Have
you ever been so upset that you felt like something had to be said? You pull
out your phone to send a text, open an email, or start a social media post with
angry fingers blasting away at the keys. Sometimes you even hit send feeling
justified, other times the Holy Spirit tells you to put the weapon down and
back away. A message may need to be sent, but we know how we express our anger
matters.
In our passage today, a Levite is
journeying home after reconciling with his concubine, when something horrific
happens. So horrific, we may not believe such a story is found in the Bible.
But we study it today because there is an application here for us.
Judges 19:20-30(CSB)
“Welcome!” said the old man.
“I will take care of everything you need. Only don’t spend the night in the
square.” So he brought him to the house and fed the donkeys. Then they washed
their feet and ate and drank. While they were enjoying themselves, all of a
sudden wicked men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They
said to the old man who was the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came
to your house so we can have sex with him!”
The owner of the house went
out and said to them, “Please don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this
man has come into my house. Don’t commit this horrible outrage. Here, let me
bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine now. Abuse them and do
whatever you want to them. But don’t commit this outrageous thing against this
man.
But the men would not listen
to him, so the Levite seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They
raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go.
Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light,
she collapsed at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was.
When her master got up in
the morning, opened the door of the house, and went out to leave on his
journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the
house with her hands on the threshold. “Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there
was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
When he entered his house,
he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into twelve pieces,
limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel. Everyone
who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since
the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over,
discuss it, and speak up!”
This is the Word of God.
For the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
Before we dive into the passage, it is
important to highlight a key phrase in Judges, you can read it in 19:1. It
says, “In those days, when there was no king.” You see that phrase sprinkled
throughout to underline the lack of governing oversight.
This statement is both true and false. God
was King over the Israelites, although they had no earthly king. The problem
was they rejected God and His ways. They began worshipping other gods, and this
in turn led to a decline in how they treated outsiders and women. True worship
of God involves loving God and loving others, without God there is no standard
for love. It is up to each person to determine what love is according to their
own understanding.
The traveler in our text is a Levite who is
journeying home after reconnecting with his concubine. They had a dispute; she
left and went home to her father. Together again, the Levite planned to camp in
the city square of Gibeah, a community in the tribe of Benjamin.
An old man sees them and invites them into
his home for the night. At this time, in this part of the world, hospitality
was important. However, with his comment in verse 20, “don’t spend the night in
the square,” I cannot help but wonder if the old man knew his community and the
danger for an outsider. Regardless, the old man invited them in, and they
agree. The Levite and the old man have a good time, but it quickly takes a dark
turn.
The CSB says in verse 22, “wicked men of
the city surrounded the house.” Other translations accurately describe them as
children of the devil. Matthew Henry defined their group as “ungovernable men,
men that would endure no yoke, children of the devil, resembling him, and
joining with him in rebellion against God and His government.” They were given
to the depravity of their own hearts and minds.
As they pounded on the door, the old man is
fully aware of their intentions. The old man had a responsibility to protect
his family and his guests. But to protect the Levite, the old man offers his
own daughter and the Levite’s concubine as sacrifices. He had no right to do
such a thing, and there was no way to justify his action.
If you wonder why the concubine left the
Levite, his following actions and behavior in this moment could be a clue. To
save himself, the Levite tosses his wife out there. Then the text reads like he
goes to bed, wakes up in the morning, and then attempts to leave like nothing
happened. He makes no effort to go rescue her, and seems completely unconcerned
for her wellbeing.
Verses 25 and 26 describe the horrific and
barbaric torture this woman endured. These events in Gibeah, with one of the
tribes of Israel, parallels the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. In that
story, Lot offers his daughters to ward off the pagans who lusted after God’s
two messengers. God’s messengers intervene to save Lot’s daughters and Lot, but
unfortunately there is no divine intervention here. Again, this is not an event
that happens among pagan outsiders, but amid God’s people.
After waking up and collecting his stuff,
the Levite sets out for home. He finds his concubine at the doorway, and the
text is unclear whether she is dead or alive at this point. Upon returning
home, the Levite is outraged by what happened. Not sure if he is outraged about
the concubine or the fear he encountered, but he decides to send a message to
the whole nation.
And if this terrible story could not get
any worse, it does. The Levite takes his concubine and chops her into twelve
pieces, then sends a piece of her to every tribe. This was a call to war, and
would lead to an internal war within Israel. The concubine in her death
continues to be a sacrifice for her husband, a man whose life is supposed to be
set apart to serve God.
What a terrible passage. Nothing good about
it. And I would argue nothing read happened according to the will of God, this
being a story simply describing what happened. An encounter with the sin of
others destroying a person. Sin that is outrageous followed by an outrageous
message.
The message of what happened had to be
shared. That horrific crime had to be addressed. But the way the Levite shared
the message required him to dismantle the victim, his own wife who he failed to
protect. This was a terrible crime, but the response was equally terrible.
Every bit as sinful as the acts committed, revealing a sinful heart and mind in
the Levite. And this is a story we would expect in the world, but not in the
life of God’s people.
How do we apply this passage to us? The
truth here is that you and I are victims of sin, have been victims of sin, and
most likely will be victims of sin. People in their depravity have and will
hurt us as they give in to their sinful passions. On flip side, we have left a
wake of victims in the aftermath of our own sins. And it is important that
everyone knows that it is not okay, it is not God’s will, and it will leave
scars on our hearts that might never fully heal. We will be outraged by what
happens to us, and seeing it happen to others. But we cannot justify our sinful
responses because of sin. You and I are called to life beyond victimhood
through the washing of Jesus’s blood and indwelling presence of the Holy
Spirit.
I am not saying we should stay quiet, and I
am not saying we sweep things under the rug. The horrors of sin and its
destruction should make us angry. But our response to sin is to rescue those
who are left in its aftermath. Our aim is not amplifying the sin, but redeeming
the situation so it is not the end of hope in the victim’s life. Our goal is
not to leave the victims for dead, but to help restore them to life.
Again, I am not saying Jesus will magically
make it all better. And I am not going to pretend the wounds will be gone. But
Jesus can show us sin does not win in the end. Not in my life or your life. Sin
wins when we chop up and sacrifice the victims. Jesus wins in us when we
respond with humility, justice, and mercy. Instead of sending fury in our
outrage, send Jesus.
Need prayer? Have a question? Contact The Dirt Path Pastor
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