God's Blessing

What does Judges 19-20 really mean?

Judges 19-20 is about the horrifying consequences of wickedness and the importance of seeking justice and unity within a community.

1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
2 And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.
3 Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back.
4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.
5 And on the fourth day they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that you may go.”
6 So the two of them sat and ate and drank together. And the girl’s father said to the man, “Be pleased to spend the night, and let your heart be merry.”
7 And when the man rose up to go, his father-in-law urged him; so he spent the night there again.
8 And on the fifth day he arose early in the morning to depart. But the girl’s father said, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that you may go.”
9 And when the man and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Behold, now the day has waned toward evening. Please, spend the night. Behold, the day draws to its close. Lodge here and let your heart be merry, and tomorrow you shall arise early in the morning for your journey, and go home.”
10 But the man would not spend the night. He rose up and departed and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem).
11 And when they were near Jebus, the day was nearly over, and the servant said to his master, “Come now, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.”
12 And his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.”
13 And he said to his young man, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places and spend the night at Gibeah or at Ramah.”
14 So they passed on and went their way. And the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin,
15 And they turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah.
16 And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites.
17 And when he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city, the old man said, “Where are you going? And where do you come from?”
18 And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the Lord, but no one has taken me into his house.
19 We have straw and feed for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.”
20 And the old man said, “Peace be to you; I will care for all your wants. Only, do not spend the night in the square.”
21 So he brought him into his house and gave the donkeys feed. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
22 As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.”
23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing.
24 Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.”
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.
26 And as the morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light.
27 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
28 And he said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home.
29 When he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.
30 And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”
1 Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah.
2 The chiefs of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, 400,000 men on foot that drew the sword.
3 (Now the Benjaminites heard that the people of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the people of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this evil happen?”
4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead.
6 Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel.
7 Behold, all you people of Israel, give your advice and counsel here.
8 Then all the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, and none of us will return to his house.
9 But now this is the thing that you shall do: you shall utterly destroy all the males, and also the women and children.
10 And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin, for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.”
11 So all the men of Israel gathered against the city, united as one.
12 The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What evil is this that has taken place among you?
13 Now therefore give up the men, the worthless fellows in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and purge evil from Israel.” But the Benjaminites would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the people of Israel.
14 And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered seven hundred chosen men.
15 And the people of Benjamin mustered out of their cities on that day twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who mustered seven hundred chosen men.
16 Among all these were 700 chosen men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17 And the men of Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand men who drew the sword. All these were men of war.
18 The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”
19 The people of Israel rose early and encamped against Gibeah.
20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah.
21 And the people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites.
22 But the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.
23 And the people of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until the evening. And they inquired of the Lord, “Shall we again draw near to fight against our brothers, the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Go up against them.”
24 And the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day.
25 And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel.
26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”
29 And Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
30 And the people of Israel went up against the people of Benjamin on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
31 And the people of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city. And as at other times they began to strike and kill some of the people in the highways, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, and in the open country, about thirty men of Israel.
32 And the Benjaminites said, “They are routed before us, as at the first.” But the people of the men of Israel took courage, and again formed the battle line in the same place where they had formed it on the first day.
33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal-tamar, and the men of Israel who were in ambush rushed out of their place west of Geba.
34 And ten thousand men, chosen from all Israel, came against Gibeah, and the battle was fierce, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them.
35 And the Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day.
36 So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening, and they lifted up their voices and wept bitterly.
37 And the men in ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it.
38 Now the appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in the main ambush was that when they made a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city,
39 And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.
40 But when the signal began to rise out of the city in a column of smoke, the Benjaminites looked behind them, and behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven.
41 Then the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that disaster was close upon them.
42 And about 22,000 men of Israel fell that day.
43 They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them, and trod them down from Noh as far as opposite Gibeah on the east.
44 And 18,000 men of Benjamin fell, all of them men of valor.
45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. But 5,000 men of them were cut down on the highways. And they were pursued hard to Gidom, and 2,000 men of them were struck down.
46 So all who fell that day of Benjamin were 25,000 men who drew the sword, all of them men of valor.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon and remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.
48 And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire.

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Setting the Scene for Judges 19-20

In the book of Judges, chapters 19-20 recount a dark and tragic event in Israel’s history. The scene is set in the town of Gibeah, where an unnamed Levite, his concubine, and his servant find themselves seeking shelter for the night. They are welcomed into the home of an old man, but later in the evening, the men of the city surround the house, demanding to have sexual relations with the Levite. The old man offers his own daughter and the Levite’s concubine to appease the mob, and the concubine is brutally raped and abused throughout the night.

The next morning, the Levite finds his concubine dead at the doorstep and takes her body back to his home. Outraged by this atrocity, he dismembers her body and sends the pieces to the twelve tribes of Israel, calling for justice. This gruesome act leads to a gathering of the tribes at Mizpah, where they confront the tribe of Benjamin, to which the men of Gibeah belong, demanding that they hand over the perpetrators of this heinous crime. The refusal of the Benjamites to do so leads to a civil war between the tribes of Israel, resulting in a devastating conflict that nearly wipes out the tribe of Benjamin.

