The Bible contains a number of narratives describing spiritual declension, as the people of Israel departed from the true God and His ways. The book of Judges describes one such period. We read; ‘The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him, and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.’ (Judg 2.7) In contrast, v11 says; ‘the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.’ They left behind the good and embraced evil. This took many forms, but in particular, they fell into idolatry, they ‘served the Baals’ (also v11). The writer is describing spiritual unfaithfulness, or adultery. Verse 12 repeats this; ‘they forsook the Lord their God of their fathers, who had bought them out of Egypt. The followed and worshipped various gods of the peoples around them.’ The latter part of this chapter (v16-23) describes the downward spiral, which is then detailed through the rest of the book.

The story of spiritual declension ends in the anarchy of chapters 17-21, when; ‘everyone did what was right in his own eyes’ (17.6: 21.25). Their behaviour lacked moral restraint, as corrupt worship led to corrupt behaviour. In 20.6, the Levite took his deceased concubine (!) and cut her into twelve pieces and sent them throughout the land. In the times of Joshua, I suggest, such an action would have been inconceivable.

My point is this – blame for Israel’s corrupt worship and corrupt behaviour did not lie at the feet of the invading Midianites or Ammonites, but at the feet of the people of God themselves.

The Levite’s warning stands relevant; ‘think about it! Consider it! Tell is what to do!’ (Judg 19.30)

Israel’s later history follows a similar pattern. 2 Kings 17.7-23 explains why the northern kingdom of Israel was defeated and exiled; ‘And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt.’ A few chapters later, we read of the impending and irrecoverable defeat and exile of the southern kingdom of Judah; ‘Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him’. (2 Kings 23.26-27). Even Josiah’s reforms were insufficient to rescue Judah from judgment by exile in Babylon. The northern kingdom had already been scattered, apparently ceasing to exist.

The apostles, in writing to Churches in the first century, highlight a range of failures; the legalism in Galatia, unaddressed immorality in Corinth. Ephesus had lost its first love (Rev 2.1-7); Pergamum and Thyatira had tolerated false doctrine (Rev 2.12-29); Sardis was dead (Rev 3.1). In no case did the apostle acknowledge that external factors had brought about those faults and failures.

Whilst there is no doubt that the culture in which we live impacts our lives, cooling our devotion for Christ, I suggest that the burden of scripture is that the responsibility for departing from the ways of God lies with the people of God.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ challenged His hearers: “enter through the narrow gate (Matthew 7.13).”

The entire ‘sermon,’ lasting through chapters 5 and 6 and 7 of Matthew’s gospel; the highest standard of personal righteousness is set. What Is excluded is any indication that we criticise others, even if we consider them not to live by those same standards. The Sermon on the Mount does not invite us to compare and contrast.

So, does Jesus Christ intend that His followers be ‘narrow- minded?’ Are there other scriptures which shed light on this potential accusation?

The writer of the Proverbs described the life as promised to those who walk in God’s ways.

Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honour.
Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed. (Proverbs 3.13-18)

Proverbs thus teaches that the way of life is pleasant and full of peace. At the same time, those outside it consider it narrow. But those who find it discover it is extremely wide.

In seeking to walk in this way of life, I suggest there are two errors to avoid – asceticism and excess. See 1 Timothy 4.4-5; 6.17. That ‘middle way’ is the way of contentment (Philippians 4.10, 13). We find that, when we are content and full of joy, then it is hard to judge others.

Jesus Christ has instituted a kingdom that is radically different from all human kingdoms.

He made this explicit statement in John 18.36; “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” In a different context, the apostle Paul used similar wording: “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh.” This is because the battle between good and evil is primarily unseen; although of course it overflows into the world which is seen and physical.

The physical order promotes the strong over the weak, prefers men to women, and adults to children. The rich dominate the poor; wealthy western countries look down on poorer majority world countries, etc. These are all long-established, but that does not make them right.

And, there are many scriptures, in Old and New Testaments, which confirm a different, an upside-down way of thinking.

‘From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise.’ (Psalm 8.2).

In the prayer of Hannah (1 Samuel 2);

• ‘the bows of warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength’ (v4)
• ‘those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more’ (v5)
• ‘she who was barren has borne seven children, but she has had many sons pines away’ (v5)
• ‘He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; He seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honour’ (v8)

And echoed in the prayer of Mary (Luke 1);

• ‘He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed’ (v48)
• ‘He has brought down rules from their thrones but has lifted up the humble’ (v52)
• ‘He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty’ (v53)

Psalm 8 is quoted in Matthew 21.16, where the words were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God’s way was always to turn upside down the natural order. And Christ confirmed this.

And, back to Psalm 8; verses 1 and 9 bookend this promise: ‘Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  – this is how God’s glory is expressed.