Journeying Through Judges 19-21

Judges 19-21

I so wish our last study in Judges ended with the words “and they all lived happily ever after”.  However, it is not to be.  If we had had time it would have been good to continue and study the Book of Ruth and see the hope in that story.  However, you can take some time over the break to read it if you would like to.

So here we are in Judges 19.  The first sentence starts out by saying that Israel had no King.  When a nation is left to its own devices it spirals into moral decay.  We only have to look at some of the countries, not far from us, who don’t have an official government to rule the people.  Anarchy rules and sin prevails.

Here in this chapter we follow the story of a Levite.  A Levite belongs to the priestly tribe and so should have been setting an example.  Notice that he wasn’t married but had taken a concubine.  It is a bit ironic that the concubine was unfaithful.  I wonder what happened between them for the concubine to go wandering.    However, we see the Levite going back to her father‘s home to persuade her to come back to him.  The Levite stayed in the father’s house for a few days.  As we have said before hospitality is a big deal in this culture.  They did eventually leave and headed on their way.  The Levite’s servant said they could stay over in Jebus (Jerusalem) but he didn’t want to as it was not occupied by the Israelites but the Jebusites.  They reached Gibeah and decided to spend the night there.  It was not unusual in that day for you to welcome strangers into your home because of the importance of hospitality.  Although, we see in this place that it wasn’t until an old man came forward to welcome them into his home that they found shelter for the night.  There was a lack of following God’s ways in this town in more than one way.

As we continue this story we have a bit of déjà vu going on here.  Remember the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomarrah.  It feels like we have read this story before.  The wickedness of these people is mind blowing and yet we read some of the same atrocities in our day also.  Homosexuality was part of their practice in this town and they wanted fresh blood.  However, the old man said that they were not to do any such thing.  I wish the story ended here.   The old man, protecting his guest, said that they could have his virgin daughter and the concubine.  This is just very wrong.  Why would I give up my daughter or a woman in the house for them to be raped to protect a stranger?  It doesn’t make sense unless we know the culture of that time and even then God’s ways supercede our culture.

The concubine was sent outside and raped and abused until she died of her injuries.  It is interesting to note that in Deut 22:25-26 that a rapist should be killed.  This is not what we read in the laws of many countries today.

The Levite has an interesting way of calling for justice on what has happened to his concubine.  He cuts her into 12 parts and sends them to all the parts of Israel.  It definitely got the Israelites attention. 

In v8ff we see Israel making decisions as to what they are going to do next.  There is no consultation from the Israelites as to what God wants them to do in this situation.  Sometimes we run ahead of God also.  We make a plan and then ask God to bless it.  On the flip side we make a plan, rush into it and it oesn’t work out and then we blame God. 

However, we also see the Benjamites in compromise in v13.  They could have given up the wicked men that had been involved in this crime but they didn’t and little did they know how much they were going to suffer because they didn’t deal with the sin of a few people.

In vs18ff the Israelites pray but they don’t give God a clean slate to work from.  They again are making a plan.  They are presuming that fighting the Benjamites is the answer and then asking God who should be part of it.  Notice what happens.  The Benjamites slaughtered 22,000 Israelites.  The Israelites in v23 wept before the Lord and sought the Lord.  The Benjamites slaughtered another 18,000 Israelites.  What is God trying to teach them here?  God wanted them to go with His plan and not make one for Him.  In v26ff  we find the Israelites fasting, weeping and giving offerings to the Lord and then we see them enquiring of the Lord in v28.  Should we do this or not? The Lord responds with a yes and promises them victory.  As we read through the rest of the chapter we see that victory is given to them and the people of Gibeah were killed.   It is important that we seek God before making any decisions.

In chapter 21 we read about this oath that the Israelites had made that no daughter would be given to a Benjamite in marriage.  However, most of this tribe had been annihilated to the point of being no more.   The Israelites cry out to God asking why this has happened.  One Pastor (Courson) said this “Isn`t this just like us?  We violate the precepts of God; we ignore the statutes of God, we don’t listen to the leading of God…..and then we say `thanks a lot, Lord, my life is a mess”

Israel defaulted again to making a plan to sort this out and save the tribe of Benjamin from extinction.  We don’t see them consulting God on this to see if this is what he wants.   Again killing is involved in the plot to ensure the Benjamites continue their family line.  Yet, their plan didn’t provide enough women for the remaining men of the tribe of Benjamin so another plan had to be made.  This time it didn’t involve giving their wives to the Benjamites as that would invoke a curse but there was nothing to stop them stealing the women and so that was the idea.  The Benjamites went ahead and gained wives that way.  Their tribe was going to be reestablished and they built towns and settled in them.

The other tribes returned to their place and life continued.  The last verse of this book says it all.  “In those day Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit”  We might be horrified at reading these stories and wonder how people can do these things to each other and yet we just need to open our newspapers and read of the atrocities that are going on in our own backyard.  The more comfortable we get with sin the more we believe it is just another new “normal”.  Let us not become complacent with sin in our own lives and in those around us.  Sin breeds and the effects are devastating.  May we have hearts of repentance and a heart that seeks after the things of God.