Today's Passage: Judges 19-20
Chapter 19 of Judges begins in the same way as chapter 18; “In those days, there was no king in Israel.” During this time period, the Israelites had no one to rule over them and so began to act more and more as a lawless people. Chapter 19 tells the story of a Levite who was travelling and decided to stay in the town of Gibeah, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. While in Gibeah, men surrounded the house where they were staying and demanded the Levite to be given to them. Instead of the man, his concubine is given to the men. In the morning the man finds the woman, who has been assaulted and killed. He decides to do something very bizarre; he cuts her body into twelve pieces and sends one piece to each of the twelve tribes. When the Israelites saw the body and heard what had happened, they were very disturbed, as are the readers of this story.
Judges 19 truly represents the depths of the depravity of man. After falling away from the Lord and having no one to watch over them, some of the Israelites became just as depraved as those seen in Sodom and Gomorra; and these are supposed to be God’s chosen people!
As stated in the beginning of the chapter, Israel had no king, so there was no one in authority to bring about justice. In the beginning of chapter 20 we see the formation of a counsel of Israelites, some from every tribe except Benjamin. They decided to take vengeance upon the wicked city of Gibeah and form an army to attack them. In the end, the wickedness of the people created a civil war among the Israelites, and over 25,000 Benjamites were killed.
What can be taken away from this very bizarre story? When people live a life without law and without God, they can sink further and further into a sinful lifestyle. When we surround ourselves with evil and not with good, it becomes easier and easier to fall into sin. Some, not all, of the people of Israel lived a life as if they were not the chosen people of God. They did not live to glorify His name and they had forgotten what He had done for them. In the end, they ended up fighting against one another over a very depraved act.
I am so thankful that I am FREE from sin; that Christ paid my debt and I no longer am bound to a sinful and depraved lifestyle. I am so thankful that because I am a child of God, 1 John 5:4 tells me that I have overcome the world through faith in Him.
Judges warns us of what can happen when we continually turn our backs against the Lord and what He has for us. Are you living as someone who is bound to a sinful lifestyle? Or are you living as a child of God, as someone who has been set free?
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