Today's Scripture Reading (March 5, 2022): Judges 21
German-British economist, E. F. Schumacher, argued
that "any intelligent fool can make
things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and
a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." I love the use of the
phrase "intelligent fool." At first, "intelligent fool"
sounds like an oxymoron. But it isn't. Just because someone is smart doesn't
mean that they are wise enough to exercise their intelligence. As a result, the
world seems filled with "intelligent fools," who are ready and
willing to blow up any situation instead of acting as a voice of reason. We
need more people with a touch of genius working in our world to take us to a
place where our conflicts are smaller, less complex, and less violent.
Israel cries out to God about their situation, and it
is almost as if God was the one who had destroyed the
Tribe of Benjamin. But the reality was that the almost disappearance of the Tribe of Benjamin, after the war, there were only 400 men from the tribe of Benjamin left following the conflict, was of very human origins. And the agreement made by the
other tribes not to give their daughters in marriage to these survivors was an
aggravation that made this human-made situation worse.
The incident at Gibeah was a human decision. The
Mosaic Law was clear on how strangers should be treated. Moses had told the
nation, "Do not
mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt" (Exodus 22:21). Instead, the people of Gibeah had
chosen to humiliate visitors and ended up killing the Levite's concubine in a violent violation of the Mosaic Law. Israel could have chosen to negotiate a
punishment of Gibeah with the tribe of Benjamin. And Benjamin could have recognized
that Gibeah was wrong and that some punishment was deserved by their relatives
and worked toward a different solution. Instead, the level of violence was raised at each step
until the result was the destruction of a Tribe.
The reason for the disappearance
of the tribe of Benjamin was the excessive violence present in the conflict on
every side. What was needed was someone with a touch of genius, but instead it
was the intelligent fools that were making the decisions. Someone needed to
suggest an alternative, but no one did, and the result was the decimation of
the Tribe of Benjamin.
We still need someone with a touch of genius, but
instead, every part of our world seems to be guided by
intelligent fools, including the Christian Church. Maybe it is time for one of
us to step up and be that person with a touch of genius that can make a
difference in the
other direction.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Judges 1
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