- What is important in this story and how is it similar to the previous story?
- Lack of a king
- A Levite traveling again
- Israelites interacting with each other as opposed to an enemy
- What is significant about the lack of a king?
- There is no authority structure
- People did as they pleased
- People were not accountable
- APPLICATION: Who are you accountable to? What authority structures are in your life? Do authority structures in your life change when you marry? (Yes, the man and women separate from their families. They still honor their parents, but the spouse becomes more important than the family.)
- This is the second time we see a Levite traveling around aimlessly or living in a non-Levitical city (unclear his city of origin)
- Also a dispute arises, the phrase can mean the wife was unfaithful or that she disagreed with him, felt alienated, and separated herself (Clarke)
- The husband goes after her 4 months later (which doesn't communicate that he cared)
- Also, monogamy was the standard, so he should not have a concubine (implies more than one wife)
- NOTE: this should be one of the religious examples to the people
- He goes to an Israelite city, which ought to be a good thing, a safe move
- No one shows any hospitality to him (at first) which is in contrast to the hospitality of his father-in-law
- Providing a safe haven is an important thing (example in internet of men taking advantage of women versus a gentleman protecting women)
- The last clause in vs. 15 would have been shocking anywhere in the ancient Near East … social disintegration (Block)
- First of all, this story is a replay of a previous story in the bible …?
- It replays Lot and Sodom
- Gibeah is the new Sodom
- What is more, 20:12-14, Benjamin defends the actions of the Gibeahites
- In favor of the man who takes them in, what can we say?
- He shows hospitality
- He understands the danger of staying on the street at night
- He provides for them
- Against the man, and the Levite we see what?
- Total disregard for that which should be of utmost importance
- Rather than sacrificing their lives, the sacrifice the women
- Man was designed to protect the woman
- Ephesians 5:25-33 (NIV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery — but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband
- The reason God uses the picture he does is because that is our job, to protect the weaker vessel
- (Judges 19:22) The narrative of the horrid outrage that was committed, of the proposal of the old man, the unfeeling, careless, and in many respects inexplicable conduct of the Levite toward his wife, disclose a state of morality that would have appeared incredible, did it not rest on the testimony of the sacred historian. Both the one and the other ought to have protected the female inmates of the house, even though at the expense of their lives, or thrown themselves on God's providence. It should be noted that the guilt of such a foul outrage is not fastened on the general population of Gibeah. At the same time, the indulgence of debasing passions reveals the true origin of the strong addictedness to idolatrous rites. 'In the relaxing, oppressive climate of the Ghor the most odious vices appear native; and this explains the demoralized condition of the Benjamites in whose territory this plain was situated (Josh 18.)' (Drew's 'Scripture Lands, p. 100; also Stewart, 'Tent and Khan,' p. 375). (from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
- We are protect the honor of women. At this point in history, the wife is just a piece of property
- The disease of the society manifests itself in the abuse of women (McCann)
- "The entire book presents a nation rotting at the core. Nothing is normal, least of all the Canaanite version of patriarchy. Normative biblical patricentrism perceives male headship not as a position of power but one of responsibility, in which the leader sacrifices himself for the well-being of the led. In the Book of Judges this pattern is reversed. Repeatedly women and children are sacrificed for males." (Block)
- There is a reason that these stories are in Judges
- They point to the utter sinfulness that the people have descended
- They explain why two tribes are nearly destroyed (one lost spiritually) and the other almost destroyed physically
- They emphatically make a point about leadership, God's word, accountability, the peer pressure of culture, …
- The whole people gather in outrage at the sin. Sometimes, tragic events are what is required to wake us up from out stupor. Why is that?
- We fail to see the signs
- We don't stand up to the subtle steps of sin
- Why do the Benjamites fight?
- They were too proud to admit they were wrong
- Possibly they liked their sin and did not want to change
- Maybe they didn't see anything that was wrong
- The start of healing is something that has not happened in a while and did not happen in the story of the last Judge, what is it?
