Unthinkable Acts of Evil

"Have you ever witnessed such an unthinkable act of evil, where it caused you to wonder, “What kind of person would do an utterly detestable thing like that?” or “What would cause someone to even consider doing something so horrendous?"

If that crosses your mind when unconscionable events happen, that is a good thing. It means you actually have some sense of a moral conscience, versus those who excuse or praise the perpetrators of extreme lawlessness. (Image by CBS Studios)

A long time ago in the ancient land of Israel, while a man and his wife were traveling, they turned off to spend the night in an unfamiliar town. A man who lived there took them in. While they were having dinner word spread across town of the visitors.

The Bible recounts, “the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house [and began] beating on the door…” (Judges 19:22) The mob of men were demanding the visiting man be given to them, for they wanted to have relations with him. As the mob became louder and more threatening, the owner of the house tried negotiating to no avail. Finally, as tensions grew the visitor grabbed his wife, pulled her toward the door, then opened it and pushed her out.    

All night long, the mob violated the visitor’s wife. It was a vicious gang rape, where the woman had no one to defend her. And during all this, her heartless husband was able to sleep. When he rose in the morning to continue their travels home, he found his wife’s lifeless body lying in front of the door.

When news of this event spread across the nation of Israel, how did the people respond? They said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day…” (Judges 19:30)

What they were saying in plain language is, “We have never seen such evil.”

In the story we see a husband not only failing to protect his wife, but pushing her into a mob of sexually charged men, knowing they were going to violently abuse, and possibly kill her.

The men who perpetrated the horrific act against this defenseless woman, were pure evil. In the end, there was no conscience with her callous husband, and no conscience with the animal-like men.

Where does such evil come from?

It all goes back to the origin of mankind. In the beginning, the God of heaven and earth created man and woman, and the world was perfect. There was no violence or lawlessness, but only peace and perfect love with God and one another. But then in a tragic turn of events, mankind rejected his Creator. This rejection threw wide open the door of the human heart and society, to invite abject evil into our world.

Yet, although humankind turned its back on God, He pursued man to restore him to what he once was. This is why God sent His only Son to die and rise again on a cross, that those who trust in Him would be redeemed. And what is observed throughout human history, is whenever man has restored that broken covenant relationship with God, there is peace and perfect love, but when God is rejected violence and evil increase.

For never do those who love God and love others engage in horrific acts of evil. Never! But those who forcefully try and stomp out anything of Almighty God, His glorious Son, and refuse to obey His voice, they are prone to the unthinkable.   

A prayer for you – Lord God, I pray for those who have engaged in detestable acts. May they, and those who support them, not excuse their evil. May their eyes be opened before you to the things they have done. Then Lord, have mercy on them. Bring them to cry out to you with a humble spirit, that they might be transformed into a new person by your holy power. In Jesus’ name. Amen.