The real problem in Israel in the time of the judges was that they had rejected the authority of God as their King. That is the same problem we see in our culture today. We have rejected the authority of God and His Word and have substituted the authority of man. We see that very clearly worked out in our justice system.

Observing many events in the world today, it seems that our world is descending into chaos. There appears to be great upheavals, riots, destruction and murders, all flowing, apparently, from a disregard of authority. Government edicts are defied, teachers are scorned by students, workers demand more pay for less work. Police officers are spit upon, pelted with rocks, paint, and bottles, and even killed while they are trying to keep the peace. Protestors begin with a legitimate peaceful protest and it quickly descends into violence against others and destruction of property. Society seems to be polarized into conservative and liberal factions, and outright hatred between those of different color, ethnicity, or status.

What are the reasons for such dramatic incidents? Why do many people seem to disregard authority of any kind? Why do people begin peacefully obeying the police and then suddenly attack and seek to overpower them? Why are so many prone to commit crimes over and again? It appears that some with long criminal records pick up where they left off after they are released from prison.

Obviously, from a biblical perspective the foundational issue is that we are all sinners, and we live in a world that has been polluted by sin. Not only do human beings act in sinful ways, the whole creation has been cursed and affected by the sin of our original parents, Adam and Eve. While this sinful, fallen disposition affects all sinful behavior, there is another reason that explains the specific issue of the blatant disregard of authority that we see in our culture today.

I believe the underlying reason for our rebellion is our disregard of God’s ultimate authority in our lives. The original temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan in the garden was that in the day they disobeyed God and ate of the fruit that had been forbidden to them, they would be like God, knowing good and evil. They could decide for themselves what was right and good. They did not have to accept the authority of the God who had created them. As a result of their sin and thereby their separation from God, they became in their own eyes “autonomous” creatures with the right to do whatever they chose to do.

That is what we are seeing in our culture today. The calls to “defund” the police are essentially calls to rid the culture of the authority of any who might have authority to enforce laws. Our society has degenerated to the situation of Israel in the book of Judges. The Word of God states that because” there was no king in Israel (no authority in society); everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25).

The real problem in Israel in the time of the judges was that they had rejected the authority of God as their King. That is the same problem we see in our culture today. We have rejected the authority of God and His Word and have substituted the authority of man. We see that very clearly worked out in our justice system.

The Scripture states in regard to someone who is a murderer, “On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst” (Deuteronomy 17:6–7, NASB95).

Yet, our justice system has been perverted to the point that someone convicted of murder can stay in prison and be supported by taxpayer dollars for many years. The case of Daniel Lewis Lee, who was recently executed is instructive. He was convicted of murder in 1996 and it took 24 years to execute the penalty. The reason is that rather than obey the Word of God, men want to ensure for themselves the accused is actually guilty. Men want to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Our justice system has been so perverted that defense lawyers, rather than ensuring the accused is not taken advantage of by the justice system, believe they must use any legal maneuver possible to obtain a sentence of not guilty, mitigate the sentence or draw out the procedure as long as is possible.

Scripture states “If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing, then both the men who have the dispute shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who will be in office in those days. The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is a false witness and he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. The rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you” (Deuteronomy 19:16–20, NASB95).

If we were to obey the command of God, there would be far less in the way of false accusations. People would realize that a false accusation could result in their having to suffer the penalty for which they were falsely accusing someone else.

We read, also, “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death” (Numbers 35:30–31, NASB95). If our culture were to obey the Word of God in this command, our prison system would be essentially eliminated. Rather than send someone to prison for many years (essentially a ransom for the crime), the sentence would be executed, and the penalty paid by the perpetrator instead of having public taxes pay to keep the accused alive while the lawyers try to prove the person not guilty.

“A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed” (Deuteronomy 19:15 NASB95).  The New Testament states the same command this way, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19 NASB95). If we all would accept the authority of God’s Word and follow His commands, there would be far less strife and crime in our world.

Unless and until we are willing to do as our Lord commands, we can expect chaos to continue in our world.

Christians, by the authority of our Creator God, have been given another command: to go to all the world and proclaim the good news of salvation that is proclaimed in Scripture alone and is obtained by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

David Crenshaw is a retired Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. He lives in Pensacola, Fla.