Judges 19
-The depravity and degradation of the cultural during the
period of the judges is chronicled in this extensively morbid chapter in the
history of Israel. In those days “there was no king in Israel.” This repeated
phrase alerts the reader that something ominous and infuriating is about to be
commented on by the historians as they write this inspired text looking back. As
the Israelites’ faith in God disintegrated, their unity as a people also collapsed.
-There was another certain Levite, who was staying in the
remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, that took for himself a concubine
from Bethlehem in Judah. His concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away
from him back to her father’s house in Bethlehem. She had been there for four
months when her husband arose and went after her to woo her back with
tenderness. This Levite took his servant and a pair of donkeys for the journey.
When he arrived, his concubine received him into her father’s house, and her
dad was glad to meet him. In fact, he wanted to keep him around and host him
for a while. Three days went by as the Levite ate, drank, and lodged there with
merriment. On the fourth day, he planned to leave and prepared to go, but the
father-in-law detained them longer with more feasting. He convinced them to
stay one more night, and would have done it another night. But, the Levite
decided it was indeed time to go, and he left in the afternoon heading back
north towards Ephraim from Judah. Despite the father-in-law’s pleading to stay,
he set out late in the day and came to Jebus (that is, Jerusalem) of the
Jebusites. He, his servant, his concubine, and his pair of donkeys approached
the city, and the servant implored him to turn aside and stay there for the
night. The Levites’ response showed favoritism toward his own people as he rejected
staying in the city of foreigners who were not sons of Israel. He wanted to get
to either Gibeah or Ramah, which were Israeli areas, to spend the night. So
they passed up Jerusalem and got to Gibeah, which belonged to Benjamin, as the
sun set on them. They went to the open square of this city as was the custom to
find some lodging for the night, but there was no one to take them into their
house initially. By and by that evening, an old man came in from his work in
the nearby fields. He, like the Levite, was from the hill country of Ephraim,
and he got to know the man who was looking for a place to stay the night. The
old man asked him, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” The
Levite explained his situation and expressed the fact that he had adequate provisions.
He simply wanted a safe place to lodge for the night. The old man offered him “peace,”
and generously offered to take care of all his needs for the stay. He didn’t
want him to have to stay in the open square, which goes a long way in revealing
the climate of that culture at this time in Benjamin. He took him into his
house, gave the donkeys’ fodder, washed their feet (according to custom), gave
them food, and gave them drink. “While they were celebrating, behold, the men of
the city (Benjamites), certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding
the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, ‘Bring
out the man who came into your house that we may have (homosexual) relations
with him.’” It was no wonder that the old man came out of the house begging
them not to act so wickedly with an act of folly such as this. He only desired
to be a proper-protective host, and things were not going well. Much like the episode
in ancient Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), the old man offered his virgin
daughter as well as the Levite’s concubine to them to do to them as they
pleased in ravishing (`anah- humiliate, humble, afflict) them.
However, the men would not listen to the old man forcing him to bring out the
concubine for them to violate. These despicable men raped and abused this woman
made in God’s image all night until morning. Then, they let her go at the
approach of dawn. As morning was coming, the woman came and fell down at the doorway
dead, with her hands on the threshold. Soon, the Levite, her master, arose and
opened the doors of the house to be on his way back home, and he beheld this
abused and dead woman lying at the doorway. At first, he did not realize she
had died. He told her, “Get up and let us go.” But, there was no answer from
the woman. He placed her on his donkey, and contemplated what to do, I suppose,
as he journeyed back to his home in the hill country of Ephraim. “When he
entered his house, he took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and cut her
in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of
Israel. All who saw it said, ‘Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen
from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this
day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up (Judges 19:1-30)!’”
-*Application* This was the beginning of a civil war in
Israel that would claim at least 65,000 lives in a short period of time. A
little leaven infects the whole loaf (1 Corinthians 5:6). This mayhem in Gibeah
was disastrous for a family, their relatives I’m sure, their tribes, and a
whole nation of people in the end. The Levite has much to be at fault with
here. He and the old man were not courageous and bold in the face of adversity.
In fact, they were the antithesis of the proverbial “knights in shining armor.”
But this does not excuse the blatant immorality of these disgusting-violent men
in Gibeah. They were worth nothing according to Scripture, and people these
days that perpetrate that same kind of spirit are still worthless, corrupt, decrepit,
disgraceful, lewd, vulgar, and any other adjective we may want to use. This
kind of stuff is sickening and deserves its full punishment. It is the
byproduct of a depraved mind that gives itself over to every sort of evil act.
Without the grace and transformation of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life, we
are all capable of these most horrific crimes against humanity. Let this be a
reminder in the day and age in which we live where we are infected by such atrocities.
Consider it, take counsel, and speak up with some bravery and resolve to eradicate
this kind of stuff whether it’s in your own neighborhood or around the world.
It pains me to say but it’s true, we’ve often been too much like the old man
and the Levite in this narrative.
Verses to Memorize:
Judges 19:22, 30
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