Judges 19
This story really should not have a place in a family friendly book.
It has reminiscences of Sodom, so if you are of a sensitive disposition you might want to skip this post.
A Levite had a concubine (they were not married officially) from Bethlehem, and she ran away to her parents house.
The Levite tracked her down and persuaded her to return with him, which in the end she does, though it took him 4 days to get away from the in-laws who kept plying him with food and drink!
They decide to stay in an Israelite controlled town rather than Jerusalem, and they wind up at a place called Gibeah where there does not appear to be an inn. Nobody offers accommodation, so they are staying in the town square when an old chap invites them into his house.
The Levite is having a perfectly nice evening enjoying hospitality and a meal when, during the evening the men of the town surround the house demanding to "know" the man staying there.
His host offers the crowd his unmarried daughter and the Levite's concubine to "do with as you please" rather than "do this terrible act"
As the mob are in danger of breaking down the door, the Levite showing a total lack of bravery and concern shoved his concubine out of the door for the crowd to do with as they would.
After a night of being abused she crawled to the door of the house and died just as day broke.
Having probably slept through the night, the Levite saw his concubine on the doorstep and enquires of her well being with the warm and gentle greeting of "GET UP!"
Getting no reply he tied the poor unfortunate woman to his donkey and then when he got home he cut her into 12 pieces and sent them to each tribe in Israel (presumably with a report of what had happened).
The sheer lack of sympathy, respect, and chivalry shown by the Levite in this story is absolutely disgraceful.
Judges 20
Israel is mobilised and meet at Mizpah and hear the Levite's story,
They demand that the Benjaminites hand over the men of Gibeah. But the tribe of Banjamin refused and went to war against Israel.
The Benjaminites defeated Israel on the first day of the battle, killing about 22,000, the second day they killed 18,000 and Israel was getting a bit panicky and enquired again if they should do this, and God tells them that the third day he will give victory.
When battle started, they attacked and lost about 30 Israelite soldiers, but then counter attacked and killed all the town of Gibeah and only 600 warriors escaped from the whole tribe of Benjamin - so the tribe is in very real danger of being lost as there would be no future generations.
Judges 21
Israel made a vow that nobody would let their daughter marry into the tribe of Benjamin, but they mourn for the loss of the tribe.
In the end the reach an agreement that at harvest they would have a big party and the Benjamin men could rush in an carry off women while they partied - this would save the tribe without breaking the oath
Again there is a terrible lack of chivalry in this story too. I mean who would encourage or condone kidnapping of innocent women like this.
There is a recurring theme in the book of Judges "In those days Israel had no king, everyone did as they saw fit"
Now we are at the end of the book of Judges - I don't know if it is deliberately ending on such a sour note - it does seem that the chosen people of God did not, by and large, choose God back and really degenerated to the level of depravity found in these chapters.
The odd selection of the judges from all walks of life including women, illegitimate, left handed, in need of persuasion, or just with long wavy hair, shows me that God can, and does, use unexpected people.
This story really should not have a place in a family friendly book.
It has reminiscences of Sodom, so if you are of a sensitive disposition you might want to skip this post.
A Levite had a concubine (they were not married officially) from Bethlehem, and she ran away to her parents house.
The Levite tracked her down and persuaded her to return with him, which in the end she does, though it took him 4 days to get away from the in-laws who kept plying him with food and drink!
They decide to stay in an Israelite controlled town rather than Jerusalem, and they wind up at a place called Gibeah where there does not appear to be an inn. Nobody offers accommodation, so they are staying in the town square when an old chap invites them into his house.
The Levite is having a perfectly nice evening enjoying hospitality and a meal when, during the evening the men of the town surround the house demanding to "know" the man staying there.
His host offers the crowd his unmarried daughter and the Levite's concubine to "do with as you please" rather than "do this terrible act"
As the mob are in danger of breaking down the door, the Levite showing a total lack of bravery and concern shoved his concubine out of the door for the crowd to do with as they would.
After a night of being abused she crawled to the door of the house and died just as day broke.
Having probably slept through the night, the Levite saw his concubine on the doorstep and enquires of her well being with the warm and gentle greeting of "GET UP!"
Getting no reply he tied the poor unfortunate woman to his donkey and then when he got home he cut her into 12 pieces and sent them to each tribe in Israel (presumably with a report of what had happened).
The sheer lack of sympathy, respect, and chivalry shown by the Levite in this story is absolutely disgraceful.
Judges 20
Israel is mobilised and meet at Mizpah and hear the Levite's story,
They demand that the Benjaminites hand over the men of Gibeah. But the tribe of Banjamin refused and went to war against Israel.
The Benjaminites defeated Israel on the first day of the battle, killing about 22,000, the second day they killed 18,000 and Israel was getting a bit panicky and enquired again if they should do this, and God tells them that the third day he will give victory.
When battle started, they attacked and lost about 30 Israelite soldiers, but then counter attacked and killed all the town of Gibeah and only 600 warriors escaped from the whole tribe of Benjamin - so the tribe is in very real danger of being lost as there would be no future generations.
Judges 21
Israel made a vow that nobody would let their daughter marry into the tribe of Benjamin, but they mourn for the loss of the tribe.
In the end the reach an agreement that at harvest they would have a big party and the Benjamin men could rush in an carry off women while they partied - this would save the tribe without breaking the oath
Again there is a terrible lack of chivalry in this story too. I mean who would encourage or condone kidnapping of innocent women like this.
There is a recurring theme in the book of Judges "In those days Israel had no king, everyone did as they saw fit"
Now we are at the end of the book of Judges - I don't know if it is deliberately ending on such a sour note - it does seem that the chosen people of God did not, by and large, choose God back and really degenerated to the level of depravity found in these chapters.
The odd selection of the judges from all walks of life including women, illegitimate, left handed, in need of persuasion, or just with long wavy hair, shows me that God can, and does, use unexpected people.
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