Judges 19:22-20:7
“Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.” (Judges 19:22)
The old Ephraimite was living in the city of Gibeah. He knew what the attitude of the people was like, and he insisted that the Levite from Mount Ephraim stay in his house for protection. Sure enough, later that night, the men of the city came demanding to have homosexual relations with the Levite.
A thousand years before, in Sodom, Lot had taken two men who turned out to be angels into his home to protect them from the men of the city, who had the same intention. Genesis 19:5 describes their demands. “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”
“And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.” (Judges 19:23-24)
The old man still had a strong moral sense that homosexuality was wrong, but like Lot, he had been so long around sexual sin that he no longer considered rape or adultery serious, offering to bring out the Levite’s wife as a substitute in an effort to placate them. It is almost like Lot’s effort in Genesis 19:6-8. “And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof."
A man who claims to be a Christian is splitting up with his wife because their daughter caught him in bed with another woman. He insists his wife has no grounds for leaving him, although his relatives have suspected it for a long time. When his brother admitted to having had a homosexual affair, he forbid him to ever set foot in his mother’s house or have anything to do with the family because it was so wicked. It is a typical attitude among religious people today, totally ignoring the fact that God demanded the death penalty for both adultery and homosexuality. It just reveals how far from a Godly standard people have moved.
“But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.” (Judges 19:25-26)
In the case of Lot, the two angels blinded the men of Sodom preventing their breaking in and tasking them. The wife was pushed out to the crowd and was gang raped throughout the night, finally managing to crawl back to the house about daylight, dying on the steps of her injuries.
“And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered.” (Judges 19:27-28a)
The next morning the Levite found his wife lying outside the door and ordered her to to get ready to go. He never even questioned why she was lying on the ground, and it is hard to believe he didn’t know she had been handed over to the men of the city. It tells us a lot about the level of perversion that had developed in Israel, at least in part because of Samson’s immorality.
“Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” (Judges 19:28b-30)
The man was outraged that they had killed his wife, and taking the body home, chopped her into twelve pieces, sending one to each of the tribes to get their attention. Israel had never seen anything quite that bad and it caught their attention. They were outraged and decided something had to be done.
“Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.)
Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead. And 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 lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.” (Judges 20:1-7)
Outraged by receiving pieces of a woman’s body the tribes came together to find out what had led to it and what could be done to prevent it happening again. The reaction was much like the school shooting in Sandy Hook, demanding that something be done. Their suggestions for a solution would also be very similar.
“Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.” (Judges 19:22)
The old Ephraimite was living in the city of Gibeah. He knew what the attitude of the people was like, and he insisted that the Levite from Mount Ephraim stay in his house for protection. Sure enough, later that night, the men of the city came demanding to have homosexual relations with the Levite.
A thousand years before, in Sodom, Lot had taken two men who turned out to be angels into his home to protect them from the men of the city, who had the same intention. Genesis 19:5 describes their demands. “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”
“And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.” (Judges 19:23-24)
The old man still had a strong moral sense that homosexuality was wrong, but like Lot, he had been so long around sexual sin that he no longer considered rape or adultery serious, offering to bring out the Levite’s wife as a substitute in an effort to placate them. It is almost like Lot’s effort in Genesis 19:6-8. “And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof."
A man who claims to be a Christian is splitting up with his wife because their daughter caught him in bed with another woman. He insists his wife has no grounds for leaving him, although his relatives have suspected it for a long time. When his brother admitted to having had a homosexual affair, he forbid him to ever set foot in his mother’s house or have anything to do with the family because it was so wicked. It is a typical attitude among religious people today, totally ignoring the fact that God demanded the death penalty for both adultery and homosexuality. It just reveals how far from a Godly standard people have moved.
“But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light.” (Judges 19:25-26)
In the case of Lot, the two angels blinded the men of Sodom preventing their breaking in and tasking them. The wife was pushed out to the crowd and was gang raped throughout the night, finally managing to crawl back to the house about daylight, dying on the steps of her injuries.
“And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered.” (Judges 19:27-28a)
The next morning the Levite found his wife lying outside the door and ordered her to to get ready to go. He never even questioned why she was lying on the ground, and it is hard to believe he didn’t know she had been handed over to the men of the city. It tells us a lot about the level of perversion that had developed in Israel, at least in part because of Samson’s immorality.
“Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” (Judges 19:28b-30)
The man was outraged that they had killed his wife, and taking the body home, chopped her into twelve pieces, sending one to each of the tribes to get their attention. Israel had never seen anything quite that bad and it caught their attention. They were outraged and decided something had to be done.
“Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.)
Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness?
And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead. And 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 lewdness and folly in Israel. Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.” (Judges 20:1-7)
Outraged by receiving pieces of a woman’s body the tribes came together to find out what had led to it and what could be done to prevent it happening again. The reaction was much like the school shooting in Sandy Hook, demanding that something be done. Their suggestions for a solution would also be very similar.
The depravity in Israel reflects our country only too well. Hardly anything is taboo any longer as we seek sensual gratification. Its amazing how deeply we can sink when we forsake God and are directed by our own moral compass. Such a compass can never point north; it only points in the direction that presently pleases us best.
ReplyDeleteAmen. Like Israel, we purport to be a Christian Nation, but our minds and consciences have been so defiled we are only outraged by the most extreme actions. Once again we see how closely the events in Israel parallel what is happening in our country.
ReplyDelete