Unintended Consequences

With the words of Joshua ringing in their ears, the Israelites now settle the land of Canaan. As the Book of Judges opens, we see a people who cling to God. The men of Judah and Simeon trust the promises of God and prepare for battle with the Canaanite inhabitants. Victory follows battle and the trustworthiness of God is once again displayed. Trust in God has led His people to experience the promises that He has made.

But read down to Judges 1:21 and a different picture begins to emerge. The tribe of Benjamin does not follow the command of God. Rather than driving the inhabitants out of the land, the Benjamites decide to allow the Jeusites to live dwell among them. It is a concession to the commands of God. It seems merciful in the moment, a peace that leads to coexistence, but it is, in reality, a moment of disobedience that will lead to hurt, pain, and a growing chasm between God and His people.

This pattern of compromise with the world will repeat itself over and over even more blatantly in the rest of Judges 1. The tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulon, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan seemingly do nothing to finish the conquest of Canaan. They lay down their arms and dwell among the inhabitants of the land. They ignore the all of Joshua and the promises of God.

In the moment, this may seem like a reasonable solution. The people of God long to stop the fighting and lay down their arms. They decide that living among the people of the world is OK. But the long term effects of this decision will have grave, unintended consequences. And that is the lesson and the warning of the chapter.

The phrase “unintended consequences” was first used in a popular sense by John Locke in the mid to late 17th century and further defined by Robert Melton in the 20th century. I tis used to explain how a decision can have one of three possible effects on a given situation. The social sciences (sociology, psychology, political science, economics, etc.) use the phrase extensively and acknowledge that any decision made can affect a group dynamic in unexpected ways. There can be unexpected benefits, unexpected drawbacks, or perverse results. It is the idea that, while we think we are making a good decision, a reasonable action can bring about consequences that we did not think through.

In Judges 1 we have a great example of a people who make a decision that will bring perverse results. A perverse result is a decision that is intended to lead one place, but ends up in the opposite place. Israel seems to decide to live in peace. The decision will lead them to conflict. By deciding not to follow through with the conquest of Canaan, the people of Israel invite idolatry and sin into their lives. This decision to make peace brings them into conflict with God. This decision to live in the land on their own, personal terms, will eventually lead to captivity and the removal of Israel from the Promised Land.

You and I make decisions every day. Like Israel, we have a clear call from God about how to live and how to interact with the world around us. But like the Israelites, we often just want to live in peace. So we make decisions based on our own desires or our own wishes. Beware! The law of unintended consequences may be lurking in your future!

Judges 1 teaches us that God knows what we need. Although it is often hard to see how God is unfolding the future, we know that God is in control. Every decision we make must fall in line with His will and His word. We must live by the promises of God. This means we will live in conflict with the world’s desire, or with our own wishes at times. But that is what embedding the Bible is all about. Learning to conform our wishes to the desire of God. Being transformed so that our hearts beat in time with the heart of God. Heed the warning. God knows best. He desires good for us. He gives us a path to walk. He calls for our surrender. Otherwise, there just might be unintended consequences.