- Repentance
- The people cry out to God
- APPLICATION: Sometimes we need to cry out to God in repentance for our sins
- The most important verse of this passage is the writers summation of everything in verse 25
- The people had no spiritual authority
- The people did whatever they pleased
- APPLICATION: You need spiritual authority in your life. And as adults, I don't think it should be your parents. You need to find godly men and women that you can be accountable to. You need to be regularly involved in a church. If you believe you don't need church, you are wrong. Read 1 Cor 12-14. You need to be regularly involved and committed to a body of believers
Judges
19:1-15 (NIV) In those days Israel had no king.
Now a
Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a
concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left
him and went back to her father's house in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had
been there four months, 3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return.
He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her father's
house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. 4 His
father-in-law, the girl's father, prevailed upon him to stay; so he remained
with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.
5 On
the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the girl's
father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh yourself with something to eat;
then you can go." 6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink
together. Afterward the girl's father said, "Please stay tonight and
enjoy yourself." 7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law
persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. 8 On the morning of the fifth
day, when he rose to go, the girl's father said, "Refresh yourself. Wait
till afternoon!" So the two of them ate together.
9 Then
when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his
father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Now look, it's almost evening.
Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early
tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home." 10 But,
unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is,
Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
11
When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his
master, "Come, let's stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the
night."
12 His
master replied, "No. We won't go into an alien city, whose people are not
Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah." 13 He added, "Come, let's try
to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places." 14
So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. 15 There
they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no
one took them into his home for the night.
Judges
19:16-30 (NIV) That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who
was living in Gibeah (the men of the place were Benjamites), came in from his
work in the fields. 17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square,
the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"
18 He
answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in
the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah
and now I am going to the house of the Lord. No one has taken me into his
house. 19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for
ourselves your servants — me, your maidservant, and the young man with us. We
don't need anything."
20
"You are welcome at my house," the old man said. "Let me supply
whatever you need. Only don't spend the night in the square." 21 So he
took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet,
they had something to eat and drink.
22
While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city
surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who
owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have
sex with him."
23 The
owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't
be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this disgraceful thing. 24
Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to
you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But to this
man, don't do such a disgraceful thing."
25 But
the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her
outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and
at dawn they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where
her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
27
When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and
stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the
doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her,
"Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on
his donkey and set out for home.
29
When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb,
into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. 30 Everyone who
saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day
the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what
to do!"
Judges
20:1-7, 12-14, 21:2-4, 15-25 (NIV) Then all the Israelites from Dan to
Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out as one man and assembled before
the Lord in Mizpah. 2 The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel
took their places in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand
soldiers armed with swords. 3 (The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had
gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, "Tell us how this awful
thing happened."
4 So
the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, "I and my concubine
came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. 5 During the night the men of
Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They
raped my concubine, and she died. 6 I took my concubine, cut her into pieces
and sent one piece to each region of Israel's inheritance, because they
committed this lewd and disgraceful act in Israel. 7 Now, all you Israelites,
speak up and give your verdict."
. . .
12 The
tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, "What
about this awful crime that was committed among you? 13 Now surrender those
wicked men of Gibeah so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from
Israel."
But
the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. 14 From their
towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites.
21:2
The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising
their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 "O Lord, the God of Israel,"
they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be
missing from Israel today?"
4
Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and
fellowship offerings.
. . .
15 The
people grieved for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of
Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of
Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17
The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a
tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We can't give them our daughters as
wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: 'Cursed be anyone who gives a
wife to a Benjamite.' 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in
Shiloh, to the north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to
Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah."
20 So
they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards 21
and watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush
from the vineyards and each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and
go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us,
we will say to them, 'Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get
wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give
your daughters to them.'"
23 So
that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught
one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their
inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.
24 At
that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and
clans, each to his own inheritance.
25 In
those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
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