Sometimes, in order to repent and worship God, we have to take a long hard look at what life apart from him looks like. This week in Judges 17 and 18, we saw the ironic and devastating effects of Israel’s rejection of the one true God: “There was no king in Israel, and everyone did right in their own eyes.” The fruit: relational manipulation, deceit, generational sin, the perversion of the priesthood, and death. The proud, thieving son is robbed, betrayed, exposed, and abandoned. Israel is lost.

So, what to do? Learn from Israel, examine our own hearts, repent of specific idolatries, and gratefully worship the one true God!