One of the darkest times in Israel's history, as referenced in the above verse, was after Samson's 20 years of judging. In this time, God appointed judges (prophets/leaders) over the people to maintain order as they began to come into the inheritance that had been promised to their fathers. When God stops sending judges, we get a picture of humanity without accountability. Humans gone wild.
I'm sure no one would argue that we all experience some measure of accountability throughout our lives. If a child shoves another child at school, he is accountable to the school and to his parents (provided they don't just give him a cookie and say 'don't do that again'). Most of us around my age range, and all the generations before, were familiar with accountability to one's parents. If you messed up, there would be consequences.
The key is that despite the consequences, which were clearly deserved in most cases, our parents never stopped loving us. When Andy and I would fight as brothers, my mom didn't just give up one day and say, "oh, now I don't love you anymore because you made me mad too many times." No, quite the opposite. Through bickering and maturing as humans with a sinful nature, we developed over time and grew in our brotherly love.
Certainly even the "wisest" humanist among us can see that accountability is something that is ingrained into our beings, or at the very least, our society. We have accountability to government, to our jobs, to our families, to our spouses, our children, and ultimately to God.
The sound of frantic footsteps there was the humanists leaving the blog upon mention of God ;)
If we never question our accountability to parents and other entities, why is it that many question constantly their accountability to God? We could say it's because some don't believe in God. But, lack of belief does not necessarily mean that what you don't believe in doesn't actually exist.
I can run around all day saying I don't believe in gravity, but the fact that I'm sitting in a chair writing this now sorta shows that regardless of my belief about gravity, I am still accountable to its "pull."
Likewise, we are all accountable to the one who created us. Christians believe our creator was God, as manifested in the trinity, all parts equal but with separate tasks. The husband to a wife can also be a father to a son, and a son to his father. Much in the same way that Christ can at once be father/creator/son/and mediator in the same nature.
I would submit that a primary reason for discounting accountability to God, or existence in God for that matter, is due to our subjective opinion of what is inherently 'good' and 'bad.'
"What's true for me, is not necessarily true for everyone," is the common turn of phrase in the secular realm.
Why does God save sinners like us is probably a more pertinent question? Surely no one is up to His standard of good. Couldn't he just wipe us out and start over? He almost wiped out Israel, but for Moses' intercession. And, he honored Abraham's intercession (haggling) to save what righteous men might be living in Sodom and Gomorrah. By that same note, Christ provided our intercession. His atonement on the cross does not cover our sin. It ELIMINATES it to those who would believe.
Is a judge evil for sentencing a guilty criminal? If we all ran around subjectively asserting what was good and bad, our crime rate would skyrocket higher than it already has. It is pretty high now because of the lie that we can do what is good in our eyes.
God doesn't judge you based on how many old ladies you helped across the street...though Christians know that a product of our new life in Christ is good works. We are not saved by them, but it is evidence of the change in us through Christ.
Friends, accountability is among us, whether or not you admit it. We see it everyday. It's the reason you can't show up naked to work. It's the reason you can't punch your brother in the face in front of your parents. It's the reason we are all dead in our sins without Christ.
It is natural to expect our creator to hold us accountable to His standard (of which we have NO right to question). Does the pot say to the potter why have you made me this way? It is the potter who formed the clay, and who decides the fate of said clay, whether for good works or for evil.
To my non-Christian friends, what do you think it is when you read something like this and feel something bubbling inside? Conviction! Accountability! God is trying to reach you. We know it cannot be done by compelling arguments (or non-compelling ones). It is by the spirit of God. Some will always resist, and God knows who will ultimately choose him.
If you used to follow God, the Bible says it is much harder to come back after turning from the faith---harder...but not impossible.
God is our Heavenly father, who loves us. We sin and there are consequences and he chastens us to our betterment, but the unconditional love doesn't vanish. God does not want any to perish, but knows some will resist no matter how much He seeks them. Just as my mom never stopped loving me when Andy and I used to fight, likewise God will not forsake those who diligently seek him, and who trust in the sacrifice of Christ. The sacrifice that allows God's love to overshadow his justice in the case of those who Christ stands as mediator before. When the gavel is about to hit, Christ steps up for the guilty criminal. We are the guilty ones, we have our mediator, we need only to trust on him for our deliverance.
Do not be so full of pride as to think your standard is the ultimate. I speak not of MY human standard either, but of my Creator's standard. When we all stand before him someday, our humanitarian efforts will not save us from our sins. Only Christ can do that. Accountability is a good thing. It shows there is an absolute standard. It reveals our nature, and compels us to trust on the only one who can overcome that nature. Jesus Christ
Be Blessed!
Chris
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