April 6 - Judges 19:1-21:25

Good morning everyone,

Well, this morning the very first thing we read is, “In those days Israel had no king” and the very last thing we read is “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” It was a very dark time in the history of Israel, things are now going from bad to worse. Today we will read about rape, murder and civil war in a country that had all but forgotten God.

The story today is of a Levite who had taken a concubine, from Bethlehem in Judah to live with him in a relationship. Having a concubine, though not what God intended, was acceptable behavior for the time. A concubine, often foreign prisoners but could be an Israelite as well, had most of the duties but only some of the privileges of a wife; and though she was associated with only the one man, she and her children with him were not entitled to any inheritance. Anyway, at some point in time this concubine decided she no longer wanted to live with this Levite and went to live in her father’s house to resume her former way of life. But the Levite, despite her promiscuity, missed her and went to get her from the dad’s house and bring her back to live with him again. When he got there the dad was super happy to see a Levite wanting to claim his daughter and did all he could to keep him there. After five days though the Levite wanted to get going and took off on donkeys with the concubine, heading toward the remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where he lived.

Now it is here where things just go off the chart wicked. The Levite stops in Gibeah for the night hoping someone in the town will offer them a place to sleep, as was the custom, and an old man who had been working out in his field saw them out in the middle of the square and invited them in. That night while they were enjoying themselves some wicked men of the city started banging on the door while yelling at the old man to bring out the Levite traveler, they wanted to have sex with him. Hospitality being quite strong in that part of the world, the old man insisted they not touch his guest offering up instead his virgin daughter. Seriously?! But the hoodlums would not listen to the old man so it was the Levite who shoved his concubine out the door, locking it behind him. The hooligans took her, they all beat her and had their way with her over and over again all night long leaving her on the doorstep, in the morning, from whence they got her and where she died before she was found.

From there the Levite would cut up her body into twelve parts, sending one part to each of the twelve tribes which would result in civil war. Man! Hear the words? There was no king and everyone did as they very well pleased, we are told four time in the last chapters of Judges. 

Tragic story indeed, however, the Israelites could have had it all but they took their eyes off God. They allowed the gods of the land to tantalize them away from their Abba and ultimately they became no better than the evil people around them making laws for their own benefit, changing the meaning of scripture and lowering their standards way below what God’s are. Sound familiar? Our country today, is guilty of the very same thing. People, despite what’s going on around us, we must keep our eyes on the prize, not allow our personal standards to be compromised or lower than the bar God has set for us, anything other than that can also end quite tragically. Our God is not a “make you guess” kind of God, nor does He lie. Our God tells us what, as Christians who follow Him, is expected of us and the consequence of choice whether good or bad. Life or death. I challenge you, I challenge us all to take a good look at our lives, are we falling prey to the seductions of the world or are we living each moment with a heart to please God? Unlike the Israelites in those days, we do  have a King to follow and His name is Jesus. Proverbs says 15:19 “The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness. Right on?!

I pray you have a good day to God be the glory.

God bless you all …