Shortly after my wife and I were married, she decided that I wasn’t what she expected, and called her dad. That’s where my story diverges from this one…
Unlike the Levite’s father in law, my father in law said “marriage is hard but it’s worth it. work it out, you can’t come back here”. I always thought that was pretty classy…and it must have been really difficult, too.
That’s where this story turns very dark. This levite becomes trapped in a town where men who want to have sex with him. In my reading I learn that the men who were depraved in this way were the leaders of town. (by the way, there is a whole lesson to be learned about depavity and the social acceptance of it from these chapters). Unwilling to surrender himself to the crowd, the levite pushes his concubine out into the street where she is raped to death. The descent into total depravity for a portion of Israel is complete. Just a few hundred years ago this nation was enjoying the miracles of God, worshipping daily in His presence and experiencing victories in battle. Now, the leaders are leading rape bands.
I’m guessing that the gruesomeness of the dissected body was what stirred the hearts of the rest of the nation. Simply hearing that one anonymous young girl was killed by others probably wouldn’t have elicited such a strong response. In some way that is lost to me, this must have been a cultural “calling card” to war.
The people admit that what happened to the woman was “shameful and dreadful”. Rape always is. Before their vengeance is quelled, 40,000 men of the surrounding area will be dead, along with all but a few men from Benjamin. Benjamin was small to begin with, and now they are almost completely wiped out. One thing catches my eye here… When confronted with their sin the people of Benjamin deny wrongdoing and prepare for battle. I believe that if they had confessed, and surrendered the evil depraved men, none of this would have been necessary. What hardship we bring on ourselves when we fail to repent! What tragedy falls on us, and the people around us when we brazenly declare that we have done nothing wrong and refuse to eject the evil from among us! Sin brings with it terrible consequences for the person who falls into it, but it also affects those who are close by. I wonder what happened to the man who took in the Levite, and cared for him? And did everyone in the surrounding towns share the same depravity as Gibeah? And what of the families of the 40,000 men who gave their lives to purge the sin from their nation? Who cares for their families, and their wives? Sin is a black hole of evil that sucks in everything around it, creating loss and despair in anyone who foolishly comes close enough to be affected.
When I look at the response of the men of Gibeah, the defiant claim that they have done nothing wrong, and the brazen show of power to defend the very immoral people who are guilty, I cannot help but think of our own country. Our defiant rejection of biblical principles will have consequences, and they will be costly.
The discussion of how to provide wives for the tribe of Benjamin is encouraging. It reminds me of God’s mercy and grace, and His compassion for us…even as He punishes us. Israel still loved Benjamin, even though they were sinful. And God still loves us, even when we are sinful. That doesn’t mean we won’t be punished, only that there is hope for restoration after repentance. God will turn His face toward those who have rejected Him once they repent, and “provide wives” (or favor in some way) for those who are downtrodden.
One last thought. Jabesh Gilead…does it sound familar? It isn’t the exact same place that Jephthah came from, but it’s in the same region. Gilead was a large “county sized” tract within the land allotted to Manasseh. Jabesh Gilead was a town within that region. All of this is on the east side of the Jordan. It appears that Gilead in general was “cooling off” spiritually and assimilating to the cultures of the people around them. Jabesh-gilead was ahead of them in becoming completely immoral. There are towns in the U.S. today that probably mirror what was happening in Israel at that time. Places were depravity is not only tolerated, but celebrated. Think of this: there are places in the States where what is considered evil, deplorable and wicked in the Bible is printed on brightly colored banners and advertised as diversity, sponsored and approved of by the state.
Treacherous days indeed. I pray that those who are righteous aren’t swept away with the wicked.
Faithfully,
PR