sa tough book to explain.
Hopefully I did the best Icould and I just appreciate all
your love and support.
Lane, hopefully I did the bestI could and I just appreciate
all your love and support.

(13:09):
I'm excited entering 1 Samuel.
I think Samuel is the anchorbetween the end of one portion
of the history of Israel andentering the next.
As we all know, or if you don't, samuel is a prophet, but he's
also the judge.
He's the last basically judgebefore Israel is set up to have
a king.
He's the last basically judgebefore Israel is set up to have
a king.
And I'm just so excited to getinto that next study with you
and I thank you so much for yourlove and support and I'm

(13:29):
excited to keep going.
Like I said before, I'm big onstudying as I go.
I like to read scripture and domy devotional, you know, days
before I post it.
I do not like to schedule outfive weeks out.
Like you know, I'm a teacherwith their lesson plans.
No, I try to do it as I gobecause I think it's more

(13:52):
authentic that way and hopefullyyou feel that way as well.
But thank you so much for yoursupport.
Love you guys Praying for youall out there Till next time
signing off.
Love you all, jesse Morgan.
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