The Progression Of Sin

While Samson had broken the Philistines’ power over Israel, he had not led them to obey God’s law.  As a result, the Jewish religion was corrupted, changing the rules God had established and adopting various idolatrous practices instead, as we saw with Micah in Judges 17.  The breaking down of the spiritual relationship with God led to changes in the ethical standards, with the Danites robbing and threatening to kill Micah and officially adopting idolatry in Judges 18.  Eventually, this led to a moral break down as we see in Judges 19.  The story is extremely applicable to what is happening today. 

A Levite was living with a woman from Bethlehem, in Judah, a common law marriage.  The woman acted like a prostitute, going home to her parents instead of staying with her husband.  Her husband loved her and went to try to win her back.  They had a good time with her parents, and stayed several days.  Finally, the Levite could not delay his leaving any longer, even though her parents wanted them to stay.  They were late leaving her parents’ house but he didn’t want to go through the whole goodbye thing again the next day, as Judges 19:10-12 tells us.  “But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.  And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.”  They were close to what would later be known as Jerusalem, but at the time it was still occupied by the Jebusites, and the man was afraid to stop there, choosing to go on to the Jewish city of Gibeah in Benjamin. 

They arrived at Gibeah just as the sun was setting so decided to camp in the street as ther were no hotels available, as Judges 19:15-21 describes.  “And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.  And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.  And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.  Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.  So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.”  The old man knew that it was not safe to be on Gibeah’s streets after dark, and insisted they stay at his home, much like Lot had done with the two angels in Genesis 19. 

Just as had happened in Sodom, The men of the city came demanding to be allowed to have homosexual relations with the man and his servant, in Judges 19:22.  “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.” 

Like Lot, while he still had a horror of homosexuality and woud be called homophobic in our day, his own morals were corrupted.  Just as Lot had offered to let the Sodomites rape his two daughters,  The old man offered to let them rape his own daughter and the man’s wife, in Judges 19:23-25.  “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.  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.”

The woman was raped and abused repeatedly, and died before she could get into the man’s home, according to Judges 19:26-29.  “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.  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. 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.”  Her husband chopped up her body and sent pieces to every tribe demanding to know what they were going to do about the rapes and murders. 

In Romans 1, Paul describes how man’s rejection of God ultimately leads to sexual immorality, homosexuality and murder, with those involved trying to get others involved as well.  Today we see the cycle being repeated in America.  The church was intended to be salt and light to the world, revealing evil and purifying it.  As the church has strayed from the scriptures, the moral and ethical standards have declined steadily, until today, adultery, homosexuality, transgenderism and murder are rampant, even among so called “Christians.”  These sins are the ultimate rejection of God’s authority, killing a being created in His image and denying his right to make them to be a man or woman and reproduce as he intended.