PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Judges 19
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them.” (Judges 19:25)
This Levite (temple worker) is no saint; he refuses to marry this woman.
When his life is threatened, he sends her out to the wicked men.
The next morning he plans to leave without her (19:27).
When he finds her, his only words are “Get up, let’s go.” (19:28)
Then he slices her body and turns this into a matter of justice.
What about his own failure to marry her, to protect her, to love her?
It is easier to blame the wicked men than to see his own fault.
These were terrible times, abuse and cruelty were rampant.
While easy to see these characters as wicked, how do we treat others?
We may not be guilty like these men, but are we jerks in other ways?
How are we unloving, unfaithful, and yet quick to blame others for this.
Jesus warns us about judging others while ignoring our own sins.
He also calls us to love and help others, not abuse or neglect them.
Am I, like this Levite, blind to my own sin while condemning others?
PRAYER
Lord, before we accuse others of being immoral, help me to consider my own failures in this regard.
“Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”
This is sordid and so wrong. So far from God. So corrupted. The story reminds me of what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah – God did something then and wiped the places off the map! How vile mankind can be when there is no fear of God – when there are no laws and no laws being enforced. I too need discipline – seeking to follow Jesus. Thank you Lord for your word and spirit. They are a gift – help me follow!
Two commentaries I read on this passage sticks to my mind:
1) Whenever I (and we as a country) get away from God and his word, all sorts of evil can follow.
Our drifting away from God may be slow and almost imperceptible with the ultimate results affecting us and future generation. We must continually call ourselves and our nation back to God and work toward the establishment of God’s moral and spiritual reign in the heart of every person.
Our world has been ignoring God’s word more and more and we are reaping it’s consequences.
2) What drastic consequences can result when social protocol carries more authority than moral convictions (this is fanaticism). In this case, when the law of hospitality protecting a guest at any cost (man’s code of honor) takes precedence over the rape an abuse of a daughter and companion.
Getting lodging was by hospitality. Yet when they evil men came the man gave his concubine rather than standing up for doing what is right. The man had received lodging which was the law of the land and yet he himself did not stand up to do what was right. To protect his own. How do I see others? Do I standup for Jesus to do what is right? I need to see clearly before judging others. I neéd to stand up for Jesus and do what is right. I need to remove the splinter or the log in my own eyes before condemning others. I need the love of Jesus always, seeing all things through His eyes.
I need always to stand up for Jesus.