Judges 19-21
7/66 | Author: Unknown | Old Testament | Genre: Historical | 1375 (estimated)
19: Outrage
Chapter 19:1 prefaces the ending of Judges with, "In those days, when there was no king in Israel..."
An unnamed Levite man obtained a concubine (a lower-ranked unmarried woman or mistress) from Judah. But she returned to her father's home, and the man chased after her. After his extended stay, he, the woman, and his servant traveled to Jerusalem. They refused to lodge in foreign areas where no other Israelites were present. When they had no choice but to rest along the way, no one would take them in besides an elderly man from Ephraim who lived in Gibeah. The old man warned the group that they should not stay in the square. "Troublemakers" or "wicked men" from within the town harassed the travelers to come out of the old man's house so they could commit sexual acts. Eventually, the Levite man threw his concubine out to them. The woman did not survive the abuse, so the traveling man took her body and cut her into twelve pieces, one dedicated to each tribe of Israel. The Israelites were horrified and gathered to determine what should be done about this woman's death.
20: War
The Israelites united as one to confront the brutality. Israel's leaders assembled and heard the Levite man's story. They wanted the men of Gibeah handed over, but the tribe of Benjamin also resided there and denied this request. War broke out amongst Israel.
The Lord positioned Judah to lead the army. After losing many men, they sought guidance from the Lord.
20:23, "And the Lord answered: Fight against them."
There was more loss. They cried out to the Lord again, fasting and offering sacrifices.
20:28, "The Lord answered: Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow."
The Benjaminites from Gibeah thought they had won the battle, but the Israelites defeated them, as the Lord said.
21: Reparations
The Israelites vowed never to intermarry within the Benjaminite tribe. One city, Jabesh-gilead, was not active in religious practices, so the Israelites killed everyone except the few hundred virgin women. Since the Benjmanite tribe was nearly wiped out, the Israelites scurried to save this twelfth of their nation. They presented the virgin women from Jabesh to the remaining Benjaminites. However, there was a discrepancy since the surviving Benjaminite men outnumbered the available virgin women. To make up for the wife shortage, the Israelites told the Benjaminites to steal women from their next festival, rationalizing this as abiding by the vow and fulfilling their peace offering.
"In those days there was no king in Insrael; everyone did whatever seemed right to him" (Judges 21:25, CSB).
Okay... That was A LOT.
First, we must refer to the author(s) of Judges, who emphasize that people participated in active sin that God disapproved of. They followed their own sense of morality and hoped for the best. These later chapters are packed full of lawlessness and helplessness since there was no source of leadership whatsoever, not even from man. It is almost as if the Israelites became a version of the Canaanites the Lord warned them about...
The ironic beginning of chapter 19 foreshadowed the chaos and devastation to come. The Levites were a tribe originally set apart from the Israelites to be priestly people (Deuteronomy 10:8). But this Levite man was pleading with his mistress before sacrificing her and disassembling her body. From there, havoc unraveled.
Another trend I have noticed is the habit of picking and choosing when to turn to God for help. God was sought after in calamity but not referenced when rebuilding after a victory provided by Him. The Israelites virtually denied the authority of God and gave themselves the responsibility of pursuing justice and redirecting the next generation. Judges 20:1 and 11 stated that the Israelites united over a common interest, but even unity misled their decision-making when striving to be followers of man rather than God.
It's easy to judge people in the Bible when we can skip to the end of their story, but the reality for the Israelites was waiting for God to answer their prayers after returning from an ongoing battle where thousands were lost. When the Israelites were distraught in war, they called out to God twice. They worshiped and presented offerings the second time around. Prayers don't always result in a quick turnaround of events; sometimes, we even feel our prayers are ignored. However, faith pays off because the Bible proves that God has always delivered His word, even if it does not occur at our pace.
Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by it our ancestors won God's approval."
Gratitude List:
Supporting friends in new and exciting roles
Cold mornings
Parent Dedication Day at Church
Steak & eggs
Mid-week family visits
Late-night taco runs
Ellie's strong stomach after stealing onion rings
Ending our day cuddled up in bed with a lineup of new shows to watch
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References:
Guzik, D. (1996). Bible Commentary from Pastor David Guzik. Enduring Word. https://enduringword.com/
Myers, R., & Williams, A. B. (2020). She Reads Truth Bible. Holman Bible Publishers.
