MEMORY TEXT: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25, NKJV).
KEY THOUGHT:
Abandoning God and His covenant led to moral depravity comparable to that of Sodom. Purging this evil from Israel took tremendous effort, pain, and sacrifice, but God ultimately made the operation successful.
RETURN TO THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE. The jungle is ruled by claws and fangs. All creatures are not created equal in the food chain. The strong prey upon the weak. Vigilance and speed of escape are crucial for survival; there are two kinds of animals: the quick and the dead.
Human society has laws that differ from "the law of the jungle," laws that protect people from one another. But these laws are only as effective as the authorities behind them, authorities that enforce the law by punishing lawbreakers.
In ancient Near Eastern societies, human kings were usually the authorities behind the laws. Israel was different: laws were established by God, the divine King. But during the period of the "judges," the Israelites rejected God. Without God and without a human king, their laws lacked a recognized authority to back them up. "All the people did what was right in their own eyes" (Judg. 17:6; 21:25, NRSV). The strong preyed upon the weak according to the only law that was really in effect, the law of the jungle.
June 23, 1996
Judges 19:1 begins a new story that, like the story of Micah and the Danites, took place "when there was no king in Israel" to keep order. (Compare Judg. 17:6; 18:1.) Also like the previous story, chapters 19- 21 involve (1) a Levite resident alien in the hill country of Ephraim (19:1; compare 17:1, 7-12); (2) Bethlehem in Judah (19:1-3; compare 17:7-9); (3) a trip to get something or someone back (19:3; compare 18:22); (4) crime (19:22-26; compare 18:17-20); (5) unfaithfulness by an Israelite tribe (20:12-16; compare 18:30, 31); and (6) an attempt to help a tribe survive (21:6-23; compare 18:1, 2, 27-29).
How did a Levite come to encounter danger in Gibeah? Judg. 19:1-24.
A Levite traveled to Bethlehem to retrieve his concubine, who had been unfaithful to him (following the Hebrew rather than some ancient versions, which read "became angry with him"). Her father detained him for several days, until he became frustrated and left with his concubine later in the day than he should have. He found himself spending the night in Gibeah, which belonged to Benjaminites. Only an elderly Ephraimite would take him in, along with his servant and concubine.
The men of Gibeah were not only inhospitable; they were sexual perverts like the men of Sodom and, like them, wanted to commit homosexual rape. (Compare Gen. 19:4, 5.) Israelites had sunk so low that they were like Sodomites! Like Lot, the old Ephraimite recognized the extreme severity of the situation and his responsibility to protect a guest. (See Lev. 18:22; 20:13.) Also like Lot, he offered women to the attackers to satisfy their lust. (Compare Gen. 19:6-8.) It is horrifying to see what a low value was placed upon women, even by the more righteous individuals in these stories!
What finally satisfied the men of Gibeah? Judg. 19:25, 26.
Whereas the two angels staying with Lot prevented the men of Sodom from carrying out their intention (Gen. 19:10, 11), the Levite took his emergency into his own hands by shoving his concubine out to the men, whereupon they raped her all night literally to death (Judg.19:28; 20:5).
What is the true value of a woman"
In the morning, the Levite found his concubine lying with her hands on the threshold, clutching to the hope of protection. But he had not protected her. Now he callously ordered her to get up. No wonder she had left him in the first place (Judg. 19:2)! There was no answer. She was dead. Why did the Levite send pieces of his concubine throughout Israelite territory? Judg. 19:29, 30.
Even if he had not been sympathetic to the feelings of this woman, the Levite was outraged by what the men of Gibeah did. He was powerless against them, but his horrifying, gory "correspondence" was an effective strategy to marshal wide support for justice. (Compare 1 Sam. 11:5-7.)
Even "the law of the jungle" had its limits! Perhaps the Israelites were afraid of God's retribution against them collectively if they did not destroy the evil from among them. (Compare the story of Achan, Joshua 7.) Something had to be done, but what? The problem was so serious that the Israelites spontaneously gathered together at Mizpah. Upon hearing the testimony of the Levite, the people resolved to attack Gibeah to punish its inhabitants for their deed.
Resolution of the matter was more difficult than the Israelites had imagined at first. Rather than cooperating by giving up the criminals of Gibeah, the Benjaminites mustered their forces to protect Gibeah.
Why is the story of the Levite and his concubine (Judges 19) in the Bible?
Since the Bible contains a record of God's dealings with sinners, and since sin is ugly, there are parts of the Bible that are not pretty. If the story of Judges 19 shocks us by showing the depths of depravity to which God's professed people can sink when they turn from Him, then it has gone a long way toward accomplishing its purpose. The positive point is: by cherishing our relationship with the Lord and His law, which is the divine plan for our well-being based upon loving relationships with Him and with other human beings, we can avoid an otherwise inevitable slide to moral degradation.
Does collective moral responsibility operate within the church today? If so, how?
As at the beginning of the book of Judges, where events close to the same time are described (Judg. 20:28), the Israelites inquired of the Lord who should lead the battle against the Benjaminites. The answer was the same: Judah (Judg. 20:18; compare 1:1, 2). But this time they were going to war against fellow Israelites rather than Canaanites.
Why did the Lord let the Israelites lose two battles against the Benjaminites? Judg. 20:19-25.
The defending Benjaminites had some advantages over the other Israelites: (1) superior military skill (Judg. 20:16; compare 3:15— Ehud was also an effective left-handed Benjaminite warrior); (2) a smaller, more cohesive force to coordinate; (3) a better strategic position, since Gibeah was situated on a small hill; and (4) knowledge that they were fighting for the survival of their fellow tribesmen. But had not the Lord directed Judah to lead the way? (verse 18). When the people inquired of the Lord after the first battle, He told them to go up a second time (verse 23).
