Daily Bible Reading for April 6, 2020

Today my Bible reading closes out the book of Judges with Chapters 19-21. In these final chapters, we see the deterioration of the Israelites without a leader.

In Chapter 19, it opens with the refrain “In those days, when there was no king in Israel” to explain the level of depravity. The ways of God have been totally abandoned. An unnamed Levite man takes a concubine, who leaves him and returns to her father’s house. It is said that she had been unfaithful, nevertheless, he goes after her. He gets her back and they are on their way to the tabernacle. They went to Gibeah and meet an old man who invites them to stay with him.

As in the days of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, the men of the city of Gibeah surrounded the house demanding the old man send out the Levite so that they may have sex with him. The old man offered his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine instead to do whatever they wanted, but they demanded the Levite.  The Levite takes his concubine and makes her go out to them. The next morning, she is found lying at the door dead. He cuts her into twelve pieces and send to the twelve tribes of Israel.

“And all who saw it said, ‘Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.” Vs. 30

In Chapter 20, the Israelites assembled together and asked the Levite man what happened. He tells them that reason they received the body parts was to pay Israel for the abomination done by the men of Gibeah, the city belonging to Benjamin. He told them that they surrounded the house in which he was staying, that they wanted to kill him, but they raped his concubine and now she was dead. He did not tell them that he gave his concubine to them.

The Israelites all agreed to wage war against the tribe of Benjamin. They defeated the tribe of Benjamin and set the towns of fire.

“And the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the people of Israel destroyed 25,100 men of Benjamin that day. All these were men who drew the sword, So the people of Benjamin saw that they were defeated.

In Chapter 21, instead of repenting of the vow they made to not give the Benjamites their daughters in marriage, they construe ways, to provide them wives.

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

My Thoughts On This: These last three chapters was quite challenging and left me with questions. Why would a man offer his only daughter to a group of men? Why did he have a concubine? Why did he give his concubine to a group of men? Why had he no compassion when he saw her lying at the door, telling her to get up, let’s go? Why didn’t the Israelites just repent of the vow they made regarding giving wives to the Benjamites. What I do know is that everyone did what was right in his own eyes, and even today, although the hand of the Lord may not be visibly seen in providences, it does not mean God is not at work!

Let’s read the Book!