Judges 19 - Day 311 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Judges 19: Commentary Apart from triggering the main action which follows, this opening episode serves two major purposes. It shows us how debased even such a noble thing as hospitality had become in Israel in the judges period, and it throws significant light on the character of the Levite, who is to play a key role in episode 2. There are two scenes here involving hospitality. The first, in Bethlehem (1–10), is normal enough, but the second, in Gibeah (11–28), is perverted and grotesque, with unmistakable similarities to the description of life in Sodom in Gn. 19:1–13. This is particularly ironical because the travellers had deliberately avoided pagan towns in order to seek hospitality with their fellow-Israelites (12–14). The rowdies in the streets of Gibeah were clearly morally bankrupt, but so too was the old man who opened his house to the travellers. It was this apparently model host whose perverted sense of duty led him to conceive the idea of casting two innocent women to the dogs (23–24). Here is moral bankruptcy indeed. When God’s people do whatever is right in their own eyes they are no better than Sodomites. The Levite himself, however, is the most perverted of all. After having thrust out his concubine to the mob he retired to bed and apparently gave no further thought to her until he found her dead or unconscious on the doorstep in the morning. Then, with almost unbelievable callousness, he told her to get up because he was ready to go (27–28). This was the man who will summon all Israel to war in the next episode. In retrospect we can understand very well why his concubine found it impossible to live with him (see v 2 and note). Webb, B. G. (1994). Judges. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 283). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press. Application: This is a glimpse of what life without God would be like. This abomination is part of the reason why God instructed the Israelites to kill all of the inhabitants of the promised land. This is why we all need Jesus. Prayer: Lord, have mercy on us... Comments are closed.
|
AuthorHusband, Father, Pastor.... Archives
January 2024
CategoriesJoin Our Mailing List
|