"The Israelites were not allowed to win a victory until after a preparatory period. The setbacks effectively drove them to fasting and prayer and to an earnest inquiry as to the cause of their failure. The delay was God's opportunity to point them to their own defects of character that needed correction as much as to the faults of others, of which they were so forcefully aware. The Israelites were far too ready to set out upon the work of correcting their brethren without being conscious of their own shortcomings."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 416.
When, in the theocracy, God commanded the application of capital punishment, He wanted those implementing it to be right with Him.
did the Israelites finally defeat the Benjaminites? Judg. 20:26-48.
After their second defeat, the Israelites wept, fasted, prayed, and offered sacrifices (Judg. 20:26). Then the next day the Lord "defeated Benjamin before Israel" (verse 35, NRSV). This victory, like Gideon's (Judges 7), was not won without human effort, but it was the Lord who gave success.
What should be our personal reaction to our spiritual de-11 feats? (See Matt. 17:14-21.)
In what dilemma did the victorious Israelites find themselves? Judg. 21:1-4, 6, 7.
The original intention of the Israelites was to punish the men of Gibeah (Judg. 20:10). Once they put the Benjaminites to flight, they could quite easily have accomplished this objective. But in the heat of battle, they did not think about when to stop (Judg. 20:48). Consequently, they almost entirely wiped out the tribe of Benjamin. All the women were destroyed, and only some men who had fled during the battle remained.
Without wives, the remaining Benjaminite men could not repopulate their tribe. The Israelites had earlier sworn that they would not give their daughters in marriage to Benjaminites. As in the case of Jephthah's rash vow (Judg. 11:30, 34, 35) and the curse of Micah's mother (Judg. 17:2), the consequences of what was thought to be an irrevocable utterance were unforeseen.
What solutions did the Israelites find for their dilemma? Judg. 21:5, 8-24.
A second oath solved part of the problem caused by the first oath! The Israelites had sworn to put to death anyone who did not participate with them against the Benjaminites. Because the men of Jabesh-gilead had not come, the Israelites destroyed all the inhabitants of that town except for the virgin women, whom they gave as wives to the remaining Benjaminites. To maintain the inviolability of a rash oath and to show compassion to the tribe of Benjamin, they massacred innocent married women and their children!
More women were needed. So a second solution was devised. When maidens danced at the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, they would be somewhat separated from their family members. The Benjaminites would have a chance to abduct some of them as wives. In this way, the Israelites could provide the Benjaminites with wives without the direct consent that would violate the wording of their oath.
Drastic remedies were employed to solve a drastic problem, which the Israelites themselves had caused. What a tragedy that they had not shown compassion to the Benjaminites a little earlier, before they killed their families!
How can we avoid solving problems without causing larger problems?
Is the statement that "in those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes" (Judg. 21:25; NRSV) positive or negative?
Taken by itself, this observation repeated at the very end of the book (see also Judg. 17:6) could be neutral or even positive: In the absence of a central human governing authority, everyone followed the dictates of his or her own moral judgment. But it is clear that the moral judgment of the Israelites was faulty because they failed to stay close to the Lord. He was their King, the authority behind the law that they should have been keeping. Such observance would have unified and protected them from themselves and from one another.
During the period of the "judges," the Israelites enjoyed some successes when they sought the Lord. But had they followed the Lord's direction more often, rather than relying upon their instincts and logic, they could have avoided terrible problems and atrocities.
The end of the book of Judges points forward to the books of 1 Samuel and Ruth. Samuel was the last of the "judges." Near the close of his leadership, the Israelites demanded a king (1 Samuel 8). They recognized their need for continuing leadership, but rather than seeking renewed commitment to the Lord, they sought a human ruler. In the end, human kingship would fail as miserably as the earlier tribal leadership. But ultimate success comes through Jesus, our divine Deliverer, Judge, and King. (See Rev. 5:9-14.) Jesus was a descendant of Ruth (Matt. 1:5), the Moabite woman who kept covenant loyalty to God and human beings during the period of the "judges," in striking contrast to the covenant disloyalty of the period.
Like the Israelites, we not only need a legal authority; we need forgiveness and the power to keep God's law in spite of our tendencies (Rom. 7:14-20). God gives us both through faith in Him! He cleanses us from our sins through the blood of Jesus (Rom. 3:21-26) and pours true, unselfish love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). With the motivation of love, we come into harmony with God's law of love (Matt. 22:36-40), which reflects His character (1 John 4:8). Obedience to God requires human cooperation with Him, as did Gideon's victory, but success in obedience is a gift of God through the Holy Spirit.
How would you explain to someone else the means bPkvhich we can receive God's gifts of forgiveness and obedience?
"The days of Israel's greatest prosperity had been those in which they acknowledged Jehovah as their king—when the laws and the government which He had established were regarded as superior to those of all other nations. Moses had declared to Israel concerning the commandments of the Lord: 'This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' Deuteronomy 4:6."—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 605.
"God desired His people to look to Him alone as their Lawgiver and their Source of strength. Feeling their dependence upon God, they would be constantly drawn nearer to Him. They would become elevated and ennobled, fitted for the high destiny to which He had called them as His chosen people."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 606.
SUMMARY: As illustrated in the story of Micah and the Danite and the story of a Levite, his concubine, and the civil war that followed, lawlessness during the period of the "judges" showed itself in the form of wrongs done to God and to human beings, including idolatry, theft, rape, and murder. When individuals and societies depart from the Lord, they fall prey to evil inclinations. The result is often tragedy for multitudes.
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