The scene is one of chaos, violence, and moral decay, highlighting the consequences of sin and the importance of seeking justice and righteousness. The setting is tense and fraught with emotion as the tribes grapple with how to address the evil that has been committed among them.

What is Judges 19-20 about?

People abandon moral principles and act according to their own desires in Judges 19-20, presenting a shocking and gruesome account of the depravity and chaos that can ensue. The story of the Levite’s concubine highlights the vulnerability and mistreatment of women in a society where men wield power without accountability. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of greed, violence, and disregard for human life. We must confront uncomfortable truths about the darkness that can lurk within individuals and communities as we delve into the narrative. The civil war that erupts as a result of the heinous crime committed against the concubine underscores the destructive nature of unchecked aggression and retaliation. It prompts us to reflect on the importance of upholding justice, compassion, and respect for all members of society to prevent such atrocities from occurring.

This harrowing tale challenges us to consider our own actions and choices in the broader context of societal well-being. It compels us to strive for a world where justice prevails over chaos, where compassion triumphs over cruelty, and where the rights and dignity of all individuals are upheld and protected. Disturbing events depicted in Judges 19-20 can teach us to work towards a future where such horrors are mere echoes of a bygone era.

Understanding what Judges 19-20 really means

Judges 19-20 presents a harrowing account from Israel’s history, depicting a tragic sequence of events that culminate in a brutal civil war among the tribes. The narrative begins with a Levite retrieving his concubine, only for her to suffer a horrific fate at the hands of men from the tribe of Benjamin in Gibeah. The Levite’s response of sending her dismembered body parts to the tribes of Israel sparks outrage and a collective call for justice. This distressing tale sheds light on the moral decay and lawlessness prevalent in Gibeah, mirroring the broader spiritual decline witnessed in Israel during the era of the Judges.

The phrase “certain worthless fellows” used to describe the men of Gibeah underscores the pervasive wickedness and disregard for moral standards in the city. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of societal decay and the urgent need for righteousness and justice. The unity displayed by all the men of Israel coming together as one in seeking retribution against the city of Gibeah highlights the collective responsibility and solidarity required to address grievous wrongs, even through tumultuous means.

Drawing parallels with other biblical passages such as Genesis 19:1-11 and Deuteronomy 13:12-18 reveals a recurring theme of human sinfulness and the necessity of divine justice in the face of rampant evil. The New Testament’s perspective in Romans 12:19 offers a contrasting view, advocating for entrusting ultimate justice to God rather than seeking vengeance independently. This juxtaposition prompts reflection on the complexities of justice, retribution, and the role of faith in addressing societal ills.

The relevance of Judges 19-20 extends to contemporary society, urging individuals to contemplate how they confront injustice and uphold righteousness in their communities. The narrative serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of vigilante justice and the importance of seeking godly solutions to societal problems. By examining the story’s implications for modern-day challenges, we are encouraged to pursue justice through peaceful and righteous means, fostering unity and healing rather than further division and harm.

In practical terms, envision a community grappling with corruption and crime where the initial impulse may be towards drastic action. However, without a foundation of justice and righteousness, such responses can exacerbate chaos and perpetuate harm. A pertinent example could be a neighborhood plagued by gang violence, where collaboration with law enforcement and community leaders to address root causes offers a more sustainable path towards lasting peace and restoration.

Judges 19-20 stands as a poignant reminder of the enduring relevance of biblical narratives in guiding our approach to justice, righteousness, and communal well-being. It prompts us to introspect on our responses to injustice, advocating for a balance between seeking accountability and trusting in God’s ultimate justice. By heeding the lessons from this somber passage, we can strive to build communities that reflect the values of love, justice, and peace, embodying the transformative power of faith and collective action.

How can we show compassion and protection to strangers?

To show compassion and protection to strangers, we must be willing to extend a helping hand to those in need, even if they are unfamiliar to us. We should treat others with kindness, empathy, and respect, regardless of their background or circumstances. We embody the values of compassion and generosity that are emphasized in the verse by offering support and assistance to strangers.

Additionally, it is important to create a safe and welcoming environment for strangers, ensuring that they feel protected and valued. This can be achieved by demonstrating understanding and tolerance towards those who may be different from us, and by advocating for their well-being and rights. We fulfill the message of compassion and protection found in the verse by standing up for the vulnerable and marginalized members of society. We ultimately fulfill a moral obligation and contribute to building a more inclusive and compassionate community by showing compassion and protection to strangers. Through acts of kindness and support, we can create a ripple effect of positivity and goodwill that benefits all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Application

Take a closer look at the story of the Levite’s concubine in Judges 19-20. Let it be a wake-up call to the pressing need for justice and righteousness in our modern world. Just as we strive to excel in our work and care for our families, let us also work towards creating a society that values compassion and protects the vulnerable. Will you join hands with others to champion justice and righteousness in our communities, inspiring positive change and standing up for what is right?